World History Chapter 24 The West Between the Wars ( )

Section 1 The Futile Search for Stability

Explain the effectiveness of the League of Nations. ► The organization was not very effective in maintaining peace:  The United States would never agree to join, which automatically weakened the organization’s effectiveness  Members of the League could not agree to use force against aggression

What economic impact did the Treaty of Versailles have on Germany? ► German government made its best attempt to pay reparations, but financial problems made it impossible to make payments  France seized Germany’s chief industrial and mining centers, worsening Germany’s finances ► Financial problems led the government to print more money to pay debts and salaries, leading to severe inflation [German currency was virtually worthless]

Explain the Dawes Plan. ► American led plan to alter German reparations ► In this plan, Germany would be granted a $200 million loan for German recovery ► This loan would open the door to heavy American investment in Europe ► A brief period of European prosperity followed, but it was short lived

Explain the “spirit of cooperation” during the 1920s. How successful were those efforts? ► Several agreements were made among the countries of the world to foster peace and renounce war ► There was very little substance to these agreements, they provided no means of enforcement and many nations were unwilling to cut back on their military

Define depression. ► A period of low economic activity and rising unemployment

Identify the causes of the “global” Great Depression. ► A series of downturns in the economies of individual nations in the second half of the 1920s ► The international financial crisis involving the United States economy

How did the nations of the world respond to the Great Depression? What was the impact? ► Cutting costs and raising tariffs ► These measures only made the economic crisis worse

Section 2 The Rise of Dictatorial Regimes

After World War I several countries around the world would adopt dictatorial regimes. Identify these nations. ► Italy ► Soviet Union ► Germany

Define totalitarian state. ► A government that aims to control the political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural lives of its citizens

Define fascism. ► A political philosophy that glorifies the state above the individual by emphasizing the need for a strong central government led by a dictatorial ruler

Outline the rise of fascism in Italy. ► Like other countries, Italy experienced severe economic problems after World War I; the country was plagued with unrest and strikes ► Benito Mussolini and his fascists [Blackshirts] used violence to break up the unrest, which won the support of many Italians who distrusted those causing problems ► Mussolini called on the anger and patriotism of Italians to gain their support ► (1922) Mussolini threatened to march on Rome if they were not given power; Mussolini would be appointed prime minister ► Mussolini used his new powers to create a Fascist dictatorship; by the end of 1926, the Fascists would control all of Italy

Benito Mussolini

What changes did the Fascists make to Italy to make a Fascist state? ► Fascists used various means of establishing complete control over the people:  Secret police  Limits on speech and press  Propaganda and organizations to promote the ideals of Fascism ► Mussolini would never successfully destroy the country’s old social structure

Explain Lenin’s “New Economic Policy” (NEP) for the Soviet Union [Russia]. ► Modified version of the old capitalist system adopted by Lenin in 1921 to replace war communism in Russia  Peasants were allowed to sell their produce  Retail stores and small industries could be privately owned, but heavy industry, banking, and mines remained in the hands of the government ► The NEP saved the Soviet Union from complete economic disaster ► Lenin and other leading Communists only intended the NEP to be a temporary retreat from the goals of communism

Outline the rise of Joseph Stalin to power in the Soviet Union. ► After the death of Lenin in 1924, a struggle for power began between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin ► Stalin held the position of party general secretary, which appointed regional, district, city, and town party officials; he used his post to gain complete control of the Communist Party ► By 1929, Stalin had eliminated all opposition and had established a powerful dictatorship

Joseph Stalin

Outline Stalin’s “Five-Year Plans.” ► The Stalinist Era marked the beginning of an economic, social, and political revolution that was more sweeping than that of the 1917 revolution ► The Five Year Plans set economic goals for five- year periods, their purpose was to transform Russia virtually overnight from an agricultural into an industrial country ► These plans emphasized maximum production of capital goods [goods developed to the production of other goods, such as heavy machines] and armaments

Identify the impact of Stalin’s “Five- Year Plans.” ► Production would increase dramatically, but the country was unprepared for the dramatic increase in the number of new workers  Millions of workers would be forced to live in horrible conditions

Define collectivization. ► A system in which private farms are eliminated and peasants work land owned by the government ► The people of the Soviet Union did not support collectivization; their attempts at rebellion led to the deaths of millions of Russia

How did Stalin change the government structure of the Soviet Union? ► To achieve his goals, Stalin strengthened his control over the party bureaucracy ► During the time of Stalin’s desire for complete power, he would purge army officers, diplomats, party members, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens  An estimated 8 million Russians were arrested and sent to forced labor camps in Siberia, from which many never returned

Section 3 Hitler and Nazi Germany

Identify Adolf Hitler. ► Extreme nationalist, whose ideas were rooted in racism and anti-Semitism, who understood how political parties could effectively use propaganda and terror ► Founded the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party, also known as the Nazis ► Mein Kampf (My Struggle) – his book focused on extreme German nationalism, strong anti-Semitism, and anti-communism are linked together by a Social Darwinian theory of struggle; the book also upholds the right of superior individuals to gain authoritarian leadership over the masses

Outline the rise in power of the Nazi Party. ► After his release from prison, Hitler expanded the Nazi Party to all parts of Germany ► (1932) Nazi Party becomes the largest party in the Reichstag ► (1933) Hindenburg agreed to allow Hitler to become chancellor and create a new government  Enabling Act – gave the government the power to ignore the constitution for four years while it issued laws to deal with the country’s problem ► In effect, Hitler became a dictator, and within several months had established the basis for a totalitarian state, the Third Reich

Outline the anti-Semitic policies of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. ► Nuremburg Laws (1935)  Excluded Jews from German citizenship and forbade marriages between Jews and German citizens ► Kristallnacht [“night of shattered glass”] (1938)  Nazis burned synagogues and destroyed Jewish businesses  Tens-of-thousands sent to concentration camps  Jews barred from public transportation and public buildings  Jews were barred from owning, managing, or working in retail stores  Jews encouraged to “emigrate from Germany” ► (1941) Jews were required to wear the yellow “Star of David” and carry identification cards

Define concentration camp. ► A camp where prisoners of war, political prisoners, or members of minority groups are confined, typically under harsh conditions