Transcript Post world war I europe

POST WORLD WAR I
EUROPE
Great Depression and the New Political Experiments
Major Generalizations
 Europe struggled to maintain peace and
democracy.
 Rise of Totalitarianism to solve economic and
social problems.
 Use of Mass Communication to mobilize
populations.
WWI Aftermath
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France tried to enforce the Treaty of Versailles
League of Nation lacked muscle
Ethnic minority problems in eastern Europe
Short trend toward democracy in Eastern
Europe; moved slowly
 Women’s rights increased
 Conservatives & socialist tried to eliminate
democracy
GREAT DEPRESSION
CAUSES:
 Global economy
 Disrupted Markets
 High inflation
 Agriculture Depression
 Reparations
 Credit Financing
Great Depression Effects
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35% were unemployed in U.S. & Germany
Global Bank Failures
Currency depreciation; all states off the gold standard
Democratic countries hurt the most
John M. Keyes-said gov’t needs to aid needy, cut taxes
and work on the deficit finances; called ‘Keynesian’
economics…flourished starting in 1945.
 United Kingdom- Ireland & Egypt become independent
 United States- FDR creates ‘New Deal’; WWII will bring
U.S. out of depression
 Scandinavia- Used a mixture of socialism and
democracy to improve economy
The Great Depression [1929-1941]
London in 1930
Paris in 1930
Maimed German WW I Veteran
German Unemployment: 1929-1938
The Great Depression [1929-1941]
German-Weimar Republic
 Faced economic & political problems
 Influential Germans HATED government
 Several attempts by extremist to overthrow
government; not working class
 Blamed government for ‘Diktat’ of Treaty of
Versailles
 Reparation payment falls behind;
 France decides to invade Ruhr Valley for steel and coal as
payment; workers passively resist
 Dawes Plans created by U.S.
Dawes Plan
European Debts to the United States
Weimar Government
 Hyperinflation- overnight, value of mark
collapses
 Beer Hall Putsch- Hitler tries to overthrow gov’t;
failed, jailed & writes Mien Kampf(1924) which
outlined racial ideas and goals of Germany
 Locarno Pact- (1925) truly ends WWI;
 establishes western (w/o Alsace-Lorraine) & eastern border
(Czech. & Poland);
 allows Germany into League of Nations
 Kellogg-Briand Pact- (1928) denounces war by
League of Nations
Locarno Pact: 1925
Austin Chamberlain (Br.)
Aristide
Briand
(Fr.)
Gustave
Stresemann
(Ger.)
 Guaranteed the common boundaries of Belgium, France, and Germany
as specified in the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.
 Germany signed treaties with Poland and Czechoslovakia, agreeing to
change the eastern borders of Germany by arbitration only.
Totalitarianism
 Exploited mass media to mobilize public to
create support for new government
 Differed from past absolute monarchs
 Controlled all aspects of society; lacked
individuality
Left & Right Political Systems
Economic Politics
Rise of the Nazi’s
Why?
 Economic distress
 Weakness of Weimar government
 Appeals to Nationalism
 Fear of Communism
 Anti-Semitism views
 Leadership of Hitler (State based on race)
Hitler
 Hitler- Hated Jews & ‘Mongrels’ (Hapsburg
empire-due to its diversity)
 Called for Lebensraum- living space in the east
 After WWI, joined National Socialist Party (Nazi’s)
 Blamed problems on Treaty of Versailles; vowed to
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restore honor
Used propaganda and speeches to get the
younger Germans on Nazi side.
By 1932, Nazi’s were majority of Reichstag
Hitler is seen as best hope for defeat of
communism
By 1933, Hitler is appointed as Chancellor
Hitler and the Nazi’s
 Banned all political parties (except Nazi’s)
 Used violence and intimidation
 Enabling & Civil Service Acts (1933)-makes
Hitler dictator; enforces all gov’t employees
to swear an oath to Hitler
 Blood Purge- (1934) killed opposition leaders
 Gestapo & SS(Schutzstaffel)- secret police;
arrested opposition, ran concentration
camps to create Aryan race
Hitler continued
 Helped economy by becoming self sufficient &
created public works
 Hitler’s Youth (boys) & League of German Maidens
(girls) created.
 Nuremburg Laws- (1935) defined who a Jew was;
stripped citizenship; prohibited sexual relations
with ‘Aryans’.
 Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)-1938Violence toward Jews; synagogues, business’s and
houses torched; Jews killed and arrested
 Sterilization- killing those that are mentally ill,
physically unfit, etc.
 T-4 Program- Killing of 200,000 between 1939-41
in Genocide program based on Mein Kampf