Ch 17 Notes

World History

 

Probs in Europe-

-         Germany mad about harshness of Treaty of Versailles

-         The League of Nations was weak

o       The US failed to join

§         Did not want to get involved in European affairs

§         Didn’t want their hands tied

-         France demanded their money from Germany

o       Germany couldn’t pay, so France seized factories/mines in Germany

-         German economy is trashed

o       Unbelievable inflation, German money is worthless

o       Dawes Plan- US loans money to Europe, helps create time of prosperity during 1920s

 

Preventing war-

-         League of Nations proposed everyone should reduce their military to ease tensions

o       Good idea, but who wants to be first?

-         Treaty of Locarno/Kellogg-Briand Pact

o       Countries agree war is bad and no one should do it (woo hoo)

 

Depression- a time of low economic activity and high unemployment

-         causes-

o       overproduction by farmers- causes low prices

o       US stock market crash

§         Causes US banks to pull back their loans, no more money for Europe

·        European banks have no money, many fail

-         First reaction by gov’ts

o       Cut pay to save money

§         No one has money to buy stuff to get economy going

o       Raise tariffs to get people to buy homemade stuff

§         Causes other countries to do the same, so no one is trading

 

Effects of the Depression-

-         gov’ts get more involved in the economy

-         increased popularity of Communism (big business is ruining everything)

-         people turned to follow radical political leaders that want total control

 

Domestic Politics-

-         bottom line- because of economic probs, the people turned toward radical groups for answers

o       commies vs. anti-commies

-         Keynes- economist- says the gov’t should spend a bunch of money on building projects

o       Gives people jobs in the short term, they then earn money

o       They next spend money- which helps business

o       Business does better, so they have to hire workers, which helps end the gov’t programs

o       This means- deficit spending- gov’t spends more then they bring in taxes

-         US- Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal

o       - large scale building projects

o       - regulation of big business

o       – Social Security for those unable to work/ elderly

 

Sec 2

 

Changing gov’ts in Europe-

            - really only Great Britain and France left as democracies

            - Italy, Germany, USSR and some smaller countries switch over to dictatorships

            - Totalitarian state- Gov’t tries to control all aspects of society

                        - totally runs business, limits what is read, printed or heard, limits music, education, etc

                        - didn’t just want people to not care, wanted everyone behind them 100%

                        - used propaganda to win over their people

 

Italy-

-         Benito Mussolini creates the Fascist party

o       fascism- glorifies the state above everything else

§         Stong central ruler needed

§         Opposition is crushed

-         Probs in Italy- economic

§         Runaway inflation

·        Lots of strikes by industry, farmers

·        Middle Class fears a rise of communism

§         Fascists- “Black Shirts”- attacked socialists/communists

·        Gains support from the Middle class and wealthy

§         Also- didn’t get as much as they would have liked from the Tr. Of Versailles that ended WWI

-         Fascism/Mussolini gains tremendous popularity

o       Mussolini appointed Prime Minister by the King

§         Next- crushes opposition

·        Bans other parties

·        Secret police to spy on people

·        Banned publications that were critical of him or the Catholic Church

§         Promotes his agenda

·        Lots of propaganda to swing people his way

·        Youth programs to get the kids behind him

§         Couldn’t totally follow through on their promises

 

Russia-

-         1917- Lenin leads a revolution that overthrows the Czar and establishes a communist gov’t

o       War communism- gov’t takes over key industries, seized grain, sets prices/wages while civil war goes on

-         1920s- Lenin create NEP (New Economic Policy)

o       heavy industry/banks/mines controlled by gov’t

o       small business allowed to be privately owned

o       a temporary fix away from communism’s goals

o       new country- USSR (Soviet Union)

-         Lenin dies- power struggle to see who the next leader will be

o       Joseph Stalin emerges as leader

-         Stalin- purges party/gov’t/country of people that supported his rivals

o       Got rid of the people that were first involved in the revolution

§         8 million or so arrested/killed or sent to work camps in Siberia

o       5-Year Plans

§         tries to increase industrial production (steel/machinery) over 5 years

§         why? USSR was 50-100 years behind the western countries

§         production increases dramatically, many new factories created

§         problems?

·        Cities grew dramatically, but little housing was built

·        Real wages declined

o       Collectivization- private farms combined together, peasants worked the ground for the gov’t

§         Peasants resisted- hoarded food/livestock

·        Peasants executed/starve from shortages

·        Maybe 10 million die in 2 years

 

Spain-

-         civil war develops Fascists vs. democratic govt

o       Italy/Germany sends supplies/$ to help the Fascists

§         German air force takes part, gains experience

o       Other side helped by volunteers from USSR, England, US and others

§         Weapons/money from the Soviet Union

-         Fascists win- Francisco Franco established as dictator

o       Not totalitarian- didn’t try to control everything

o       Instead- Authoritarian

 

Sec 3

Adolf Hitler-

-         born in Austria, served in German army during WWI

-         joins the Nazi Party- becomes chief speech-maker

-         eventually becomes head of the party

-         tries to lead revolt against Munich gov’t

o       arrested

o       writes Mein Kampf while in jail

§         book details his plan for Germany

§         spells out his anti-semitism, anti-communism

§         superior powers/people have a right to expand

§         extreme Nationalism

 

Nazism-

-         realized overthrowing gov’t would not get them support, so they look to use legal means to gain power

-         soaring unemployment (43% in 1933) causes Nazis to gain support

o       largest party in the Reichstag- German parliament

o       appeal- national pride/honor- rich military history

-         fearing a communist uprising- Hitler appointed chancellor

-         Reichstag- gives Hitler emergency powers- basically letting him become dictator

 

In power-

-         Jews barred from public service

-         Unions banned

-         Concentration camps set up for political opponents

 

Young People/Women-

-         Hitler Youth- Nazi group for boys

o       Learn about party ideals, military like training

§         Encouraged teamwork, aggressiveness

§         Made Hitler look heroic

o       After Hitler in power- membership became expected, more or less mandatory

o       As they got older, learned more military tactics

-         Women- expected to be at home, have babies

-         Young girls- HY type program, but learned domestic skills

 

Nazi Germany-

-         economic programs-

o       lots of building programs, bridges, roads, etc

o       also expansion of the military

o       unemployment drops from 6 mil to 2 mil in 2 yrs and 500,000 in 5 years

o       success causes more fence-sitters to believe in the Nazis

-         ideology-

o       Aryan superiority (Germans superior)

§         Blond, blue eyed = ideal

§         Germans had interbred with inferior people

-         Maintaining order-

o       SS- ran secret police, elite guard

§         Later ran the concentration camps

o       Schools- taught Nazi ideology

o       Concentration camps- established for political enemies

o       Propaganda-

§         Mass rallies to make party look even more popular, glorify the party

-         Anti-semitism-

o       Nuremberg Laws

§         Jews not citizens

§         Jews can’t marry non-Jews

§         Must carry I.D. cards identifying them as Jewish

o       Kristallnacht

§         Night of rioting against Jewish synagogues, shops

§         Many Jews killed, thousands sent to concentration camps

§         Jews forced to pay for the damage