Crisis of Democracy in the West
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Transcript Crisis of Democracy in the West
Postwar Issues
3 Democracies appeared powerful after WWI
Great Britain, France and the United States
The Treaty of Versailles was hoped to encourage others
Underlying Problems
Post war Europe face HUGE problems
Jobs, Returning Vets and Rebuilding were big issues
Many nations owed huge debts and had no money
Social unrest and radical ideas were common
Germany and other ethnics groups made at outcome of WWI
Europe lacked strong leaders
An entire generation had been lost
Postwar Issues (cont)
The Pursuit of Peace
Diplomats worked hard to settle issues from WWI
By mid-1920’s, borders were set
Kellogg-Briand Pact: most nations signed repudiating
WAR as an instrument of foreign policy
Great powers disarmed (didn’t agree on size)
Obstacles to Peace
No way to enforce Kellogg-Briand
League of Nations was powerless
American refused to join League of Nations
Ambitious Dictators pushed the limits
Recovery and Depression
› Most European nations returned to peacetime economic production
› The US emerged as THE economic power
A Dangerous Imbalance
OVERPRODUCTION: Higher output without markets to sell to caused problems
Demand fell, prices fell
Consumers benefitted, but producers suffered
Workers won higher wages, which raised the price of goods
Factories kept producing , despite lower demand for good
Crash and Collapse
Margin Buying: Brokers called in loans when market began to turn bad
Investors sold stock when unable to repay margin
The STOCK MARKET CRASH (1929) caused a global collapse
US banks stopped loaning money and called in loans to foreign governments
Banks failed, millions thrown out of work (DOWNWARD SPIRAL)
Global Impact
Global economies tied together, all collapsed
As Depression lasted, people lost faith in democratic governments to solve the
problems devastating most nations
Extremists jump on the suffering and offer another way
Britain in the Postwar Era
Struggle between those supporting socialism and those
pushing against communism
The Great Depression intensified economic problems
Some help from the government provided, millions suffered
Revolt in Ireland for home rule – not granted until 1922
IRA fought against “North Ireland” still under British control
4 commonwealths granted independence but remain part of
Great Britain (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)
France Pursues Security
Both a winner and a loser after WWI
Relied on “reparation payments” from Germany to rebuild
Political instability and the Great Depression brought a struggle
for power (lack of strong leadership)
Mistrust of Germans caused French to build up defenses along
the border between the two countries “The Maginot Line”
Prosperity
and Depression in the US
US stayed out of the League of Nations and isolated itself
“RED SCARE” – growing fear of communism caused gov’t in US to
act against those who favored it.
Anti-immigration acts severely limited immigration
1920’s were either BOOM or BUST
MIDDLE CLASS will emerge during BOOM years
The STOCK MARKET CRASH caused the Great Depression
US Economy goes into tail spin
Millions out of work, homeless, hungry
Gov’t did little to intervene
FDRoosevelt’s “NEW DEAL”
The Gov’t took an active role in relieving the problems of the Great Depression
Jobs, Businesses, Banks got help
Stock Market, businesses were regulated
Social Security passed
Actions DID NOT end Great Depression but helped many survive it
Explain what each of the following were:
› Kellogg Briand Pact
› Maginot Line
› New Deal
Define the following:
› Disarmament
› Overproduction
› Margin Buying
› General Strike
Answer the questions:
What steps did the major powers take to protect the peace?
› How did the 2 highlighted words above contribute to the Great Depression?
› How did the Great Depression affect political developments in the US?
›
Rise of Mussolini
A Leader Emerges
Post WWI problems allowed a new leader to emerge
Mussolini promised a stronger Italy, the people believed
Seizing Power
“Black Shirts” – enforcers who eliminated opposition
Used intimidation and fear to quiet other groups
By marching on Rome, Mussolini intimidated King into
appointing him Prime Minister
Mussolini became the leader without firing a shot
Mussolini’s Italy
(“Il Duce”)
Dictatorship upheld by terror
Critics thrown in jail, forced into exile or executed
Secret police and propaganda propped up the regime
Economic Policy
•
•
•
Economy brought under state control
Production did increase but at the cost of the workers
Mussolini’s Italy (cont)
Social Policy
The individual was unimportant
Men were urged to be “ruthless warriors for Italy”
Women were sent home and encouraged to “win the battle
of motherhood.” Were given medal for 14 or more children
Youth groups taught them to obey strict discipline
AN AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT (many forms)
*glorify action, violence, discipline and blind loyalty to the state
*believed democracy led to corruption and weakness
* Militarism, Suppression of Opposition, Ultranationalism, &
Aggressive Foreign Policy are markers of FASCISM
• Compared to Communism
• Sworn enemies of socialists and communists
• Instead of good of all people, press for power of the state
• Supported by business, wealthy, not workers
Totalitarian Rule
Single party rule
* State control of the economy
Use of police spies/terror * Strict censorship of media
Use of schools to indoctrinate
Unquestioning obedience to a single leader
Appeal
Order restored to country (political and economic)
Pride and power of nationalism
Who was “Il Duce”? The Black Shirts?
What major problems did Italy face after WWI?
How did these problems help Mussolini gain power?
Describe the goals (economic & social) of Mussolini and
the steps he took to achieve each goal.
What is FASCISM? What values does it promote?
How is Fascism similar to and different from communism?
The Weimer Republic
Struggles of the Republic
Post WWI government a republic with elected officials
Germany faced many problems, mostly financial
Radicals (socialist, communist, fascist) were active
With no strong leaders, there was plenty of blame to share
Many Germans blamed Jews for their problems
Inflation
Post war inflation made German economy weak
German government printed money to try to fix problem
Money becomes worthless, salaries did not keep pace
Recovery and Collapse
With help from west, government did slow inflation
Reparation payments reduced to try to help German econ.
Germany turns to charismatic leader, Hitler, to bring Germany
back
Adolf Hitler
(born in Austria)
Early Rise
Fought in German army, was angry how war ended
Joined a small political group and became its leader
Used “stormtroopers” to battle in the streets with enemies
Mein Kampf
Imprisoned after an attempted overthrow of the government
Wrote “Mein Kampf” which outlined his plan for Germany
“Master Race” “Blaming the Jews”
Urged Germans to unite and bring Germany back to power
Germany needed living space, Aryans should rule
The Road to Power
Hitler released from prison, NAZI’s began gaining power
The Great Depression enabled NAZI’s to be elected/power
Hitler appoints Chancellor, within a year he controlled
Germany
The Third Reich
Hitler will reject the Treaty of Versailles and pressed for a “Third
Reich” or third empire
TOTALITARIAN STATE: To achieve his goal, Hitler needed
total control (gov’t, religion, economy, education)
Few worried about the power the government was using, they
were just happy Germany was becoming power again
The Gestapo (SS) rooted out any and all opposition
ECONOMIC POLICY: To grow, people put to work
Public works used to rebuild the MILITARY
Few objected when government took over most of economy
because their standard of living was improving
SOCIAL POLICY:
Indoctrinated youth (Hitler Youth)
Women “rewarded” for having Aryan children
Jewish people targeted
The Arts
Modern music and art denounced
Only works that glorified Germany allowed (Wagner)
Nazism and the Churches
Replaced religion with his racial creed
Catholic Schools and Churches closed
Some clergy spoke up, and were punished
Campaign Against the Jews
Hitler was a fanatical antisemite
Nuremberg Laws placed severe restrictions on Jews
Nazis beat and robbed Jews openly
KRISTALLNACHT: Night of the Broken Glass
World reaction strongly against German action but Hitler didn’t budge
In the years that followed, Concentration Camps were used to exterminate over
6 million Jews “FINAL SOLUTION”
“Protective Custody” Rules
The Enabling Act (1933)
Nazi Boycott of Jewish Stores (1933)
Closed certain professions from Jewish workers
Banning Jewish children from German schools
“Retirement” of non-Aryan workers
›
Banned Jewish workers from government
Nazi work camps
Gestapo/SS
Night of a Thousand Knives (1934)
Expelled Jewish teachers from Universities and Schools
Book Burnings
Use of Media – Antisemetic
Nuremburg Laws (1935)
Jewish names – must add jewish middle name to ID cards
Kristallnacht (1939)
“The
Nazis came first for the
Communists. But I wasn’t a
Communist, so I didn’t speak up.
Then they came for the Jews, but I
wasn’t a Jew so I didn’t speak up.
. . Then they came for the
Catholics, but I was a Protestant
so I didn’t speak up.
Then they came for me. By that
time, there was no one left to
speak up.”
Martin Niemoller, Time Mag.
New Views of the Universe
› Radioactivity – began tinkering with atomic matter
› Relativity – Einstein questioned space/time (questioned everything)
›
Probing the Mind –Freud’s subconscious mind drives behavior
Modern Art & Architecture
› Abstract – Picasso
› Surrealism – Dali
› Architecture – blended science & technology (glass & steel)
A Changing Society
› Jazz – blend of western harmonies with African rhythms
› Rebellion – 20’s flapper, women looked outside home
› Social Classes – WWI had changed the class system
Section One
› Efforts to maintain peace
› Things that contributed to the Great Depression
Section Two
› Changes in Culture
Section Three
› Mussolini
Goals, Actions taken to meet goals
Fascism
Section Four
› Hitler
Weimar Republic
Rise to Power
3rd Reich
Purging German Culture
Campaign against the Jews
1.
2.
3.
4.
Compare and Contrast fascism with communism.
Explain the economic conditions in Europe that
made it possible for leaders like Mussolini and
Hitler and their fascist governments to rise to
power.
Hitler and Mussolini both used ruthless campaigns
against their opposition. Why do you think
dictators need to find a scapegoat for their
nation’s problems?
EXTRA CREDIT:
1.
2.
3.
Cover Book +5
Answer the following:
Name 3 specific examples of methods used by the
Nazi’s to deprive Jewish Germans’ rights. Why did the
Jewish people and German people accept these?