Transcript Western Civilization Chapter 26

The Illusion of Stability
1919-1930
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World War I took its toll on many different
parts of the world
Parts of the colonial world were drawn into
the fight simply because of their association
with the colonizing nation
This led to unrest against Western political
domination
During the war, people of the colonies were
equal enough or good enough to fight and
die for Britain, France, or Germany
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After the war, they were supposed to go back
to their subordinate positions in society – life
as usual
They did not want to
They protested
Some countries gave their colonies
concessions just to quiet them
They gave them constitutions and some
representation
It only worked for awhile
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President Woodrow Wilson’s ideal of selfdetermination and democracy were greeted
enthusiastically by those outside of the West
Some were enamored with the Russian
Revolution
Many wished to throw off their colonizers or
their absolute rulers
Sun Yat-sen in China, Gandhi in India worked
to do just that
There were insurrections in Egypt against the
British
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Western-educated Africans wanted
representation in government
The British gave a constitution to Nigeria in
1923 and to the Gold Coast in 1925, but they
didn’t ask the natives for any input
British also gave them more schools that
taught agriculture and African languages
African leaders wanted a more Western
education taught
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The Bolsheviks in 1917 were hoping their
revolution would spark other worker
rebellions
By 1929, there had been none
There was also a split between Marxist and
Leninist socialism
Other political movements were attracting
attention, ex.: Fascism begun by Benito
Mussolini in Italy in 1919
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Communism was still in power in the USSR
Bolsheviks renamed themselves Communists
They were a minority in the newly elected
assembly, so the Communists broke up the
assembly using force in January of 1918
They slowly established themselves as the
Power
It took 4 years of civil war to establish this
power
White Army vs. Red Army
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In 1922, Russia changed its name to the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR
There were no real republics
There was one centralized government
located in Moscow
During these early years and still hoping for
communist revolutions worldwide, the Soviets
began “Communist International” or the
Comintern in March 1919
Not successful
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They tried to incite rebellion anywhere they
could
They did form communist parties in some
countries
There were bigger problems, however
There were disagreements between Socialists
and Communists in many areas of Europe
that weakened both
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Lenin was succeeded by Joseph Stalin, a
brutal leader
Joseph Stalin killed more of his own people
than Hitler killed Jews
Communism is no longer in power in Russia
as of 1991
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Totalitarianism – total control
◦ Single party system
◦ Revolutionary ideology
◦ Total control of government
◦ Dictatorial leader
◦ Wants active support from masses
◦ No opposition is tolerated
To get control, it uses:
propaganda
force
terror
technology
organization
modern communication
◦ Wishes to control:
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Economy
Religion
Cultural life
Society
They hate:
liberal ideologies
limited government
individual rights & freedoms
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Fascism is a form of totalitarianism
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Wants total control, in your face control
Anti-liberal
Anti-democratic
Anti-individualistic
Anti-communist
Ultra nationalistic
Militaristic
Mussolini began Fascism in Italy in 1919.
Nazism is a form of totalitarianism and fascism. It
took over government in Germany in the 1930s.
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Authoritarianism
◦ Less ideological than fascism
◦ Did not try to control all aspects of life
◦ Primarily a dictatorship backed by military
conservatives
◦ Most concerned with keeping order and protecting
the status quo
◦ Against: liberal democracies, socialism, and
communism
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After World War I, Italy was battered and
humiliated
Italy’s army was proved ineffective
It had been given the adjacent Italian-speaking
areas of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire,
but wanted more
Its economy was weak
Its national debt was huge
The treasury was empty
There were many workers on strike
Marxism was beginning to get popular
There was inflation
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Italy needed strong leadership and a strong
government
Into this walked Benito Mussolini
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Son of a blacksmith
Journalist
Nationalist – later a violent nationalist
Pacifist socialist
Organizer and leader
After World War I, he began organizing unemployed
veterans into a political action group with a
socialistic and extremely nationalistic program
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Labor disturbances in Italy increased 19191921
When the radical workers looked like they
were losing, Mussolini and his black-shirted
terror squads stepped in to restore order
By doing this, he gained the support of the
frightened: the capitalists and thelanded
aristocracy
He was saving them from Communism
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In 1922 the weak king of Italy, King Victor
Emmanuel III, named Mussolini Premier
He chose Mussolini because he thought
Mussolini was the lesser of the other evils
Between 1924 and 1926, Mussolini made
himself dictator
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All opposition was silenced
Only one political party allowed
Press and schools were used as propaganda tools
Secret police
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Mussolini had control of economic life in his
Corporate System
◦ Unions were abolished, except those controlled by
the fascists
◦ Planned economy that was to modernize,
coordinate, and increase Italy’s industrial and
agricultural output
Mussolini did balance the budget. Italy had the
highest taxes in the world
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Although Fascism ran the economy, it
remained primarily an ultra-nationalistic
system
◦ Not an anti-Semitic police state
◦ But was a disciplined police state
It concentrated on building a powerful army and navy
to recapture Italy’s lost prestige
However, in 1935 it still needed Germany’s help to
take over Ethiopia
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After World War I, Germany was defeated and
humiliated
It had been forced to sign a stringent peace
treaty
It set up a liberal democracy in 1919, but they
were inexperienced with this type of government
They had difficulty handling all of Germany’s
problems after World War I
◦ There were competing parties & little cooperation
◦ There was high inflation and a paralyzed economy
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Germany was unable to make the first
reparations payment
Through a deal with the U.S. in the form of
loans, Germany made its subsequent
payments
In August of 1923, Gustav Stresemann
became the German head of government
Through his efforts and loans from the U.S.,
the German economy began to recover
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In 1925, he signed the Treaty of Locarno with
former enemies France Great Britain, Italy, and
Belgium guaranteeing the existing borders
between Germany, France, and Belgium
In 1926, Germany was admitted into the League
of Nations and Stresemann became its leader
Those in Germany who didn’t appreciate
Stresemann’s efforts to settle things with former
enemies peacefully began moving towards
extremists in society
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One of these was Adolf Hitler, head of the
National Socialists
Son of an Austrian customs official
Artistic temperament
Left for Vienna as a teen to get into art school
He was denied entry; not enough formal training
Lived in Vienna, mostly in poverty
There he learned of German master race theory and
anti-Semitism
◦ Joined German army in World War I and rose to the
rank of corporal
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◦ After World war I, he frequented beer halls and
eventually began organizing the unemployed
veterans, the frustrated, and the disenchanted that
he found there
◦ He organized them into the National Socialist Party
or Nazi Party
◦ Hermann Goering was second in command
◦ Rudolf Hess was head of the political section
◦ Paul Joseph Goebbels was the chief Nazi
propagandist
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In 1923, Hitler tried to take over the
government of Bavaria in the Beer Hall Putsch
◦ It failed
◦ He was jailed for less than a year
◦ While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf that became
the Nazi Bible
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It was the German variety of Fascism
The book laid out Hitler’s plan for taking over Europe
It was poorly written
People who read it thought he was crazy ( a good
argument for trusting your first instincts)
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Hitler’s philosophy was based on the belief of
a German Master Race
◦ They represented the pure Nordic race
◦ They were superior to all others
◦ Germans were destined to conquer and rule all
other peoples
◦ Its virtues were militarism, indomitable will, pride,
aggressiveness, and brute strength
◦ Its vices were gentleness, peacefulness, tolerance,
pity, and modesty
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Foreign Affairs Policy
Repudiate the Treaty of Versailles
All-out rearmament
Recovery of lost territories
Annex all neighboring German-speaking territories
like Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland
◦ Acquire more living space – eventually taking over
the Soviet Union and enslaving them
◦ Ultimate Goal: World Domination
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Domestic Policy was vague and contradictory
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Stores were to be nationalized
Communism destroyed
Labor unions controlled
Persecute Jews
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Legal discrimination
Economic exploitation
Violence
Extermination
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National Socialists grew slowly and steadily
appealing to displaced veterans, youths, and
those who felt insecure and threatened by
change
The Nazis promised a lot and seemed to have
a clear cause and direction
They offered simple solutions to difficult
problems
When Germany was led by Stresemann, Nazi
membership grew from 27,000 in 1925 to
178,000 in 1929
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It increased even more with the Great Depression
in 1929
Nazi seats in Reichstag grew from 12 to 107 by
1930
In 1932, Nazi seats increased to 203
Nazis ha more seats than any other party
although it was no majority
There were 608 seats in the Reichstag in total
As the Depression deepened, President Paul von
Hindenburg began ruling through emergency
powers, challenged by the problems his country
faced and challenged by Adolf Hitler
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In 1933, von Hindenburg offered Hitler the
Chancellorship of Germany and Hitler
accepted & industrialists backed him
Nazis used great skill and propaganda in
moving the country towards dictatorship
which Hitler soon claimed after the death of
von Hindenburg
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Hitler adjourned the Reichstag
All political parties were disbanded except for
the Nazi Party
Freedom of speech, press, and assembly were
abolished
The Gestapo, secret police, was established
under Heinrich Himmler to spy and destroy
opposition
Jews were subjected to every humiliation:
driven out of public and professional life;
then 6 million exterminated
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Nazi activities were to mold and control
thought
Goebbels, the propaganda minister:
◦ used the press and radio for his releases
◦ made it a crime to read foreign newspapers or
listen to foreign radio
◦ Waged a hate campaign against democracies
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Unsympathetic teachers were dismissed and
punished
Nazi Youth organizations spied on parents
and teachers
Textbooks were rewritten
The sole function of education was to create
more Nazis
The arts were “Nazified”; only party members
or sympathizers could publish, exhibit, or
perform
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Nazis took over the Lutheran Church and made it
the state church
Nazis had a rough relationship with Catholics
1933 – Hitler removed Germany from the League
of Nations and from disarmament talks
1935 – Hitler began rearming Germany
1936 – Hitler re-militarized the Rhineland and
gave aid to the Spanish Fascist Francisco Franco
1937 – Germany in an alliance with Japan and
Italy called the Tri-Partite Pact
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They were in Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia,
Romania, and Austria in Eastern and
Southeastern Europe
Czechoslovakia remained free until 1938
when Hitler began to take it over
In Western Europe, authoritarian governments
were in Portugal and Spain
All these authoritarian regimes stressed
militarism and nationalism
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Three different groups tried to get power in
Japan in the 1920s
#1 – Great Industrialists
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5 families
Known as Zaibatsu
Had stranglehold on economy & politics
Didn’t want Japan to be democratic because they’d
lose power
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#2 – The Liberals
◦ University professors and students
◦ They wanted to
 broaden suffrage
 unionize labor
 Diminish the power of the military
They did so in 1925.
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#3 – Military
◦ Schemed to get back their lost power
◦ Attacked Manchuria, China in 1931, then Shanghai
in 1932
◦ War fever and patriotism swept through Japan
◦ Government officials were assassinated
◦ Liberal university professors were accused of
disloyalty and were silenced, dismissed, or
imprisoned
◦ Schools and press were used as propaganda tools
◦ Democratic government and civil rights were
destroyed
◦ Military and State police were given unlimited
authority
◦ 1937 – Japan joined with Germany and Italy in an
alliance, the Tri-Partite Pact
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Work
◦ Industry needed workers
◦ There was also labor unrest
◦ Workers wanted a different relationship with
authority
◦ Businessmen wanted efficiency in production
◦ Henry Ford said that in exchange for workers doing
repetitive tasks, he would pay them well, so they
could buy a car if they wanted
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Women’s Suffrage was granted in the U.S.,
Britain, Germany, and in much of Europe in
part because of their efforts during World War
I
There was a more open and tolerant attitude
towards sexuality
◦ Birth control was more accessible because of the
efforts of Margaret Sanger
◦ More open talk about sexuality
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There were new electrical gadgets : radios,
phonographs, cars, fans, toasters, and
artificial silk
Vacations, Soccer, Beach, Baseball, Football
Movies were silent at first
Airplane: Charles Lindbergh
New cultural tradition: there were more
women writers like Virginia Woolf
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Surrealist Movement in literature and in art
◦ Begun by Andre Breton
◦ Surrealists believed in expressing the unconscious
mind that gave a deeper truth
Bauhaus was a German school of architecture. It was
industrial, efficient, and modern. It was
architecture for the masses. They adopted
contemporary materials.
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