Transcript chapter16_part2

Crisis in the West
The Western Democracies
• At the End of World War I western nations faced many
problems: economic hardships, social unrest, spread of
communism, lack of strong leaders
In Search of Peace
• European nations pursued peace at a conference in Locarno,
Switzerland. Western nations signed treaties that ended boarder
disputes, pursued disarmament, limit the size of armies and
navies, and stop aggression
• The Kellogg-Briand Pact was a treaty signed by all independent
nations which promised to “renounce war as an instrument of
national policy”
• During the 1920’s the
western world made a
shaky recovery returning
to a relatively healthy
economy
• The United States emerged
from World War I as the
world’s leading economic
power
United States
The Great Depression
• Although the world economy
seemed to be alright, a major
problem arouse – overproduction.
In October of 1929 lack of faith in
a shaky economy led to the Stock
Market Crash
• This “crash” triggered the Great
Depression of the 1930’s
Rise of Dictators
• As the depression
dragged on, many
people lost faith in
democratic
governments. This
created fertile
ground for
extremists who
promised radical
solutions
Great Britain
• After World War I, Britain
faced economic problems – the
nation was deeply in debt and
its factories were out of date.
General strikes were common –
workers in many different
industries at the same time
initiated a work stoppage
The Irish Problem
• In 1916, on Easter Sunday,
militant Irish nationalists
launched a failed revolt
against British rule. In 1919
members of the IRA – Irish
Republican Army – continued
to fight against British rule
using guerilla warfare as their
means of fighting
• In 1922, the independent Irish
Free State was established –
all of Ireland was granted
autonomy except for a largely
Protestant province in
northern Ireland
France
• After World War I France’s economy slowly recovered but the French
Republic was plagued by political turmoil and financial scandals
• To prevent further invasion from Germany France built an enormous
defensive structure along its border with Germany referred to as the
Maginot Line
Scare and Hope
• During the 1920’s the
United States went through
a period of “Red Scare” in
which suspected radicals
were rounded up and
expelled from the country
• In 1932, President Franklin
D. Roosevelt initiated his
“New Deal” which was a
massive plan of economic
and social programs
Rise of Dictators – Benito Mussolini
• Read pages 536-538
• Explain:
– Why would people
support the Fascists?
– How was Mussolini’s
Italy a Totalitarian
State?