Unit 8 (1900-Present) World War I, Russian+Mexican Revolutions, btwn war period Flashcards
MANIA
Militarism- dreadnought race, mobilization
Alliances- triple alliance, triple entente
Nationalism- in serbia/balkans
Imperialism- fighting over colonies
Assassination- franz ferdinand
Lead to WWI
Otto van Bismarck
-Used war from 1864 to 1871 to unify Germany
-Once unified, turned his energy to maintaining peace
-Saw France as the greatest threat to peace (thought they were still mad about Franco-Prussian War) so he wanted to take away potential allies
-Formed the Triple Alliance in 1882 (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)
-Made a treaty with Russia in 1887, taking another possible ally away from France
Kaiser Wilhelm II
-Forced Bismarck to resign in 1890
-Dramatically changed Germany’s foreign policy
-Let Germany’s treaty with Russia lapse in 1890
—Russia responded by allying with France in 1891 (very bad for Germany, could be facing a two front war)
-Challenged Britain by building a small colonial empire (1890s) and starting a huge shipbuilding program in an effort to make the German navy equal to Britain’s
—-Britain, in response, englarged their fleet and entered an alliance with France (1904) and later with France and Russia (Triple Entente)
Balkans
-Mountainous peninsula in SE Europe
-Assortment of ethnic groups, history of nationalist uprisings and ethnic clashes
-Balkan groups broke away by 1900s because of weak Ottoman Empire (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia)
Serbia wants to absorb the Slavs in the Balkans
-Russia supports this, Austria feels threatened
-In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina (large Slavic populations), angering Serbian leaders
-Russia offered to support Serbia in this, but backed down when Germany backed Austria
-Serbia gained more territory and confidence by 1914, eager to take Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austria
Franz Ferdinand
-Killed along with his wife on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia)
-Shot by Gavrilo Princip, 19 year old Serbian man who was a part of the Black Hand (secret society committed to ridding Bosnia of Austrian rule)
-Austria used this murder as an excuse to punish Serbia, German offered their unconditional support
Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s plan for a two front war (France and Russia)
US enters the war
1917, turning point
-because of Lusitania sunk by German subs and Zimmerman telegram
Paris Peace Conference
-1919 meeting at Versailles to figure out how to ensure peace going forwards
-Major decisions made by the Big Four: Woodrow Wilson (US), Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George (Britain), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy)
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
-Started making them before the war was even over
First five: no secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, reduced national armies and navies, and the adjustment of colonial claims with fairness for colonial people
6-13: specific border changes/new nations created, guided by the principle of self determination
14th: for there to be a “general association of nations” that would protect both large and small countries
Treaty of Versailles
Compromise that was finally reached between the Allies and Germany, signed on June 28, 1919
League of Nations
-Created by Treaty of Versailles, followed Wilson’s 14th point
-International association whose goal was to keep peace among nations
-Had no military, only economic power (weak)
-Germany was excluded and so was Russia (they had quickly withdrawn from the war, outcast from allies)
How did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany?
-Taking away territory
-Put military restrictions on them (demilitarizes Rhineland, destroyed navy and air force)
-Article 231 “war guilt clause” said Germany was responsible for the war and had to pay reparations
-All their African and Pacific colonies were taken and administered by the Allies until deemed fit for independence (mandate system)
New Countries Created
-Out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire came Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia
-The Ottoman Turks only retained Turkey. Palestine, Iraq, and Transjordan were given to Britain.
Syria and Lebanon went to France
-Romania and Poland gained Russian land, and Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent
Why did Americans reject the Treaty of Versailles?
-Many Americans didn’t like Wilson’s League of Nations bc they thought to the best path to peace was staying out of European affairs
How does Treaty of Versailles lead to WWII
Makes Germany and Russia mad, willing to go to war over their lost territory
Lawrence of Arabia
-British military officer
-Sent by the British Army in Egypt to try to unite the warring Arab tribes against the Ottomans
-Worked with Prince Feisal and local chiefs to make the Arabs a fighting force
-Led raids on Ottoman railroads
-Thought an Arab state would be created after the war (didn’t)
-Britain defeated Ottomans with Arab help, but made Middle East part of the mandate system
Balfour Declaration
-Letter sent during WW1 from a British diplomat to a prominent Jewish family (Rothschild)
-Asked for support in WWI in exchange for Britain supporting the Zionist movement
-Also supported the idea of creating an Arab state to motivate them to fight the Ottomans
—-Problem was, they were promising Jews and Arabs the same land
Zionist movement
Form of Jewish nationalism started by writer Theodore Herzel
-Gained momentum in early 1900s
-Goal was to create a state for Jews (many western) in their ancient homeland Palestine
Sykes-Picot Treaty (1916)
Secret agreement between Britain and France to divide the Middle East among themselves
Mandate system
-Europeans controlled places like the Middle East until a European board reviewed it and said it could become free
-By the 1930s, conservative monarchies like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt were made independent because they were friendly to the west
China and WWI
-Believed they would receive land from the German colonies in China, but the Treaty of Versailles gave them to Japan, leading to anger and resentment
-May 4th movement, symbolized nationalism in China, political groups hoping for a more independent China
Japan and WWI
-Had allied with Britain in the war
-Expected more land in exchange
-Fueled Japanese nationalism
India and WWI
-Believed it would receive democratic reforms bc they helped Britain with soldiers and supplies during the war
-Instead the British passed a law preventing large gatherings of Indians
-Indians gather to protest, British army opened fire on them (Amritsar Massacre)
—-Started the Indian independence movement
Alexander III
-Son of reform minded Alexander II
-Halted all reforms in Russia
-Wanted an autocracy (gov w/ total power)
-“Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality”
—-If you questioned the czar, didn’t worship Russian Orthodox, or spoke languages other than Russian, you were flagged as dangerous
-Censored published things, written docs, letters
-Secret police watched secondary schools and universities
-Exiled political prisoners to Siberia
-Wanted a uniform Russian culture (Russian made official language, no speaking other languages in schools)
-Harsh treatment of Jews (pogroms, quotas in universities)
Nicholas II
-Alexander III’s son
-Became czar in 1894 and vowed to continue autocratic rule, blinded to the changing times, refused to see it
Sergey Witte
-One of Nicholas II’s ministers
-Launched a program that increased taxes to finance industrialization
-By 1900, Russia was the worlds’s 4th biggest steel producer (US, Germany, Britain before)
-Pushed for the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway
Industrialization brings problems
-Poor working conditions
-Low wages
-Child labor
-Gap between rich and poor
-Despite unions being outlawed, factory and railway workers organized strikes
Lenin
-Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
-Leader of the Bolsheviks
-Engaging personality, excellent organizer, ruthless
-Fled to western Europe in early 1900s to avoid arrest, stayed in contact with Bolsheviks, but waited out of Russia
Russo-Japanese War
-Late 1800s
-Russia and Japan competed for control over Korea and Manchuria, signed treaties, Russia broke them
-Japan attacked Russians in Manchuria in 1904, Japanese lose
-Caused unrest in Russia, shows weakness
Bloody Sunday/Revolution of 1905
-200,000 workers and their families approached the czar’s winter palace in St. Petersburg
-They carried a petition asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature
-General and police chiefs ordered their soldiers to fire on the crowd
—-500-1000 unarmed people died
-Lenin called it the “dress rehearsal” for the later revolution
Duma
-Reluctantly approved by Nicholas after Bloody Sunday
-1st Russian Parliament
-Met in May 1906
-Led by moderates wanting to make Russia a constitutional monarchy
-Dissolved by Nicholas
-More would meet, none had enough power for big reforms
Russia enters WWI
-Nicholas brings them into it in 1914 despite the fact that Russia didn’t have strong generals and troops, especially compared to Germany (they had machine guns, etc)
-4 million Russians killed/wounded/taken prisoner in the first year, showed weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership
Czarina Alexandra
-Left to run the gov when Nicholas moved to the war front in 1915, hoping to rally the troops
-Ignored the czar’s chief advisors, instead fell under the influence of Rasputin
Rasputin
-“Holy man” who claimed to have healing powers
-Seemed to help their son Alexis’s hemophilia, so Alexandra let him make political decisions out of gratitude
-Opposed reforms, promoted his friends, spread corruption
-Ruins czars’ reputation
-Killed in 1916 by a group of nobles
The March Revolution
-March 1917- women textile workers led citywide strike in Petrograd
-More riots over bread and fuel shortages
-200,000 workers swarmed the streets, soldiers joined in eventually and fired at their commanding officers
-Exploded into a general uprising
-Forced czar Nicholas II to abdicate the throne (eventually him and his family were killed)
—-Czarist rule of the Romanovs (over 300 years) had finally collapsed, but a strong gov wasn’t created to replace it
Provisional Government
-Leaders of the Duma established it after the March Revolution
-Led by Alexander Kerensky, who eventually lost support because he decided to keep fighting WWI
Soviets
-Local councils of workers, peasants, and soldiers (social revolutionists)
-Often had more influence than the provisional gov (eg. in Petrograd)
Lenin returning to Russia
-Germans arranged for Lenin’s return to Russia
-They did this because they believed it would cause unrest in Russia that would hurt Russia in their war efforts
-Returned to Petrograd in 1917
Bolshevik Revolution
-Lenin and the Bolsheviks gained control of the Petrograd soviet and the soviets of other major cities
-By late 1917, people were shouting “All power to the soviets” and “peace, land, and bread”
-Bolshevik red guards made up of armed factory workers stormed the winter Palace in Petrograd
-Took over gov offices and arrested the provisional gov’s leaders
-Over in just a few hours, Kerensky and the others quickly disappeared
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia had to surrender a lot of territory to Germany and its allies to bring peace, which angered Russians and turned them against the Bolsheviks
Civil war in Russia
-White Army (opposed Bolsheviks) vs Red Army (Bolsheviks, led by Leon Trotsky)
-Several western nations including the US sent military aid and forces to help the White Army
-In the 3 year struggle and the following famine, 15 million Russians died (fighting, hunger, flu epidemic)
-Red Army won, showing that the Bolsheviks could both seize power and maintain it
New Economic Policy (NEP)
-Launched by Lenin in 1921
-Put aside the plan of a state controlled economy; instead it put in place a small-scale form of capitalism
-Peasants allowed to sell their surplus crops instead of handing them in to the gov
-Individuals could now buy and sell good for profit
-Lenin encouraged foreign investment
-Gov still controlled major industries, banks, and means of communication
—However, some small factories, businesses, and farms allowed to operate under private ownership
Lenin’s political reforms
-To keep nationalism in check, he organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central gov
—-In 1922, the country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
—-Each republic controlled from the new capital- Moscow
-Bolsheviks renamed their party to the Communist Part bc of Karl Marx
-Communists created a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles, but in reality, the Communist party held all the power (not really a ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’)
Joseph Stalin
-Born Joseph Djugashvili to a poor family in Georgia
-Was going to be a priest but then took an interest in revolutions, read about French rev., etc
-By 1980, he had joined the Bolsheviks
—Helped organize robberies to get money for the party
—Had spent time in prison and in Siberian exile
-Became general secretary of the party in the 1920s
—-Built loyal group of communist officials who owed their jobs to him
-Lenin doubted him, said he was too rude and ambitious
-Isolated Trotsky from potential supporters, Trotsky ended up leaving the country
Stalin’s Five Year Plans
Industry (heavy industry, led to low quality bc output all cared about)
Agriculture(collective farming ,kulaks, resistance)
Soviet Union industrialization
-Bonuses to those who did well, punished those who didn’t
-1920/30s had new large factories, hydroelectric power stations, industrial complexes, oil steel and coal production, more mining, new railroads
-Some peasants could improve their lives by becoming skilled factory workers or managers
-For most, standard of living was bad (low wages, consumer goods were scarce, not equal distribution of resources, low quality goods since just trying to make the quota)
-Overall, did well in heavy industry (eg farm machinery) but lagged behind the capitalist world in consumer goods
Collectives
-Large farms owned and operated by peasants as a group
-Made peasants give up their private plots and work on these instead
-They could keep their houses and personal belongings, but had to give animals and tools to the collective
-State set prices and controlled access to farm supplies
-Gov planned to provide tractors, fertilizers, and better seed, and to teach them modern farm methods
-Gov needed to increase grain output to feed workers in the cities and to sell abroad
-Peasants resisted (killed animals, destroyed tools, burned crops)
-Gov responded with brutal force
-Wanted to destroy kulaks (wealthy peasants), took their land and sent them to labor camps
-Lots of starvation (gov took food they needed to eat)
Didn’t really improve farm outputs (a little better on grain, but not meat, fruit, or vegetables
Holodomor
-Murder by hunger
-Ukraine starved because of USSR and collectives
-Gov took all food then surrounded them
Great Purge
-Launched in 1934
-Stalin and secret police cracked down on Old Bolsheviks, army heroes, industrial managers, writers, and normal citizens
-Charged with crimes like counterrevolutionary plots, failure to meet quotas, etc
-“show trials” where Communist leaders confessed to things after being tortured, sent to labor camps or killed without real trial
-This was done to replace old revolutionaries with young, loyal to Stalin ones
-Partially backfired- Stalin lost military support bc victims of the purge were often military officers
Totalitarian state
-One party dictatorship, controlled every aspect of life
-What the Soviet Union was, despite Marx’s prediction that the state would wither away under communism
Social benefits and drawbacks
-Free education, medical care, day care, cheap housing, public recreation
-Women had more opportunities
-Standard of living low because housing was scarce (industrialization led to crowded cities)
-Though bread was plentiful, meat, fruit, etc was scarce
Socialist realism
-What art had to conform to under Stalin
-Boosting socialism by showing Soviet life in a positive light
-Showed peasants, workers, revolutionary heroes, Stalin, etc
Two groups in India that wanted independence
Indian National Congress
Muslim League
WWI and Indian Nationalism
-Over a million Indians enlisted in the British army because they promised reforms that would lead to self government
-During the war, Britain made decisions favoring more Indians in administration and self government eventually
-When returning from war (1918), still treated as second class citizens, led to violence
Rowlatt Act (1919)
-British passed it to curb dissent
-Allowed the gov to jail protestors without trial for up to two years
-Led to violent protests in Punjab (province with greatest amount of WWI veterans)
Amritsar Massacre
-10,000 Hindus and Muslims flocked to Amritsar (capital of Punjab) in protest against the Rowlatt Act
-Huge festival of prayer and political speeches, nationalist leaders present
-Most people didn’t know that there was a ban on public meetings, but General Reginald Dyer said they were openly defying it, had his troops fire at the crowd
-400 Indians killed and 1200 wounded
-Overnight, this changed millions of Indians from loyal British subjects to nationalists and revolutionaries
Mohandas K. Gandhi
-Attended law school in England
-Developed strategy for battling injustice from his religious background
-Gained millions of followers who referred to him as the Mahatma “Great Soul”
-When Britain didn’t punish the officers who carried out the Amritsar Massacre, he urged the Indian National Congress not to comply with Britain.
Satyagraha
-Civil disobedience/passive resistance in English
-Developed by Gandhi, means refusal to obey unjust laws
-Indian National Congress endorsed civil disobedience and nonviolence as the way to achieve independence in 1920
Indian defiance against British
-Gandhi called Indians to not buy British goods, attend gov. schools, pay British taxes, or vote in elections
-Boycott on British cloth (big source of their wealthy), had people weave their own (he did the same)
-Took an economic toll on Britain (struggle to keep factories and trains running, crowded jails, etc)
-Protests often led to riots, despite Gandhi’s calls for nonviolence (eg 1922 rioters attacking police office, setting officers on fire)
-Thousands arrested by the British (60,000 eventually including Gandhi)
Salt March
-1930 peaceful protest led by Gandhi against the Salt Acts (said Indians could only buy salt form the gov and had to pay sales tax on it)
-Gandhi and followers walked 240 miles to the coast and made their own salt by evaporation seawater
-Continued by demonstrators marching to a salt processing plant, but police officers attacked them with clubs
-Demonstrators remained peaceful, Gandhi earned international support for this (turning point)
Government of India Act (1935)
-Provided local self-governance and limited democratic elections
-Led India closer to full independence
-Fueled tensions between Muslims and Hindus because Muslims feared Hindus would control India if independent
—Two state solution: creation of Pakistan, Kashmir still fought over
Mustafa Kemal
-Led Turkish nationalists to overthrow the last Ottoman sultan in 1922
-Became president of the new Republic of Turkey (first republic in SW Asia) in 1923
-Reforms to make Turkey into a modern nation
—-Separated Islamic and national law
—-New European inspired legal system (abolished religious courts)
—-Promoted Western clothing
—-Launched industrialization programs
—-Granted women more freedoms (voting, holding public office, etc)
Reza Shah Pahlavi
-Persia’s new leader after the nationalist revolt
-Modernized the country (public schools, roads and railroads, industrialization, women’s rights)
-Kept all the power to himself (unlike Kemal)
-In 1935, changed the name of his country to Iran
Abd al-Azik Ibn Saud
-In 1902, Ibn Saud launched a successful campaign to unify Arabia
-Named in Saudi Arabia (for his family) in 1932
-Carried on Arab and Islamic traditions (eg alcohol was illegal)
-Some modern technology introduced (telephones, radios) but modernization was limited by strict religion)
Causes of Great Depression
-Uneven distribution of wealth
-Lessening demand for goods (too poor to buy)
-Overproduction (more overseas output)
-Bad financial habits (buying stock on margin)
-Unemployment
-1929 stock market crash, panic selling
Great Depression and global trade
-Everyone put protective tariffs on everyone, decreased trade (65%)
What areas hit hard by Great Depression?
-Germany and Austria (bc of war debt and dependence on American loans and investments)
-Asia because value of exports fell by half (farmers and urban workers suffered)
-Latin America (US demand for sugar and beef and copper dropped, causing prices to collapse)
Great Britain response to Great Depression
-Elected a multiparty coalition (the National Government)
-National Government did high protective tariffs, increased taxes, regulated currency, and lowered interest rates (to encourage industrial growth)
-Slow but steady recovery
-Unemployment halved by 1937
-Production rose above 1929 levels
-Avoided political extremes and preserved democracy
France responds to Great Depression
-Moderates, socialist, and communists formed a coalition called the Popular Front in 1936
-Passed a series of reforms to help the workers
-Unfortunately, price increases offset wage gains
-Unemployment remained high
-Did preserve democratic gov though
Scandinavia responds to the Great Depression
-Socialis govs built recovery programs on existing tradition of cooperative community action
-Public works projects (kept people employed, production continued)
-Raised pensions for elderly, increased unemployment insurance, housing subsidies, other welfare benefits
-Raised taxes for these
-Increased jobs, better conditions, democracy kept intact
US responds to the Great Depression
-FDR elected, implements New Deal
-Public works projects (jobs for unemployed)
-New gov agencies (financial help for businesses and farms)
-Welfare and relief programs
-Reformed stock market and banking system
-Restored country’s faith in democracy, established FDR as a leader in democracy
Santa Anna
-Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
-Helped fight for independence from Spain (1821), fought Spain again (1829), became Mexico’s president (1833)
-President for four terms btwn 1833 and 1855, but gave it up twice to lead the army trying to hold onto Texas
-Powerful caudillo and clever politician, willing to change his position to stay in power
Texas Revolt
-Mexico encouraged Americans to go to their territory Texas to increase population, so they did in exchange for cheap land
-Tensions grew over things like slavery and religion so many Texas colonists wanted more self government
-Stephen Austin encouraged a revolt against Mexico in 1835
-Santa Anna and troops won some early battles against them (eg Alamo) but was defeated and captured at Battle of San Jacinto
-Sam Houston released Santa Anna after he promised to respect Texas’s independence
Mexican-American War
-United States annexes Texas and starts border dispute, eventually invading Mexico
-Santa Anna leads Mexico against them for two years but they lose
-Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (gave US California and Southwest America)
-Santa Anna went into exile, returned as a dictator one more time, then remained in exile for almost 20 years
Benito Juarez
-Liberal reformer in mid 1800s
-Very different to Santa Anna: he was poor, orphaned Zapotec Indian, put his country above personal power
-Grew up on farm, moved to Oaxaca, went to university and law school
-Opened law office, helped the poor with legal stuff
-Honesty, integrity, hard work, god judgement
-Elected to city legislature, rose in power, elected governor of Oaxaca in 1847
La Reforma
-Juarez’s liberal reform movement in the 1840s and 1850s
-Goals were redistribution of land, separation of church and state, and more education opportunities for the poor
-Its leaders, like Juarez, were exiled by Santa Anna until Santa Anna was brought down by a rebellion
-Had to deal with problems like rich landowners making everyone else suffer in debt and poverty (described by Ponciano Arriaga)
-Reforms threatened the conservative upper class, so they rebelled, but lost
-Juarez becomes president of the reunited country in 1861
French Invade Mexico
-Exiled conservatives plotted with some Europeans to conquer Mexico
-Napoleon III sent large army to Mexico in 1862, took over country, appointed Ausstrian archduke Maximilian to rule Mexico as emperor
-Juarez and others fought the French, French eventually withdrew their forces (1867) bc too costly
—Maximillian captured and exiled
Juarez after French leave
-Reelected president in 1867
-Returned to reforms to rebuild the country: foreign trade, new roads, railroads, telegraph service, education system separate to church
-Eventually died in 1877, leaving behind a more peaceful and progressive Mexico
Porfirio Diaz
-Caudillo, Indian fro Oaxaca, came to power as a general in civil war and French defeat
-Requested a gov position for his war successes, Juarez refused him, made him hate Juarez
-Took control of Mexico by ousting the president in 1876 with the support of the military (Juarez had tried to limit their power) and small landowners hoping for reforms
-Elections were meaningless, gave land, power, political privilege to his supporters, beat and jailed those who didn’t support him, remained in power until 1911
-Only called for “Order and Progress” instead of “Liberty, Order, and Progress” (Juarez’s thing)
-Dictatorial power brought order and progress came with railroads, banks, stable currency, foreign investment
-Under the surface wealthy had most last, food costs rose, most remained poor farmers
Opposition to Diaz’s harsh rule
-Many protested it: liberals wanted liberty, farm laborers wanted land, workers wanted better wages and conditions, even some of his allies wanted reform
-Political parties formed to oppose him, one led by Madero
Francisco Madero
-Born into one of Mexico’s ten richest families
-Educated in US and France
-Announced candidacy for president in 1910, but Diaz then exiled him
-Calls for revolution
Mexican Revolution
-Leaders rose up from different parts of Mexico
North: Francisco “Pancho” Villa, popular for Robin Hood policies
South: Emiliano Zapata, anted land returned to peasants and small farmer, laws protecting them
—-“Tierra y Libertad” (Land and Liberty)
-Villa, Zapata, and other beat Diaz, so he stepped down in 1911
Madero leads Mexico
-Elected in 1911
-Some thought too liberal, others not enough
-Some of his supporters, like Villa and Zapata, turned on him, so he resigned
-Assassinated, probably by Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
-President after Madero, probs killed him
-Unpopular with many like Villa and Zapata
-Overthrown by Villa, Zapata, and Carranza
Carranza leads Mexico
-Took control after Huerta overthrown
-Turned his army on Villa and Zapata (former allies), killed Zapata in 1919
-Ended Civil War
-Revised the constitution in 1917
——Land reforms (breakup of large estates), religion (church land seized), unions, right to strike, min wage, rights for women
-Overthrown in 1920 by Alvaro Obregon
Alvaro Obregon
-One of Carranza’s generals, overthrows him
-DIdn’t remain a dictator, instead, supported reforms like land and public education
—-Schools could teach Spanish and nationalism, united country
-Assasinated
Institutional Revolutionary Party
-New party after Obregon’s death
-Initiated a period of peace and political stability
Fascism
-Emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to its leader
-People turned to this after the Great Depression
-Had no clearly defined theory, but basically just extreme nationalism, loyalty to authoritarian leader, etc
-Didn’t seek a classless society, led by aristocrats, industrialists, lower middle class (differences to communism)
Why did fascism emerge in Italy
-Anger that they didn’t get big territorial gains from the Paris Peace Conference
-Social unrest from inflation and unemployment, felt like democratic gov couldn’t handle it
-Feared a communist revolution
Benito Mussolini
-Founded Fascist Party in 1919 to revive Italy’s economy and rebuild its armed forces
-Gained popularity as economic conditions worsened
-Fascists wearing black shirts attacked communists and socialists on the streets
-Played on the fear of a worker’s revolt to gain support of the middle class, aristocracy, and industrial leaders
-Led 30,000 Fascists to Rome, demanding that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge of the gov (the king agrees, thinks it’s the best hope for his dynasty)
-Mussolini was now Il Duce (the leader)
-Abolished democracy, outlawed non Fascist political parties, had secret police jail his opponents, censored radio stations and publications, outlawed strikes, controlled economy by allying Fascists with industrialists and large landowners
-Italy became the model for Fascists in other countries, but Mussolini never achieved the total control of Stalin or Hitler
Adolf Hitler
-Born in Austria in 1899, dropped out of high school, failed as an artist
-Volunteered for the German army in WWI, got Iron Cross twice
-Eventually became “der Fuhrer” (leader) of the Nazi party
Nazis
-Members of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party
-Believed Germany had to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism
-Supported by middle and lower class people
-Formed Nazism, branch of fascism
-Swastika was their symbol
-Private militia called the storm troopers
Hitler imprisoned
-Hitler and Nazis plotted to seize power in Munich in 1923
-Failed, Hitler arrested, sentenced to five years, only served 9 months
-Wrote Mein Kampf
-After he gets out, revives the Nazi party and gained popularity after Great Depression (German factories stopped, banks closed, 6 mil unemployed)
Mein Kampf
“My Struggle”
-Book written by Hitler in prison, becomes the blueprint for the Nazi party’s actions
-Said Germans, especially blond and blue eyed “Aryans” were a master race, others were inferior
-Called the Versailles Treaty an outrage, vowed to regain lands taken from Germany
-Said Germany needed more “lebenstraum” (living space), taking land from Russia and Eastern Europe would fix that
Hitler as chancellor
-Conservative leaders thought they could best control him by President Paul Von Hindenburg making him Chancellor (thought he would deal with communism)
-Hitler called for new elections, gained a parliamentary majority (after blaming parliament building burning down (Reichstag Fire) on Communiststs
Enabling Acts
-Gave Hitler dictatorial control
-Now with majority control, he turned Germany into a totalitarian state where he had absolute power
-Banned other political parties, had opponents arrested, created the SS (protection squad loyal to him who killed enemies), Gestapo secret police scared people
-Took control of the economy: banned strikes, disbanded unions, gave gov authority over business and labor, employed millions of Germanys (factories, highways, weapons, military) to lower unemployment, built stadiums (olympics)
Night of the Long Knives
-Hitler kills Ernst Rohm (brownshirts leader) and others, Germany swears oath to Hitler (he now controls them)
Hitler’s controlling methods
-Propaganda: press, radio, literature, paintings, film
-Books not conforming to Nazi beliefs were burned in huge bonfires
-Churches couldn’t criticize the Nazis of r the gov
-Children had to join Hitler Youth or the League of German Girls
-Used Social Darwinism, believed that continuous struggle brought victory
-Twisted Friedrich Nietzche’s writings to support his use of brute force and glorify war
Hitler and Jews
-Anti-Semitism big part of Nazism
-Used as scapegoats for any problem in Germany
-Laws passed in 1933, deprived them of rights, led to violence
-1938, Nazi mobs attacked Jews in their homes and on the streets destroyed Jewish owned buildings
—Called Kristallnacht or Night of the Broken Glass
Nuremberg Laws
-Antisemitic, couldn’t marry non Jews, couldn’t’ work for gov, no publishing, stamped J on the passport
1931- Japan seizes Manchuria
1937- Japan overruns Eastern China
Cause:
-Japanese military leader and ultranationalists wanted an empire equal to the great western powers
Western Response:
-League of Nations condemns the aggression, so Japan leaves the organization
1935- Italy invades Ethiopia
Cause:
-Mussolini had a new modern military and wanted to use it for imperialist ambitions
Western Response:
-When Ethiopian King Haile Selassie appealed to League of Nations for help, they voted sanctions against Italy but couldn’t enforce them, so Italy succeeded
1936- Hitler sends troops into the Rhineland (demilitarized zone) near the French border
Cause:
-Germany mad at the Treaty of Versailles, defied it by building up the military and sending troops into the Rhineland
Western Response:
-They denounced Hitler’s moves but took no action, choosing appeasement (giving in to demands of the aggressor to keep the peace)
1936- Spanish Civil War (Hitler and Mussolini sent troops to help Franco
Cause:
-New republican gov passed controversial reforms, conservative general Francisco Franco leads a revolt, starting a civil war. Fascists and right wing people (Nationalists) supported him agains the Loyalists
Western Response:
-37,000 volunteers from Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, and western democracies joined International Brigades and helped the Loyalists. Govs of UK, France, US stayed neutral. Franco won, became fascist dictator.
1938- Hitler annexed Austria
“Anschluss”
Cause:
-Wanted control of all German speakers, “living space forced Austria to put Nazis in cabinet posts, sent German army to “keep order”
Western Response:
-Western democracies took no action, so Hitler easily had his way
1938- Hitler gains control of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia
Cause:
-Hitler insisted that the 3 million Germans in Sudetenland (western Czechoslovakia) be given autonomy
Western Response:
-Munich Agreement: Britain and France choose appeasement caving in to Hitler’s demands, convinced Czechs to surrender Sudetenland without a fights. Hitler told them he wouldn’t expand any more
1939- Nazi-Soviet Pact (secret agreement btwn Hitler and Stalin that said they wouldn’t fight each other and they would split up Poland and other Eastern places)
Cause:
-Hitler feared communism as Stalin feared fascism. Hitler didn’t want to fight the west and the soviets at the same time. Hitler also wanted access to Poland
Western Response:
-West was shocked, had vowed to protect Poland
1939- Hitler invades Poland
Cause:
-Nazi-Soviet pact one week prior
Western Response:
-Britain and France honored their commitment to Poland and declared war on Germany (WWII began)
