APEURO UNIT 8 The Interwar Period

hyperinflation

an economic situation where prices rise uncontrollably, often due to excessive money supply. It significantly devalues currency, leading to severe economic instability; endured by Germany post-WWI when they printed paper money as a response to having to pay reparations

Dawes Plan

1. decreed that Germany pay only the reparations it could afford

2. invested a large sum of USD into the German economy

Kelogg-Brandt Pact

An agreement that aimed to outlaw war as a means of resolving disputes between nations, signed in 1928 by numerous countries including the United States.

overproduction

when WWI ended in 1918, farmers didn’t decrease their production and thereby saturated the market with goods for which there were no buyers; served as a cause of WWII

speculation

the practice of buying assets with the hope that they will increase in value, often contributing to economic instability; US citizens had done this a lot, but the stock market crashed and therefore the US could not afford to finance Europe

Great Depression

a severe worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s, characterized by massive unemployment, bank failures, and drastic declines in output and investment.

John Maynard Keynes

a British economist who argued that government spending is the mechanism which will increase consumer demand and thus lift and economy out of depression; adopted by Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt

the 32nd President of the United States, who led the country during the Great Depression and World War II, implementing Keynesian systems to spend a large sum of government money to put Americans to work on government projects

Cooperative Social Action

a concept in which individuals and groups work together to achieve common goals through mutual aid, often seen in response to economic and social challenges; especially present among Scandinavian states between the world wars as they begun to adopt socialism and cooperation

Welfare State

A government system that provides social services, such as healthcare and education, to ensure a minimum standard of living for its citizens, often expanding during the mid-20th century in response to economic needs.

National Government

an alliance between the conservative and liberal parties in Great Britain that aimed to cooperate on solving unemployment problems and other national crises

Popular Front

A broad coalition of leftist political groups in France, including socialists and communists, that aimed to counter fascism and promote social reforms in Europe during the interwar period.

Fascism

A political ideology characterized by authoritarianism, nationalism, and the suppression of opposition, which gained prominence in Europe during the interwar period

gained popularity during this period due to class divisions post-WWI (the working class grew in power due to the need for wartime production while middle class power declined), the rise in communism, economic instability due to the Great Depression that Fascist leaders promised to fix

Benito Mussolini

Italian politician and leader of the Fascist Party, who became the Prime Minister of Italy and played a key role in the rise of Fascism during the interwar period.

Blackshirts

Fascist paramilitary groups organized by Benito Mussolini, known for their role in enforcing Fascist policies and suppressing opposition during the interwar period.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government established in Germany after World War I, which faced significant political and economic challenges, including hyperinflation, political extremism, and public discontent, ultimately leading to its collapse and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of the Nazi Party, he became Chancellor of Germany and implemented fascist policies that led to World War II and the Holocaust.

National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis)

A far-right political party in Germany founded in the 1920s, known for its promotion of nationalism, anti-Semitism, and totalitarianism, which led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the establishment of a fascist regime.

Joseph Goebbels

Nazi Germany's Minister of Propaganda, responsible for promoting Nazi ideology and controlling the media. He played a key role in disseminating propaganda to support Hitler's regime.

SS

a paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party responsible for security, surveillance, and maintaining internal control, and later known for its role in the Holocaust.

Heinrich Himmler

The leading member of the Nazi Party and one of the main architects of the Holocaust, serving as the head of the SS and responsible for the implementation of the regime's terror and extermination policies.

Popular Front

group of leftists who took control of Spain by 1936 and their group represented the interests of workers and communists

Francisco Franco

A Spanish military general and dictator who led the Nationalist forces to victory during the Spanish Civil War and ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.

Spanish Civil War

A conflict between the Republicans, who supported a democratic government, and the Nationalists, led by Francisco Franco, lasting from 1936 to 1939; served as a sort of testing ground for WWII in that when fascism asserted itself in Europe, Western democracies did nothing

Gulags

Soviet forced labor camps used to detain political prisoners and criminals during Stalin's regime.

Joseph Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, known for his totalitarian rule, rapid industrialization policies, and significant role in WWII.

Five Year Plan

A series of nationwide centralized economic plans launched by the Soviet Union to accelerate industrialization and collectivization of agriculture, primarily during the late 1920s and 1930s.

Great Purge

A campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938, orchestrated by Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissent, resulting in widespread arrests, executions, and imprisonment.

kulaks

wealthy peasants in the Soviet Union who were targeted during the collectivization process and often executed or exiled; the consequences of this were most severe in Ukraine

Holodomor

a man-made famine in Ukraine during the early 1930s, caused by the policies of the Soviet government under Stalin, leading to millions of deaths.

Mohandas Gandhi

A prominent leader in India's struggle for independence from British rule, known for his philosophy of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience.

The Great Unmixing of Populations

The process during and after World War I where ethnic groups were forcibly relocated or resettled, often leading to significant demographic changes and conflicts in Eastern Europe.

Beer Hall Putsch

A failed coup attempt by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in November 1923, aiming to overthrow the Weimar Republic in Germany.

Mein Kampf

A book written by Adolf Hitler during his imprisonment in 1924, outlining his ideology and political plans for Germany, including his views on race, nationalism, and anti-Semitism.

SA

the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, tasked with protecting party rallies, intimidating opponents, and promoting Nazi ideology through violence and intimidation.

Alfred Hugenberg

A German nationalist politician and media mogul who played a significant role in the rise of the Nazi Party by supporting their propaganda efforts and aligning his conservative interests with Hitler's agenda.

Ukraine

one of the primary agricultural regions of the USSR, making people who lived there more vulnerable to the violence of Stalin’s regime

Magnitogorsk

an industrial city in the USSR, established during the First Five-Year Plan, known for its large steel mill and significant role in the Soviet industrialization effort.

Paul von Hindenburg

President of Germany from 1925 to 1934, he appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor and played a key role in the political landscape of the Weimar Republic.

Enabling Act

a law passed in 1933 that allowed Adolf Hitler to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag, effectively giving him dictatorial powers.

Volksgemeinschaft

the concept of a "people's community" in Nazi ideology, promoting a unified national identity based on racial purity and collective interest.

The Night of the Long Knives

a purge that took place in 1934, where Adolf Hitler ordered the execution of potential rivals and dissenters within the Nazi Party who advocated anti-elitist and socialist sentiments, solidifying his control over Germany.

Kristallnacht

a series of coordinated attacks against Jewish people in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938, resulting in widespread destruction of Jewish property and synagogues, and an increase in arrests.

Rhineland

a region in Germany that was remilitarized by Hitler in 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles and marking a significant escalation in Nazi aggression.

First Sino-Japanese War

a conflict from 1894 to 1895 between China and Japan, primarily over control of Korea, which resulted in Japan's emergence as a major world power and the cession of Taiwan to Japan.

Russo-Japanese War

a conflict from 1904 to 1905 between Russia and Japan over imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea, resulting in a decisive victory for Japan and increased Japanese influence in Asia.