Transcript Chapter 27_Hist12-b-Politics Europe 1920`s

AP European History
Political
Experiments
of the 1920s
Debate over Versailles and WWI
Germans say too harsh
French say too lenient
Breakup of nations, new governments, create
new balance of power in Europe
Colonialism upset by changes - Europeans
begin to lose control and dominance of trade
Can all changes lead to a more peaceful
Europe?.
Political and Economic Challenges
War Reparations and War Debt.
US demands no reparations but collects on
Debt
New underdeveloped nations
Economic instability
New Economic Patterns
US emerges as economic superpower
Europe embraces protectionist policy
Tariffs and lack of cooperation
The Soviet Union
Saw themselves as forging a new era in
government
Declares a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
Communist Party rules (less than 1% of
population) - gains full control in 1921
Lenin nationalizes banks and industries squelches mutinies and strikes - unable to put
down all - allows some private enterprise with
his New Economic Policy (NEP).
Soviet Successors to Lenin
Leon Trotsky - subordinate architect of
Communist state - favored rapid
industrialization - export of communism to
neighboring states - left wing of Party
Joseph Stalin - Communist Party General
Secretary - supported slow industrialization
- continuing NEP - seen as too brutal to rule
- right wing of Party.
Stalin Takes Control
Stalin understood
control of Party
Nikolai Bukharin head of Pravda
newspaper supports
Stalin
Stalin gets Trotsky
removed from Party,
exiled to Siberia, deported, killed in Mexico.
The Soviet Model
Third International (Comintern) held in Moscow
Established Soviet Union as model for
revolutionary Marxism
Devised 21 rules for nations wanting to engage
in Marxist revolution - required
acknowledgement of Soviet leadership - use of
name “Communist Party”
Sought to end democratic socialism
Created fear - drove some to right wing regimes.
Italy
Neglected at Versailles
Embraced ‘Fascism’ - group bound together
by common cause - Ex: nationhood
Italian fascists - anti-democratic, antiMarxist, anti-parliamentarian - wanted to
avoid party squabble - looked for strong
leader - sought unified, unquestioned goals.
Benito Mussolini
A socialist prior to the war becomes opportunist in
pursuit of control
Leads ex-army group,
Bands of Combat - who
felt Italy cheated at Versailles
Feels self-interest groups disruptive to
national goals - Mussolini terrorizes
Elected to Chamber of Deputies.
Benito Mussolini
Leads Black Shirt March on
Rome
King Victor Emmanuel III
names Mussolini Prime Minister
Gives Mussolini dictatorial
power for 1 year to bring nation
together - changes election laws,
dissolves other parties
Became known as “Il Duce”.
Fascist Italy
Becomes one party state
Mussolini controls opposition
Claimed creation of more efficient society
“made the trains run on time”
Lateran Accord - Settles dispute with
Vatican - pays Pope for land taken, exempts
from taxes - makes Catholicism official
faith of Italy.
Assignment: Political Forces
Democracy
Fascism
Communism
Please compare and contrast the similarities and
differences of these three philosophies
Please use Documents as Evidence
Complete For Homework!
Political Venn Diagram
Communism
Fascism
Democracy
France
Legislature becomes conservative
Georges Clemenceau driven from power for
being too lenient on Germans at Versailles
Rapid turnover
in leadership
after WWI.
France seeks
alliances to replace
Russia, Britain
France
Forms “Little Entente” with Czechoslovakia,
Romania, Yugoslavia (weak alliance, little help)
Germany defaults on reparations - France enters
Ruhr Valley area of Germany - mining &
manufacturing - to force Germans to pay - costs
France to supply civilian workers & alarms
British
Eventually becomes more conciliatory to
Germany - Aristide Briand improves relations.
Britain
Run by Conservative/Labour/Liberal coalition
during war
David Lloyd George (Liberal) continues postwar coalition until voted out in 1922
Post-war economy bad, new Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin tries protective tariffs electorate (all men over 21
and all women over 30)
reject leadership.
Britain
Labour Party takes over under
Ramsay McDonald - Liberal
Party sides with Labour
Labour is socialist but not like
Russians, committed to
democracy, not revolution
Britain begins to lose control
of colonial possessions.
Breakup of the British Empire
Already formed commonwealth with Canada
and Australia - not completely independent maintain loyalty to mother country
Gave Ireland (except northern counties) same
status after Irish Easter Rebellion of 1916 Brits put down, execute leaders
1918 Sinn Fein elects member to Parliament,
government refuses to seat them
Guerilla war breaks out.
Irish Independence
Eamon de Valera and Michael
Collins lead new rebellion - de
Valera rises to president of
Ireland, Collins killed by IRA
1921 British grant limited
independence in
Commonwealth for
allegiance to crown
Irish repudiate in 1932.
Successor States
Created after World War I - all in Eastern
Europe
Most remain independent between WWI
and WWII - go communist after WWII
Most have difficulty maintaining republic too easy to use army to settle problems
Most states rural and unable to compete
with industrialized nations
Ethnic groups seek further splits.
Europe 1914
European Changes
Poland
Czechoslovakia
Hungary
Austria
Yugoslavia
Romania
Bulgaria
Greece.
Poland
Difficult for nation to
come together that had
been parts of three other
nations for over 125 years Austria/Russia/Germany
Wilson insisted on nationhood for Poles
Military dictatorship takes over in 1926.
Czechoslovakia
Cooperative nation between
the Czechs & Slovaks found commonality
Reasonably strong economy & only successful democratic state
between wars
President Thomas Masaryk breaks up large
estates
Sudetenland within borders.
Hungary
Got what it wanted - separation
from Austria (though they lost
the war)
Follows Soviet lead - Bela Kun
establishes communist regime
Kun ousted in favor of
landowners who control
legislature.
Austria
Political infighting keeps nation
unstable until Engelbert
Dollfuss takes over as
Chancellor, a Christian
Socialist who becomes
quasi-dictator
Dollfuss assassinated by Nazis
who favor unification with
Germany in the Anschluss.
Yugoslavia and Greece
Yugoslavia: Ethnic clashes between Serbs
(in power) & Croats/Slovenes
Fighting undermines
Parliamentary government
Serbs establish royal dictatorship
Greece: military coups increase
in parliamentary monarchy
until General John Metaxas takes over.
Romania and Bulgaria
Romania: Liberal government
until royal dictatorship emerges claims to rescue Romania from
left-wing (communist)
elements - King Carol II
in 1930
Bulgaria: same
except sooner,
King Boris III
in 1918.
The Weimar Republic
Germany: largest experiment in liberal
government in inter-war years (except Soviets)
Constitution enacted in city of Wiemar Germans associate government with their nondefeat - seen as imposed government - most
wanted Kaiser Wilhelm back
Constitution allowed small parties in Reichstag
(parliament) - gave president dictatorial powers
in emergency.
Weimar Germany
After French invade Ruhr Valley and stop
German industry, economy collapses
Rates of German mark to
U.S. dollar conversion:
1914 - 4 to 1
1921 - 64 to 1
1923 - 800million to 1
Savings wiped out,
but debts easy to pay.
Adolf Hitler
Austrian, studied art in Vienna
Wounded in WWI, awarded Iron Cross
Moved to Munich &
becomes politically active
Joins National Socialist
German Workers Party also known as Nazi Party
Advocates German -Austrian unification
Adopts swastika as symbol.
Nazi Party
Anti-Semitic, anti-Bolshevik (anti-Marxist)
Nazi Socialism comes to mean
total allegiance to state - hates
both conventional socialists
and communists
Creates SA - “Brown Shirts” stormtroopers - a paramilitary
force - engages in terrorism
Adolf Hitler rises to leadership.
The Beer Hall Putsch
Putsch - attempt coup against the government
November 8, 1923 - crowd gathers at the
Burgerbräukeller to hear Erich von
Ludendorff, prominent WWI General, speak Hitler takes over
Hitler and Ludendorff
arrested & tried for treason both jailed - Hitler becomes
national figure during trial.
Hitler’s Plan
Writes Mein Kampf (My
Struggle) in jail - outlines
political views
including plan
for Germans to
have “lebensraum”
(living space) by
conquering
surrounding areas
Seeks legal path to power.
Gustav Stresemann
Leader until death in 1929
Stops putsches of Hitler
and communists
Introduces new
currency
Dawes & Young
Plan - restructures
German debt.
Gustav Stresemann
Gustav Stressmann- Chancellor (Aug 1923-Nov
1929)
Reconstructed the republic
Introduced new currency
Supported the crushing of Hitler’s putsch
1924- Dawes Plan
Lowered reparations depending on German economy
1925- Paul von Hindenburg elected President
More conservative
Economy improved, foreign investing in industries
Accepted some of the western Versailles settlements,
but wanted to reclaim some Eastern territories
1925 Locarno Agreements
Revision of Versailles Treaty - stabilized
western border - France leaves Ruhr and
Rhineland - eastern border un-addressed
Italy and Britain vow help to the invaded
Allies giving control of German affairs
Germany invited to join League of Nations
1928 - Kellogg-Briand Pact signed - outlawed
war as an instrument of foreign policy.
Locarno
1925- Locarno Agreements
Established official German/French border
Britain and Italy agreed to intervene if either side broke
agreement
German signed treaties of arbitration with Poland and
the Czechs
France supported Germany in League of Nations
Caused spirit of optimism
1928- Kellogg- Briand Pact- renouncing war as an
instrument of national policy
Locarno left many major international issues
unresolved.