Transcript The West Between the Wars

The West Between the Wars
Chapter 24
Uneasy Peace, Uncertain Security
The Treaty of Versailles created new
boundaries, states & occupied
territories; however many were
unhappy.
 The League of Nations was weak.
 France demanded reparations from
Germany; when unable to pay, France
occupied the Ruhr Valley.
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Passive resistance to French
occupation = German Inflation
August 1924, The Dawes Plan:
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1.
2.
3.
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Reduced reparations
Coordinated Germany’s payments with
ability to pay
Granted a $200 million loan (Am.
Investment)
Germany & France sign a treaty,
and 23 nations sign a pact
renouncing war.
The Great Depression
Causes:

1.
2.
3.
Slump in the economies of many nations
International financial crisis
U.S. Stock Market Crash
Responses:
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Unemployed and homeless filled the streets.
Govt. interference in the economy
Renewed interest in Marxist doctrines
Democratic states after the war
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Germany –Weimar Republic
Problems:
Lack of political leaders
 Economic & social problems
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France
Financial problems lead to political
problems.
 Formation of Popular Front Government
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Great Britain:
Lost a great deal of industry to U.S. &
Japan during the war
 Shift in political power to Conservatives.
 Key leader: John Maynard Keynes.
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U.S.—FDR & New Deal
Capitalism had to be reformed
 The New Deal increased programs of
public works, created the welfare
system, Social Security, &
unemployment insurance
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(All written in ways to allow for the exclusion of
minorities)
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Key Idea:
Economic problems caused people to
demand changes in govt.
 Even with changes, WWII is the only
thing that solves the unemployment
problem.

The Great Depression
Fascism Rises in Europe
In each nation, Fascists wore
uniforms of certain color, used
special salutes & held mass rallies
Fascist Beliefs & Policies
Fascism is a political movement that
stresses extreme loyalty to the state
and its leader.
 Support for Fascists comes from
aristocrats, industrialists, veterans,
and the lower middle class.

Fascism is similar to Communism
1.
2.
3.
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Ruled by dictator & one party
system
Both denied individual rights
State is supreme
Difference is that Fascists didn’t
want a classless society.
Mussolini Comes to Power in Italy
In Italy, Fascism gains followers
because of disappointment over the
1919 Paris Peace Conference,
inflation, and unemployment.
 Benito Mussolini gains supporters b/c
he is seen as a strong leader.
 People feared communism
 Fascists in black shirts attacked
Communists in the streets.

In October 1922, after Fascists march
on Rome, Mussolini takes charge of
Italy’s govt.
 Mussolini was known as “IL Duce”
(the leader)
 Under Mussolini, Italy b/c the model
for Fascists in other countries.
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He outlawed political parties &
strikes, jailed his opponents, used
govt. censors & secret police.
Other Countries fall to Dictators
In Hungary & Poland, the new
democratic governments formed after
WWI fall to dictators.
 By 1935, Czechoslovakia is the only
democracy in eastern Europe.
 Eastern Europeans turn to
dictatorship b/c they see authoritarian
rule as the only way to prevent
instability.
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Civil war in Spain leads to a Fascist
dictatorship. (Francisco Franco—
Supported by Italy & Germany).
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The Soviet Union supported the
Republican government, not Franco
A New Era in the Soviet Union
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After agricultural disaster in Russia,
Lenin abandoned war communism in
favor of his New Economic Policy
(NEP).
System allowed for small businesses
 Prevented further economic disaster
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1922, Russia officially becomes the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR)
After Lenin died in 1924, a struggle
began for control amongst his
advisors.
 Joseph Stalin gains control of the
Communist Party (he allegedly orders
the assassination of Trotsky)
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Stalin shifts from the NEP with his
Five-Year Plan.
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Transform the USSR into an industrial
country.
Social cost of 5 year plans: not much
money spent on housing… creation of
slums, propaganda stressed sacrifice
for the good of the state
Private farms were eliminated under
Collectivization, the government
owned all of the land.
 Political Costs: Old Bolsheviks
removed or put to death, others who
resisted were sent to labor camps in
Sibera.
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Hitler takes control in Germany
The German brand of fascism is
called Nazism.
 Adolf Hitler’s skills as an organizer
and speaker help him become head
of the Nazi party.
 Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, sets forth
his anti-Semitic beliefs and his plans
for conquest.
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Used Swastika as their symbol
Had a private militia called
Stormtroopers or brown shirts.
 Mein Kampf was written while in jail
for failed attempt to over-throw
govt. (served 5 years)
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Germany’s economic problems and fear
of the Communist party help Hitler take
power legally (President Paul von
Hindenburg named Hitler chancellor).
 Hitler then demanded passage of the
Enabling Act (a 4 year dictatorship) and
used his power to turn Germany into a
totalitarian state.
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He banned all other political parties &
had opponents arrested & created the
SS (Schutzstaffel) Protection squad
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The SS wore black uniforms and they were
loyal only to Hitler (Gestapo)
Hitler put Germans to work—dropping
unemployment from 6 million to 2.6
million
 Jews were encouraged to emigrate from
Germany.

Hitler turned the press, radio, literature,
painting and film into propaganda
tools.
 9 Nov 1938—Kristallnacht (Night of
the Broken Glass).
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Nazi mobs attacked Jews in their homes &
streets, destroyed Jewish owned buildings
Cultural & Intellectual Trends
Section 4
Radio, Movies, & Free Time
In the 1920s, Broadcasting facilities
were built in the U.S., Europe, &
Japan.
 Mass production of radios & the first
full-length feature pictures
 Movies & radios could be used for
political purposes
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Nazis had radio manufacturers offer
installment payment plans. (Joseph
Goebbles- German Propaganda Minister)
The creation of the eight-hour work
day brought more free time
 leisure activities– Professional
sporting events & Travel (made
affordable by the use of trains,
busses, & cars)
 Activities promoted government
ideals-- Kraft durch Freude (“Strength
through Joy”)
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Video
Artistic & Literary Trends
Political, economic, & social
uncertainties lead to intellectual
uncertainties after WWI.
 Abstract Art became popular
 Art was a way of escaping reality.
 2 movements:
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Dada
 Surrealism
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Dadaists—believed that life had no
purpose.
 Surrealism—sought reality beyond the
material world in the unconscious.
 Hitler rejected modern art in favor of
art that glorified the Aryan race.
 Literature—new works exposed the
inner thoughts of characters, some
expressed the spiritual loneliness of
modern humans.
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Physics
Physics was also affected by the age
of uncertainty.
 1927, German physicist Werner
Heisenberg explained the uncertainty
principle.
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All of our physical laws are based on
uncertainty b/c the behavior of
subatomic particles is unpredictable.
(completely contradicts Newton)