Interwar study guide 3.5

League of Nations

Worldwide intergovernmental organization who wanted to maintain world peace → failed to stop WWII US DID NOT JOIN IT 

German reparation payments 

Caused → hyperinflation, unemployment, Weimar Republic printed money to help pay debt for the war

Changing Borders in Europe

• Collapse of Russian Empire → Poland, Baltic, and Finland 

• Collapse of Austrian Hungary territory → Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia 

• Collapse of Ottoman Empire → Turkey 

Dawes Plan

• Europe Economic Republic plan after WWI 

• American banks provided European nations loans (addressed european instability)

• Was successful but created dependencies on American capital → great depression 

• Implemented by Dawes Comitee (charles Dawes later VP of US) 

1920’s tensions

• Women suffrage → challenged gender roles, increased activism 

• Prohibition (banned consumption of alcohol) → rise of organized crime

• Tension between urban, rural, and racial groups 

Red Scarce

• Scared about communist and anarchist influence 

• Fueled by: Bolshevik revolution in Russia

• series of bombing, labor strikes

Palmer Raids

• Series of raids and arrests of suspected radical and imigrants (including those who weren’t involved) 

• Violated civil liberties → many were arrested/deported

Race riots 

• Located in the south and Midwest 

• Occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma 

• Allegations that African American man assaulted white women → death of dozens and displacement of African Americans

Nativism 

• Belief in the superiority of native citizens over immigrants and became popular post WWI 

KKK (Ku Klux Klan)

• Promoted white supremecy 

• Used violence and intimidation towards minorities 

• Particularly in south but part of other areas even bay area :(

Scopes Trial

• Tension between relgion vs science about evolution 

• High school teacher was charged due to teaching evolution 

  • Teacher found guilty → brought issues about teaching evolution or not 

Laissez - faire economics

• Government shouldn’t interfere in economics 

• US had it and there was free markets and capitalism 

Trickle down economics

• Belief that money will trickle down from upper to lower class eventually which is not true 

Tariffs

• Taxes on imported goods 

• Allows government to be able to protect industries in their state from foreign competition 

• Americans put high tariffs on imported goods to protect american businesses 

Buying on credit 

• When you purchase goods and services on credit and promise to pay it back later 

• Became popular in US 

• Led to rise of consumerism 

Inflation and unemployment 

• Germany experienced hyperinflation 

• A lot of previous soldiers became unemployed due to forced military reduction 

Weimar Republic (Germany)

• New German government established post WWI

• Was a democracy, previously a monarchy 

• Political instability and rising extremist movement 

Rise of fascist/socialist totalitarian governments

• Germany and Italy wanted strong government after losses → extremist policies 

Economic idealogies and government system theories

• Fascism: government should intervene with everything

• Communism: 

Secret Police

• Hitler hired secret police (SS) to spy on people 

• Eliminated political rivals who were communist 

Propogranda

Used to promote regime’s idealogy and agenda: brainwashed nation into thinking false things

Censorship 

• Stalin: censored media so entire world wouldn’t know about holdomor in Ukraine

• Hitler: controlled media so citizens didn’t know full narrative 

• Forms of media and public spectacle were censored

Tactics to stay in power 

• Hitler: used scapegoating (Jews) 

• Fear mongering (making communism look like huge threat) 

• Controlling media 

• Brainwashing youth

• Extreme nationalism 

Communism and Marxism 

• Developed by Karl Marx 

• Argues that economic forces drive societal change through class conflict 

• Predictsthat  workers will overthrow employers, taking the means of production 

• Envisions: classless society, equal society where everyone’s needs are met 

• Relies on a centralized gov to redistribute resources through totalitarian systems 

Vladimir Lenin

• Original Bolshevik revolutionary 

• Exiled from Russia but returned 

• Led the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War 

• Gained power for the Bolsheviks at end of October Revolution

• Implemented Karl Marx's theories in Russia 

Bolsheviks

• Communist revolutionaries 

• Fought against anti communist white army 

• Lenin led them to victory in October Revolution 

Leninsm

Marxism as interpreted and applied by Lenin (communist)

Socialism

• Same as communism but allows some private property 

Joseph stalin

• Communist 

• Power struggle between Staling vs Trotsky because Lenin died 

• Stalin wins, reverses lenist policies 

• Wanted communism 

• Goals: rapid indistrialization, forced agricultural collectivization 

Communism 

• A system about equality 

• State controls the means of productions

• Classless society 

• Needs are provided equally 

• Very difficult to implement

Soviets

• Main form of government in Russia 

• communist

• Soviet union was rural 

• Called from collectivization and industrialization

October Revolution 

• When Bolsheviks, led by Lenin overthrew the government 

• Marked beginning of Soviet Union

Stalin's Five-Year Plan: Rapid Industrialization

• Unrealistic quotes 

• The state owned industries 

• Increase in industrial development 

• Population of industrial workers doubled

Stalin’s Five Year Plan: Collectivization

• Elimination of private property 

• Collectivized farms (individual farms combined to form state farms) 

• Property taken away from wealthy 

• Kulaks were targeted (wealthy owned peasants, mostly ukrainian, arrested, deported, and killed) 

• Caused widespread famine and disease 

Adolf Hitler

• Born in austria 

• Fought in WWI 

• Believed central powers lost due to germany’s weak government 

• Joined nationalist socialist party German Workers Party - Nazis (rises in power)

Aryan race

• “Superior” German race/DNA 

• Blonde, blue eyes   

Antisemitism

• Hitler used anti-Semitism against the Jews (scapegoating them)

• The spread of anti-Semitism came across Germany, hating on Jews

Mein Kampf

• Book outlining Hitler’s goals for the country 

  • Blaming Jewish people for Germans' suffering  

  • Unite Aryan Race 

  • Strengthen the economy 

  • Bring back German glory 

Hitler Youth 

• Hitler had camps to brainwash young ages 

• Taught guys about masculinity 

• Told girls to make aryaan race children and tell the government if their parents didn’t agree

Hyperinflation 

• Caused by post WWI when money had no value 

• Country was printing more money to pay back debts 

Fascism

• National glory 

• Dictatorship 

• Classless 

• Supporting private enterprises unlike communists

Beniti Mussolini

• Born in a small Italian torn 

• Turned to socialist politics in Late teens 

• Journalist and editor for socialist newspapers 

• Expelled from socialist party for support of Italy entry in WWI

• Vocal anti-war socialist → later shifted to believing in Italy joining war 

• Promoted nationalism and militarism 

• Strong opponent of treaty of versailles 

• Gained political power through Fasci and became prime minister eventually becoming dictator 

March on Rome 

• Organized by mussolini and supporters to demonstrate power 

• Due to this he was appointed prime minister by king 

• Solidified his position as leader of fascist movement

Fasci di combattimento

• Formed in march 1919 

• Combined elements of nationalism + socialism 

• Quickly gained support 

• Mussoli used it to promote how agenda and gain power 

Corporate state

• Businesses are controlled by government 

• Government controls economy (setting wages, controlling production) 

• Infrastructure is heavily invested in 

Cult of personality

• Mussolini was seen as a charismatic leader and was a key part of fascism ideality 

• Image was used in propaganda 

• Portrayed as a savior who would restore Italy 

• Any attack on him seen as attack on state 

Nazis

• national socialist German worker’s party

• Antisemitic political powder

• led by adolf hitler