Download PART 6: THE 20TH CENTURY IN WORLD HISTORY

CHAPTER 29: THE WEST IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Pages 706 – 727
I.
SUMMARY
A. The Disarray in the West, 1914 – 1945
World War I was a traumatic experience for western Europe. Despite important
innovations, particularly in the 1920s, during which west European nations were at
the pinnacles of their influence and power, the West could not resolve key postwar
problems in politics and economics until after another world war.
B. After World War II: International Setting for the West
Western Europe seemed at an all-time low in 1945, as wartime damage combined
with pressures against colonialism and the rise of two new superpowers, which
replaced Great Britain as the preeminent world power. The Cold War and
American concerns seemed to dwarf European concerns. But Western Europe
bounced back with U.S. collaboration in one of the most innovative periods in
Europe’s history. New economic vitality combined with a resurgence of democracy,
the rise of the welfare state, and a growing movement of regional integration.
C. Society and Culture in the West
Political and economic changes in Western society changed the contours of earlier
industrial development. They also reduced many earlier social differences within
Western society, particularly between the United States and Western Europe, as the
two key Western spaces converged in many respects. The West became the first
example of an advanced industrial, consumer society, especially from the 1950s
onward. Both the United States and western Europe had key roles in this change.
D. Conclusion: Will the Real West Please Stand Up?
20th century Western society has reflected increasing tensions between industrial
values and Western traditions. Western intellectuals insisted on rational inquiry
while relying on artistic forms that seemed bent on portraying a world gone mad.
Ordinary Europeans and Americans accepted a disciplined work environment that
stressed control over emotion while reveling in scenes of violence, drugs, alcohol,
and sexual ecstasy in their leisure hours. By the 1950s television watching had
become a leading recreational interest. Individualism and consumerism have
become hallmarks of Western society. Western society seems at times confused.
Poverty and job boredom coexist with affluence and the highest productivity rates
in the world. Yet social protests, family instability, and destruction of the
environment might be signs of a fatally flawed society.
II.
CHAPTER REVIEW
A. Why were the world wars traumatic for Western society?
B. What developments of the 1920s heralded a new society?
C. How did the Great Depression impact Western Europe and the U.S.?
D. What did the fascists and Nazis advocate and how did they govern their states?
E. Why did Europe accept decolonization and what were its effects on Europe?
F. How did the post-war era represent a fundamental diplomatic shift for Europe?
G. What developments in political and economic structures occurred after 1945?
H. How did Western economics change?
I. How have social inequalities eased since 1945? What progress has been made?
J. What themes or developments have dominated culture and science this century?
K. What problems or concerns remain unsolved in contemporary Western society?
III.
PHOTO ESSAY
A. The Power of the People (Pages 706, 715, 721, and 722)
1. Popular sovereignty is critical to western society. Based on the photographs,
who tends to demonstrate and what do they hope to achieve?
2. How might this affect western politics and politicians?
B. Western Culture (Pages 709, 719, 726, and Table 29.1 on page 726)
1. What do these photographs say about Western cultural values?
2. What is meant by Western consumer society?
IV.
MAP EXERCISES
A. Map 29.1: Political Alliances of Europe (Pages 700 and 716-717)
1. Military Alliances
a. Identify the NATO nations in Europe.
b. Identify Warsaw Pact nations of Europe.
2. What European nations remained neutral?
B. Economic and Political Unions
1. List the nations of European Economic Communities (Page 716-717)
2. What nations belong to the European Union?
V.
DOCUMENT ANALYSIS: The Resistance Spirit (Page 713)
A. Document Analysis
1. Who wrote each? (Attribution includes biographical references)
2. What were the authors’ points of view?
3. How reliable are the documents? Why?
4. What were the intents or purposes behind the documents?
5. Who were the intended audiences?
6. What are the documents’ tones?
B. Comparison
1. What do the documents identify as Europe’s
a. Problems?
b. Desired economic changes?
c. Desired social changes?
2. How do the documents see nationalism and internationalism?
3. Who would write and support such documents?
VI.
VISUALIZING THE PAST: Women at Work (Page 720)
A. What patterns are described?
B. Which country has experienced the greatest change?
C. What might account for the differences between France and the U.S.?
VII.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. World War I and the immediate aftermath of the Versailles Treaty
A. produced a decade in the 1920s of great economic instability.
B. resolved many if not most of the issues affecting World War I.
C. led to the political polarization of European parties between right and left.
D. saw a realistic appraisal that wars could be avoided.
E. had little demographic or social impact on Western society.
2. All of these conditions were characteristic of the 1920s in the West EXCEPT:
A. industrial production boomed.
B. mass consumption standards rose.
C. technology increasingly impacted the economy and daily life.
D. unemployment declined.
E. women joined the work force in ever-larger numbers.
3. When the Great Depression began, Western governments
A. were ill equipped legislatively or psychologically to solve the problems.
B. generally formed national governments in which all parties cooperated.
C. cooperated internationally by lowering tariffs and other barriers to trade.
D. decreased government spending and tax rates.
E. worked effectively to solve the Great Depression.
4. The chief political consequence of the Great Depression in the West was the
A. election of communist governments in German, France, and Great Britain.
B. creation of stable, constitutional regimes in German and Italy.
C. introduction of many social and economic reforms.
D. weakening of the parliamentary system and rise of totalitarian parties.
E. breakup of the League of Nations.
5. All of these groups tended to support Fascist and Nazi regimes EXCEPT:
A. trade unions and workers.
B. ardent nationalists and people opposed to the Versailles settlements.
C. former veterans.
D. landlords and business groups.
E. middle class people.
6. In foreign policy between 1922 and 1935, the Nazis and Fascists
A. accepted the Versailles Treaty and the League of Nations.
B. Allied openly with the Soviet Union and communists.
C. worked closely with Britain and France.
D. sought territorial acquisitions and envisioned war as likely.
E. agreed to limit the size of their armed forces including no tanks or planes.
7. Which of these statements about European decolonization is a FACT?
A. Most Europeans felt colonies were worth the trouble and expense.
B. France opposed decolonization in Vietnam and Algeria and lost two wars.
C. Europe left their colonies only after their military defeats by rebels.
D. Decolonization had little impact on Europe itself.
E. European nations do not get along with their former colonies.
8. Politically, post-war West Europe has seen the
A. rise of the communists to unprecedented power and influence.
B. continuing influence of the ultra-nationalist and rightist parties.
C. fragmentation of politics into splinter parties with no one in control.
D. political power remain in the hands of a wealthy oligarchy of industrialists.
E. shift toward fuller support for democracy and welfare activities.
9. The greatest dissimilarity between postwar social values and institutions in the
U.S. and Western Europe was the
A. mass consumerism, which American society encouraged but Europeans did
not.
B. refusal by Europeans to grant minorities equality, which Americans did.
C. large American military and defense expenditure, which few European
nations equaled.
D. increasing conservatism of European governments and society.
E. importance of communism in West European society.
10. All of these measures have been supported by North American and West
European welfare states EXCEPT:
A. unemployment insurance.
B. guaranteed university education.
C. health care benefits.
D. family assistance programs.
E. retirement benefits.
11. Economically, the governments of Western society and states support
A. the classical economic system – no government intervention in the economy.
B. a traditional economic structure of rule by economic elites.
C. a communist system which abolished private property.
D. Keynesian economics - a private economy with a positive government role.
E. the primacy of government controls and regulation of markets.
12. Which of these statements is a FACT about the E.E.C. or Common Market?
A. Its goal was to link German recovery to an international framework and
protect the post-war peace.
B. France and the United States dominated it.
C. Initially it included Britain, which withdrew in 1973.
D. The United States established the EEC to manage the Marshall Plan.
E. Germany was not originally included.
13. Post-war West European economic recovery was first stimulated by the
A. formation of NATO.
B. establishment of COMECON.
C. support from the United Nations.
D. formation of the European Economic Communities.
E. Marshall Plan.
14. The economic growth and disposable income in Western society
A. has declined as welfare taxes have increased.
B. ended in the economic downturn of the 1980s.
C. led to an affluent consumer society and widespread prosperity.
D. included migrant workers from the poorer nations of the world.
E. diminished racism and bias against foreign workers.
15. All of these social tensions and problems persist in Western society EXCEPT:
A. an increased crime rate.
B. unskilled, low paid work is left to immigrants.
C. migrant and quest workers are often segregated and discriminated against.
D. women are barred from higher education opportunities and important jobs.
E. racism still remains.
16. Religiously, 20th century Western society has
A. seen the rise to importance of cults.
B. become largely secular in Europe but maintained its strength in the U.S.
C. been marginalized throughout all societies.
D. experienced a revival of unprecedented strength amongst the youth.
E. seen the rise of reform movements in Protestant and Catholic Christianity.
17. The central thread in Western culture after 1920 has been the
A. conflict and tension especially in the arts.
B. continuing importance of religion in everyday life.
C. collective understanding or responsibility.
D. inability to change or absorb foreign or new elements.
E. dynamism of scientific research and faith that science can solve anything.
VIII. ESSAY QUESTIONS
A. How did Western culture change from 1000 – 2000?
B. How did Western religion change from 1000 – 2000?
C. How did Western economics and trade change from 1000 – 2000?
D. How did Western political institutions change from 1000 – 2000?
E. Compare and contrast European social and economic transformations resulting
from the world wars with either the Reformation or Industrial Revolution.
F. Compare and contrast Western consumer society with Medieval European
society or 11th century Islamic society or 11th century Chinese society.
G. Compare and contrast social reform and revolution (gender, family) in 20th
century western society with the advent of ancient and classical societies.
H. Compare and contrast patterns of internationalism in west Europe with
nationalism in 18th and 19th century west Europe.
I. Compare and contrast the disruptions caused by the Great Depression with the
Black Death, nomadic invasions of Rome, Mongol disruptions, and European
arrival in the Americas.