Chpt. 22, Depression and Dictatorship Flashcards
Albert Einstein
the most renowned scientist between WW1 and WW2; he was a German-born physicist who posited his theory of relativity, and observed that a small amount of mass can be converted into a vast amount energy; he discovered other things as well; some of his findings were controversial in that they broke in some ways with the findings of Isaac Newton
theory of relativity
Einstein’s statement that the measurement of motion varies relative to a specific observer
Sigmund Freud
an Austrian physician who developed the theory that most human behavior is irrational and focused on psychological, rather than physiological, causes of mental disorders
psychoanalytic theory
an idea proposed by Sigmund Freud which stated that most human behavior is irrational and focused on psychological, rather than physiological, causes of mental disorders; believing in the importance of unconscious behavior, Freud taught that the analysis of dreams is vital to understanding the human mind; his ideas further weakened people’s faith in reason; he published most of his theories prior to the first world war
existentialism
a belief that life in itself has no meaning, but that each person decides what life means personally; among it’s proponent were Jean Paul Sartre of France and Karl Jaspers of Germany
Friedrich Nietzsche
a philosopher who advocated the notion that through courage and effort some humans could become superhumans; this philosophy appealed to other European intellectuals who had abandoned democratic ideals, favoring instead the rule of elitist groups
Franz Kafka
a novelist of the era between the wars, he wrote books such as The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926), and The Metamorphasis
James Joyce
a writer who was influenced by psychoanalysis and used a literary technique called stream of consciousness in his novel Ulysses (1922)- this basically means that rather than having a plot, the novel reads more as a stream of consciousness (similar to Obasan)
Erich Maria Remarque
wrote All Quiet on the Western Front (1929); this portrayed the meaningless suffering of war
Ernest Hemingway
wrote A Farewell to Arms (1929); this portrayed the meaningless suffering of war
expressionism
a style that featured the use of bold colors and the distortion of forms
cubism
an art style that changed the normal shapes of objects or persons into geometric forms
Pablo Picasso
featured cubism in his works
Dadaism
an artistic movement from 1916 to 1924 which produced works that were whimsical and meaningless, representing the concept that the events of WW1 had rendered established traditions meaningless
surrealism
an artistic movement that featured paintings with a dreamlike quality
functionalism
initiated by Frank Lloyd Wright of the US and continued by the Bauhaus school of Walter Gropius in Germany, this was a movement which featured buildings constructed so that their design represented their function
Igor Stravinsky
a Russian-born composer who wrote The Rite of Spring (1913); this created a stir at it’s first performance, when it broke with musical tradition by involving different instruments played in different keys at the same time
Margaret Sanger and Emma Goldman
two women who campaigned for the use of birth control
Charles Lindbergh
completed the first trans-Atlantic solo flight, going from New York to Paris
Amelia Earhart
the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
coalitions
temporary alliances of a number of small parties
Weimar Republic
a democratic government set up in Germany in 1919; this was the government that had signed the Treaty of Versailles, and it displayed serious weaknesses from its inception; the end of dynastic rule in Germany had produced a number of political parties, and the Germans were unaccustomed to democratic rule; many viewed this government as a symbol of WW1 humiliation
Dawes Plan
a program that rescheduled Germany’s reparations payments to make them more manageable, and also provided a $200 million loan from US banks to stabilize the German economy; implemented in 1924, it was effective in curbing inflation in Germany, and by 1929 German factories were producing at their prewar level
Kellogg-Briand Pact (between Briand of France and US Secretary of State Frank Kellogg)
an agreement negotiated between France and Germany in 1928, it effectively “outlawed” war, and was signed by almost every country on the globe; while it had no means of enforcement, it was a sign of genuine movement toward peace and prosperity- that is, until the world economy began to crumble
Black Thursday
though not really significant in and of itself, it is recognized by most as the official “beginning” of the Great Depression, because it was when the stock market bubble that had been inflating effectively burst; it occurred on Octboer 24, 1929
Great Depression
the fall of the US economy that effectively began with Black Thursday; months after the crash, unemployment was soaring at 25% by 1933; since so much of the world depended on US capital and imports, the Great Depression in the US had a profound effect on the globe
Popular Front
a political coalition formed in France in 1936 by Socialists, Communists, and moderates; it’s aim was to initiate reforms to assist French workers, including pay increases and a 40-hour work week; in spite of these measures, unemployment remained high, and inflation counteracted wage increases
New Deal
a program of reform begun by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; businesses and farms received government assistance, and public works provided jobs; welfare and relief programs were instituted, and the banking system was reformed
Great Depression political change
while countries such as Great Britain, France, and Scandinavian countries maintained their democratic governments during the Depression, other nations turned to fascist dictatorships
fascism
a new political movement that stressed loyalty to the state; it was an extreme form of nationalism that appealed to the Europeans who had been humiliated by the peace treaties of WW1 and financially destroyed by the Great Depression; fascists owed their devotion to an authoritarian ruler and favored the use of symbols such as a particular uniform and prescribed salutes
fascism vs. communism
both fascism and communism permitted only one-party rule; both revolved around the control of a single dictator; both upheld loyalty to the state as their highest goal; unlike communists, whose goal was a classless society (technically), fascists believed in maintaining social classes; additionally, communists (technically) sought worldwide revolution, while fascists concerned themselves with promoting nationalist objectives in only one country
Benito Mussolini
in a postwar Italy that was troubled by inflation and unemployment, this man founded Italy’s Fascist Party in 1919, vowing to strengthen Italy’s economy and armed forces
Black Shirts
another term for fascists
Il Duce
in Italian it means “the leader”; this was what Mussolini was referred to by Italians when he became the leader of the country, as King Victor Emmanuel 3 stepped down in October 1922, giving in to popular demand
Adolph Hitler
an Austrian born man who settled in Munich Germany, where he joined the Nazis, whose goals were to prevent communism and reverse the terms of the Treaty of Versailles; he became; in the midst of the Great Depression, this man rose to power in Germany; nothing he did in Germany was ever illegal?
Nazis
the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party, whose goals were to prevent communism and reverse the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Storm Troopers, aka Brownshirts
the military arm of the Nazi Party
Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
after he was jailed in 1923, Hitler wrote this book, in which he proclaimed the Germans were a master race, the “Aryans,” and in which he outlined his vision for the German people
lebensraum (living space)
Hitler pledged to acquire this for Germany by conquering Russia and eastern Europe
Der Fuhrer
in 1933 (Hitler had been released from jail in 1924), conservatives asked German President Paul von Hindenburg to name Hitler chancellor; with Hitler in office, the Nazis solidified their control; Hitler came to be referred to as this
SS
a special, black-uniformed guard
Gestapo
the German secret police
Hitler Youth
a group that all German boys were forced to join, where they were indoctrinated in the propaganda of the state
League of German Girls
a group that all German girls were forced to join, where they were indoctrinated in the propaganda of the state
Kristallnacht
on November 9, 1938, the Nazis attacked Jews in their homes and in the streets, and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses; after this event, Jews were banned from entering public buildings and were not permitted to own or work in retail businesses
Emperor Hirohito
the Great Depression led to the rise of military rule in Japan; during it’s medieval period, Japan had developed along military liens, so militarism was not unknown to their tradition; when the Depression hit, the Japanese blamed their democratic government, facilitating a military takeover; this person became the symbol of power in Japan
Japanese aggression
Japan decided that the solution to it’s problems was territorial expansion, and new sources of raw materials; they invaded northern and central China in 1937; though the League of Nations condemned Japan’s actions, it did nothing
political effect on China
because the Nationalists under Jiang Jieshi were in power at the time, and because the Communists were already operating largely via guerrilla warfare, the Japanese occupation had a far worse effect on the Nationalists, while the Communists were relatively less affected
Emperor Haile Selassie
this person was the leader of Ethiopia when Mussolini invaded in 1935 (Ethiopia was one of the few African nations still uncolonized); though he appealed to the League of Nations, they did nothing
Rome-Berlin Axis
born in October 1936, this was the alliance that formed between Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany
Axis of Powers
born in November 1936 when Japan joined the Rome-Berlin Axis; these nations were now unified, and prepared to deal with any future aggression
General Francisco Franco
the leader of a revolution against the republican government of Spain, he planned to become the leader of a Fascist government there; his supporters were referred to as Nationalists, and those who fought against him as Republicans
Spanish Civil War
a war that occurred in Spain from 1936 to 1939 between the Nationalists and the Republicans; the Nationalists received military assistance from Hitler and Mussolini, while the Republicans received limited aid from the Soviet Union and a volunteer International Brigade
Anschluss
the unification of Austria and Germany, Hitler proposed to achieve this in opposition to the Versailles Treaty; knowing that some Austrians would support the movement, he moved in and annexed Austria in November 1937; again, France and Britain remained neutral, failing in their agreement to preserve the independence of Austria
Sudetenland
a portion of western Czechslovakia whose seizure was the next goal of Hitler’s after Anschluss was achieved; he demanded this in September 1938, and the Czech government refused to comply, asking it’s ally France for assistance
the Munich Conference
in response to Hitler’s move on the Sudetenland, Mussolini requested this meeting of Germany, France, Great Britain, and Italy to meet in Munich during September of 1938; Great Britain and France announced that Germany could take the Sudetenland in exchange for his promise to respect the new borders of Czechslovakia
Neville Chamberlain
the British Prime Minister who attended the Munich Conference; on his return, he referred to the agreement as an assurance of “peace in our time”
appeasement
(in this context) the belief that giving in to Hitler’s demands would satisfy his lust for territory
Winston Churchill
a member of the British Parliament during the time of the Munich Conference, he warned of the somber consequences that the appeasement policy of Munich would produce in years to come
