Western Democracies in Crisis Flashcards
How was Wilson’s vision of worldwide democracies stunted?
Despite the early development of democracies in eastern Europe and formerly monarchial states, democracy failed in almost almost all the new states the were created out of the Versailles Treaty; France and Spain also struggled with contentious political issues that threatened the very existence of parliamentary sovereignty.
How did British politics change after WWI?
The Labour Party emerged as Britain’s second-largest political party. WWI revealed fundamental problems with the Liberal Party. The Labour Party effectively voiced the concerns of the working man, as British soldiers came back to high unemployment, urban slums, and labor disputes.
What were political tensions that emerged in France after WWI?
The victory in WWI merely diverted attention from the economic and social tensions on the eve of the war. The Great Depression helped spur the radicalization of French politics, as groups from the far left and far right gathered support. As it looked like a fascist riot was going to occur, parties on the left and center worked together to form a Popular Front to block the possibility of a Fascist victory.
What was the effect of the establishment of the Popular Front?
The Popular Front proved to be successful when a coalition of Communists, Socialists, and Radicals won a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. They selected Leon Blum to be prime minister, and he worked to solve some of the labor issues that had plagued France.
What was Leon Blum’s Matignon Agreement?
It allowed workers to collectively bargain with employers, reduced the work week to forty hours, and granted the rights to fully paid vacations. However, these social problems were not fully confronted, as France was forced to grapple with the Spanish civil war.
What problems did Spain’s parliamentary government face?
After the first elections in the Spanish republic brought a coalition of liberals and Socialists, the government had to deal with landless farmers waiting for land reform to break up the vast estates of the rich. The failings of the government created more radical sentiments among the workers, which was met by equally aggressive action by the extreme right.
What were events that led to the attempted coup in Spain?
A Popular Front coalition of the leftist parties, created to counter Spanish Fascists, won an electoral victory. It tried to implement land redistribution, but did not operate quickly enough to satisfy the masses, who seized land and factories. The failure to maintain order was used by the far right as justification for a coup.
How did the Spanish Civil War begin?
A group of army officers under the leadership of General Francisco Franco took control of large parts of Spain. They were met with stiff resistance from republican loyalists, who organized to protect the state against nationalist insurgents.
How did the Spanish Civil War play out?
Germany and Italy were interested in testing out their war armaments. German and Italian planes then bombed and strafed the civilian population of republican Guernica. Despite Fascist support for Franco, Britain and France refused to aid Spain, instead promoting a nonintervention policy. The republicans were then forced to strike a pact with the Soviet Union for arms, and as a result the Communists became more important in the republican side. The Communists then tried to rid the left of opposition, destroying the anarchist movement in Catalonia. The nationalists then captured Madrid by 1939.
What notable pieces of art did the Spanish Civil War inspire?
Picasso painted Guernica, which reflected his horror over the bombing of Guernica. George Orwell also wrote a firsthand account of the Spanish Civil War in his story Homage to Catalonia.
