Unit 4 Modern World History

Unit 4 Modern World History

Economic hardships across Europe created opportunity/need for strong leadership Democracy & capitalism seemed to offer few solutions for desperate nations Depression caused most leaders to take more control of economy, govt (New Deal) Totalitarian regimes appeared in central Europe, embraced as needed for recovery Led by a single leader, single political party Hoped to control all areas of citizens lives Stressed order, obedience, nationalism Used force & intimidation to suppress dissent Fascism: extreme glorification of the state Cult of Personality: use of propaganda to create idealized & heroic image of leader Through 1920 s anti-socialist campaign Benito Mussolini created fascist state in Italy Benito Mussolini was the Italian Fascist Prime Minister from 1922 to 1943. He utilized political intelligence, propaganda, and charisma to perpetuate himself as Duce and Italy as a Fascist State.

Joseph Stalin monopolized power in USSR Part of Lenin s Bolshevik Revolution in WWI Served as advisor until Lenin s death 1924 Used job as Sec. General to consolidate power, create Communist dictatorship Stalin s desire for complete control led him to imprison/execute other Bolshevik leaders Stalin s Five-Year Plans to Industrialize Ambitious economic goals aimed at making USSR an industrial & military superpower Production goals met without concern for horrible living conditions of urban populations Govt collectivization of all private farmland caused widespread famine across country Peasants resisted program by hoarding grain & killing livestock, causing widespread famine Great Purge: 8 mil Soviet citizens killed for being suspected of opposing Stalin s policies This 1939 propaganda poster, which reads Stalin s will makes our army & country strong & solid! shows the emphasis Stalin placed on military and industrial might.

Soldier to Fuhrer: Hitler s Rise to Power Austrian who fought for Germany in WWI Took control of right-wing extremist party National Socialist Workers Party, aka NAZIs Nazis gained popularity through nationalism Hitler voted in as new chancellor in 1933 Enabling Act let Hitler abolish constitution Characteristics of Hitler s Third Reich Intensely nationalistic fascist state through propaganda and charisma of Hitler speeches Played on the hurt pride, anger of Germans Lebensraum: German empire across Europe Massive rearmament program restored GER economy, openly violated Treaty of Versailles Gestapo: secret police used to crush dissent Social Darwinism: belief in Aryan superiority Encouraged anti-semitism: persecution of Jews Austrian-born Adolf Hitler successfully united the German people through a message of military, economic, and cultural strength. The caption of this propaganda poster reads, I Love Germany!

Socialism Fascism Nazism The collective is seen as more important that the individual Ambitious govts look to directly effect most of society's issues Extreme nationalism used to capture emotions of the people The state was to be held above all else in minds of citizens National unity is essential Hitler: Racial struggle is the central problem of politics National unity must include racial purity (Aryan master race) Soviet Communism took socialism in a different direction: modern Communists believed that revolutions had to be initiated by a vanguard of intellectuals & activists, and the resulting society had to be temporarily ruled by this vanguard (govt control of economy, suppression of bourgeois ideals, etc.) to pave the way for an ideal Communist society. Source: Schumaker, Paul. Great Ideas/Grand Schemes: Political Ideologies. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Print.

League of Nations split over use of force Hitler repeatedly broke Treaty of Versailles France had right to use force, would not go to war without support of United Kingdom Chamberlain s (UK) policy of appeasement Meet reasonable demands to avoid conflict Hitler s demands reasonable? Worth war? New Alliances Among Totalitarian Regimes Rome-Berlin Axis: Mussolini & Hitler form alliance recognizing common political goals Anti-Comintern Pact: Hitler & Japan created united front against communism (USSR) By threat of invasion, Hitler forced Austrian chancellor to hand power to Austrian Nazis Who then allowed Hitler to annex Austria Hitler shocked the West by announcing Nazi- Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in August, 1939 Sep 39: GER invaded Poland, WWII began The map above shows the territorial gains of Nazi Germany prior to the outbreak of WWII. With each expansion Hitler placed pressure on the League of Nations to act against him, and in each instance the League did not authorize the use of force.

Meiji Restoration transformed Japan Samurai leaders advised Emperor in effort to Westernize Japanese society & military Private property, separation of powers, etc. Adopted American model of education Japan adopted imperial ways of the West 1894: defeated China for control over Korea 1904: defeated Russia to claim more land Tension with US over imperialism, immigration The Japanese Path to World War II 1930s: Thirst for raw materials drove Japan to invade Manchuria, then further into China Envisioned New Order where Japanese control would bring prosperity to rest of Asia Interest in Siberia (northern USSR) s resources (oil) led to cooperation with Nazi Germany Nazi/Soviet pact ended JPN s Siberian hopes JPN next eyed Southeast Asia s oil reserves Japanese Emperor Hirohito shown in front of the Flag of the Rising Sun, the military flag of Japan. In the years leading up to WWII power shifted back and forth from the Emperor to military leaders.

German Blitzkrieg : The Lightning War New military tactic incorporating columns of planes (bombs), tanks, and ground troops Polish Army dominated, quickly surrendered The Fall of France ( 39): Germans avoided France s Maginot Line, cut through Belgium s trapped Allied troops, captured Paris (map) Dunkirk Evacuation: civilian ships shuttle 300k Brits across English Channel to avoid capture 1939-41 Battle of Britain: War Took Flight To make British invasion possible, Hitler had to weaken British defenses through air raids British bases & ports suffered heavy damage Bombing cities allowed air bases to rebuild Development of radar key to British victory 1941: Axis attacks created new Allies Hitler broke pact w/ Stalin, invaded USSR JPN bombed Pearl Harbor, crippled US Navy This Nazi poster depicts the strength of the Blitzkrieg attack, simultaneously using armored tanks, bomber planes, and ground troops to attack enemy forces.

UK s new Prime Minister: Winston Churchill Replaced Chamberlain as PM in May, 1940 War strategy: an enemy of Hitler is a friend Reached out to Communist Stalin for aid Worked tirelessly to convince US President Roosevelt to provide aid, join Allied effort Axis attacks helped form Grand Alliance British public rally behind Churchill s tenacity US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt A New Deal to pull US out of Depression 1939 Economy: only slight signs of life War production real key to econ. recovery Congress passed Neutrality Acts in 1930s Prevented US involvement in European affairs FDR fought for repeal, sent supplies to UK Dec 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor bombed by JPN Americans united in war against Axis Powers FDR & Churchill: near constant communication British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (above) and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt (below).

Allied Powers Turned Tide of War June 1942: The Battle of the Midway US defeated Japanese forces at Midway Island, began island hopping campaign Feb 1943: Nazi Surrender at Stalingrad GER troops frozen outside Soviet capital city Began steady advance of Soviet army June 1944: Normandy D-Day Invasion 1 2 Massive Allied effort to establish point of entry in Nazi-controlled France a success Allied forces freed Paris, soon began firebombing German cities to force surrender Dec 1944-Jan 1945: The Battle of the Bulge Last Nazi offensive, massive GER losses April 1945: 2 Totalitarian Dictators Dead Mussolini dismissed, arrested, executed Hitler committed suicide in Berlin bunker V-E Day (Victory in Europe): May 7, 1945 US troops approach Omaha Beach during the Invasion of Normandy. A coalition of American, British, Canadian, French, Polish, Australian, Belgian, Kiwi, Dutch, Czech, and Greek troops were involved in the attack.

As War Ends, Peace Talks Created Tension Mutual distrust between Stalin & the West Western Allies sought to achieve peace through democracy, diplomacy in E. Europe Stalin hoped to create peace buffer through the creation of satellite Soviet states Yalta Conference (Feb2-4, 1945) FDR wanted Soviet support in invasion of JPN Stalin focused on keeping control over Poland Potsdam Conference (Jul16-Aug2, 1945) Issue: How to deal with defeated Germany Truman more suspicious of Stalin than FDR Germany divided into 3 (then 4) zones of occupation, each governed by Allied power new weapon of unusually destructive force Rise of the Iron Curtain & the Cold War Soviet satellites created the Eastern Bloc Iron Curtain: border capitalists & communists USA & USSR: post-war nuclear superpowers

Hitler s Views on Race: Aryan Supremacy Aryan: speaker of N. European languages Dominance seen as evidence of superiority Physical traits: tall, blonde, blue-eyed Anti-Semitism: Hatred of the Jews Nuremberg Laws: Stripped Jews of citizenship Nov 38, Kristallnacht: night of broken glass Jewish churches, businesses burned; 30k Jewish men thrown in concentration camps The Holocaust: The Final Solution Einstazgruppen: mobile Nazi death squads 1942: Nazis build Extermination Camps Jews in occupied territory rounded up, packed in trains, and sent to camps to work or die 6 million Jews lose lives during WWII 10-12 million non-jewish civilians as well Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group The electrified fences surrounding the Nazi concentration at Dachau, Germany. Over 300 camps were built throughout Europe prior to and throughout World War II to imprison and eventually execute Jews, political prisoners, homosexuals, gypsies, and the disabled.

Failed League of Nations replaced by UN Term United Nations first used by FDR in 1939 to describe Allied Powers of WWII Different structure, same goals as League Promote global peace, security, prosperity Organizational Structure of the UN Based in NYC, Geneva, Nairobi, & Vienna General Assembly:193 nations, 193 votes Pass policy resolutions (recommendations) Security Council deals w/ potential conflicts 5 perm. members: USA, UK, USSR, FRA, China Each holds veto power to block resolutions Other UN orgs: World Bank, Int l Criminal Court, UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) Critiques of United Nations Persist Resolutions passed by UN are non-binding Use of int l sanctions have proven effective Suspicions of move toward one world gov t