AP European History - Unit 8: 20th Century Global Conflicts

Second Industrial Revolution & European Dominance

  • The 2nd Industrial Revolution brought unprecedented technological advancements:
    • Chemicals
    • Airplanes
    • New forms of transportation (internal combustion engine)
  • The Western world used these advancements during global conflicts.

Causes of World War I

  • The main causes can typically be remembered with the acronym MAIN:
    • Militarism:
      • The Anglo-German arms race.
      • Nations competing to have the best military technology.
      • The HMS Dreadnought:
        • A British battleship that outclassed all previous battleships.
        • Made previous battleships obsolete; naval power was now measured by the number of dreadnoughts.
    • Alliances:
      • The alliance system was initially created by Otto von Bismarck to prevent war.
      • The complex web of alliances ultimately contributed to the escalation of the conflict.
      • Analogy: Similar to how nuclear weapons have maintained peace, until one is detonated.
    • Imperialism:
      • Competition for empire across the globe.
      • Internal European imperialism, especially within the Austrian Empire, where diverse ethnic groups were dominated.
    • Nationalism:
      • Heightened nationalistic sentiments, especially in the Balkans.
      • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist from the Black Hand triggered a chain of events leading to war.

Military Technologies of World War I

  • Offensive technologies, such as machine guns and poison gas, led to:
    • Trench Warfare: A stalemate where battle lines moved very little despite months-long battles.
    • Battles of attrition and immense casualties.

U.S. Intervention

  • World War I marked the first time the U.S. intervened in a European war, signaling the growing global role of the United States in the 20th century.

Russian Revolution

  • Essential to differentiate between the 1905 and 1917 revolutions.
    • 1905 Revolution:
      • Russia was an autocracy under the Czar.
      • Bloody Sunday: An uprising violently suppressed by the Czar's forces.
      • October Manifesto: Issued by Nicholas II, promising a constitution and a Duma (representative body).
      • The Czar retained veto power, limiting the effectiveness of the Duma.
    • 1917 Revolution:
      • The Czarist government collapsed during World War I.
      • A Provisional Government was established but was soon overthrown by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

Leninism

  • Leninism as an updated form of Marxism:
    • Like Marxism, it advocated for a violent revolution to overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish a communist society.
    • Unlike Marx, Lenin believed that the working class needed a revolutionary vanguard to develop class consciousness.
      • This vanguard (Lenin and his followers) would guide the working class.
    • Lenin's regime became more of a dictatorship than the communist society envisioned by Marx -- a top-down approach.
    • War Communism: Initial attempt to create a completely communist society, which was soon abandoned due to its failure.
    • New Economic Policy (NEP):
      • Introduced by Lenin as a response to the failures of War Communism.
      • Allowed for petty capitalism, where the state controlled major industries, but small-scale private enterprise was permitted.
      • Example: Small businesses like a YouTube channel could exist, but not major manufacturing facilities.
    • After Lenin's death, Stalin rescinded the NEP and replaced it with collective farming and Five-Year Plans.

End of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles

  • World War I ended with the armistice on November 11, 1918.

    • Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles followed.

  • Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations:

    • Wilson advocated for a "peace without victory," but this was overruled by Britain and France.
    • The League of Nations was created, but it was ultimately ineffective.

  • Treaty of Versailles:

    • Germany was forced to admit war guilt and pay reparations to the Allies.
    • This humiliation and economic burden contributed to the destabilization of the European economy in the 1920s.

  • The Ottoman Empire was divided after World War I.

    • Turkey adopted the Western alphabet and implemented other reforms.

Economic Crisis and the Rise of Totalitarianism

  • The Treaty of Versailles contributed to an economic crisis in Germany.
  • Germany's economy was crippled by World War I and the reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.
  • The Great Depression:
    • Began in 1929 and had a global impact.
    • In Germany, it led to increased support for extremist parties like the Nazis and Communists.
    • German nationalists and Catholics faced a dilemma: support the Nazis or a coalition of Communists and Social Democrats.
    • This led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Fascism and Totalitarianism

  • Hitler and the Nazi Party advocated for fascism.

    • Fascism had already emerged in Italy under Benito Mussolini in the early 1920s.

  • Totalitarianism:

    • A system where the government seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.
    • Mussolini's Italy was not fully totalitarian, but Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union became totalitarian states.

  • Hitler's Rearmament Policy:

    • Hitler began a rearmament policy, initially in secret and then openly.
    • Western European powers were preoccupied with the Depression and did not effectively respond.

  • Spanish Civil War:

    • Francisco Franco (a conservative authoritarian) received help from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
    • The Soviet Union supported the opposing side in the conflict.

  • Left-Wing vs. Right-Wing Totalitarianism:

    • Left-Wing Totalitarianism (Communism/Bolshevism):
      • Rejects any kind of social hierarchy.
      • Aims for a classless society.
    • Right-Wing Totalitarianism (Fascism/Nazism):
      • Endorses a social hierarchy.
      • Mobilizes existing corporations for state production while keeping them in private hands.
      • Examples: Mercedes, BMW, and Hugo Boss.

  • Nazism:

    • Characterized by theories of racial superiority and bigotry toward Jews and homosexuals.
    • Culminated in Kristallnacht and other atrocities.

World War II

  • Caused largely by Germany's expansion.

    • Germany reoccupied the Rhineland without significant response.
    • Germany annexed Austria.
    • Hitler sought to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, leading to appeasement by Britain and France.
    • Germany invaded Poland, triggering World War II.
      • The Soviet Union helped Germany divide Poland -- a rare instance of Nazi-Communist cooperation.

  • Germany's Blitzkrieg Strategy:

    • Employed fast-moving tanks and air power in contrast to World War I trench warfare.

  • Global Conflict:

    • Japan's aggressive expansion in Asia.
    • Japan, Germany, and Italy formed the Axis powers.

  • Key Figures:

    • Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister who rallied support against Hitler and facilitated U.S. aid before Pearl Harbor.

  • U.S. Entry:

    • The U.S. was initially hesitant to join the war, but the attack on Pearl Harbor led to its full involvement.

  • New Military Technologies:

    • Jet engines
    • V-2 rockets
    • Nuclear weapons: The U.S. detonated two nuclear bombs in Japan, leading to the end of World War II.

  • The Holocaust:

    • With the defeat of Germany, the Allies discovered the extent of Nazi barbarism.
    • The Holocaust involved the persecution and extermination of Jews, homosexuals, Roma, and other minorities.

Cultural, Intellectual, and Artistic Developments

  • World War I shattered belief in rationalism and progress.

  • Art Movements:

    • Dadaism: A nihilistic art movement that embraced the absurd and irrational.
      • Example: Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" (a urinal turned on its side and signed).
    • Expressionism: Focus on poignant emotional experiences, especially from veterans.

  • The "Lost Generation": Literature reflected alienation and disillusionment after World War I.

Women in European Society

  • World War I brought women into munitions factories and other wartime industries.

  • Women's Suffrage:

    • Most European nations granted women the right to vote after World War I.
    • Culmination of first-wave feminism.

  • Economic and Social Equality:

    • Women began to demand economic and social equality after World War II.

Summary

  • World War I:
    • Caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism (MAIN).
    • Defined by new technologies and trench warfare.
  • Treaty of Versailles:
    • Failed to create a lasting peace due to war guilt and reparations imposed on Germany.
  • Great Depression:
    • Contributed to the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe.
  • World War II:
    • Caused by aggressive warfare from authoritarian regimes.
  • Allied Victory:
    • Ended the bloodiest period of world history.
    • Since World War II, wars have been smaller in scale, with nuclear-capable countries exercising restraint.
  • Humanity has not witnessed such brutality as during World War II since its conclusion.