The+West+Between+Wars

(1918-1939) By Lance Wilson, Cole Bachmeier, and Austen Tyryfter
"Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy." - Benito Mussolini

In the years following World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was designed to create peace across Europe. This, however, was a complete failure. The countries of the world were supposed to join the League of Nations in order to ensure peace in the world. The United States Congress, determined to stay out of the affairs of other nations, did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and was therefore not allowed to join the league of nations. In 1925 it seemed that Europe had made a big step towards everlasting peace. France and Germany signed the Treaty of Locarno, which guarenteed Germany's western border with France and Belgium. In 1928 the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed by 63 nations. This pact said that war would be renounced as "an instrument of national policy." While it was implied that nations would reduce the size of their armed forces, no countries did so. Another factor that created tension was the massive German reparations. Germany's reparations amounted to 132 billion US dollars. However, just one year after they began making payments, Germany announced that it could no longer pay the reparations due to financial problems. As a result, France invaded the Ruhr Valley in western Germany with the intent of using the factories there to gain some of the owed money. In attempt to pay salaries for government workers, the government printed more money. This accelerated inflation. Though it took just over 4 German marks to equal a US dollar in 1921, by the end of November in 1923 a US dollar was worth 4.2 trillion marks. In August 1924, an American banker created the Dawes Plan, which reduced Germany's reparations and changed the annual payments so that they reflected Germany's ability to pay. For five years after this plan was initiated, Europe experienced a period of economic prosperity. The period of economic prosperity ended quickly in 1929, though. In previous years, prices had been lowering gradually because of overproduction. On October 29, 1929, the US stock market crashed. This resulted in many Americans removing their money from Europe. As Europe's prosperity was mainly due to American investments, their economy collapsed as well. The Great Depression had begun. Unemployment skyrocketed, with European unemployment rates ranging from 25 to 40 percent. Many governments attempted to combat the Great Depression by lowering costs and salaries, but this just made the situation worse. Karl Marx had predicted that capitalism would overthrow itself through overproduction. This was partially becoming true, and as a result many workers were becoming supporters of communism. Support for democratic governments was weakened in many democratic states because of the Great Depression. Post-war Germany, called the Weimar Republic, was already experiencing problems because of the reparations set on it by the Treaty of Versailles. Once the Great Depression hit, the situation became even worse. People living on fixed incomes saw their salaries become worthless because of inflation. The Great Depression caused fear among the people, and this would ultimately allow for the rise of extremist parties. In France the Great Depression did not hit until 1932 because of their more balanced economy. However, once it arrived, it had far reaching political effects. In 1936, the left-wing Communists, Socialists, and Radicals formed the Popular Front government, which would create the French New Deal. The French New Deal allowed workers to bargain with their employers over wages and hours, as well as creating a minimum wage. This policy largely failed to work, however, and just two years later the French people had lost confidence in their government. Even Great Britain, which had lost much of its industry to the United States, had experienced prosperity in the 1920's. However, the Great Depression erased this. The Labour Party, which had been in control of Great Britain but was unable to solve their economic problems, lost its power. Power passed to the Conservative Party, which used tariffs and a carefully balanced budget to ease the worst effects of the Depression. This view was not held by all people, though. One economist, John Maynard Keynes, believed that economic depression did not result from overproduction, but rather from decline in demand. Demand could be increased by putting people to work on public projects, even if they had to engage in deficit spending, which was government spending despite being debt. While the Great Depression affected many countries, none other than Germany was affected more than the United States. By 1932, industrial production had been cut in half from its peak 1929 levels. In that year, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president. He created the New Deal, which put people to work on public projects. The Works Progress Administration was created in 1935 and employed three million people who constructed roads, bridges, and airports.

The Great Depression was one of the major factors in the rise of totalitarian regimes. A totalitarian government was ruled by a dictator, and it aimed to control the lives of its citizens. One of the first countries to become a totalitarian state was Italy. This occured in the form of Fascism. Fascism was a political philosophy designed by Benito Mussolini that consisted of a strong central government in the form of a dictator that completely controlled the people. Opposition would be suppressed. In the early 1920's, the people of Italy feared that there would be a communist takeover similar to the one in Russia. Using this fear to his advantage, Mussolini created the Squadristi, or Black Shirts, to attack socialist offices and newspapers. In 1922 Mussolini used patriotic and nationalistic appeals to gather strong support behind his Fascist movement. Now well supported, Mussolini demanded power from the king, Victor Emmanuel III. The king granted him the title of Prime Minister. Mussolini used his position to pass laws that gave him more power, and in 1926 the Fascists seized complete power by outlawing all other political parties. A secret police, the OVRA, was created. By the beginning of 1927 Mussolini was known as IL Duce, "the Leader." The Fascist party did not do away with many things in the old regime, including the king, and though their hopes were to create a disciplined totalitarian state, much of the Italian was remained the same. More powerful totalitarian states were seen in Germany and Russia. In Russia, industrial and agricultural production were falling under Vladimir Lenin's Communist regime. By the early 1920's the country was exhausted from famine. Lenin, however, was able to pull the country back. He created the New Economic Policy, which allowed small industries to be privately owned, while the larger industries remained in the hands of the government. In 1922, the country's name was changed to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union. Production was increasing to near the pre-World War I levels. A power struggle began in the Soviet Union after Lenin's death in 1924. The committee that made the Communist policies, called the Politburo, was immediately divided over which direction the country should go. The group led by Leon Trotsky believed that they should return to full communism and begin a rapid industrialization that would be conducted at the expense of the nation's peasants. He also wanted to spread Communism across the world, believing that the current Soviet Union could not survive without other communist states. The other group did not believe that a worldwide revolution was necessary. Their plan called for the continuing of the New Economic Policy. They recognized that rapid industrialization would harm the peasant's living standards, and chose instead to create a socialist state. Leon Trotsky was also opposed in his bid for leadership by Joseph Stalin. At Lenin's death, Trotsky was the Commissar of War. Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party. As this had become the most important job in the party, he used it to gain complete control of the Communist Party. By 1927, Trotsky had been expelled from the Soviet Union and the Bolsheviks who had taken part in the Russian Revolution had been executed. Stalin would continue to eliminate his opponents through his entire reign in what he called purges. Stalin had completed control of the USSR. In 1928 he ended the New Economic Policy and created the first Fiver-Year-Plan. The Five-Year-Plan was designed to set five year economic goals that would quickly transform the Soviet Union into an industrial nation. The increase in industry succeeded but it came at the expense of the workers, who lived in very poor conditions and their wages were low. The only thing that kept them content was propoganda that stressed how necessary they were for the creation of a socialist state. Farms were also removed from private ownership in the process of collectivization. Joseph Stalin had made himself a powerful ruler of a totalitarian state. While only France and Great Britain were democratic nations by the beginning of World War II, most nations did not become totalitarian. Most European nations became Authoritarian, which meant that their goal was to preserve their nation's society, rather than create a new one. Most Eastern European nations, with the exception of Czechoslovakia, became authoritarian states. In Spain, General Francisco Franco, who was in charge of the military, revolted against the existing democratic government, sparking civil war. The war lasted from 1936 until 1939, when Franco's forces captured the capital city, Madrid. Franco then established a dictatorship, though he did not try to control the lives of the citizens. Spain had become authoritarian. Germany, however, would become totalitarian.

Adolf Hitler was raised in Austria, where he developed many ideas that would influence his rise to power. These ideas included anti- Semitism, the right of a nation to expand its borders, Social Darwinism, and the right of superior individuals to take control over a country. Hitler had served as a dispatch runner in World War I. After the war, he remained in Germany, where he joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (shortened to Nazi). In November 1923, Hitler, who was the leader of the Nazi Party, attempted to take over Munich in the Beer Hall Putsch. The uprising was quickly crushed, and Hitler was sent to prison. It was there he wrote __Mein Kampf (My Struggle)__, which expressed his ideas. While in jail, Hitler relized that a violent uprising could not overthrow the government. He would have to take control by making the Nazis the largest party in the Weimar parliament, the Reichstag. He achieved this by 1929, aided by the increase in unemployment that Germany was experiencing. Hitler continued to gather followers through a promise of a new, powerful Germany. On January 30, 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg gave Hitler the title of Chancellor in response to increasing pressure in the government. On March 23 of the year, Hitler managed to pass the Enabling Acts, which allowed the German government to ignore the constitution in order to solve the country's problems. Hitler and the Nazis quickly set up a totalitarian state. Jews were removed from the civil service, and concentration camps were created for people who opposed them. As in Italy, all political parties except for the Nazis were abolished. By the time Hindenburg died in 1934 Hitler was addressed as Fuhrer, the "Leader". Hitler's goal was not just taking power of Germany, however. He believed that Germans and Scandinavians, who he called Aryans, were descendants of the ancient Greeks and Romans. He wanted to create a nation of pure race that could dominate Europe. He thought that he could create an empire similar to that of the Romans with this "master race". This empire he called the Third Reich (the first was the Holy Roman Empire and the Second Reich was the German Empire), and he hoped that it would last 1000 years. This belief in a master race was set back in the Berlin Olympics of 1936, in which Jesse Owens, an African-American, won several gold medals in track and field. Order in the Third Reich was maintained by secret police groups, such as the Schutzstaffeln, or SS, and the Gestapo. Hitler also created economic prosperity with his rearmament program. This increase in weapons and military might caused unemployment to drop from over 6 million in 1932 to less than 500,000 in 1937. As part of creating a master race, Hitler began creating policies to have Jews removed. These laws, called the Nuremberg Laws, required Jews to have identification cards that identified them as Jewish and banned marriage between Jews and Germans. On the night of November 9, 1938, called Kristallnacht, or the Night of Shattered Glass, the Nazis burn synagogues and Jewish businesses, as well as killed hundreds of Jews. Many of them were also sent to concentration camps. The SS soon recommended that Jews emigrate from Germany. Dictatorships were not limited to the western world, however. In the Far East, Japan was widening its sphere of influence. There goal was to conquer all of Asia and create a co-prosperity sphere. Japan during this time was a military dictatorship, led by the Emperor Hirohito and the Prime Minister and War Minister, Tojo Hideki. They called their empire the New Order in East Asia. Their reason for expanding were to gather new natural resources to fuel their industries and to create an outlet for their booming population. One of the regions they invaded was Manchuria, which the Japanese renamed Manchukuo. Their excuse for invading the area was the Mukden Incident of September 1931, in which a Japanese train was blown up in Mukden. Once they took control of the area they set up the last Emperor of China, Pu Yi, as the puppet ruler. Chinese and Japanese forces began to clash and in 1937 the Sino-Japanese War began. The belligerents included China, which was led by the President of the Republic of China, Jiang Jieshi, and Japan, which was in the Showa Period which was known as the "Bright Peace"; it lasted from 1926, when Hirohito came to power, and ended at the end of World War II in 1945.

The West Between Wars Terms:
minimum wage, and a two-week paid vacation. and he believed that governments should engage in deficit spending.
 * Ruhr Valley-** Germany’s main industrial and mining center. French Troops were sent to Ruhr Valley when the German government announced that they were unable to pay reparations from World War I.
 * Depression-** A period of very low economic activity and rising unemployment. The Great Depression started at the end of the brief period of prosperity that began in 1924. The United States Stock Market crisis and failing economies cause this depression.
 * Collective Bargaining-** This was the right of unions to negotiate with their employers over wages and hours. These workers fought for a 40-hour workweek in industry, a
 * Deficit Spending-** The government financing projects such as building highways and public buildings even if the government had to go into debt. John Maynard Keynes published the __General Theory of Employment,__ __Interest, and Money__
 * Fascism-** A political philosophy that glorifies the state above an individual by emphasizing the need for a dictatorial ruler to rule a strong central government. Benito Mussolini created the Fascio di Combattimento were fascism derived its name.
 * New Economic Policy-** Lenin’s economic policy that he developed in March 1921 that was a modified version of the old capitalist system. This allowed peasants to sell their produce openly and small industries with small amounts of workers to be privately owned and operated.
 * Politburo-** A committee that was the leading policy-making body of the Communist Party. This body was severely divided over the future direction of the Soviet Union. This body fought for powers after Lenin died in 1924.
 * Collectivization-** A system in which the private farms were eliminated. Instead, The Russian Government owned all of the land and the peasants worked it. This idea was formed by Stalin and the peasants were not happy about it and they responded by killing livestock.
 * Mein Kampf-** “My Struggle”, a book that Adolf Hitler wrote while he was in jail for his uprising called the Beer Hall Putsch. This book was an account of his movement and its basic ideas. This book was an extreme German nationalism, strong anti-Semitism, and anticommunism book.
 * Kristallnacht-** “Night of shattered glass”. A violent phase of anti-Jewish activity that took place on the night of November 9, 1938. During this rampage against the Jews, the Nazis destroyed seven thousand Jewish businesses and burned many synagogues.

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Key Dates



 * October 29, 1922:** Benito Mussolini is appointed Prime Minister after the March on Rome
 * November 8, 1923:** Hitler attempts to take over Munich in the Berr Hall Putsch, but does not succeed.
 * January 1924:** Vladimir Lenin dies, which leads to a power struggle that will result with Joseph Stalin taking power.
 * August 1924:** The Dawes Plan, which lowers Germany reparations and gives the country loans so they can pay the reparations, is created.
 * October 29, 1929**: On what is known as Black Tuesday, the US stock market crashes, beginning the Great Depression.
 * January 30, 1933:** President Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.
 * March 23, 1933:** The Enabling Acts, which allow Hitler to gain dictatorial powers, is passed by the Reichstag.
 * 1936:** Communists, Socialists, and Radicals in France form the Popular Front coalition.
 * November 9, 1938:** Kristallnacht, in which the Nazis burn Jewish businesses and synagogues, begins.
 * 1938:** Time Magazine names Adolf Hitler the "Man of the Year".

Video
This video describes how Adolf Hitler rose to power. The one on the right describes Joseph Stalin's purges. media type="custom" key="15392634" align="left"media type="custom" key="15420218" align="right"

**People**


 * 1) ** __Adolf Hitler: __ ** “Der Fuhrer” was his nickname, it meant leader. He started out as a line runner for the German military in WWI and for his brave efforts he was eventually rewarded the Iron Cross and promoted to the rank of Corporal. Later on he joins the Nazi party and learns their views. He later became the leader of the Nazi party, and then set out to make a supreme Aryan race.
 * 2) ** __Joseph Stalin: __ ** “Man of Steel” was his nickname and his real name was “Dzhugashvili”. He was a soviet dictator. During his reign the state was Totalitarian or the gov. controlled every aspect both economic, political, and social propaganda and censorship. There was also the great purge during his reign where Stalin eliminated his opponents. A total of 5million were killed and 8 million were sent to Siberia.
 * 3) ** __Friedrich Ebert: __ ** He was the first president of Weimar Republic, which was the governing body after World War One. This governing body lasted from November 1918 to 1934.
 * 4) ** __Hermann Goering: __ ** This man was appointed commander of the Brown Shirts, which were also called the Storm Troops; these men were part of the Nazi Party. They were the beginning army of the Nazi party that was commanded by Hermann.
 * 5) ** __Anton Drexler: __ ** The original creator of the Nazi party, the party was created by him in 1919. The party was actually small under him and was not enlarged until Adolf Hitler took over the party and spread the fascist ways.
 * 6) ** __Henrich Himmler: __ ** This man was appointed “Vice Fuhrer” or vice leader, he was appointed this, because Hitler found he needed more help if he was to rule over a great amount of land.
 * 7) ** __Joseph Goebbels: __ ** He was the Minister of Propaganda, this means he was in control of press, radio, and all other aspects of culture.
 * 8) ** __Jesse Owens: __ ** He was a winner in the Olympic Games and because of this skin color ended the belief that Aryans are dominant. Hitler could not believe that he could even compete with his supreme Aryan athletes
 * 9) ** __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Hirohito: __ **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">he was the Emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989 which was during the Showa Period or also called “Bright Peace”. He was the last emperor of Japan.
 * 10) ** __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Chiang Kai-Shek: __ **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> He was the president of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1945 and was the leader of Chinese Nationalist forces during this time.

Map
This map shows the progression of dictatorships during the Great Depression, as well as countries taken over by them in the first years of World War II.

West Between Wars Links:
Adolf Hitler This link explains that Adolf Hitler was a man who was the leader of the Nazi Party. He was largely known as the chancellor in 1933 and his plan to get rid of the Jews. He tried to create a Third Reich, or the third empire with himself in control. Benito Mussolini This site explains how important Mussolini was with Europe's affairs. He was used to be a member of the Italian Socialist Party but then he was creditted for being one of the major creators of the Fascism after he fought in World War I. Treaty of Locarno This link explains that Gustav Stresemann and Aristide Briand signed the Treay of Locarno in 1925 which then guaranteed Germany's new westen borders with Belgium and France. This treaty was viewed by many as an era of European peace. The Dawes Plan This link explains that the Dawes Plan was named after American Banker, Charles Dawes, and his plan started by reducing German Reparations. Dawes then organized a pan for Germany to pay with annual payments. Finally, it granted an intial two hundred million dollar loan for recovery. The New Deal This site explains that The New Deal was a plan that was formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It focused on three "R's": Relief, Recovery, Reform and it included an increased program of public works, used to create jobs for the people who needed them. [|Joseph Stalin] This site explains all of the important details about Joseph Stalin, it tells about his life as a child all the way up to the point of his death. This site has every possible detail that you would need. It is easy to navigate and to find information on Joseph Stalin. [|Fascism] This link bring you to a site that explains all about fascism. It even explains why different leaders choose to follow fascism. It has the history of how fascism was started and why. The site is very easy to navigate and find information through. [|Mein Kampf] This link explains what and why the mein kampf was written. It explains why Hitler wrote it and what was detailed inside the book. It is very detailed and easy to navigate through making it a great link! [|Timeline] This site contains a timeline of the west between wars and Adolf Hitler. It has most of the details and information that you would need if you wanted to learn about the west between wars. It is a very organized and easily understandable timeline. [|Propaganda] This link brings you to a site that explains all of the different types of propaganda during this time. It mainly focuses on Nazi propaganda though. It is a great site if you mainly want to learn how the Nazi's tried to influence the world.