HIS 31 CHAPTER 23 POWER POINT Dictators and Depression

KEY TERMS Weimar Republic – German government set up after the war ; it modeled liberal democracy but its officials were not dedicated to the new republic Maginot Line – string of defensive fortresses on the French/German border Fascism – governmental ideology that incorporates a set of anti-democratic, anti- individualistic, and anti-communist attitudes and beliefs; fascists governments were led by “charismatic” dictators New Economic Plan – Lenin set up this economic policy as a temporary compromise with capitalism; it allowed peasants to manage and sell their own crops; small-scale businesses could operate under private ownership Five-Year Plan – Stalin’s (dictator of the Soviet Union) plan that called for the rapid, massive industrialization of Russia; the State Planning Commission regulated all aspects of production

KEY TERMS Collectivization – state took agriculture out of the control of individual peasants by consolidating their lands into huge collective farms that used modern machinery Great Purges – Stalin and the Communist Party blamed engineers, technocrats, army officers, older party members, etc. for the difficulties during the Five-Year Plans; by 1939, he had over a million people killed and over 7 million died in forced labor camps and prisons (gulags); many of his perceived enemies were tortured and/or imprisoned Great Depression – global financial crisis during the 1930s that resulted from the stock market crash in NYC in October 1929 Nazi Party – Adolf Hitler’s Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party; it was a nationalistic, anti-Semitic, and racist organization Lebensraum – “living space”; Nazi goal to conquer the Slavic peoples of the east, take their land, and follow policies to rid Germany of all opponents; wanted Russia since its large size would accommodate the mythical Aryan race

KEY TERMS SS – Hitler’s handpicked secret police led by Heinrich Himmler; he used them to purge his own paramilitary organization, the SA, because he viewed them as potential rivals to his power Nuremberg Laws – German laws that took citizenship and rights away from Jews and forbade marriage or sexual relationships between Jews and non-Jews Kristallnacht – “Night of Broken Glass/Crystal”; Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels blamed Jews for an assassination of German diplomat in Paris, so as a result, Nazi stormtroopers vandalized Jewish residences, synagogues, and places of business on November 9-10, 1938; troops killed dozens of Jews and imprisoned thousands in concentration camps

ANALYZING QUESTION 2 Analyze the main qualities of German Nazism. How do you explain its rise and the acquisition of power by Hitler? Adolf Hitler took advantage of a weakened Germany that resulted from the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the worldwide depression He offered extreme solutions to Germany’s problems that threatened the Weimar Republic Nazism offered unity, certainty, and nationalism to many people, especially to veterans and the lower- middle class, during a time of anxiety Hitler promised to get rid of reparations, economic hardship, incompetent leadership, threats from the Left (communists), and parliamentary government In 1932, the Nazi Party became the largest political organization in Europe The lack of unity among communists, socialists, and moderates allowed Hitler to be elected Chancellor of Germany Nazism assaulted the traditions of the West, such as liberal democracy Political order should be dominated by a single party headed by a dictatorial leader who appealed to the masses Nazism was anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) Nazis glorified the mythical German “Aryan race” as superior and destined to conquer all peoples in the struggle for racial superiority Hitler condemned Jews as corrupt and landless parasites who created Marxist communism Nazis also accused Jews of causing Germany’s humiliating defeat during WWI

ANALYZING QUESTION 3 Why do you think Stalin initiated the Five-Year Plans? What were the purposes of those plans? Joseph Stalin was tired of the Soviet Union being technologically and industrially behind other modernized nations of the world The main goal was the rapid, massive industrialization of the nation He wanted to double industrial output, increase electrical power, and build 1,500 new factories within five years The Gosplan regulated all aspects of production His plan targeted the steel industry and also hired foreign engineers to build the factories Stalin wanted the Soviet Union to be able to compete with the forces of capitalism and religion on an industrial scale The entire society of the USSR was mobilizing for industrialization

ANALYZING QUESTION 4 In what ways was the Great Depression much more than an economic downturn? Many European countries depended on the U.S. for loans and trade, so the stock market crash in NYC caused worldwide economic upheaval The U.S. was the world’s leading industrial nation and creditor (and still is) Unemployment in the West rose to 22 percent; 30 million people were out of work in Western Europe People lost their jobs, savings, farms, and homes Masses of people sank into poverty and malnutrition Families suffered new tensions as men lost their traditional role as breadwinners Many people in central and Eastern Europe blamed Jews, whom they saw as controlling banks, bureaucracy, jobs, and economic policies (added to the anti-Semitism spreading throughout Europe) People also blamed socialists, communists, big business, and modernization