SS6H7: The student will explain conflict and change in Europe to the 21st century

* Describe major developments following World War I: the Russian Revolution, the Treaty of Versailles, worldwide depression, and the rise of Nazism * Explain the impact of WWII in terms of the Holocaust, the origins of the Cold War, and the rise of Superpowers * Explain how the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Cold War and German reunification

* How did the Russian Revolution contribute to instability in Europe during and after WWI? * How did the Treaty of Versailles and world-wide depression impact Europe in the years between WWI and WWII? * How did the idea of Nazism lead to WWII? What events led to the collapse of the Soviet Union? * What events led to the reunification of Germany? * What is the relationship between the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, and the end of the Cold War? * How did the differing philosophies of the United States and the Soviet Union after WWII lead to the Cold War? * Why is the Holocaust a significant event of WWII?

* Europe was devastated after World War I with many dead and a lot of destruction for the land in Europe * The Treaty of Versailles * This treaty ended World War I, being signed in Versailles, France in * Germany was placed as the reason for the war * Had to give up their land they acquired * Accept responsibility for the war * Reduce its army and navy * Pay reparations to different countries * The treaty also created the League of Nations (now United Nations) * A group of countries that made sure that other countries would not have a major world conflict

* In 1917, Russian citizens were tired of starving, having no coal as a natural resource and were tired from war. The workers of Russia would overthrow the leader, Tsar Nicholas II, and kill him. A group of radicals called the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. They practiced Communism (system of government in which government owns and controls the economy) and were led by a man named Vladimir Lenin. Lenin and the Bolsheviks renamed Russia the Soviet Union and held power until the end of the 21 st century. The Bolsheviks and Lenin were aggressive in retaining power in the Soviet Union

* European economies fell into a depression, as money and property values dropped and people lost their jobs * The economies experienced severe inflation, which is when prices rise and money is useless * Depression issues * Property damage * Unpaid bank loans * Lack of trade * Poor industry

* After World War I, Germany’s leaders, the Weimar Republic, faced issues of depression, no jobs for citizens, paying reparations and rioting * Adolf Hitler, the leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) party, took power in 1933 He said Germany was wronged in the war and that Aryans were the master race of the world. Hitler became a dictator of Germany and he promised jobs, blamed Jews for the problems in Germany, organized private armies and removed anyone who spoke out against him

* War again broke out in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland * The Fascist Party and Benito Mussolini also took power in Italy and aligned with Germany * Emperor Hirohito took power in Japan and became allies with Germany and Italy * Germany, Italy and Japan became the Axis Powers * The Axis Powers would battle the Allied Powers of England, France, the Soviet Union and the United States * The war would last until 1945, as Germany and Japan surrendered to the Allied Powers * Europe’s cities and economy were devastated by the war * One of the major events during World War II was the Holocaust in Europe * Adolf Hitler rounded up over 6 million Jews in Europe and placed them in concentration camps * Jews were blamed for Germany’s loss in World War I * Jews were killed, tortured, experimented on, enslaved and beaten * Many survivors of the Holocaust were afraid to return to Europe because of restrictions on Jews

* After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union disagreed on dividing up the land. Western Europe was left alone, while Eastern Europe was controlled by the Soviet Union, who established Communist governments. The U.S. and Soviet Union became the two most powerful countries in the world. The U.S. did not like the Soviet Union imposing Communism in the world, and both sides began to practice militarism, though no actual fighting happened. This is called a “cold war.” Both the U.S. and Soviet Union also fought over space technology and alliances in Africa and Asia. Because of the Soviets’ ways, their country lost money, had food issues, and constant mistrusting of the government

* In 1991, the Soviet President, Mikal Gorbachev, and Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, agreed to a break up of the Soviet Union * Ukraine, Russia and Belarus agreed to end Communism * The Soviet Union became the Russian Republic * 15 other countries, such as Uzbekistan, Croatia, Bosnia, and Lithuania, were created * In 1989, the Berlin Wall, which separated East Germany and West Germany, finally was taken down after Communism fell * East Germany was controlled by the Communists, while West Germany was controlled by the Allied Powers * The wall was built to keep both sides from crossing into the other side * Germany was reunited in 1990 and set up with a democratic government