Unit 7 Lecture Notes Flashcards

Mexican Revolution

• Brief mention of the Mexican Revolution and its goals to address internal and external problems, particularly concerning land and cooperation with US investors, at the expense of the landless poor.

Causes of World War I (MAIN)

• Militarism: Buildup of military weaponry, creating a desire to use these armaments.
• Alliance System: Defensive groupings of nations promising to aid each other if attacked, increasing tensions.
• Imperialism: Fierce competition among imperial powers to claim remaining unclaimed lands (e.g., scramble for Africa).
• Nationalism: Intense pride in one's national identity, culture, and language.
• These factors combined created a volatile situation, needing only a spark to ignite conflict.
• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark that triggered World War I.

World War I: Total War and Propaganda

• World War I was a total war, meaning countries leveraged all domestic assets to fight.
• In total war, domestic industry and economy are transformed to support the war effort, requiring sacrifices from the populace.
• Propaganda: Used to persuade people to support the war, often involving biased or inaccurate information, demonizing enemies, and glorifying the cause.
• New weapons technology led to unprecedented casualties.
• Poison gas, machine guns, submarines, and tanks were widely used.
• Trench warfare combined with new technologies resulted in long-lasting stalemates and high casualties.

Treaty of Versailles

• The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1918.

Government Intervention in Economies After World War I

• Following World War I, governments began to take a more prominent role in their nation's economies.
• The Great Depression:
  • Began in the United States and spread worldwide due to intertwined economies.
  • President Herbert Hoover initially opposed government intervention (laissez-faire approach), but it proved ineffective.
  • Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal: Massive government spending aimed at rescuing the US from the Depression.
• Germany:
  • Economically ruined after World War I, with hyperinflation devaluing the German mark.
  • The Nazi party rose to power and enacted strong government intervention in the economy.
  • They ceased reparations payments and invested heavily in military buildup.
• Soviet Union:
  • Enacted a series of five-year plans to rapidly transform the USSR into an industrial power.
  • Collectivization of agriculture aimed to support urban industrial centers but led to widespread famine and death in rural areas, especially in Ukraine.

Causes of World War II

• The unsustainable peace agreement of World War I (Treaty of Versailles), economic crisis, and the rise of fascist regimes (especially Nazi Germany) caused World War II.
• Treaty of Versailles Problems:
  • War Guilt Clause: Blamed Germany for the entire war, leading to resentment.
  • Reparations: Forced Germany to pay for the war, devastating its economy and leading to hyperinflation.
• The Great Depression and Economic Crisis:
  • Led to hyperinflation in Germany, creating an environment for extremist ideologies.
  • People sought strong leaders with simple solutions, which fascist regimes provided.
• Rise of Fascist Regimes:
  • Italy under Benito Mussolini (the original fascist).
  • Nazi Party in Germany capitalized on extreme nationalism, promising to restore German greatness after the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Adolf Hitler began taking land surrounding Germany (Lebensraum).
  • Appeasement: Initial British response (Neville Chamberlain) of trying to appease Hitler by allowing him to take land with promises not to take more.
  • Invasion of Poland: Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 triggered World War II.

World War II: Total War and Mobilization

• World War II was another total war, with totalitarian and democratic nations deploying all resources to fight.
• Methods similar to World War I:
  • Propaganda, repurposing manufacturing for military output, and use of colonial resources and manpower.
• Mobilization Examples:
  • United States: Utilized its strong industrial sector to produce munitions; women took over factory jobs as men went to fight.
  • Germany: Relied on forced labor, including labor in concentration camps, which proved counterproductive due to harsh conditions.
• Repression of Civil Liberties:
  • Curtailments of freedom of speech in democracies.
  • Japanese internment in the US: Franklin Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.
• New Military Tactics and Technology:
  • Firebombing: Used in Tokyo and Dresden, causing massive destruction.
  • Atomic Bomb: Developed by the US and dropped on civilian populations in Japan, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

Genocide and Ethnic Violence

• The rise of extremist groups led to attempted destruction of certain populations through genocide or ethnic violence.
• Nazi Holocaust:
  • The Final Solution aimed to eliminate Jews and other undesirables from the German population.
  • Forced removal of Jews to concentration camps, where they were separated; the stronger were forced into labor, and the weaker were sent to extermination camps.
• Holodomor in Ukraine:
  • Ukrainian farmland was a major agricultural area for the Soviet Union.
  • Stalin's collectivization of agriculture led to food confiscation, causing resentment among farmers.
  • Farmers burned crops and killed livestock in response, resulting in a massive famine.
  • Seven to ten million peasants died, and Stalin continued to send food to urban workers instead of aiding the starving Ukrainian peasantry.