Interwar Period, World War II, Cold War, and Genocide Notes

The Interwar Period (Post-World War I):

  • Global Great Depression:

    • Triggered by the stock market crash in the US in the late 1920s.

    • Led to economic hardship, poverty, famine, and joblessness.

    • Created conditions ripe for extreme solutions and revolutions (e.g., French, American, Chinese).

    • Trade came to a standstill, increasing desperation and instability.

  • Rise of Extremism:

    • Economic desperation led to the rise of extreme solutions, exemplified by fascist dictator Adolf Hitler in Germany.

    • The Ottoman Empire was divided into mandates (temporary colonies), creating instability and resentment.

  • Government Intervention in the Economy:

    • Governments took a more active role to combat the Great Depression, diverging from traditional laissez-faire capitalism.

    • Examples:

      • Communist USSR: Five-year plans under Joseph Stalin aimed to achieve specific production quotas (iron, steel, wealth) but at the cost of millions of lives and genocide.

      • 5-year plans: Every five years, the USSR aimed to produce a set amount of resources and wealth.

      • United States: The New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt focused on stimulating government spending, creating jobs, and establishing Social Security.

  • Japanese Expansion:

    • Japan expanded its territory after World War I, including taking over Manchuria from China.

    • Some historians consider the takeover of Manchuria as the beginning of World War II in the Asian theater.

  • Indian Resistance:

    • The Indian National Congress gained power, resisting British rule.

    • Mahatma Gandhi emerged as a key leader, advocating for nonviolent resistance.

Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations:

  • Treaty of Versailles:

    • An outcome of World War I that is considered a flawed treaty.

    • Some historians argue it contributed to the conditions leading to World War II.

    • Punished Germany severely, wrecking its economy.

  • League of Nations:

    • Created after World War I to prevent future wars.

    • Ultimately, it proved defective and weak and contributed to the conditions that produced World War II.

    • Countries like Japan joined and then quit, and the League lacked the power to stop aggressive actions.

    • The US, despite President Woodrow Wilson's advocacy, never joined due to its isolationist stance.

  • Isolationism vs. Imperialism:

    • Isolationism is the opposite of imperialism; it involves focusing on domestic affairs and avoiding involvement in international politics.

    • The US initially adopted an isolationist stance, akin to a traditional Chinese mindset.

    • This approach proved unsustainable as the world globalized, forcing the US to engage and defend its interests.

  • US Embargo on Japan:

    • The US imposed an embargo on Japan in response to its aggression.

    • Japan retaliated by attacking the United States at Pearl Harbor, leading to US entry into World War II.

World War II:

  • Rise of Dictators:

    • Dictators rose to power in various countries, most notably Adolf Hitler in Germany.

    • Other examples include dictators in Italy, Japan, Spain, and the Soviet Union.

  • Total War:

    • World War II was a total war involving entire populations, not just soldiers.

    • Included firebombing (e.g., US in Tokyo, Germans in London).

  • Key Aspects:

    • Atomic bombs and the Holocaust.

  • Alliances:

    • Capitalism and communism formed a temporary alliance against fascism.

    • The US and its allies (capitalism) and the Soviet Union and its allies (communism) united against the common enemy of fascism.

    • Fascism was represented by Hitler and his allies (Italy), characterized by the worship of a strong leader and unquestioning loyalty.

    • The war ended with the defeat of fascism in Europe and the atomic bombings of Japan.

Genocide:

  • Definition:

    • Genocide is defined by the intent to systematically destroy an entire race or ethnicity.

    • The scale of deaths can vary, ranging from thousands to millions.

  • Examples:

    • The most famous example is the Holocaust, the genocide against European Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II.

    • Other examples include the Armenian genocide during World War I, the killing fields in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, and the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s.

    • Armenian genocide: Death marches by the Ottomans in World War I.

    • Killing fields: Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

    • Rwandan genocide: Refuges in Rwanda in the 1990s.

The Cold War:

  • Origins:

    • The Cold War began at the end of World War II with the dropping of the atomic bombs.

    • The alliance between capitalism and communism quickly dissolved due to mutual suspicion.

  • Nature of the Conflict:

    • The Cold War was a conflict between capitalism and communism, representing different ideologies on human organization.

    • Key Leaders: The Soviet Union was led by Stalin, and the US was led by Truman.

  • Non-Aligned Movement:

    • Many countries, particularly in the global South, sought to remain neutral, forming the Non-Aligned Movement.

    • Examples include Egypt under Nasser, India, Indonesia, Ghana, and Pakistan.

    • Nasser: Leader of Egypt that successfully nationalized the Suez Canal.

  • Proxy Conflicts:

    • The US and the Soviet Union engaged in proxy conflicts, supporting opposing sides in various wars.

    • Examples include the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in Nicaragua and Angola.

  • Germany:

    • Germany was partitioned after World War II into East Germany (communist) and West Germany (capitalist).

    • Berlin was also divided into four sectors.

    • The Berlin Wall was built, symbolizing the division, and remained until the late 1980s when Germany reunified.

  • Truman Doctrine:

    • President Truman's policy aimed to contain communism and prevent its spread.

    • Based on the domino theory, which posited that the fall of one country to communism would lead to the collapse of others.

  • Alliances:

    • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was a Western alliance of democracies that still exists today.

    • The Warsaw Pact was a communist alliance that no longer exists.

  • Nuclear Weapons:

    • The development and proliferation of nuclear weapons introduced a new dimension to global conflict.

    • Both the US and the Soviet Union gained control of these weapons.

China in the 20th Century:4

  • Early 1900s: The Qing dynasty collapses, replaced by a republic under Sun Yat-sen.

  • World War II: China experiences a civil war between nationalists and communists, complicated by Japanese invasion.

  • Post-World War II: The civil war resumes, with the communists, led by Mao Zedong, defeating the nationalists, who flee to Taiwan.

  • Mao Zedong's Rule:

    • Mao establishes a communist state in 1949.

    • The Great Leap Forward: A policy that led to starvation and loss of freedoms for many Chinese people.

Other Communist States:

  • Vietnam:

    • Under Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam sought independence and unification as a communist state.

    • The Vietnam War resulted in the reunification of Vietnam as a communist state by the 1970s.

    • Ho Chi Minh is willing to use violence.

  • Cuba: Became a communist state under Fidel Castro in the 1950s.

  • North Korea: Became a communist state as a result of the Korean War.

  • Mahatma Gandhi:

    • Mahatma Gandhi will lead to nonviolence.