PREFACE. This book aims to help students prepare for the O Level Combined Humanities History Elective Examination.

Transcription

1 PREFACE This book aims to help students prepare for the O Level Combined Humanities History Elective Examination. This book is specially compiled to provide students with a quick and systematic overview of the topics discussed in the textbook. Each unit is followed by questions that help students recall the facts as well as encourage students to analyse the historical and social context. J Lee BA, PGDE, M. Soc. Sc.

2 CONTENTS UNIT 1 THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR I Topic 1.1 Causes of World War l...1 Topic 1.2 Impact of World War l...3 UNIT 2 HOPE FOR A BETTER WORLD? Topic 2.1 Establishing Peace...8 Topic 2.2 Rise of Authoritarian Regimes...18 UNIT 3 THE BREAKDOWN OF WORLD ORDER Topic 3.1 War in Europe...43 Topic 3.2 War in the Asia Pacifi c...59 UNIT 4 A WORLD DIVIDED AND UNITED? Topic 4.1 The Outbreak and Escalation of the Cold War...71 Topic 4.2 End of the Cold War...87

3 UNIT 1 IMPACT OF WORLD WAR l TOPIC 1.1 CAUSES OF WORLD WAR l Causes of World War I Political Causes (a) Nationalism Many nations that were colonies of larger empires wanted independence. There were rivalries over colonies due to the need to take land from other countries to strengthen one s empire. (b) Militarism There was a need to be better armed to fi ght against enemies. When force is used between countries, the weaker country often loses. Countries therefore built up their armies in the event of war. An arms race among the countries in Europe began as factories tried to build bigger and better weapons. Germany and Britain competed to build the bigger navy. Britain launched the Dreadnought which was better armed, faster and had a strong hull. (c) System of alliances Some alliances were made in secret which aroused the suspicion of the other countries. Countries then started competing for trade and more land as they felt the need to be stronger to prepare for possible disputes. The main alliances were the Triple Entente, consisting of Britain, France and Russia, and the Triple Alliance, consisting of Germany, Austria and Italy. Countries in the same alliance promised not to fi ght with one another. A country helped those that were in the same alliance that it was in. A dispute between a country in each alliance could lead to a war involving all countries. 1 UNIT 1 TOPIC 1.1

4 (d) Colonial rivalry Countries competed to acquire colonies. Relations between the European countries became strained when countries fought with one another to gain control of places like Tunis and Morocco. This led to a strengthening of alliances. Alliances were formed more for the purpose of aggression than for defence. The arms race intensifi ed as the powers rushed to build up their weapons and armies so that they could protect their colonies. There was greater hostility among the powers as they fought over colonies. Economic Causes Economic confl ict occurred between the European countries due to rapid industrialisation and the search for potential markets for the sale of manufactured goods. Germany was experiencing rapid industrialisation and its products were competing with British products in the markets. There were also struggles over the control of natural resources such as coal. 2 UNIT 1 TOPIC 1.1

5 UNIT 1 IMPACT OF WORLD WAR l TOPIC 1.2 CAUSES OF WORLD WAR l Impact of World War l Political Impact (a) Smaller nation states The map of Europe was redrawn. Old empires were broken up and many new nation states were formed based on the majority ethnic group that was living in the particular state. The belief was that people of the same origin should rule themselves. The USA wanted boundaries redrawn based on the principles of self-determination whereby people decided where they wanted to live. Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia were created from the Austro- Hungary empire. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithunia were created from the old Russian Empire and Poland was created from German and Russian territory. Although there were Germans living in Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, these states did not become a part of Germany. Redrawing of the map of Europe only changed the ethnic minority group living in an area. It did not create ethnic homogeneity in each state. (b) Nationalism The desire of colonies for independence was not met when the German colonies in Africa and the Pacifi c were simply transferred to the Allies. Only some colonies in the Middle East were granted independence from Germany. (c) Policy of isolationism The USA adopted a policy of isolationism. However, there were also arguments against isolationism as some felt that it would affect the ability of the USA to extend its infl uence elsewhere. 3

6 Economic Impact (a) Countries were in debt Britain, France and Germany were facing huge debts caused by their fi nancing of the war. They had either borrowed from the USA or had raised taxes. (b) Infl ation Prices of necessities increased drastically as there was a severe shortage. Due to the war, most of the resources had been channelled towards the building of weapons and maintaining the army. Factories were also in ruins due to the war and necessities could not be produced. In Russia, although the workers salaries doubled, the prices of food more than doubled. (c) High unemployment Production had not started after the war, and people were unable to gain employment. (d) Food shortages During the war, food and horses were channelled to the war efforts. It became diffi cult for peasants to produce enough food for the people. In Russia, many people had been conscripted to fi ght in the war and there were not enough people to produce food. The countries were devastated by the war. Lands were destroyed and it became even more diffi cult to produce enough food. (e) Homelessness For countries where intense fi ghting had taken place during the war, many homes were destroyed. Hence, many people were homeless because of the war. Many homes had to be rebuilt. (f) Low levels of international trade Priority for most countries was to resolve internal problems such as homelessness, food shortages and the lack of necessities. 4

7 (g) Factories were not back to producing non-war goods Factories that were previously producing war goods like ammunition were not producing non-war goods quickly enough to generate employment and revenue for the countries. Many buildings had also been destroyed in the war, so factory work could not start immediately. Social Impact (a) Death of large numbers of males Large numbers of soldiers had died in the war. (b) There was less emphasis on class differences As the rich and poor had fought together during the war, class equality became more acceptable. The people had gone through the same experiences and saw each other as equals. Those who worked as servants demanded higher wages. To keep them, the rich had to pay better wages and treat them better. (c) There was greater equality of the sexes Many women had helped out in factories during the war. This made it clear that the women were able to work outside the home and were able to do jobs that the men had done previously. In the USA, women were given a chance to vote. (d) Workers wanted better working conditions Those who had fought for their country returned and fought for better working conditions. They did not passively accept the working conditions that they had previously faced such as low pay and discrimination. 5

8 Background Information on Russia Factors Contributing to the Russian Revolution in 1917 Political Factors The people were discontented by the way the country was run. Russia was governed by just one man (the Tsar). The Russian church taught the people to obey the Tsar because he was the one that God had chosen to rule. However, the Tsar lived in St. Petersburg (the capital) and did not make the effort to get to know the rest of the population. He left the running of the country to a small group of nobles who controlled land, wealth and power. The Tsar maintained his power through the use of force. Various political groups pushed for social reforms, but the Tsar ignored them. He also did not fulfi l his promise to set up a parliamentary system. The Tsar was in charge of the army. The soldiers were badly trained and the death rate was high. This made the Tsar even more unpopular. Economic Factors The Russian economy was badly organised and productivity was low. More than three quarters of the people in Russia were peasants who were steeped in poverty. Many worked for rich landlords and were unable to earn enough to rise above poverty. The population was growing rapidly, but harvests were bad and food production could not keep up with the growing population. Famines broke out in 1901 and Peasants who looked for jobs in factories and mines lived in slums that were unsafe and unhygienic. Their wages were also very low. Conditions worsened when men were taken out from the factories and farms to fi ght in World War I. Production dropped further. Most of the food and fuel were sent to the army. 6

9 Social Factors There were many different nationalities in Russia. Besides the Russians, there were Ukranians, Jews, Uzbeks, Poles and Germans. These different nationalities were not united and resented being under Russian rule. They practised their own religions and cultures and spoke their own languages. They wanted to break away from Russia and be independent states. Russia also had an extreme class system with 95% of Russians belonging to the lower class. The peasants were too poor to own their own lands, and those who lived in the new industrialised towns also faced harsh living conditions. The rich did not help the poor. The teachings of Karl Marx were widespread. Geographical Factors The Russian Empire stretched from the borders of Germany to the Pacifi c Ocean. There were lands with climates ranging from permanently frozen ones in the Arctic Ocean to the hot deserts of Turkistan. It took weeks to cross the country. Many places were inaccessible. The large empire and the lack of proper communication and transportation made it diffi cult for the Tsar to govern and control everything that was going on. This worsened the situation as the already incompetent Tsar was facing a situation that would have been considered a challenging one even for an effective ruler. Immediate Factors Severe food shortages Women who had queued for hours for bread were not given any. Riots broke out which spread throughout the city. 7