FRQ Practice The culture of the years between the two world wars ( ) was marked by experimentation and an interest in the irrational. Select any two European works of art or literature from this period and describe their significance in terms of these characteristics.

Postwar Status 1.High loss of life and financial damage. 2.Unemployment 3.Increasing difficulty in controlling its overseas empire. Egypt, Canada, Australia India – less direct control

1920s Unemployment was biggest problem (about 12%) 1926 General Strike –Miners strike, then turns into general strike –Fails, gov outlaws such strikes in 1927

1920s Gov instituted social welfare –Unemployment benefits –Subsidized housing, medical aid, pensions

1920s Labour Party rose as champion of the working classes and push for social equality (took power for 9 mos in 1923) –Led by Ramsay MacDonald –Move toward socialism gradually and democratically

1920s Conservative party rule –Stanley Baldwin –Continued social reforms

1920s Representation of the Peoples Act 1928 –Suffrage for women over 21 (Rep of Peoples Act of 1918 – women over 30)

1920s While distracted with WWI, Easter Rebellion 1916 leads to civil war –IRA v Black & Tan 1921 Independence – Irish Free State –N. Ireland continue under British rule

Postwar Status Suffered a high loss of life, destroyed industrial region and economic devastation leads to economic chaos and political unrest –France did gain additional territories though.

1920s Multi-party political system –Dominated by conservatives, Raymond Poincaré 1926 financial crisis –Balanced the budge: cut spending and raised taxes Result: restored confidence in economy

Lenin

War Communism to NEP Bolsheviks – “Red Terror” –Total war concept applied to civil war –Cheka – secret police kill any suspected opponents of Bolsheviks –Nationalize economy Mass starvation from crop failures, decrease in industrial output

Lenin – Inspired By Marx But Not Identical Marx – No permanent gov’t, Dictatorship of the Proletariat Lenin – Totalitarian Dictatorship Worldwide Communist Movement

Economy peasant revolts, military mutiny the harshness of war communism & economic ruin

Some capitalist measures allowed –Small manufacturers allowed to run their own business New Economic Policy

Resulted in improvements in the Russian economy –Increased output, –better working conditions, –less terror & censorship

Russia-> Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Orthodox Church lost influence Greater expectation of freedom compared to Czar –later crushed by Stalin Lenin’s Impact

Lenin’ Death , never chose a successor Vs.

Leon Trotsky Idealistic A world communist rev’n would fuel the rev’n in Russia Joseph Stalin Realist “socialism in one country”

STALIN By 1927 Trotsky is exiled –Assassinated by Stalin’s agents in Mexico City Stalin total control by 1929

Joseph Stalin’s USSR

Germany Weimar Republic

THE INTERWAR POLITICAL SITUATION Weaknesses: –Acceptance of TOV –Political instability –passive response to crises (Ruhr) –Inflation

RISE OF NAZIS 25 Points (Nazi Platform) SA (Nazi Paramilitary) Beer Hall Putsch (Hitler becomes national figure) –Mein Kampf (anti-semitism & lesenbraum)

DIPLOMACY Dawes Plan (+Young) –Curb economic burden of war debt and create stable European economy Locarno Pact –Peace/fresh start; Germany in LON Kellogg-Briand Pact –Demonstrates the aggressive political optimism of the 1920’s

German economy slowly recovered and industrial production increased

20s/30s POLITICAL DIVISION in Europe Various parties competed for seats in Parliaments and for influences among various constituencies (Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats – all wanted workers votes) Fragmentation of political spectrum grew as economic situations worsened (Depression)

GREAT DEPRESSION CAUSES –world economies are connected (Europe relies on US loans and investments) –some countries have huge war debts –people are using credit (borrowed money) –wealth is unequally distributed

GREAT DEPRESSION Stock Market crash in the US (October 1929) –Wiped out the financial holdings of millions –Banks went under because of bad debts US banks call in their loans; bad for Europeans who owe millions of dollars to the US; New Deal puts Roosevelt into office

WORLD RESPONSE Countries go off the gold standard Massive unemployment worldwide; in Europe socialism takes strong root in Scandinavian countries (welfare, pensions, healthcare)

Worker loses job Worker stops buying things Business stops making money

WORLD RESPONSE Germany: political division, Weimar fails to recover economic ruin France: depression hits later but is more persistent Britain: less effected and also more socialist oriented (Labour Party) US: New Deal - government created public works projects, gave financial help to businesses, and increased welfare programs

WORLD RESPONSE Rise of totalitarian regimes –citizens lose faith in capitalism and democracy –nations turn to authoritarian leaders

ARTISTIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL DISILLUSIONMENT Despair over the ability of mankind to solve his own problems by recourse to reason

Clyfford Still

Farmer on the Tractor by Robert Riggs

Picasso, the Crucifixion