Download World After World War I 2014

World After World War I
A Look at the World Post 1918
What was the world like politically
after WWI?
• Colonies’ participated in the war, which increased
demands for independence
– Mass amounts of colonial nationalism and resistance to
imperial rule begins
• End of the Russian Imperial, Ottoman, German, and
Austro-Hungarian empires
– Eastern Europe looks much different now
• Enormous cost of the war in lives, property, and
social disruption
– Hurts the political power of European nations
The Mandate System
• During World War I, Great Britain and France agreed to
divide large portions of the Ottoman Empire in the
Middle East between themselves.
• After the war, the “mandate system” gave Great Britain
and France control over the lands that became Iraq,
Transjordan, and Palestine (British control) and Syria and
Lebanon (French control).
• The division of the Ottoman Empire through the
mandate system planted the seeds for future conflicts in
the Middle East.
Map of Mandates in Middle East
Financial Collapse
• The economy of the United States enjoyed a boom in
the 1920s. But this growth hid problems.
• As the worry of war decreased, people began buying
many products.
• For example, demand for home appliances
increased, and many Americans bought such
products on credit.
• In addition, overseas orders for American products
increased as war-ravaged countries purchased goods
from the United States because their own factory
systems were destroyed.
Great Depression
• Factories in the United States went into full
production to meet this increased postwar
demand, both domestic and foreign.
• As war-torn countries rebuilt their factories,
they began cutting their orders to American
factories, which in turn contributed to
American factories’ laying off workers or
shutting down when their inventories stopped
selling.
Roots of the Great Depression
• Efficient machinery led to overproduction
• Uneven distribution of wealth added to the
country’s problems. (5% of households earned
30% of the county’s income)
• Low consumption added to economic
problems
• As sales decreased, workers were laid off,
resulting in a chain reaction
Roots of the Great Depression
• Installment plan, paying a little at a time, left little
money to purchase other goods
• Hawley-Smoot Tariff intensified the Depression
by raising the tax on imports
• Americans purchased less from abroad, in return
foreign corporations did not buy American
exports.
• Federal reserve lowered interest rates instead of
raising them, encouraging banks to make risky
loans and business thinking economy was
growing
The Roaring 20’s
• The new concept of
“credit”
• People were buying:
– Automobiles
– Appliances
– Clothes
• Fun times reigned
– Dancing
– Flappers
– Drinking
Why was this bad?
• Credit system
– People didn’t really have
the money they were
spending
• WWI
– The U.S. was a major
credit loaner to other
nations in need
– Many of these nations
could not pay us back
Dawes Plan
*Americans are lending money
to the Germans to repay reparations
*Americans are owed money from
Britain and France for WWI debts
•French and British receive
reparations payments from Germany
•French and British repay debts to
US with money from Germany
•Germans receive
money from US
to repay reparations
•Germans give money
to France and Britain
for WWI reparations
The Stock Market
• People bought stocks
on margins
– If a stock is $100 you
can pay $10 now and
the rest later when the
stock rose
• Stocks fall
– Now the person has
less than $100 and no
money to pay back
And then….
• With people panicking
about their money
investors tried to sell their
stocks
– This leads to a huge decline
in stocks
– Stocks were worthless now
• People who bought on
“margins” now could not pay
• Investors were average
people that were now broke
Depression
• Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, stock prices fell
drastically (stocks lost $10-$15 billion in value)
• This stock market crash did not cause the
depression, but it weakened the nation’s banks
• Because the government did not insure bank
deposits, customers lost their money.
• $30 billion was lost, (roughly equal to the total
wages earned by Americans in 1929), as stock
prices had dropped by over 1/3.
Causes of the Great Depression
•
•
•
•
•
Over speculation in the stock market
Over borrowing
Over production in factories and farms
Uneven distribution of wealth
Failure by the Federal Reserve to monitor
banks
• High protective tariffs
Causes of the Depression
• Overproduction and low demand leads to
employee layoffs
• Low wages reduce consumer buying power
• High tariffs restrict foreign demand for
American goods (Hawley-Smoot Tariff)
• Unemployment reduces buying power further
The Impact of The Great Depression
•
•
•
•
•
Unemployment increased
Homelessness increased
Workers became more militant
Farmers lost their farms
Workers migrated in search of jobs
How was the world
affected
economically?
• Hits the rest of the world
too (global depression)
– Unemployment reaches
new heights (1932)
• Ex – US – 24%
– Great Britain – 22.5%
– Germany – 30%
– Italy – 20.5%
What was Happening in France after WWI
• France won but…
– Land destroyed in north
– Large number of dead young men
– Economy weakened severely
• Problems for France
– High Prices - inflation
– US debt – debt plus high interest
– Maginot Line – huge military expense
• Leads to social unrest in country**
Destruction
of French
Cities and
Land
Maginot Line –
system of detailed
trenches built by
the French
What is happening in Britain after the War?
• Britain’s problems
– High Debt just like with France
– Outdated industrial technology
– High tariffs worldwide hurt British trade
• Britain’s Labor issues
– After War many people unemployed
• 24% in 1921
• British slowly losing control of its Empire
– Its colonies are fighting for independence and
there is not much Britain can do
India Rebellion
• Britain relied on its empire to get
support for WWI
– promised to give more self government
rights to colonies
• India - led by Mahatma Gandhi
– Both British and Indians are split on issue
– passive resistance (boycott goods/refuse
taxes)
• British try to repress it – leads moderates
to join nationalist
• True independence wont happen until
1947
British empire losses continued…
• Middle East – Arabs feel betrayed by West
– Gave independence to Iraq and Jordan (kept military
presence)
– Had an issue with Palestine though – promised to both the
Arabs and the Jews
• “Zionism” = desire for a Jewish homeland (in Israel)
• Balfour Declaration (1917)
– Statement made by the British saying that they desired to create a Jewish
homeland in Palestine (modern day Israel)
– Realized that both (Palestinians and Jewish People) cannot live side by side
though… big problem in the future
British Empire after WWI
• British give independence to four other colonies in 1931
– “British Commonwealth of Nations”
• South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia
– What do all these areas have in common?
What is going on in China?
• Remember the Boxer Rebellion…
• New nationalist movement started
– Kuomintang – leader is Sun Yixian
• Industrialize, modernize and unify country
– 1912 – Qing Dynasty overthrown
• China becomes a republic (early years unstable though)
• 1925 Sun Yixian dies and Chiang Kai-shek takes over
nationalist party (more of a dictator)
– Military campaign to unite country (successful)
• Another group arises out of the nationalist party
– Chinese Communist Party (founded in 1921) *Shanghai*
– Splits nationalist party into two (Kai-shek tries to suppress
communist though)
Sun Yixian
Chiang Kai-shek
Communist come to power in China
• Inspired by Russian revolution and ideas of Marx
and Lenin
– Wanted to free country from foreign dependence and
backwardness
– Kai-shek wanted to eliminate communist
• 1927 – Communist executions in Shanghai
– Kai-shek continues trying to eliminate communist
– Long March – 100,000 communist marched 6,000
miles for over a year
• Constantly chased by Kai-shek and nationalist troops
• A new leader arises from this march – Moa Zedong
Mao Zedong’s rise to power
• Mao is born in south east china
• Believes that Chinese peasants
are the key to starting
communist revolution
– Opposed idea that proletariats had
to start it
• Starts gathering peasant support
in eastern China
– Listens to peasant demands and
helps reform their lives
– Fights Nationalist troops and starts
civil war
– Civil War is stopped by oncoming of
WWII and threat of Japan
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created in
1922.
Ukraine
Transcaucasian Region
Russia
Belarus
Russia
• The people of Russia were divided.
• The peasants were hungry and desired more
rights and better treatment
• Over time the country had been through
confrontations that placed a burden on the
poor and they wanted change.
Russian Revolution
– Czar Nicholas II’s reforms were too little too late
– No industrial power = no national power
– Loss to the Japanese was humiliating
announcement of weakness
– WWI participation sucked Russia dry and made
civil war inevitable
– Weak resistance to well organized and mobilized
Bolshevik radicals
– Total abdication and assassination end the
Romanov Dynasty
1918: Lenin Begins to
Change Russian Society
Treaty with Germany cedes
land in exchange for peace.
All industry nationalized.
Independent labor unions
banned.
Grain requisitions: armed
officials seize grain from
farmers to feed the poor.
Housing space seized and
distributed.
"Comrade Lenin Cleanses the Earth of Filth"
Communist poster, 1920
Leninism: The Telescoping of History
Karl Marx, considered the father of communism, wrote that history
proceeds through distinct stages: feudalism, capitalism, imperialism,
etc. Only after going through these stages, Marx thought, could society
advance to communism.
Lenin argued that under the right circumstances, such as those of
Russia in 1917, the intermediate steps could be skipped.
Marx wrote about the dictatorship of the
proletariat, a period in which the working class
would govern society while the ultimate classless
society of communism was developed.
To Lenin, the dictatorship of the proletariat
meant that a small group of dedicated individuals
would lead society forcefully so that the
groundwork could be laid for the future ideal
society.
Worldwide Appeal of Communism
Russia was the first country to attempt to put the theory of
socialism into practice.
Many workers and intellectuals around the world thought that at
last there was a chance to overcome the inequality and
exploitation of market capitalism and build a society in which
everyone was respected and cared for.
Communist parties emerged in the U.S. and
Europe, and also in Asia, Africa and Latin
America, where many countries suffered from
poverty and the remnants of colonialism.
Maoist demonstration, Nepal
Leon Trotsky
Trotsky was a key figure in the
Russian Revolution, second
only to Lenin.
From 1918 to 1925, he was
People's Commissar for Army
and Navy Affairs and
commander of the Red Army.
When Lenin died in 1924, Trotsky was widely expected to
assume leadership of the country. Instead, that role went to
Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Central Committee.
As leader of the Left Opposition, Trotsky opposed Stalin. He was
purged from the Communist Party in 1927 and exiled in 1928.
From exile, he continued to oppose Stalin and Stalinism.
Trotsky was assassinated by Stalinists in 1940 at his home in
Mexico City.
Lenin, Trotsky and soldiers
of the Red Army, 1921
"Have you signed
up as a volunteer?"
Civil war recruitment
poster
Coat of Arms
of the Soviet
Union
War Communism and
the New Economic Policy
From 1918 through 1921, the Bolsheviks implemented
radical economic changes. Under "War Communism,"
all industry was nationalized, private enterprise was
made illegal, and economic planning was centralized.
The results were disastrous for the Russian economy
and led to a major famine in 1921.
In 1921, Lenin introduced the New Economic Policy
(NEP). The state retained control of banking and
major industries, but small business ventures were
allowed, farmers were allowed to sell surplus
production, and trade restrictions were loosened.
"We are not civilized enough for socialism," Lenin said.
In 1929, Stalin abolished the NEP.
Famine of 1921-1922
Causes:
Disruption of agricultural production by
WWI, the revolution and the civil war.
War Communism economic policy.
Drought of 1921.
Under War Communism, the Bolsheviks
requisitioned grain from the peasants to
support the war effort. Many peasants
rebelled and either cut back on grain
production or sold it on the black market.
Results:
Approximately five million deaths.
Permanent Revolution vs.
Communism in One Country
Lenin believed that the Russian Revolution was
merely the first step in a worldwide workers’
revolution.
Trotsky believed that the Russian Revolution
could only succeed in the context of permanent
worldwide revolution.
Stalin believed that the opportunity for
worldwide revolution had passed, and that the
USSR should concentrate on building communism
in one country.
Stalin Creates a Totalitarian State
Instituted one-man rule.
Eliminated/murdered
political opposition.
Used secret police and
informers to spread terror
and insure obedience.
Ordered massive
deportations and
executions.
Extended state control
over every aspect of Soviet
society.
Stalin’s Soviet Union
Communism under Stalin
• Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin died shortly after Communist Soviet Union formed,
1924
• Joseph Stalin became new Soviet leader after struggle for power
Different Approach
• Karl Marx predicted state would wither away under communism
• Stalin took different approach, worked to return Soviet Union to totalitarian state,
controlling all Soviet life
The Five-Year Plans
• Major part of Stalin’s plan to strengthen communism, modernization of economy
• First Five-Year Plan began 1928, factories and mines had production goals
Stalin’s Soviet Union
5-Year Plans reflected Soviet system of central planning
• Government makes major decisions about production of
goods
• Differs from capitalist economic system, where market forces
are major influences on production
• Plans did lead to increases in Soviet industrial output
• During first two Five-Year Plans, oil production doubled, coal
and steel production quadrupled
• Demands on Soviet workers were high
Stalin’s Soviet Union
Political Purges
• Stalin, absolute power, but feared people plotting against him
• Began campaign called Great Purge, to get rid of people, things undesirable
• During Great Purge, thousands executed, sent to the Gulag
Totalitarian Rule
• Stalin’s regime dominated Soviet life
• Children encouraged to join youth organizations, taught attitudes, beliefs
• Religion discouraged, churches closed
Cult of Personality
• Portraits of Stalin decorated public places, creating heroic, idealized image
• Streets, towns renaming in Stalin’s honor, created cult of personality
• By ruthlessly removing opposition, Stalin gained stranglehold over society
Collectivization and Famine
Increase Farm Input
• Stalin believed millions of small,
individually owned Soviet farms would
be more productive if combined into
larger, mechanized farms
• Combining small farms called
collectivization
• Stalin tried to take land back given to
peasants after Russian Revolution
Peasant Reaction
• Peasants resisted, Stalin responded
violently
• Executed thousands, sent more to
Siberian system of labor camps, called
the Gulag
• Resistance continued, particularly in
the Ukraine
• Stalin refused to send food during
1932 famine; millions starved to death
USSR during the interwar years
• 1922 – USSR is founded with Lenin as leader
– New Economic Policy (NEP) – attempt to allow
some free enterprise
• Collective Farming – get peasants to combine efforts on
farmland
• 1924 – Lenin dies – power struggle afterwards
– Leon Trotsky vs. Joseph Stalin
– By 1928 – Stalin wins and Trotsky is exiled
• 1940 – Trotsky killed in Mexico on Stalin’s orders
Russia under Stalin
• Economy – ends NEP program
– Command Economy – gov’t controls all decisions
• Five Year Plan – ambitious growth plan
– 1st one in 1928
– Forced collective farming on peasants
• 90% of farmland turned into collective farming
– Agriculture dips sharply (millions die from famine and crop failure)
– The economy grows overall though
• 2nd Five Year Plan (1933) – more ambitious
–
–
–
–
USSR still grows as industrial country
People suffer many hardships though – scarce food and consumer goods
Life does not improve for regular citizens
USSR only cares about growth of industry though (best for country)
Government under Stalin
• Politburo (Political Bureau) runs government in
Russia (Stalin controls them)
– near absolute authority
• Uses fear to control people of USSR
– He is a dictator (one of the worst)
• Government represses religion
– Take all religious property, close churches, imprison
or execute church officials
• Government represses art, music, and writing
– Only “Socialist Realism” allowed (Soviet
propaganda)
The Great Purge
• 1934 – important communist official is
assassinated
– Stalin responds with purge of anyone he thinks is
an enemy of Communist efforts
– Starts in the Communist Party and then moves on
to rest of population
• Anyone who questions Stalin will either be
exiled, imprisoned, put into labor camps or
killed
– By 1939 he had supposedly gotten rid of 5 million
of his own people (killed, exiled, or imprisoned)
Fascism vs. Communism Differences
Fascism
• Extremely nationalistic
(Fascism is for the good of a
particular country alone.)
• Does not seek a “classless
society”.
• Made up of aristocrats,
industrialists, war veterans,
and lower middle class.
Communism
• Internationalistic
(Communists believe their system
should spread throughout the
world.)
• Seeks a “classless society”
• Made up of urban working
lower classes (Russia) and
peasants (China).
Fascism AND Communism
Similarities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Both were ruled by dictators.
Both allowed only one-party rule.
Both denied individual rights.
In both, the state was supreme.
Neither practiced democracy.
Both replaced religion with some kind of
competing belief system (atheism—in the case
of the communists; religion of racial
superiority—in the case of the Nazis)
•
Social
Supported by
middle class,
Industrialists,
and military
Cultural
• Censorship
• Indoctrination
• Secret police
Chief Examples
• Italy
• Spain
• Germany
Fascism
Basic Principles
• authoritarianism
• state more
important than
the individual
• charismatic leader
• action oriented
Political
• nationalist
• racist (Nazism)
• one-party rule
• supreme leader
Economic
• economic functions
controlled by
state corporations
or state
Mussolini Takes Control
• Fascism fueled by Italy’s
failure to win large
territorial gains at the Paris
Peace Conference.
• Inflation and
unemployment fuel
Fascism.
• Mussolini promised to
rescue Italy’s economy and
rebuild armed forces.
• Mussolini founds the Fascist
party in 1919.
• Economic downturn makes
Fascists popular.
March on Rome
• October 27-29, 1922 Fascist “blackshirts” march on Rome an
demand that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in
charge of the government. He puts Mussolini in power
“legally.”
Mussolini’s Italy
After World War I, new ideas about government power promoted by Benito
Mussolini led to drastic change in the Italian government.
Fascist Ideology
Mussolini in Power
• Mussolini wanted to build a great,
glorious Italian empire
• Fascists significant force in Italian
politics, 1922
• Founded National Fascist Party, 1919
• Mussolini wanted more, wanted to
rule Italy
– from Latin fasces, Roman symbol
for unity, strength
– Fascism, authoritarian form of
government
– Good of nation above all else
• Called March on Rome
• Show of force convinced Italy’s king
to put Mussolini at head of
government
• Mussolini moved to establish
dictatorship
Mussolini’s Italy
Mussolini not satisfied merely with political control
• Used threats, violence, political skill to outlaw all opposition
• Tried to influence Italians’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors
– Government attempt to control all aspects of life, totalitarianism
– Used propaganda to promote Italy’s greatness
– Established festivals, holidays to remind Italians of proud Roman
heritage
Il Duce’s Leadership
• Mussolini was now called “Il Duce” translated “the
leader.
• Democracy was abolished along with all opposing
political parties to the Fascists.
• Secret police jailed political opponents.
• Radio and publications were forced to broadcast or
public Fascist teachings.
• He sought to control the economy by allying Fascists
with industrialist and large landowners.
Fascist Flag
• The original symbol
of Fascism, in Italy
under Benito
Mussolini, was the
fasces. This is an
ancient Roman
symbol of power; a
bundle of sticks
featuring an axe,
indicating the
power over life and
death. through
unity.
Invasion of Ethiopia
• Mussolini set out to make Italy strong military power
• Looked for easy target, settled on Ethiopia
• Ethiopia had two serious disadvantages, located between two Italian colonies,
military ill-equipped; Italian forces crushed Ethiopia, 1935
League of Nations
• Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie appealed to League to take action against Italy’s
aggression
• No nation willing to get involved, to risk another world war
• League placed economic sanctions on Italy, took no real action
Hitler’s Germany
Germany underwent great changes after World War I. Like Mussolini and Stalin,
Germany’s Adolph Hitler rose to power during a time of conflict and political
instability.
Postwar Germany
• Germany formed new
republican government,
Weimar Republic
• Extremely unpopular
• Germans blamed it for
humiliating Versailles
Treaty
Economy
• Blamed Weimar
Republic for economic
problems
• Inflation soared
• German mark virtually
worthless
• Savings wiped out
• Depression brought
more chaos
Hitler’s Early Career
• Born Austria 1889
• Served in German army
World War I
• Soon joined Nazi Party
• Discovered he had
knack for public
speaking, leadership
Hitler Rises to Power in Germany
• “When Mussolini became dictator of Italy in
the mid-1920s, Adolf Hitler was a little-known
political leader whose early life had been
marked by disappointment. When World War
I broke out, Hitler found a new beginning. He
volunteered for the German army and was
twice awarded the Iron Cross, a medal for
bravery.” (p. 477)
The Rise of the Nazis
• Hitler settled in Munich at the end of World War I.
He was appointed “police-spy” to investigate a small
political party known as the “German Workers Party.”
• Hitler was impressed by the views of this party’s
leader and joined the group.
• The group later changed its name to the National
Socialist German Workers Party, Nazi for short. The
policies of this party formed the brand of fascism
called Nazism.
Symbols of Nazism
• The Nazi party chose
the swastika as its
symbol.
– The swastika has been
used for thousands of
years as a symbol of
power.
Hitler’s Germany
Search for power
Mein Kampf
• Became key figure in Nazi party
• Wrote book while in prison
• Wanted greater power
• “My Struggle” described major
political ideas
• Attempted overthrow of government,
arrested, imprisoned, 1923
Hitler gains power
• Nationalism, racial superiority of
German people, Aryans
Promises
• Continued to try to gain power after
released from prison
• Germans desperate for strong leader
to improve lives
• Economic effects of Great Depression
helped cause
• Promised to rebuild military
• Talk of mighty German empire, master
race, won supporters
The SA or “Brownshirts”
• The Nazis set up a private
militia called the
Sturmabteilung meaning
“storm detachment” or
“storm troopers.” They were
also called “Brownshirts”
because of the brown
uniform they wore. The SA
was mostly made up of
working class Nazis. They
were prone to street
violence.
Beer Hall Putsch
• Within a short time Hitler was chosen as the Führer
(the leader).
• Hitler followed Mussolini’s example of the March on
Rome and plotted to seize power in Munich on
November 8, 1923.
• Hitler wanted to use Munich as a base to overthrow
the government in Berlin. This was called the Beer
Hall Putsch.
• The attempted coup failed and Hitler was tried for
treason and sentenced to five years in prison. He
only served nine months of that sentence.
Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
• Written during the nine months
Hitler served in prison.
• The book set forth his beliefs and
goals for Germany.
• He asserted Germans were a
“master race.”
• He expressed his outrage over the
Versailles Treaty.
• He declared Germany’s need for
“lebensraum” or “living space.
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
• The Nazis were the largest political party in
Germany by 1932.
• Conservative leaders advised President Paul
von Hindenburg to name Hitler chancellor
thinking they could control him.
• Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor in
January 1933.
Reichstag Fire
• Hitler immediately called for new elections
hoping to win a parliamentary majority.
• Fire destroyed the Reichstag (parliament)
building six days before the election.
• The Nazis blamed the Communists for this
fire.
• The Nazis won a majority of votes in the
Reichstag and were able to pass significant
legislation increasing Hitler’s power.
The Reichstag Fire Decree
• The Reichstag Fire Decree abolished civil rights
protections. The text reads:
– § 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the
Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until
further notice. It is therefore permissible to restrict the
rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of
opinion, including the freedom of the press, the freedom
to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal,
telegraphic and telephonic communications, and warrants
for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as
restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the
legal limits otherwise prescribed.
Enabling Act of 1933
• This act gave the Office of the Chancellor
plenary powers (powers he could exercise
without the review of the legislative branch).
• The law gave the Chancellor’s cabinet the
power to enact their own laws apart from the
Reichstag. Therefore, Hitler came to this
absolute power in a “legal” manner.
Hitler’s Germany
•
•
•
•
•
Nazi Party Gains Strength
Many Germans wanted to believe Hitler’s words were true
Nazis continued to gain strength in early 1930s
Most popular of many German political parties
Hitler appointed as chancellor, 1933
Most powerful post in German government
Hitler Controls Germany
Hitler’s Programs
• Began to crush opposition
• Began to rebuild German military
• Many opponents arrested, others
intimidated by Nazi thugs
• Cult of personality built up glorifying
Hitler as the Führer, “leader”
• Nazi youth organizations shaped minds
of young Germans
• Improved German economy
• Strict wage controls, massive
government spending, reduced
unemployment
• Much spending for rearmament
• Also new public buildings, roads
Hitler’s Totalitarian State
• Hitler banned other political parties.
• Hitler created the SS (Schutzstaffel, or
protection squad). The SS arrested and
murdered hundreds of Hitler’s enemies.
• The Gestapo was established as the Nazi’s
secret police.
• Strikes were made illegal.
• Millions of people were put to work building
up the military.
The Führer Is Supreme
• Hitler used the press, radio, literature, painting, and
film as his propaganda tools.
• Churches were forbidden to criticize the Nazis or the
government.
– Ministers were required to sign an oath of allegiance. This
was opposed in Germany by Deitrich Bonhoffer and the
“confessing church.”
• The Boy Scouts was abolished in Germany. School
children had to join Nazi organizations like the Hitler
Youth.
Hitler Makes War on the Jews
• Hatred of Jews, anti-Semitism, was a key part of Nazi
ideology.
• Jews were used as scapegoats for all Germany’s
troubles since the end of the war.
• Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws depriving Jews of
most of their rights.
• Violence against Jews grew. On November 9, 1938
mobs attacked thousands of Jewish owned buildings
and businesses. This was called Kristallnacht (Night
of Broken Glass).
Hitler’s Germany
Nazis mounted more direct attacks on Jews
•
November 9 and 10, 1938, anti-Jewish riots across Germany,
Austria
•
Attack known as Kristallnacht, Night of Broken Glass
–
Nearly 100 Jews killed
–
Thousands of Jewish businesses, places of worship damaged,
destroyed
•
Greater horrors yet to come
•
Hitler’s Germany about to lead world into history’s bloodiest
war
Nazi Anti-Semitism
A key component of the Nazi system was strong anti-Semitic beliefs. Anti-Semitism is
hostility toward or prejudice against Jews. Hitler blamed Jews for many of German’s
problems, including its defeat in World War I.
Long History
Laws Excluding Jews
• Anti-Semitism had long history in
largely Christian Europe
• Nazi anti-Semitism combined this with
false beliefs that Jews were separate
race
• Combined religious prejudice with
hatred based on ancestry
• Many laws passed excluding Jews from
mainstream German life
• 1935 Nuremberg Laws created
separate legal status for Jews
• Eliminated citizenship, civil and
property rights
• Right to work was limited
Nuremberg Laws defined a person as Jewish based on ancestry of grandparents—not
religious beliefs.
Nuremberg Laws
• Prohibited marriages between Jews and German citizens.
• Prohibited sexual relations between Jews and German citizens.
• Jews were not permitted to hire German females as domestic
servants under the age of 45.
• Jews were forbidden to display the national flag or national colors,
but could display the Jewish colors identifying them as Jews.
• Punishment for violating these laws includes hard labor or
imprisonment.
•
Greater horrors yet to come
•
Hitler’s Germany about to lead world into history’s bloodiest war
Other Countries Fall to Dictators
• Poland: Marshal Jozef Pilsudski—seized power
in 1926.
• Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Romania—
kings turn to strong man rule.
• Argentina-Juan Peron is a fascist “strong-man”
Nazism in the United States
• German-American Bund, (earlier called the Friends of New
Germany) headed by the “American Führer” Fritz Julius Kuhn.
• Kuhn was appointed because Hitler wanted an American
citizen fronting the organization to make it look like there
were Americans truly supportive of Nazi Germany.
• Kuhn was eventually convicted of embezzlement from his own
organization when the Mayor La Guardia of New York ordered
an investigation into the organization.
• Kuhn was arrested during World War II as an enemy agent and
held in a detainment camp in Texas. He was later deported to
Germany and died in Munich in 1951.
Japan in the 1920s
End of World War I
• At end of war Japan stood as one of world’s foremost powers
• Remarkable accomplishment
• Had been relatively weak agricultural nation only half century earlier
Economic Challenges
• Nation’s economy first began to industrialize during Meiji restoration
• Underwent many changes; rapid industrialization created problems
• Peasants, rural workers had not shared new prosperity
Slowdowns
• Many industries experienced slowdowns at end of war
• Businesses laid off workers, unrest grew
• Strikes, labor disputes increased sharply in 1920s
Japan in the 1920s
Other economic challenges during the 1920s
• Japan did not have natural resources needed to supply
modern industry
– Forced to import materials
– Sold manufactured goods abroad to pay for them
• Other countries passed tariffs to protect products
– Japan had difficulty exporting enough goods to survive economically
– Leaders decided nation must expand to support growing population
Social Changes
• Rapid shift from feudal agricultural nation to urban industrial country affected more
than economy
• Universal education, new Western ideas also led to societal changes
• Democracy began to flourish, political parties emerged
Fashions, beliefs
• Some young people adopted Western fashions, beliefs, questioned traditional
Japanese values
• Conservative Japanese, military leaders, resented changes
• Believed straying from traditional beliefs, interests had corrupted country
Growing Military Influence
During economic crisis of 1927 and Great Depression, many lost faith in their
government and looked to military for leadership.
The Military’s Vision
• Military officers envisioned united
Japan
• Society devoted to emperor, glory of
nation ruled by military
• Began to seek more power over
civilian government
Foreign Relations
• Military influence grew because of
public’s opposition to government’s
foreign policy
• Civilian leaders had made several
treaties limiting size of Japanese
navy
• Agreements seemed to end overseas
expansion
Growing Military Influence
1924 U.S. law barred Japanese immigration
• Deeply offended Japanese pride
– Came from one of Japan’s supposed allies
– Some began to question government’s policy of cooperation with
West
• Japanese increasingly began to put faith in military
– Military had nationalist vision of strong Japan
– Would not defer to other countries
Japanese Aggression
End of 1920s
• Japan’s military gained power
Modern Warfare
• Widened the gap between the military
and civilian government
• World War I showed modern war
would rely on technology, industrial
power
• Without civilian controls, military
became more aggressive
• Japan could not compete with large
industrial nations
Building a Fighting Spirit
Inspiring a Fighting Spirit
• To make up for industrial limitations,
focused on soldiers
• Surrender, retreat, defense all removed
from military manuals
• Began to promote fighting spirit of
Japanese troops instead of modern
weaponry
• Military personnel placed in public
schools to shape thinking of Japanese
children
Japan during the Interwar Period —
Hirohito and Hideki Tojo
• Militarism
• Industrialization of
Japan, leading to
drive for raw
materials (natural
resources)
• Invasion of Korea,
Manchuria, and the
rest of China
Japanese Aggression
Taking Over the Government
Conquering Manchuria
• Military leaders plotted to replace
government with military dictatorship
• Manchurian Incident, 1931, Japanese
military leaders decided to conquer
Manchuria
• Believed aggressive nationalist
leadership vital to future
• 1930s, military leaders, soldiers,
others carried out series of
assassinations
• Slowly government grew more
dominated by military
• Resources would free Japan from
reliance on Western trade
• Moved quickly to gain control; civilian
government powerless
• Set up government in region, renamed
Japanese-controlled state, Manchukuo
Japanese Aggression
Forming New Alliances
• League of Nations condemned aggressive actions in Manchuria
• Japan withdrew from League of Nations, 1933
• Announced it would no longer limit size of navy, 1934
• Made break with West, drew closer to Germany
• Anti-Comintern Pact signed, 1936
Anti-Comintern Pact
• Japan, Germany agreed to work
together to oppose spread of
communism
• Each promised to come to aid of other
in case of Soviet Union attack
• Italy joined pact, 1937
War in China
• Conflict between China, Japan grew
worse
• Japan more aggressive, seized more
territory
• Some worried Chinese Communists,
Guomindang might join Soviet Union
opposing Japan
Japanese Aggression
Summer 1937
• Series of violent incidents between Chinese troops, Japanese forces in China led to
open warfare
• Conflict became known as Second Sino-Japanese war
Early Battle
• One of early battles occurred in Nanjing, also known as Nanking
• Japanese troops captured city, went on rampage, killing Chinese soldiers and
civilians alike
Massacre
• Nanjing Massacre saw as many as 300,000 Chinese men, women, children killed
• World reacted in horror to bloody incident
Japanese Aggression
Japan had early victories in China, but subsequent battles did not go Japan’s way.
A Move to Wider War
• China too large for Japan to conquer
easily
• War turned into long, costly struggle
• Japan looked to Southeast Asia to
supply resources for military needs
• Region rich in rubber, oil, other key
resources
Greater East Asia CoProsperity Sphere
• Group of nations proposed by
Japan’s foreign minister, 1940
• Combined resources would allow
independence from Western control
• Presented as economic benefit, but
Japanese empire- building attempt
• Other nations viewed aggression in
Asia with alarm