WHAP 29 The Collapse of the Old Order (1929-1949)

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) under Stalin (1928-1953)
  • Rise to Power: Stalin initiated a series of Five-Year Plans to strengthen the Bolshevik party and industrialize the USSR before WWII.
  • 1st Five-Year Plan (1928):
    • Goals: Achieve 5x electricity output, 2x iron output; increase production of steel, coal, and machinery.
    • Pros: Created millions of jobs, led to the rapid establishment of new cities and industries.
    • Cons: Caused civilian displacement and environmental damage from hydroelectric dams, canals, and railroads.
Collectivization of Agriculture
  • Process: Small farms consolidated into larger, state-controlled collectives using modern equipment.
  • Output: Each collective produced a quantity of food for sale while keeping a portion for communal use.
  • Impact: Brought peasants and land under strict government control.
Reactions and Consequences of Collectivization
  • Wealthy farmers (kulaks) resisted:
    • Burnt crops and slaughtered a significant proportion of livestock.
    • Stalin’s response: "liquidation of the kulaks as a class," leading to 8 million arrests and extensive property seizures.
  • Famine: High demands and poor harvesting techniques led to widespread famine in 1933-1934, resulting in about 5-6 million deaths.
Stalin’s Dictatorship
  • Authoritarian Evolution: Power became supremely unquestionable; fear permeated society.
  • Government Policies:
    • Impossible productivity quotas allowed for arbitrary punishment.
    • Ending of equal pay; leaders could not earn more than skilled workers.
  • Secret Police (NKVD):
    • Utilized to instill terror and maintain control, resulting in the expulsion or execution of 1/3 of Stalin's former associates.
Terror and Purges
  • Arrests: Common reasons included:
    • Alleged political disloyalty, not working hard enough, or being related to an arrested individual.
    • 8 million sent to gulags; estimated 3-20 million died during Stalin's reign.
Support for Stalin’s Regime
  • Some groups benefitted from opportunities created during industrialization:
    • Notable improvements for women, youth, the poor, and minorities.
    • USSR became the 3rd largest industrial power by 1930; suppression of dissent allowed conformists to advance in political and military ranks.
The 2nd Five-Year Plan (1933-1937)
  • Focus: Production of consumer goods and essentials.
  • Shift: Transitioned to armament production due to the rise of the Nazi threat.
  • Results: While metal and machinery production surged, consumer goods remained scarce.
Causes and Impact of the Great Depression
  • Key Factors:
    • Income inequality and banking instability (investing client money without regulation)
    • Stock market crash on October 24, 1929, led to high unemployment (25% in the U.S.).
    • Global trade reduced by 62%; worldwide unemployment spiked to 30%.
  • Economic Consequences:
    • Highlighted the failure of capitalist systems and prompted a shift towards socialism.
Rise of Fascism
  • Context: Weakness and failures of capitalism during the Great Depression laid the groundwork for fascism's rise worldwide.
  • Characteristics of Fascism:
    1. Dictatorial Rule: Suppression of dissent; leaders claim sole truth.
    2. Myth of Rebirth: Promise of restoration to a fallen nation.
    3. Anti-Intellectualism: Discrediting experts to monopolize ideological control.
    4. Ultra-Nationalism: Indifference to the nation's misdeeds; scapegoating communities like immigrants and Jews.
    5. Social Conservatism: Antifeminism, militarism, and sensitivity to social values.
Fascism in Italy and Germany
  • Mussolini’s Italy:
    • Established a fascist regime through violence and propaganda; seized control in 1922.
  • Hitler and the Nazi Party:
    • Gradual rise through political chaos, promising restoration post-WWI and leveraging fear of societal changes.
    • Goals: Expansionism (Lebensraum) and the extermination of Jews and other 'undesirables'.
Timeline of World War II
  • Key Events:
    • 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor.
    • 1939: Germany invades Poland, marking the start of the European war.
    • 1941: U.S. enters war post-Pearl Harbor.
    • 1945: End of European war with Hitler’s suicide and Mussolini's deposition. Japan surrenders after atomic bombings.
War in the Pacific and the Holocaust
  • Sino-Japanese War: Japan perpetrated widespread atrocities, including the Rape of Nanjing.
  • The Holocaust: Six million Jews and five million others persecuted and killed, leading to significant discussions on human rights.
Post-War Consequences
  • Emergence of the United Nations, weakened European imperial powers, and the specter of a Cold War between the United States and the USSR.
  • Japan forced to adopt democracy; the Marshall Plan initiated U.S. support for European reconstruction.
Developments in China
  • Guomindang vs. Communist Party: Struggles between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, with eventual outcomes leading to the rise of communism post-WWII after the Long March and Japan's invasion.