Interwar Study Guide

coalition government

Government that is led by two separate parties and often doesn’t last because of differing views.

Significance: 14 coalition govts fell between 1920-1932 in Germany.

Weimar Republic

Government put in place in Germany after WW1

Significance: Failed to properly govern Germany mainly because of the rise and fall of Coalition governments.

Great Depression

The crash of the New York stock market because New York is where a lot of world trade occurs.

Significance: Germany stopped receiving funds from the US to pay for its reparations; ppl lost money, jobs, and struggled for food; countries thought economic nationalism would improve the situation; France and US used “New Deals” which was a massive effort to put ppl to work.

Inflation

 Occurs when countries keep printing money and the value of their dollar decreases, which makes it hard for citizens to gain money or have lots of money

Significance: Happened in Germany because they had to pay extremely high reparations and so they started over printing money leading to inflation and made ppl not like democratic governments. Germany then was relying on US funds.

economic nationalism

 countries cut ties with each other to focus on their own economies and put in place things like tariffs.

Significance: Thought to help with Great Deppression and would increase spending and therefore their would be money flowing through the economy according to John Keynes. But it actually worsened depression.

Fascism

(Nationalism) militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader with no clearly defined theory or program (they wore uniforms of a certain color, used special salutes, held mass rallies, denied individual rights, didn’t want a classless society)

Significance: During the great depression democratic govt didn’t fall but they didn’t remain completely stable either, so ppl turned to fascism to revive the economy, punish those responsible for hard times, and restore order and national pride. (attracted ppl that were angered by peace treaties from WWI + Great Depression)

Nazism

German form of fascism. Significance: Nazi’s believed in anti-semitism, party used swastika, or hooked cross, as its symbol and had private militia called the storm troopers or Brown Shirts; believed Germany had to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism.

Anti-semitism

Prosecution of Jews. Significance: Hitler and Mussolini, but mostly Hitler used this to unite his ppl against a group; Used Nuremberg Laws; used propaganda to spread hate; believed Germans were superior race; blamed jews for everything that ever went wrong in Germany; led to the “night of broken glass”

Mein Kampf

book called My struggles that focused on his beliefs and his goals for Germany.

Significance: Used the word “Aryans” in the book meaning germans and said that they were the master race. Declared non aryan races as inferior (Jews, Slavs, and Gypsies), vowed to regain german land that was lost by the Treaty of Versailles, thought germany needed more living space.

lebensraum

meant living space

Significance: Mentioned in Mein Kampf that Germany needed more living space and was overcrowded.

Nuremberg Laws

Set of laws put in place by Hitler that deprived Jews of most rights

Significance: Another example of fascist society where anti-semitism was used as a way for Hitler to gain support and unity from the citizens of Germany.

Kristallnacht

“night of broken glass” ppl and brown shirts were involved in destroying Jews places of worship, shops, and homes; Killed and arrested Jews

Significance: An act of Anti-semitism Hitler used as propaganda

totalitarianism

a government that takes total, centralized, state control over every aspect of public and private life. They often use secret police to crush anyone in opposition to them. The opposite of democratic policies. Significance: Stalin ran a totalitarian government; used terror (secret police), indoctrination, propaganda, censorship, and religious or ethnic persecution to maintain control.

Cult of Personality

 a situation in which people have been trained to adore their leader and are expected to go to extreme lengths to demonstrate their devotion. Significance: During Stalin’s reign, Hitler’s rule, Mussolini’s rule, and Kim Jong Un current rule ppl experience a cult of personality because they either feel like they have to show extreme loyalty to their leader, or they actually feel this extreme loyalty and aren’t just doing it for their survival.

Great Purge

a campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened Stalin’s power

Significance: Thousands of old Bolsheviks who helped stage the Revolution in 1917 went on trial to be executed or sent to labor camps for “crimes against the Soviet state”. Killed 8 million to 13 million ppl to gain full control of Soviet govt.

command economy

 a system implemented by Stalin because he claimed Russia was far behind economically than other strong nations, in which the government made all economic decisions

Significance: Used the Five-Year Plan to help make Russia a strong nation and within the five years Russia was greatly improved economically. Another plan made in 1933 increased the production of steel by more than 25%.

Five-Year Plan

plans for development of the Soviet Union’s economy by setting impossibly high quotas, or numerical goals, to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity

Significance: This meant people faced severe shortages of housing, food, clothing, and other necessary goods.

collective farm

 large govt owned farms that families worked on to produce food for the state; made from govt seizing over 25 million farms that were privately owned. Significance: Govt thought it would boost food production and reduce amount of workers on farms; soviet govt eliminated kulaks (class of wealthy peasants) bc they resisted the govt when taking their land; protesters killed livestock and destroyed crops; 5-10 million died bc of Stalin’s agricultural revolution; country produced 2 times as much wheat with this change.

Kulaks

 rich peasants

Significance: Refused to give up their farms for collective farming, so Stalin executed them; they attempted to kill their animals and destroy their crops to protest against Stalin taking their land

appeasement

 Relieving or getting rid off a demand

Significance: After the germans invaded Rhineland (which was off limits for them bc of the Versailles treaty), the British appeased the order to avoid conflict. 

Third Reich

 German empire. Significance: Hitler wanted to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the empire.

Munich Conference

Mussolini proposed a meeting of Germany, France, Britain, and Italy in Munich, Germany. Significance: British prime minister Neville Chamberlain and France agreed that Hitler could take the Sudetenland; Hitler pledged to respect Czechoslovakia’s new borders

Axis Powers

The alliance formed between Italy and Germany first (Rome-Berlin Axis) and then Japan a month later. Significance: This alliance started WWII and aimed to take over many countries.

non-aggression pact

Pact between Hitler and Stalin that they won’t attack each other. Significance: allowed Germany to invade Poland without Russian interference which started WW2

Benito Mussolini

Rose to power as a fascist leader bc ppl were angered that italy didn’t get any large territorial gains from the peace treaties from WWI, changed the govt from democratic to fascist. (originally newspaper editor and politician) Promised to revive the economy and rebuild military forces. Significance: Groups of fascists wore black shirts. Gained support from middle classes, the aristocracy, and industrial leaders. Fascists went to rome and demanded that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge of the government. Mussolini was declared power legally. abolished democracy, outlawed all political parties except the Fascists, Secret police jailed his opponents, censorship of radio stations and publications to broadcast or publish only Fascist doctrines, outlawed strikes.

Adolf Hitler

orginally a not well known political leader who went to WWI and then won two iron crosses. He joined a right-wing political party, National Socialist German Workers’ Party, called Nazi. Significance: His success as an organizer and speaker led him to become der furher or leader of Nazis. The nazis first attempt to seize power failed and hitler was arrested and only ended up serving less than nine months. Wrote Mein Kampf while in jail. After Great Depression ppl turned to him for firm leadership and he became Chancelorr of Germany. Turned germany into a totalitarian state by banning other political parties and arresting ppl. Formed SS (protection squad) used to murder and arrest hitler’s enemies. Banned strikes and gave govt authority over business and labor. Used propaganda to spread his rule and got rid of any books that didn’t follow nazi beliefs. Used anti-semetism and deprised Jews of most basic rights. Caused Kristallnacht where Nazis attacked Jews and their homes.

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of Russia after WW1

Significance: aimed to help amplify Russia’s economy with Five-year plan, collective farming, and command economy; discouraged nationalism; claimed he gave everyone jobs; aimed for a classeless society

Neville Chameberlain

Prime minister of Britian

Significance: Invited to Munich Conference where he thought he ensured peace with Germany by giving them Sudetenland and hearing Hitler’s word, but he was later proven severely wrong as Germany invaded the Czechs.

What was the impact of  WWI on art, literature, entertainment, music, sports and technology?

People used entertainment, like sports or movies, or art and even literature as a way to portray events taken place during the war or as a way to escape reality because for many the war took a toll on ppls mental health and lives. Technology was advanced greatly during the war. For example, in medicine, many hospitals started utilizing ambulances as they would use taxi cabs to carry the injured and blood banks started being used in most hospitals because there needed to be a lot of blood transfusion during the war. With airplanes they started becoming advanced enough to hold many passengers and after the war weapons like guns or bombs were able to be attached to aircrafts.

What was the global impact of the Great Depression? What did countries do to try to improve  their economies?

Countries tried to put in place economic nationalism meaning countries stopped trading and focused on rebutting their own countries because it was believed that if products were produced more there would be greater demand for them and more jobs for ppl and then their would be greater profit and the economy would be rebutted. But unfortunately this only worensed the Great Depression. Countries suffered with a loss of money, citizens lost their jobs, and many suffered to survive. But on an even larger scale Germany was no longer receiving funds from the US to pay their reparations, which was what Germany was relying on for the most part.

Why did postwar democracies fail (like the Weimar Republic), and why were leaders like Hitler able to come to power?

Postwar democracies like the Weimar Republic struggled mainly because they were built in unstable conditions after World War I. They faced economic crises (like hyperinflation and the Great Depression), political instability (many parties, weak coalitions), and lack of public trust (many people blamed democracy for Germany’s defeat and hardships).

Leaders like Adolf Hitler were able to rise by taking advantage of this instability. They promised strong leadership, national pride, and economic recovery, used propaganda, and gained support from people who were desperate for change.

What is totalitarianism, and how do both Fascism and Stalinism reflect it?

Totalitarianism is when a government that takes total, centralized, state control over every aspect of public and private life. They often use secret police to crush anyone in opposition to them. The opposite of democratic policies. In fascism ppl wore uniforms of a certain color, used special salutes, held mass rallies, were denied individual rights, and didn’t want a classless society. In fascist societies people were controlled entirely by the government because they were either forced to act loyal to the govt or fell into a cult of personality similarly to Stalinism. People felt as though they owed their lives to the government or leader and some even saw work camps as an opportunity to repay their country. Stalin had the Great Purge where he killed or sent to work camps anyone who went against him in anyway. In Hitler’s govt he had the brown shirts meant to kill or send to concentration camps anyone that was an “enemy”. The only big difference being fascism included private property and capitalism and stalinism strived for a goal of govt owned property and elimination of social classes and discouragement of nationalism.

How did Stalin’s policies and methods impact life in the Soviet Union?

Stalin’s policy’s like collective farming and his Five-year plans were all part of the command economy as he had goals of increasing Russia production of goods and food and forming a classless society. He implemented work camps and claimed he was giving more people jobs, but in reality many died in work camps and the conditions were horrible. But he did improve the economy and for women they were also able to work and become doctors or take up other professions. So for some life may have improved, but for others specifically Kulaks (rich peasants who owned farms) were killed and suffered from the loss of their farms.

How were foreign powers like France and Great Britain responsible for the increased  aggression by Japan, Italy, and Germany during the 1930s? Why did they choose  appeasement over action?

After WW1 the League of Nations formed and France and Britain were the two most powerful nations in this organization. They also didn’t want another conflict. The League of Nations had many rules against what punishments the other countries could give to countries like Germany, Italy, and Japan who broke the Treaty of Versailles. The main punishments they could give was verbal condemnation or economic sanctions (stop trade with that country). But neither of these punishments were strong enough to actually make Germany, Italy, and Japan from continuing to break the Treaty. For example, after Germany annexed Austria, which was stated in the Treaty of Versailles that they couldn’t ally or join together again, France and Britain chose to appease it. So the Axis Powers continued to take control of other countries and increase their aggression.