Modern World History: Unit 7

Unit 7: Global Conflict in the 20th Century

Unit Questions

• What were the causes of World War I and World War II, and how did they reshape the global political landscape and affect the lives of people around the world?

• How do totalitarian governments rise to power, and what impact do they have on individual freedoms and global conflict?

• What can the Holocaust and other genocides teach us about the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and unchecked power in society?

7.1: World War I

Essential Questions

• What were the causes of World War I?

• How was World War I different from the wars that came before it?

• What were the effects of World War I, and why was peace after the war complicated?

European Powers Form Alliances

• Reason for Alliances: European nations formed opposing alliances to protect themselves through treaties ensuring mutual defense.
    - Power Balance: This was also aimed at balancing power in Europe.

Major Causes of World War I

• Imperialism: Heightened tensions due to competition for colonies, leading to broader conflict scopes.
    - Germany's Rise: Increased power of Germany threatened Britain, who felt disrespected by Germany's ambitions.
    - Colonial Conflicts: Example: The Moroccan crisis where France and Germany competed, leading to strengthened ties between Britain and France.

The Balkan Powder Keg Explodes

• Austria's Ultimatum: Influenced by Germany’s support (“blank check”), Austria-Hungary demanded Serbia comply after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
    - Nationalism: Serbians viewed Austrians as oppressors, inciting conflict.

The Alliance System Leads to War

• Mobilization Dynamics: Russia requested Austria-Hungary to soften their demands. Upon refusal, Russia mobilized.
    - Declaration of War: Germany declared war on both Russia and Serbia (who accepted the ultimatum partially, leading to conflict with Austria-Hungary).
    - France's Involvement: Germany demanded France stay neutral; when France refused, Germany declared war on France.
    - Britain's Entry: Germany's Schlieffen Plan to invade Belgium led to Britain entering the war due to their treaty obligations to protect Belgium.

A New Kind of War

• Schlieffen Plan Failure: The unsuccessful quick defeat of France led to prolonged trench warfare on the Western Front.
    - Russian Front: Russian victories forced German troops to shift forces, weakening Western resistance.

Modern Military Technology

• Tech Advances: New military technologies caused unprecedented casualties during WWI.
    - Examples:
      - Tanks: Facilitated movement across no man’s land.
      - Airplanes: Used for bombing, including gas bombs on civilian areas.
      - U-Boats: German submarines targeting merchant ships.
      - Poison Gas: Caused severe injuries and death through choking and burns.

Other European Fronts

• Eastern vs. Western Front: The Eastern Front saw higher casualties than the Western Front.
    - Italy’s Involvement: Italy declared war against Austria-Hungary and Germany, leading to Allied support.
    - Bulgaria's Role: Joined Central Powers to dominate Serbia.

A Global Conflict

• Middle East Effects: Japan joined the Allies and seized German holdings, while the Ottoman Empire allied with Central Powers, disrupting supply lines to Russia.
    - Allied Actions: Overran German colonies in Africa and Asia.

Government Directs Total War

• Total War: WWI engaged entire nations leading to mass recruitment and conscription of soldiers.
    - Propaganda Use: Governments controlled information, withheld casualty figures, and harnessed emotional fervor to sustain morale.
    - Women’s Role: Women took up roles in war efforts, gaining confidence and, in some places, the right to vote.

Morale Breaks Down

• Morale Effects: Exhaustion among troops led to mutinies and revolutions, particularly notable in France and Russia.

The United States Enters the War

• Reasons for Entry: Unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany angered Americans, leading to U.S. involvement.
    - Wilson’s Goals: Advocated for his 14 points leading to a peaceful resolution to avoid future conflicts.

The Great War Ends

• Effects of War: Casualty toll exceeded 8.5 million, with additional deaths from the influenza pandemic.
    - Economic Aftermath: Destruction of buildings and reparations imposed on losers caused heavy burdens on economies.
    - Political Landscape: Major empires (Russia, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman) collapsed.

Making the Peace

• Conflicting Goals of Leaders: Wilson sought peace without victory; British and French leaders sought reparations and security. Clemenceau aimed to weaken Germany substantially.
    - League of Nations: Established but ineffective without U.S. involvement.

Effects of the Peace Settlements

• Treaty of Versailles: Forced Germany to accept blame for WWI and pay reparations, leading to economic hardship and resentment that would later contribute to WWII.

7.2: The Russian Revolution & Soviet Union

Essential Questions

• What caused the Russian Revolution, and what major events occurred during it?

• How did Stalin create a totalitarian state in the newly formed Soviet Union?

Causes of the February Revolution

• Key Causes: Losses in WWI, food shortages, strikes, and Tsar Nicholas II’s ineffective governance.
    - Events like Bloody Sunday, failure to industrialize, and Rasputin's influence advanced the unrest.

Lenin Leads the Bolsheviks

• Adapting Marxism: Lenin modified Marxist ideology for Russian conditions, focusing on factory workers and establishing a dictatorship of the proletariat.

The October Revolution Brings the Bolsheviks to Power

• Seizing Power: Bolsheviks attacked the provisional government, promising land to peasants and abolishing land ownership.

Civil War Erupts in Russia

• Strategies of Lenin and Trotsky: Used terror and brutality, with a closely monitored Red Army, to crush counterrevolutionaries, including executing the tsar.

The Communist Soviet Union Emerges

• Stalin’s Rise: Isolated Trotsky within the party, using ruthless tactics to secure dictatorial power.

Stalin Builds a Command Economy

• Economic Control: The government centralized economic decision-making, implementing a command economy where individual freedom in market choices was curtailed.
    - Emphasized collective farming with severe repercussions for opposition.

Control Through Terror

• Terror Tactics: Stalin’s purges targeted perceived enemies, enforcing loyalty at the price of many lives and expertise.

Stalin Builds a Totalitarian State

• Censorship and Propaganda: Employed propaganda heavily to depict communist successes while enforcing strict control over artistic expression and promoting Russification.

Soviet Society Under Stalin

• Societal Changes: Established a ruling elite within the Communist Party, improved women's rights in law but maintained significant socio-political repression.

Soviet Foreign Policy

• Contradictions: Lenin's Comintern sought global revolution which conflicted with the Soviet Union's relations with Western countries leading to growing tension and distrust (Red Scare).

7.3: The World Between the Wars

Essential Question

• How did Mussolini and Hitler create a totalitarian state in their countries?

The Rise of Mussolini

• Contributing Factors: Post-WWI disillusionment stemmed from unfulfilled territorial promises, high unemployment, decreased trade, and government strife.
    - Mussolini promised order and ended corruption through violent means (Black Shirts).

Mussolini’s Totalitarian Rule

• Governmental Transformations: Mussolini eliminated opposition, manipulated media, and ensured Fascist control over economic sectors while suppressing worker rights.

Characteristics of Fascism

• Core Elements: Extreme nationalism, glorification of violence, and a rejection of Enlightenment ideals, along with a strong central authority versus individual rights.

The Weimar Republic

• Inherent Weaknesses: Subject to political extremism, exacerbated financial crises from reparations debts and hyperinflation following territorial losses.

Hitler Leads the Nazi Party

• Ideological Basis: Hitler's anti-Semitism intertwined with blaming Jews for Germany’s troubles, promising reform and territorial expansion.
    - Key text: Mein Kampf outlining Nazi goals and ideologies.

The Third Reich

• Nazi Control: The party dominated aspects of life, using violence against Jews while promoting propaganda to reshape German culture.

Authoritarian Rule in Eastern Europe

• Effects of WWI: Vulnerability of Eastern European nations led to the rise of dictatorships focusing on anti-Semitism and leaning towards either Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia.

7.4: World War II

Essential Questions

• How and why did European leaders allow Hitler to start World War II?

• How did key decisions and actions lead to the expansion of World War II and draw more countries into the conflict?

• How was the Holocaust developed, how did people resist, and what were the effects?

• How did World War II change the social, political, and economic climate of the 20th century?

A Pattern of Aggression

• Axis Powers’ Early Aggressions: Examples include Japan’s invasion of Manchuria (1931), Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia (1935), and Germany’s reoccupation of the Rhineland.
    - International Responses: Eve of WWII prompted weak responses from the League of Nations, leading to policy of appeasement.

The Spanish Civil War

• International Involvement: A proxy battleground where Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supported Franco, while the Soviet Union aided Loyalists.

Axis Domination in Europe

• Military Strategies: Rapid advances utilizing blitzkrieg tactics resulted in swift conquests, including France’s capitulation to Germany.
    - Puppet Governments: Established in occupied territories, focusing on resource extraction and ethnic cleansing against Slavic populations.

Justification of Aggression

• Anschluss and Sudetenland: Hitler rallied support for annexation of Austria and German claims on the Sudetenland, exploiting local nationalism.

WWII Commencement

• End of Appeasement: British and French responses changed as aggressive actions escalated, culminating in the declaration of war following the invasion of Poland.

Nazi Aggression Expansion

• Breaking Pacts: The invasion of the Soviet Union revealed Hitler’s expansionist ambitions beyond initial agreements with Stalin.

U.S. Involvement

• Entry Factors: Primarily caused by intensified tensions with Japan and culminating in the attack on Pearl Harbor, prompting U.S. military engagement.

The Holocaust

• Escalation of Anti-Jewish Measures: Inflammatory propaganda led to systemic discrimination and policies aimed at extermination culminating in the Holocaust (Final Solution).
    - Significant resistance from Jews and allies, including uprisings in ghettos and concentration camps.

The Allies Respond to the Holocaust

• Liberation and Aftermath: Allied forces liberated concentration camps, leading to widespread global awareness and eventual support for Jewish statehood in Israel.

War Efforts at Home

• Resource Allocation: War mobilization saw factories pivot to military production, and rationing of consumer goods ensued in the U.S. and Allied nations.

Turning Points in the War

• Strategic Victories: Battles such as Midway shifted momentum in the Pacific, while European landings saw the Allies pushing back Axis powers.

End of the War in Europe

• Axis Defeat Factors: Multiple fronts drained German resources, poor military decisions, and the overwhelming production capabilities of the U.S. led to Allied victory.

Pacific Strategy

• Island-Hopping: Allied forces recaptured strategic islands to build operational bases close to Japan.

Japan’s Surrender

• Reasons for Surrender: Resulted primarily from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought catastrophic loss of life and destruction, compelling surrender.

Aftermath of the War

• Post-War Policies: Allies aimed to restructure defeated powers (Germany and Japan) to prevent future aggression, exemplified through the Nuremberg Trials and the establishment of democratic governance frameworks.