Transcript FranceGreatBritainUSWWII

France, Great Britain & the
United States after World
War I
But first…
 On a piece of lined paper answer the
following questions:
1. How and why did the fascists succeed in
obtaining power in Italy?
2. Why were Great Britain and France
“joyless victors” after World War I?
3. What foreign policy problems did France
have after the Treaty of Versailles?
What we already know
 The war had a serious economic, political
and social impact on the world.
 New governments: no more Austo-
Hungarian empire, creation of Poland,
Czechoslovakia, etc.
 Countries had to repay war debt or
reparations
 More than 5 million killed in the war
1. France Between 1920 & 1938
 International relations: France becomes a
major power in Europe
 Domestic Issues: Political change
 Focused on strengthening economy and
maintaining security
1A. Impact of the war on France
Problems resulting from WWI
 85% of farmland destroyed
 Population and workforce declined
 Owed debt to foreign nations
1B. The Third Republic in France
 Highly democratic government
 A coalition of leftist parties controlled the
government
 Frequent changes in leadership resulted in
frequent changes in domestic and foreign policy
 Between the end of WWI and 1933, France was
governed by more than 27 different cabinets
1C. France During the Great
Depression
 Began feeling the effects in 1931
 Unemployment was never a major issue in
France
 Economic downturn resulted in the ceasing of
reparation payments to France
 As the economy tightened, the risk for right-
wing violence against the leftist coalition
increased.
1D. French Reaction to the Great
Depression
 “Popular Front” – A coalition of socialist
parties that controlled France between
1936 and 1938
 Wanted protection from far-right groups like
Action Franciase and Croix de Feu that were
hostile towards parliamentary, socialist and
communist governments.
1E. Preparation for Another
Foreign Invasion
 Maginot Line – Underground fortifications on
border of Germany and Luxembourg.
 Named after Andre Maginot, the French Minister
of War between 1922 and 1924
 Believed that the line would be able to hold off a
German invasion long enough for the French army
to mobilize and respond.
1.E Preparation for Another
Foreign Invasion
2. Great Britain 1918 - 1939
 Social Changes
 Economic Challenges
 Declining Empire
1a. Social Changes in Great Britain
 During the war, many women worked in factories to
support the war effort.
 After the war, women were more independent. The
smoked, drank and earned the right to vote in 1918.
 “Flappers” – young women who where independent,
progressive, dressed differently, wore their hair differently
2b. Economic Problems in Great
Britain
 Growth of the United States and Japan caused foreign
trade to decline
 Great Britain did modernize production methods
 Britain borrowed heavily to pay for the war
1b. Economic Challenges
 The working class became unionized
 May, 1926, 2 million workers went on strike over plans to
reduce wages and to lengthen working hours. This was
called the General Strike
 In response to the Great Depression, Britain put duties on
foreign goods in an attempt to stimulate economic growth
 Reduced government spending
 Relocated unemployed workers
1c. Decline of the Empire
 Colonies wanted independence from the British Empire
 British Commonwealth of Nations – a term coined in 1917 that
described the nations that were part of the British Empire
 British dominions earned equal status and rights to Great
Britain
 The Monarch was the symbolic head of the Commonwealth
 Cooperated in both trade and defense
 In India, Gandhi campaigned for independence from Great
Britain
United States after WWI
 Re-adopted an isolationist policy and wanted to stay out
of European affairs
 Dawes Plan – revised Germany’s responsibility for
reparations
 Germany was having difficulty paying reparations
 Charles G. Dawes, an American banker, was asked by the
Allied Reparations Committee to investigate the problem.
 institute annual payments of reparations on a fixed scale.
 Reorganize the German State Bank and increase foreign
loans.
United States after WWI
 Great Depression caused massive unemployment across
the nation
 FDR elected president in 1932
 Passed New Deal legislation to provide relief
 Worked to limit tariffs to promote world trade