Transcript Ch.26 Political Experiments in the 1920s

Ch.26 Political
Experiments in the
1920s
Political and Economic Factors after the
Paris Settlement
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Numerous post-war economic problems brought on because of the
numerous casualties of war and Europe’s loss of financial dominance
The reparations and debt structure of the peace made all European
nations uncertain
Market and Trade conditions changed drastically because of the
damage to Europe’s infrastructure
United States had become less dependent on European production
and was a major competitor
Slow post war economic growth and overall decline in economic
lowered demand for European goods
Unions played a greater role in government because of wartime
production
The Soviet Experiment Begins
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The Bolshevik gains in Russia Resulted in the Communist Party in
the Soviet Union
Communist leaders sought to spread their ideology around the
world
Fear of Communism and resolve to stop it spread became a
major force in United States and Europe (Red Scares)
The Bolsheviks rapidly developed authoritarian policies in
response to internal and foreign military opposition
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Cheka- a new secret police
The Soviet Experiment begins continued
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Political and economic administration became highly
centralized
Economic Policy War Communism- Bolsheviks took control of
all major industries and financial and transportation
After Lenin’s death 1924 struggles for leadership emerged
Leon Trotsky (left wing) and Joseph Stalin (right wing)
Trotsky spoke for agricultural collectivization, rapid
industrialization, and new revolutions in other states
Nikolai Bukharin (Right-Stalin) manipulated the group called
continuation of Lenin’s NEP and slow industrialization
The Soviet Experiment Continued
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Stalin began to amass power during the 1920s
He supported Bukharin and denounced Trotsky and controlled the
state
1919 the Soviet Communists founded the third International of
European Socialist movement known as Comintern
1920 Comintern imposed 21 Conditions on any Socialist party that
wanted to join it
The effort to destroy democratic socialism split every European
Socialist party:
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divided the political left
created a vacuum of power for right wing politicians
Led to rise of Fascists and Nazis
The Fascist Experiment in Italy
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Benito Mussolini rose up (in response to the threat of
Bolshevism) as a fascist- a term used to describe right wing
dictators that arose between wars
Claimed to hold back Bolshevism and were antidemocratic,
anti-Marxist, antiparliamentary, anti-Semitic
Fascist movements were nationalistic
October 1922 Black Shirt March- Fascists marched on Rome
Led to Mussolini becoming Prime Minister
The Fascist party came to dominate Italy’s political structure
on every level
Joyless Victors
 1920
and 1921 Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia
formed the Little Entente, an alliance designed to
prevent the revision of the Paris Treaty
 1922 the first Labour government in Britain was headed
by Ramsay MacDonald
 The Labour party was socialistic in platform but
democratic and non-revolutionary,
 The Labour party’s ascension in English politics resulted in
the demise of the Liberal party
Trials of the Successor States in Eastern
Europe
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“successor states” was the name given to lands
emerged after the break up of the German, AustroHungarian, and Russian Empires
 Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria faced major
economic difficulties
 Except for Czechoslovakia all of them depended on
foreign loans to finance their economic rebuilding
 The collapse of the old empires allowed ethnic groups to
pursue nationalistic goals
The Weimar Republic in Germany
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The Weimar Republic took shape in aftermath of WWI;
Its constitution was written August of 1919
Guaranteed civil liberties and provided for direct election, it had
flaws that allowed for liberal institutions to be overthrown
Adolph Hitler (1889-1945) arrived on the political scene around the
time French occupation of the Ruhr sent inflation soaring,
unemployment spread throughout Germany
Hitler afflicted with the Christian Social Party in Vienna and absorbed
much of its rabid German Nationalist m and anti-Semitism
He moved to Munich and became involved with a small
nationalistic, Anti-Semitic party known as the Nationalistic Socialists
Germans Workers Party
The Weimar Republic in Germany
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Chancellorship of Gustav Stresemann, Germany recovered from
some of tis losses.
New reparations payment plan (Dawes Plan) was instituted
Dawes Plan gave Germany flexible form of payment that varied
according to the German economy
1925 the Locarno Agreements accepted Paris as the western Frontier
and Britain and Italy agreed to intervene against whichever side
violated the frontier or if Germany sent troops into the Rhineland
No agreement existed for Germany on Eastern Frontier
France supported Germany’s membership in the League of Nations
The Locarno Treaty pleased all European powers but did not resolve
tensions