1. Challenges to European Dominance
The World in the 1920s
Challenges to European Dominance

2. 3 Major Patterns
Incomplete recovery of W. Europe after WWI- economies and politics in disarray
Growing industrial strength of the U.S. and Japan
Results of major revolutions

3. Western Europe after the War
Mid-1920s a period of stability and calm
Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 outlawed war forever
Political calm- fewer extremist groups and polarization of existing politics
Cultural creativity (Cubist movement in art- Picasso)
Mass consumption up
Women gain suffrage (U.S., Britain, Germany)

4. Fascism in Italy 1919 Benito Mussolini formed “union for struggle”
Italians upset at terms at Versailles (they gained little)
Fascism promoted the building of a strong state under a strong leader and the need for an aggressive, nationalist foreign policy
1922 Italian king asked Mussolini to form a new government
1926 suspended elections and began propaganda campaign about the glories of conquest

5. New Nations of East Central Europe
Modeled politics after the west
Nationalist assignment
Primarily agrarian societies that wouldn’t undertake serious land reform

6. Industrial Societies Outside Europe
1921 imperial conference determined that self-governing dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) considered coequals
1926 resolution defined them as autonomous communities
Canada developed vibrant economy, become destination for immigrants

7. Rise of America U.S. tradition of isolationism Communist scare
Presence in world economics- U.S. corporations grew rapidly in the 1920s partly due to organization and innovation of U.S. businesses
Exported U.S. culture- first mass-consumer society led to marketing and advertising developments. Dance, music, fashion, movies

8. Japan
Japan’s commitment to parliamentary democracy challenged after the war (Japan had a parliament modeled on the German parliament). Experimented with liberal dem. All adult males got suffrage.
Military leaders tried to take a greater role at expense of civilians and politicians
Economy- agricultural production increased industrial boom- increased population
Consumer culture emerged
Education advanced
Vulnerable economy because still importing a lot

9. Mexican Revolution- Causes
Porfirio Diaz (in power since 1876) increased the economy but with foreign investment, thus upsetting the peasantry
Dictator who stifled dissent
Peasants want political and land reform
Education
Nationalism

10. Players in the Revolution
1910- Diaz is open to allowing someone to take over but then rigs the election and has Madero arrested
Francisco Madero called for revolt and assumes leadership
Pancho Villa led rebellion in the north
Emilio Zapata led a peasant-based guerilla movement for “Land and Liberty”
Military coup removes Madero and General Huerta tried to impose a Diaz-type government supported by landowners, the army, and foreign companies
Revolts continued and leadership went back and forth and eventually Obregon elected president in 1920

11. End of the Mexican Revolution
1917 constitution
land reform, limited foreign ownership of key resources, guaranteed the rights of workers, limited church ownership of property, educational reforms
One-party system created at the end of the war in order to ensure the revolutionary changes leaders fought for, thus PRI (Party of Institutionalized Revolution)
PRI dominated Mexican politics in the 20th century but incorporated many groups; so while Mexico was a multi-party democracy only one party really held power
had some limits with the new term limits on the presidency

12. Russian Revolution: The Beginning
March 1917 strikes and food riots break out in St. Petersburg spurred by wartime misery, food shortages, incomplete rural reform, and unresponsive political system
Council of workers (soviet) took over
Tsar abdicated

13. Liberal Government? Not for us!
Brief experiment with liberal government under Alexander Kerensky
Slow reform led to a second revolution in November which brought the radical Bolshevik to power under Lenin

14. Lenin
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk angered Russians because of lost territory
End of WWI allowed Lenin to consolidate power
Created Council of People Commissars
Shut down parliament and the Communist Party would rule Russia until 1989
Civil war

15. Lenin’s Reforms Red Army under Leon Trotsky
1921 New Economic Policy, which reduced economic disarray and granted some freedom to small business owners
1923 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Supreme Soviet – parliament
New groups have political voice: youth, women, workers
1924 Lenin died leaving leadership crisis

16. Stalin: “Steel” Represented nationalist version of communism
Killed rivals
Collectivization
Aristocratic class gone

17. China: Crisis Before the Fall of the Qing
Foreign countries controlled trade and economic resources
People divided between those who wanted to modernize and those who wanted to go back to traditional ways

18. 1912- Fall of the Qing
Kuomintang- Nationalist Party wanted modernization
They overthrew the last emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1912
Military commanders competed for power for next 30 years with secret societies, nationalist groups, and the Japanese
1912 Sun Yat-sen, head of revolutionary alliance, resigned as president due to lack of popular support and Yuan Shikai took over
Yuan Shikai began ruling as a dictator, which people resented
Shikai died in 1916 and chaos erupted
Peasants suffered most in uneasy times in China

19. World War I and the May Fourth Movement
China joined the allies during the war but didn’t get anything from it
Treaty of Versailles gave Japan former German territory in China
May 4, 1919 demonstrations against the Treaty of Versailles and Europeans
Demonstrations spread to other cities and is named the May Fourth Movement
Many people turn against the nationalists and join the communists

20. Alternative?
1920s radical solution needed and emerged as part of the nationalist movement
Li Dazhao- altered communist ideology to fit China- peasants were the drivers of change
1921 communist party born at a meeting in Shanghai

21. Communist Party
Young intellectuals viewed Soviet Union under Lenin a model for political and economic change
1921 Chinese Communist Party formed. Mao Zedong one of its founders
Lenin helps the communist party
Kuomintang under Sun Yat Sen allies itself with the communists out of frustration with the west

22. Sun Yat-sen Returns
1919 Sun Yat-sen returned to China to lead the Nationalist party
1924 Whampoa Military Academy produced the military element necessary to combat the warlords
Chiang Kai-shek emerged from this
1925 Sun Yat-sen died and Kai-shek assumed power

23. Ching Kai-shek
Sun Yat-sen died in 1925 and Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) took over
1927 moved against the communists in the Shanghai Massacre
1928 Kai-shek became president of the Nationalist Republic of China
Kai-shek not good to the peasants, who began to turn to the communists for help

24. Communism Gains Ground
1930 Nationalists and Communists in bloody civil war
1934 Long March- communists march 6,000 miles north and regroup
1937 Japan invaded China and the Nationalists needed the help of the Communists, so war between them suspended