Chapter 18 Between Two Fires

Gimme some skin…

Quit Stalling….

The anti-joys of communism?

Upheaval in Arts World War I destroyed the West’s belief in progress and created feelings of disillusionment (letdown) One place these feelings of letdown were very noticeable was in European and American artists and writers works. They rejected the past and experimented with new styles and subject matter. Example: Hemingway with “The Sun Also Rises” about people living for the moment while roaming France and Spain. For example, composers created distinctly American music post World War I. music changed as “Jazz” became popular, songs became about reality, etc. ie: Louis Armstrong

Innovative forms of technology, such as the automobile and the radio, also transformed people’s lives after World War I. These inventions would bring the world closer.

Boom Then…Bust of the 1920s Be clear, the United States came out of the war in far better shape than its allies. In fact, the 1920s were boom years for the American economy. Most people were doing okay (middle class/upper class) but prosperity didn’t come to everyone. Farmers and workers were worse off than before the war. Unfortunately, in 1929, these boom years ended when wild speculation led to a stock market crash, and the nation fell into a major economic depression that had worldwide effects. Example- in Germany, the depression combined with reparations from World War I, spurred inflation in Germany which had devastating effects. In Great Britain and France, still focusing on rebuilding after the war along with losing profits from trade were also affected.

Dictatorships! However, in Great Britain and France though, democracy managed to survive through these tough times. Regrettably, Germany and Italy did not have strong democratic traditions at this time. In Italy there was political and economic chaos from Benito Mussolini- He set up a Fascist dictatorship that stressed nationalism and military strength. In Germany, Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler came to power with a similar program, Nazism. Nazism was an ideology based upon the German people being racially superior and should spread this superiority throughout Europe. This included the persecution of Jews, whom he blamed for Germany’s economic woes.

As for the Soviet Union-dramatic changes were occurring. After seizing power, Lenin and the Bolsheviks, renamed Communists, tried to quickly impose a new socialist order but faced widespread opposition. In 1921 Lenin strengthened Communist power by allowing limited capitalism. However, when he died in 1924 Stalin came to power and brought all Soviet industry and agriculture under state control. He began removing suspected opponents from leadership positions, and promoted a famine that cost many lives in Ukraine. Other Soviet citizens also suffered imprisonment, exile, and death under Stalin’s grim rule.

VLAs!! Hitler’s Rise to Power: s American Jazz: