Adresses confusion and uncertainty produced byt the war
Reflected in art, music, literature, architecture, science, psychology, and politics
Facing a new reality
People shaped by surroundings
→ previous “truths” called into question
Give way to the “age of Anxiety”
Social- Breakdown of Feudal System
Emerging merchant class, expanding rights and opportunities, emergence of European superiority (social Darwinism)
Political- Emergeing nation-states took power from church → Nationalism
Rights to govern resting on consent of governed, Rights of the individual (expanding democracy)
Religion: Judeo-Christian Traditon
Equality in eyes of God, System of morals and ethics, Evolution of beliefs: Reformation → splintering, Delining but tradition will remain
Intellectual: Reason, Optimism, Progress
Universal set of Values, collective morality
Economic: Mercantilism to Laissez-faire
Industrializaiton, exploitation of non western world
General: FR has equalizing effect on society
a universal set of natural laws we adhere to
Belief human condition can be understood, rules govern out behavior
Proof:
IR leads to a better life: working conditions, hours, wages, time off, improvents in urban enviornment
Governments more responsive to peoples needs:
Universal public education, Universal Male Suffrage
Thought they had it figured out but didn’t
World war
35 million casualties and 350 mil in property damages
Effects
Moved from world domination to complete destruction
pessimism, alienation, confusion, uncertainty
Were they living a lie?
Background: Belle Epoch- the good old days
Martin Heidegger- German Philosopher
Claims we ask after the fact due to refusal to embrace reality
Hegelian undercurrent today:
Debt, Enviornment, Global instablility, Financial security
Did anyone see it coming?
1880s-1914 some will challenge optimism
Europeans not dealing with reality but instead believed the lies they created and were confined by their norms
Context:
great reevaluation of reason:
too much faith placed on reason, logic, progress
Philosophers 1800s-1950s challenge human constructs made by elightenment
ethics and morality, universal rights, Natural laws, understanding of human condition
Existentialism:
tries to deal with meaninglessness
Human beings through consciousness create own values and determin meaning for own lives(contrast enlightenment collective set of values)
create our own meaning in a world with no meaning
First thinker- Soren Kierkegaard
First self described- Jean-Paul Sartre
Off shoots:
Nihilism- no intrinsic meaning in universe and pointless to consturct our own
Absurdism- needs to acept search for meaning is in conflict with lack of meaning. Rebel against by embracing what life has to offer
Martin Heidegger:
wrote Being and Time: most important philosophical work of 20th century
Argues west lost sight of being due to past philosophy
All we understood is susceptible to errors- Meaning reality, logic, God come into question
Henri Bergson 1858-1941:
Process philosophy
people were living a lie
Experience, initialitve, emotion equally important as intellect and rational thinking
George Sorel 1847-1922:
Wrote: Reflections on violence 1908
Socialism comes through violence
Equated violence with life,creativity, virtue serving as foundation for Fascism “violence could save world from barbarism”
Syndicalism- industry be organized into confederations owned by the workers
Ludwig Wittgenstein: 1889-1951 (Austrian Philosopher)
Wrote: Essay on Logical philosophy 1922
Logic can solve certain truths, but it has limits
Logical Positivism- life must be based on rational facts and observation
Religion, morality, freedom have no logic and cant be tested
Need to seperate faith/belief and logic
“of what one cannot speak, of that one must keep silent”
Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900 German
Attack on everything, never develops conherent philosophy
Major themes:
Will to power, Master and slave morality, the ubermensch(superman), Christianity and christian morality, God is dead
Absurdism- embrace meanignlessness of life, can find joy but will all end in annihilation
Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980
Existence precede essence: no truths outside of individual existence
after birth people degine their own essence
alone in the world to confront death and despir
Man condemned to be free
Christian Existentialism
imposible to prove existence of God but doesn’t mean its and empty practice
need to take leap of faith and accept existence of an unknowable objective
Soren Kierkegaard 1813-1855
Worte Either/or and Sickness unto death
One lives as individual self with emphasis on reality over abstract thinking
dealt with Christian ethics and personal behavior
Each individual is solely responsible for giving life meaning
Old Physics
Newton’s Pricipa
Contributors to New Physics
Curie- radioactivity (matter decays and falls appart
Planck atomic energy emitted in spurts
Einstein- Time is relative
Rutherford- Atoms empty space
Heisenberg- electrons
Sigmund Fred
Id- unconsious has sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories
Ego-Consious- Mediates deires of id and superego
Superego-subconscious- moral conscience
connection to physics: Understanding of mind is limited
Impact: previously held rules reevaluated:
Architecture – Gaudi, art – surrealism, literature – stream of consciousness
Chicago school – Louis H Sullivan, modernist, aesthetic, steel frame construction
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frederick Law Olmstead: landscape architecture, national mall
Le Corbusier: Functionalism- separation and visual distinctives of public spaces from private apartments
Walter Gropius/ Bauhaus: pioneer of modern architecture, famous work – Fagus factory
Antoni Gaudi: Gothic revival, Works: Sangrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Batllo
Impressionism: Movement out of Paris late 19th century
Artists: Degas, Cezanne, Pisarro, Manet, Monet, renoir
Characteristics: small brushstrokes, light changing qualities, illusion of movements
Post impressionism: post 1880s
continue use of vivid colors thick application of paint, more inclined to emphasize geometric forms
Artists; Cezanne, Munch- Scream guy, Gauguin, Fauvism, Van Gough
Expressionism: late 19th to early 20th century
Present world from subjective perspective, destroying for emotional effect
Picasso: cubism – Guernica1937
Surealism -Dali
Relies on internal monologues explore human psych
Virginia Woolf- Jacob's room 1922
Logic and realism
We are irrational creatures
Faulkner: the sound and the fury 1929
James Joyce (Ireland)
Ulysses 1922, Finnigan's Wake 1937, Dubliners 1914
Latin version of Odysseus
Eliot and Kafka:
Transition from realism to psychological relativity/rejection of progress
Describes anti-utopia, focus on individual alienation
Eliot- Waste land 1922- world of growing desolation
Franz Kafka The Trial, The Catle, The metamorphosis – characters crushed by inexplicable hostile forces
France left in isolation need to force strict implementation of provisions;
Little Entente, Maginot Line
Britain, ready to revise treaty:
D.L.George – Treter Versailles to harsh, we shall have to fight another war in 25 years
J.M. Keynes-reparation payments would ruin European economy
Marshall Foch- is an arm mistress for 20 years not peace
Little Entente:
Cause: French verified in press and attempts to follow through with treaty
Franco-Belgian Military Accord 1920, Franco-Polish Alliance 1921, Little entente (Czechoslovakia, Romania Yugoslavia0 1924-1927
Maginot Line
1928-1939: fortified defense built by france to deter German Invasion : fail
Germany in bad economic statye and inflation was increasingly high.
German currency not worth anything, bc no backing for currency
asks for moratorium on reparations , Britain agrees, France and Belgium Refuse
Fails to make reparations payments due to refusal to accept German currency
Response: Troops move into Ruhr (heavy industrialized region)
Result: Germans resist, 130 killed → international sympathy for Germans
→ Dawes plan:
Reparations restructured and linked level to economic output
New mark, US Bank loans Germany Money and pay back with intrest
US (loans)→ German (Reparations)→ France and England→ US (for debt)
Withdraws troops from Ruhr 1925
Gustav Stressmann- German Chancellor
By 1928 back to stability
1925 Locarno Pact- recognize territorial changes
1926 Enters League of Nations
1928: Kellogg-Briand Pact- Outlaws was as instrument of national policy
1920’s attempt to recover
reconstruct destroyed regions, force, Frank with 10% of pre-war value, anxiety from security issues, no guarantees from allies, right when publishing government strains with Britain about reparations
Collecting government( Third Republic-Weak)
Defeated by left-wing coalition 1924, 1926 right wing returns
Unemployment around 12%
Welfare state measures alleviated some problems
Labor party places, liberals as challengers
Reflects declining values
Ireland gets independence 1922
Women suffrage achieved 1928-Emily Davison horse
Roaring 20s equals signs of distress in US economy
Uneven distribution of wealth, unhealthy foreign trade, over-extension of credit, overproduction and underconsumption, agricultural surplus
Black Thursday, October 29, 1929 over optimism about stock market leads to sell off/panic → bank closures affecting does plan
→US recalls debt:
Gold reserve leaves, Europe, Europe, bank fails, global output of goods drops, 40% off gold standard, raising protective terrace and government cut budgets. Equals bad ideas.
Counter-Cyclical policy =better
Unemployment: Britain 18, US 25, Germany 40
People look to government first solution, parliamentary, democracy struggle, due to problems with liberal capitalism and economic cycles
Ones that respond fastest are ones that move to extremes
US
25% unemployed
US banks call loans, bank closures – make problems worse, protective tariffs worsen, global trade drops by 65% → global market Falls
Britain
Tariffs, increased taxes, regulated, currency, lowered interest rate rates
20% unemployed
Starts to recover recover in 1937, democracy survives
France
Popular front
Survives better than Britain, but leads to political crisis with democracy, barely surviving
Franklin Roosevelt new deal
Relief for unemployed (+)
Reform political and economic system(+ / -)
Recovery from depression ( +/ -)
Deficit spending
Government projects
Lots of alphabet organizations
Results:
Failed to combat depression, succeeds in reform government and giving faith to American system
Socialist government's most successfully addressed crisis
Increases taxes for everyone
Mass of public works
Increase benefits that never really go away
Britain:
Governments follow, orthodox, economic policy:
Cut government spending balance budget, off gold standard, decline exports, protective tariffs
Economy improves by 1937
New industries, low interest rates
France-popular front
Hits later
Economic problems lead to political affairs
Coalition government fails fascist threats leads to coalition of left
Socialist and communist join creating popular front led by Leon Blum
Once inflation hits, the wealthy will remove their money from France
Tensions increased in response to events in Spain
Spanish Civil War
1936 popularly elected, left-leaning government
Naturalist stage coup, succeed in Spain’s second Republic Falls, Germans test, new Air Force on Guernica