Chapter 29 Collapse of the Old Order
The Stalin Revolution: Five Year Plans humble origins visionary skillful administrator rose within Communist Party eliminated Leon Trotsky & all rivals Ruthlessly Industrialized the Soviet Union
The Stalin Revolution: Five Year Plans Oct 1928, Stalin devised series of Five-Year Plans Centralized state- control over economy Extremely rapid Industrialization No concern for people or environment
Collectivism of Agriculture Peasants squeezed to pay for massive investments required by Five-Year Plans Provided labor & food for new industrial workers Small farms consolidated into large collectives Supplied government with fixed amount of food & distributed what was left among their members
Collectivism of Agriculture Collectivism organized peasants into industrial life & to bring them firmly under control of government violently suppressed better-off peasants (the kulaks) disrupted agricultural production caused famine-killed 5 million after bad harvests ( )
Collectivism of Agriculture Second Five-Year Plan ( )- intended to increase output of consumer goods Fear of Nazi regime caused Stalin to shift emphasis to heavy industries & armaments Consumer goods became scarce -food rationed
Terror & Opportunities industrialization & collectivization carried out w/ threats & force NKVD (secret police) created terror USSR industrialized faster than any other country Stalinism created new opportunities – women joined work force – obedient unquestioning people rose in ranks of Communist Party, military, government, or their professions One of the goals of collectivization was to introduce modern farm machinery. This poster shows delighted farmers operating new tractors and threshers.
In late 1930’s, contrast between economic strength of Soviet Union & Depression troubles of capitalist nations gave many the impression that Stalin’s planned economy was successful
The Depression: Economic Crisis consumers cut purchases companies laid off workers small farms failed N.Y. banks recalled loans to Germany & Austria – couldn’t pay reparations to France & Britain – France & Britain couldn’t repay war loans to US US passed Smoot-Hawley tariff act – Other countries followed suit world trade declined by 62% between 1929 & 1932
Depression in Industrial Nations France & Britain escaped worst-forced colonies to purchase their products Japan & Germany suffered more-relied on exports to pay for imports of food & fuel In US, Britain, France, governments tried to stimulate economies w/ Programs like New Deal Germany & Japan devoted their economies to military build-up hoped to acquire empires large enough to support self- sufficient economies
Depression: Non-industrialized Regions Spread to Asia, Africa, Latin America unevenly India & China not dependent on foreign trade- thus little affected Countries that depended on exports of raw materials or tourism devastated Latin America- led to military dictatorships-tried to solve economic problems by imposing authoritarian control over their economies Southern Africa boomed during 1930’s increasing value of gold & relatively cheaper copper deposits of Northern Rhodesia & Belgian Congo led to mining boom that benefited European & South African mine owners
Rise of Fascism: Mussolini’s Italy In post WWI Italy, thousands of unemployed veterans & violent youths banded demanded action, intimidate politicians, & serve as strong- arm men for factory & property owners Benito Mussolini, former socialist, became leader of Fascist Party-forced government to appoint him prime minister Facism: Ultra-Nationalism, Glorifies military values
Rise of Fascism: Mussolini’s Italy Mussolini installed Fascists to all government jobs-crushed all opposition – excelled at propaganda- glorified war – foreign policy cautious Italian Fascist movement imitated in most of Europe, Latin America, China, & Japan
Hitler’s Germany Germany was hard-hit by: – defeat in WWI – hyperinflation in 1923 – Depression blamed socialists, Jews, foreigners became leader of National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis) led unsuccessful uprising in 1924 In 1925, published Mein Kampf – racial theories – aspirations for Germany – proposal to eliminate all Jews from Europe
Hitler’s Germany Nazis gained support from unemployed & from property owners Hitler assumed post of chancellor in March assumed dictatorial power declared himself Fuhrer of “Third Reich” - August 1934 economic & social policies were effective economic boom, low unemployment, & rising standards of living – Public Works Contracts – Military Build-up – Women encouraged to give up jobs to men
The Road to War, Hitler’s goal = territorial conquest Build up military Tested reactions of other powers by: – withdrew from League of Nations – introduced conscription – established air force – Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 – Hitler sent ground troops into Rhineland in 1936
The Road to War No serious objections from France, Britain, or US Hitler invaded Austria-1938-demanded German-speaking regions of Czechoslovakia
Why was response to Hitler so weak? Appeasement – Fear of war – Feared communism more than Germany – Believed Hitler could be trusted Munich Agreement: Neville Chamberlain, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Edouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Galeazzo Ciano
After Munich? Hitler could not be stopped short of war March,1939, invaded Czechoslovakia Inspired France & Britain to ask for Soviet help Hitler/ Stalin already negotiating Nazi-Soviet Pact Divide Poland between them
Nazi-Soviet Pact
East-Asia, : Manchurian Incident of 1931 Ultra-nationalists, believed Japan could end its dependence on foreign trade if it had colonial empire in China Junior officers blew up railway in Manchuria Excuse for invasion Built heavy industries & railways-sped up rearmament At home, government became more authoritarian & militaristic
Chinese Communists & the Long March Commuinist Party challenged Chiang-Kai shek Chiang arrested & executed Communists, forced survivors to flee to remote mountains Guerilla warfare & policies won support of peasants Forced them to Shaanxi in
Mao Zedong Farmer’s son Deviated from traditional Marxist- Leninists Redistribute land from wealthy to poor peasants Wanted a social revolution Advocate of women’s equality Party reserved leadership positions for men (for warfare)
Sino-Japanese War, July 7, 1937, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces near Beijing Launched full invasion of China U.S. & League of Nations made no effort to stop Japanese invasion Chinese troops poorly led & trained Unable to prevent Japan from controlling coastal provinces
World War II: War of Movement motorized weapons gave advantage to offensive – Germany’s blitzkrieg (lightning war) American & Japanese aircraft carriers fighting ranged over vast theaters of operation populations & economies of entire continents mobilized civilians legitimate targets
War in Europe & North Africa By June 1940, Hitler controlled Europe between Spain & Russia Attempt to invade Britain foiled by British Royal Air Force’s victory in the Battle of Britain (June– September 1940) In 1941, Hitler invaded Soviet Union; successful at first stopped by winter weather of 1941–1942 defeated at Stalingrad in February 1943
El Alamein: 1942 In Africa, Italians turned back by British counterattack German forces came to assist-defeated at Al Alamein in northern Egypt by British, who had more weapons, supplies & better intelligence
War: Asia & Pacific In July 1941, Japan occupied Indochina US & Britain stopped shipments of steel, iron, oil Japanese hoped surprise attack would force US to accept Japanese control over SE Asia Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, occupied all of SE Asia & Dutch East Indies within few months June 1942, US destroyed 4 of Japan’s 6 largest aircraft carriers; aircraft carriers were key to victory in Pacific Japan did not have industrial capacity to replace them, Japan faced with long & hopeless war
End of the War By 1943, Soviet Red Army received supplies from factories in Russia & US Soviet offensive in east, combined w/ West invasions of Sicily & Italy in 1943 & France in 1944, defeated Germany in May 1945 By May 1945, American bombing & submarine warfare devastated Japanese economy & cut Japan off from sources of raw materials Asians who initially welcomed Japanese as liberators from white colonialism now eager to see Japanese leave A-bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in August 1945 convinced Japan to surrender Some wondered if bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki necessary U.S. argued it ended war 1 year earlier & saved hundreds of thousands of American soldiers’ lives
Chinese Civil War & Communist Victory After Japanese surrender, Guomindang & Communist forces began civil war- lasted until 1949 Guomindang had advantage-more troops, weapons & American support, Brutal, exploitative policies & printing worthless paper money eroded popular support Communists built up forces w/ Japanese equipment gained from Soviets & American equipment gained from deserting Guomindang soldiers Won popular support, esp. Manchuria, by carrying out radical land reform program On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong announced founding of People’s Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek’s Guomindang forces driven off mainland to Taiwan
Character of Warfare: Science & Technology World War II was different from previous wars-enormous death toll & numbers of refugees unprecedented scale of human suffering due to change in moral values & appearance of new technologies Science had significant impact on technology of warfare, synthetic rubber, radar, cryptanalysis, antibiotics, aircraft & missiles U.S. government’s organization of physicists & engineers to produce atomic weapons
Bombing Raids Brits & US excelled at bombing raids-break morale Massive bombing raids on German cities German war prod. continued until late 1944-German people obedient Japanese cities w/ wooden buildings, also targets of American raids Fire bombs devastated Japanese cities; bombing of Tokyo in March 1945 killed 80,000 people & left a million homeless
The Holocaust Nazi killings of civilians were part of a calculated policy of exterminating whole races of people German Jews deprived of citizenship & legal rights-herded into ghettoes, many died of starvation/disease In early 1942, Nazis applied modern industrial methods to slaughter Jewish population of Europe in concentration camps like Auschwitz Mass extermination, the Holocaust, claimed some 6 million Jewish lives Besides Jews, Nazis also killed Polish Catholics, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, & disabled, all in the interests of “racial purity.” ZYKLON-B: This was the cyanide-based pesticide used in gas chambers at Auschwitz and other camps.
Home Front in Europe/Asia Distinction between the front & home front blurred as rapid military movements & air power carried war into people’s homes Armies swept through the land, confiscated anything of value; bombing raids destroyed entire cities; people deported to die in concentration camps; & millions fled their homes in terror War demanded enormous, sustained efforts from all civilians; in Soviet Union & in US, industrial workers pressed to turn out tanks, ships, & other war materiel In Soviet Union & in other belligerent countries, mobilization of men for military gave women significant roles in industrial & agricultural production
Home Front: U.S. US flourished during war- economy stimulated by war production Consumer goods in short supply- American savings rate increased- led to postwar consumer boom War weakened traditional ideas; women, African Americans, & Mexican Americans took jobs once reserved for white men Migration of African Americans=overcrowding & discrimination in industrial cities Japanese Americans rounded up & herded into internment camps