Ideological Alternatives: Soviet Union and Germany Inter War World: The Great Depression
Ideological Alternatives Has Capitalism Failed? This was not an academic question in the early 1930s America, Western Europe (especially Britain): feared that if people accepted the argument that many were making namely Yes it does not work, they would make other choices There were two proffered c.1930 35: Fascism and Communism
Ideological Alternatives Has Capitalism Failed? Soviet Union, Germany had already said yes Following upon Lenin s Revolution: a struggle for his successor had not only kept Communist ideals in place it had led to an evolution of that ideology [under Stalin, below] in the 1920s, 1930s global situation [similar to the way Mao had taken Soviet Communism and made it Chinese ]
Ideological Alternatives Has Capitalism Failed? Soviet Union, Germany had already said yes The repercussions of Germany s debt to Versailles (WWI), France s occupation of the Ruhr (1922 3) resulting in the Dawes Plan exacerbated by the Depression led to the rise of German Fascism [similar to Japan s use of Ultra Nationalism to create authoritarian, militarized, racist state] Italy also shared in this European Fascism, although it could not/did not claim the same roots for its ultranationalism as Hitler s Germany did
Alternatives: the Soviet Union
Alternatives: the Soviet Union Video Stalin and the Modernization of the Soviet Union [Add l. Rdgs., shown in Class]
Alternatives: the Soviet Union Stalinism : Joseph Stalin emerged from post Leninist political foray as winner : but not with complete support position as Party Secretary allowed him to manipulate people of like minded ideas into positions of power ultimately exercised full power himself
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Pillars of Modernization: Five Year Plans: staged development Industry (first): required infrastructure Agriculture (second): required machinery in turn, dependent on Industry
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Main Issues of Modernization: catch up : industry lag in terms of infrastructure: power (electricity water, coal); transport (roads, railroads) built on forced labour: prisoners and others All forms of coerced labour were legitimate in terms of Stalinist goals
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Agriculture: 5 Year Plan 1929: called for collectivization attempt to apply industrial achievements (machinery) to traditional peasant cultivation: shared use of expensive equipment = more efficiency in principle made good sense
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Peasants being taught collectivization by government agents
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union In reality: base of agricultural economy was not the peasant but the Kulak: farmer with land, income able to employ others collectivization destroyed Kulaks ( enemy of state goals ) but the local economy depended on them as employers generated resistance not only along class lines but at the community level
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Kulaks Being Evicted, Ukraine
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union The Road to Famine: even as industry, urban growth looked successful and was portrayed as such peasants starving to meet 5 year plan goals intentional genocide? cruelty for the sake of power? delusion, denial? Ongoing debate among historians
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union The Road to Famine: presented as total success Typical Village Celebration of Collectivization
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union The Road to Famine: Idealized Harvest Scene under Collectivization
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Cult of the Personality Stalin successfully associated all that was good and progressive with his plans effectively created, then exploited image as: father of nation, children, women, workers
Stalin as Papa : Family Man Embracing women, military, culture
Alternate Paths: Soviet Union Show Trials: [see video] were exactly that: trials of those accused of subverting Stalin s vision staged for international audience: impact significant Impression of Stalin and Soviet Union on eve WWII: strong, healthy economy authoritarian but effective government Soviet Communism Works!!
Long live the worker's and peasant's Red Army, the true guard of Soviet frontiers! (1935)
«Stalin s spirit inspire and defend our Army and Motherland» (1939)
Alternate Paths Germany Germany s Situation Was Completely Different: Germany and Russia Allies in WWI Russia s Revolution took them out of the war, and therefore out of its spoils But in 1920s, new Soviet Union appeared to be doing so much better than Germany... Why? Germans put much of that down to Versailles Punishment government had not negotiated well
Alternate Paths Germany Weimar Government attempted to address crisis by: increasing social spending: more than doubled by 1929 printing more money: 1921 24 era of hyperinflation Just like other nations responded to Great Depression: Germany already responding to its own national depression following loss of economic viability of Ruhr Valley (French invasion 1922 3)
Alternate Paths Germany Piles of New Bank Notes: ready for distribution
Alternate Paths Germany wiped out savings, effectively undermined cash economy millions of German marks worthless 50 million mark banknote, 1923
Alternate Paths Germany
Alternate Paths Germany Impact of Great Depression: in addition to struggling export sector: German economy of 1920s based on loans US major banker : extensive capital loans kept economy alive [last lecture, role of US international loans] with impact Great Depression: all markets closed, foreign trade (import and export) collapsed US demanded repayment: economy collapsed completely
Alternate Paths Germany industry quickly ground to halt production levels fell: workers laid off banks failed throughout country: savings accounts recently built up, instantly wiped out Inflation soon followed making it hard for families to purchase expensive necessities with devalued money
Alternate Paths Germany Berliners Demand their Money: Bank Run
Roads to War Germany Said to be worth the price of a loaf of bread, 1930s
Alternate Paths Germany Communists Fill the Streets, May-Day 1930
Alternate Paths Germany Exactly the same disastrous economic dynamic as happened in the United States: Differences were... in part: post WWI experience in general in larger part: extent to which the middle class was new in Germany and reacted in different ways to protecting their status In part: easy association of military strength (remember Germany was not allowed to grow its military ) with economic capability
Alternate Paths Germany Exactly the same disastrous economic dynamic as happened in the United States: Differences were... In very large part: history of anti Semitism Jews had immigrated into the United States following on anti Semitism in Europe (generally) Germany (under Bismark) had been a nation very influenced by anti Jewish politics: they were well entrenched by the post war era
Alternate Paths Germany The recent history of anti Semitism: Hugely important to remember history here Late 19 th century anti Semitism was particularly virulent in Eastern Europe/Russia but had become entrenched in German politics as well Just as Russian nationalists initiated pogroms against the Jews (supported by the Tsar), German nationalists were able to tap into that racist ideology to create Nazism
Alternate Paths Germany Rise of Adolf Hitler: led National Socialist German Workers Party Nazis in 1920s wrote Mein Kampf 1925: radical plan to build master Aryan race, retake lands with German peoples (direct reaction to French occupation of Ruhr 1922 3), restore German dignity this was ultra nationalism as experienced by Japan: difference Aryan Whites (not Asians ) at its base
Alternate Paths Germany Crisis of Great Depression: government fell apart political parties in Reichstag broke into squabbling, uncompromising groups government dissolved July 1930: election planned for September Hitler s party: few followers (approx. 100,000 in population 60 million) until then 1930: German People finally ready to listen to Hitler s ideas
Alternate Paths Germany Hitler s Platform: found scapegoats to blame for failing economy: Jews four year plan of militarization (previously restricted under Treaty of Versailles): would restore power while addressing unemployment would address problem of growing German population: acquire living space, retake areas with German populations rendered independent after WWI Hitler: from electoral victory to Chancellor 1930 1933
Alternate Paths Germany Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor, 1934
Alternate Paths Germany Hitler s Germany: resurrection of late 19 th Century Anti Semitism Nazis took over all government agencies, educational institutes, professions restrictions on Jews: removed from public offices; property confiscated; loss civil rights
Alternate Paths Germany Hitler s Imperialism: carried with it destruction of Jews invasion, occupation of Poland (1939, below): 1000s Polish Jews shot or confined to ghettoes began sending others to concentration camps (slave labour, death) invasion Soviet Union (1941, below): 10,000s Jews killed by death squads
Death and Concentration Camps Numbers Murdered in each Country
Alternate Paths Germany Hitler s Germany: 1934: Hitler declared himself Fuhrer ( leader ) constitution suspended, Germany renamed Third Reich : meant to last one thousand years Nazi Fascism combination of socialism (public works), militarism (arms manufacture), anti Semitism (allowing for over taking of financial assets of wealthy Jewish businessmen, bankers): worked it was effective
Alternate Paths Germany By 1936 business was booming; unemployment was at its lowest level since the 1910s; and living standards were rising. Most Germans believed that their economic wellbeing outweighed the loss of liberty Germany was the only country to appear to have successfully survived and triumphed over, the Great Depression! Fascism worked
Alternate Paths Germany Re Unification of German Peoples: aggressive, step by step foreign policy of imperialism 1933:withdrew from League of Nations 1936 reoccupied German Rhineland (Ruhr) 1936/7 entered pact with Japan [lecture on Inter War Asia ] 1938: annexed Austria 1939: invaded Czechoslovakia September 1, 1939: invaded Poland Great Britain, France declared war on Germany.
Alternate Paths Germany Alternatives: By early mid 1930s: it appeared to many people in the Western World (on both sides of the Atlantic) that successful choices had been developed elsewhere many Americans attracted by Soviet Model (as they knew it from excellent propaganda) Other Europeans (e.g. Italy) attracted to Germany s meteoric rise: also a model elsewhere (e.g. South Africa) [see lecture WWI impact world wide]
Alternatives: Roads to War Eve of WWII: Not at all clear that Western Democracies would or even should succeed Many questions about how much personal/social freedom was worth when the cost could be as devastating as the Great Depression Japan, Soviet Union, Germany (by extension Italy who had replicated Germany s road to fascism with similar results) had seemingly proven there were viable alternatives!