Interwar Period 1919-1939.

Interwar Period

POSTWAR UNCERTAINTY REFLECTED IN THE ARTS & SCIENCES
How did WWI impact the arts and literature of the 1920s? POSTWAR UNCERTAINTY REFLECTED IN THE ARTS & SCIENCES

Background WWI Shattered Enlightenment ideas that progress would continue & reason would prevail Returning millions of brutalized, incapacitated, shell-shocked veterans to society Many veterans harbored hostility toward civilians who protested the war instead of patriotically supporting them No jobs for returning veterans in some areas Questioning traditional beliefs War dissolved many middle-class conventions More open discussions of sex & sexuality Marriage remained the context for sexuality though Government reactions Had to repel the appeal of communism Supported social programs – veterans’ pensions & housing; benefits for men out of work Found answers in new scientific developments Enjoyed convenience of technological improvements Toothpaste! Cosmetics! Deodorant! Women demanded more rights Young people adopted new values Freer relationships Equality ? Unconventional styles in literature, philosophy, and music reflected uncertain times Return to prosperity in 1920s Consumer culture formed Washing machines Vacuum cleaners Automobiles Radios Purchased with installment buying

Revolution in Science Albert Einstein Sigmund Freud
Ideas on space, time, energy, & matter Theorized speed of light as constant, while space and time are not constant Theory of relativity Implications for how people viewed the world Uncertainty replaced Newton’s belief of a world operating to absolute laws of motion & gravity Sigmund Freud Treated patients with psychological problems Constructed theories about the human mind – much behavior is irrational from the unconscious part of the mind Weakened faith in reason

Literature of the 1920s Question accepted ideas about reason & progress Disillusioned by war Expressed doubts about traditional beliefs Created disturbing visions of the present & future TS Eliot – The Waste Land, “The Hollow Men” William Butler Yeats – “Sailing to Byzantium” Horrors of War Franz Kafka – The Trial; The Castle Erich Maria Remarque – All Quiet on the Western Front Freudian Psychology James Joyce – Ulysses Virginia Woolf – Mrs. Dalloway Existentialism Jean Paul Sartre Influenced by Nietzsche from 1880s

Revolution in the Arts Rebelled against tradition
Depict inner emotion & imagination rather than realistic representations Expressionist painters Paul Klee Wassily Kandinsky Cubism Georges Braque Pablo Picasso Surrealism Inspired by Freud Salvador Dali Composers Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky used irregular rhythms & dissonances Arnold Schoenberg rejected traditional harmonies Jazz developed by musicians in New Orleans, Memphis, & Chicago; captured freedom of the new age

Society Challenges Convention
WWI disrupted traditional social patterns Individual freedom increased in 1920s Young people willing to break with past & experiment with new values Women’s Roles War allowed them to work & take head of household position Right to vote gained in postwar period in US, GB, Germany, Sweden, & Austria Abandoned restrictive clothing & hairstyles Shorter, looser garments Bobbed hair Wore makeup Drove cars Drank & smoked in public Most still followed traditional path of marriage & family Birth control advocates Number of women in medicine, education, journalism, & other professions increased

Technological Advancements Improve Life
New drugs & medical treatments advanced in WWI Automobiles Wartime innovations – electric starters, air-filled tires, more powerful engines Cars now sleek & polished Headlights & chrome-plated bumpers Prices dropped  middle class can afford cars British production increased from 34,000 to 511,000 autos a year from 1913 to 1937 Lifestyle changes Travel for pleasure New businesses to serve tourists Movement to suburbs & commuting to work Airplanes First successful flights across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland by British pilots in 1919 Charles Lindbergh (US) completed 33-hour solo flight from NYC to Paris in 1927 Became cultural icon National hero Baby was stolen Most of world’s passenger airlines formed in 1920s First only the rich could afford air travel Everyone enjoyed exploits of the pioneers (Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh)

Radio & Movies Push for radio development in WWI
Marconi conducted first successful experiments with radio in 1895 Biggest commercial radio station –KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA – began broadcasting in 1920 Every major city had radio stations News Plays Live sporting events Most families owned a radio Motion Pictures major industry in the 1920s Many countries produced films Serious art form in Europe Hollywood district of Los Angeles focused on movies as entertainment Produced 90% of all films Charlie Chaplin English-born Comic genius Portrayed lonely little tramp bewildered by life Sound added in late 1920s

CLASS WORK HOMEWORK Brainstorm: WWI Essay – How did culture change?
Source of your choice The Sun Also Rises Excerpt Sigmund Freud Reading Eliot Yeats Poems Mrs. Dalloway Excerpt Great Gatsby Excerpt Henry Ford Reading HOMEWORK Finish WWI Essay

Why did the economic depression in the United States spread overseas?
Global Depression

Background European nations rebuilding war-torn economies
Aided by loans from the US Only US & Japan emerged better financially than before WWI Americans confident in prosperity American economy had serious weaknesses Great Depression will leave every major European country nearly bankrupt

Post-WWI Europe Unstable new democracies
Last absolute rulers overthrown by 1918 Weak provisional government fell to Communist dictatorship in Russia Most European nations had democratic governments Citizens had little experience with representative government Large # political parties Created need for coalition governments Frequent changes in gov’t = hard to achieve long-term goals Voters willing to sacrifice weak democratic gov’t for strong authoritarian leadership…

Weimar Republic Germany’s new democratic government, est. 1919
Serious weaknesses No democratic tradition Several major political parties & many minor ones Millions blamed Weimar gov’t for defeat & humiliation of Versailles Treaty Inflation – printed money in wartime instead of raising taxes  currency lost value Printed more money to pay reparations Example – bread cost less than 1 mark in 1918, but more than 160 in 1922 and 200B in1923 Questioned value of new democratic government Attempted economic stability Recovered from 1923 inflation due to international committee headed by Charles Dawes, an American banker Dawes Plan provided $200M loan to stabilize German currency Set more realistic schedule for war reparations Factories reached pre-war production levels by 1929 Efforts at peace Foreign minister Gustav Stressemann & France’s minister Aristide Briand tried improving relations Met in Locarno, Switzerland with officials from Belgium, Italy, and Britain promising to never make war between France and Germany Also agreed to respect existing borders of France and Belgium Led to Kellogg-Briand peace pact in 1928 US Secretary of State Frank Kellogg arranged agreement with France’s Briand Almost every country in the world signed “to renounce war as an instrument of national policy” No efforts to enforce provisions League of Nations had no armed forces to enforce the treaty

Weimar Republic

Financial Collapse Recap: American prosperity largely sustained world economy through 1920s Flawed economy Uneven distribution of wealth Overproduction Lessened consumer consumption Factories turning out nearly half of all world’s industrial goods Enormous profits 60% of Americans earned less than $2,000 a year = too poor to buy goods they produced Factories reduced production & laid off workers More lose jobs  more can’t afford goods  decrease production further  more people lose jobs… Farmers couldn’t repay war loans, forcing banks to close (no FDIC yet)

Stock Market Crash Wall street in NYC financial capital of the world in 1929 Many middle-income families purchased stocks on margin Pay small down-payment & borrow rest from stock broker Can repay loan well if stock prices continue to increase If they fell, investors had no money to repay the loan 1929 – some investors saw prices as unnaturally high, so started selling stocks Gradual lowering of stock prices became all-out downward slide Panic All selling, nobody buying 16 million stocks sold Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929 = market collapse

Great Depression People couldn’t pay back money owed on margin purchases (credit) Stocks now worthless Unemployment rates rose as industrial production, prices, & wages decreased Production cut in half by 1932 Banks closed Businesses failed ¼ American workers unemployed by 1933 BIG IMPACTS Commerce & industry fell Social order & gender roles upset Birth rate sank

Global Depression American bankers demanded repayment of overseas loans Investors withdrew money from Europe Congress placed high tariff on imports – BAD IDEA Policy backfired Hoped to keep US $$ spent on US-goods Countries dependent on exports to US suffered Other nations imposed high tariffs World trade dropped 65% Unemployment soared worldwide Asia – farmers & urban workers hurt as value of exports fell Single cash-crop growers hardest hit Fueled anger & led to nationalist action Colonial farmers on strike Colonial gov’t actions added to calls for independence, esp. in India Anti-colonial leaders protested (Example: Ho Chi Minh v. France) Focus on strengthening military positions worldwide allowed totalitarian gov’t to arise in Europe Latin America – demand for sugar, beef, copper, etc. fell & prices collapsed

Germany & Austria Hit very hard
6M Germans out of work by 1933 )1/3 of workforce) Many others underemployed

Responses Britain hit severely France more self-sufficient
Voters elected multiparty coalition known as the National Government Passed protective tariffs, increased taxes, & regulated currency Slow, steady recovery Avoided political extremes & preserved democracy France more self-sufficient Heavily agricultural & less dependent on foreign trade 1M unemployed by 1935, contributing to political instability 5 coalition governments rose & fell in 1933 alone Popular Front coalition of moderates, socialists, & communists rose in 1936 Passed reforms to help workers Unemployment remained high But, retained democracy

Socialist Solutions Socialist governments in Scandinavia – Denmark, Sweden, Norway Also met economic crisis successfully Built programs on existing tradition of cooperative community action Sweden sponsored public works projects that kept people employed Raised pensions for elderly Increased employment insurance, subsidies for housing, & other welfare benefits Paid for with taxes Democracy remained intact

Recovery in the United States
Elected Franklin D Roosevelt in 1932 Immediately began reform programs in the New Deal Large public works projects = jobs Agencies formed to give financial help to businesses & farms Public money spent on welfare and relief programs Many programs deemed unconstitutional & put down, but many still exist today too Reformed economic system Leadership preserved faith in democracy

Not Everyone Had It SO Bad
Modernization continued Municipal & national governments built roads & sanitation projects Water, electricity, & sewage pipes in homes for first time New factories produced synthetic fabrics, electrical products, cars, stoves, etc. Eastern European industry developed with gov’t assistance Majority still had jobs People with steady employment benefitted from drop in prices Managers & business leaders prospered But, towns with heavy industry could have half the population out of work

Social Effects Upset gender relations
Women found low-paying jobs Men stayed home or were beggars Loiterers in German parks became ripe for Nazism, promising to restore male dignity Politicians attacked low birth rate Compulsory education reduced income children earned Family planning centers opened Ignited racism Politicians used racism to arouse fear of national decline Superior peoples ‘failing to breed’ & inferior peoples would take over Violent in eastern Europe – rural population growing Blamed Jewish bankers for Great Depression & farm foreclosures Opened way for dictators who promised to eliminate Jews & other ethnic minorities

CLASSWORK Begin Journal #12 – Explain why the Great Depression spread from the United States to become a global phenomenon AND assess which country suffered the worst conditions. HOMEWORK Finish Journal #12

Why did fascism arise in Germany and Italy after WWI?
How did Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo rise to power? Rise of dictators

Election Time! Read the current conditions of Nation X
Read the goals of each political party Who will you vote for? Orange Party Purple Party Yellow Party Cast your ballot when ready!

Results Nation X was actually Germany of the 1930s
MANY political parties  would need coalition gov’t Biggest 3 represented by the parties on your ballot Vast changes from 1932 election to 1933 election Hindenburg had appointed Hitler as chancellor Hitler called for new elections & dissolving of Reichstag Unleashed terror & propaganda against the Social Democrats, Communists, & Centre Parties up to the election Orange Party = Social Democrats (SPD) 1932 Election – 20.43% vote 1933 Election – 18.25% Lead by Otto Wels Purple Party = Communist Party (KPD) 1932 Election – 16.86% vote 1933 Election – 12.32% Led by Ernst Thalmann Yellow Party = National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) 1932 Election – 33.09% 1933 Election – 43.91% Led by Adolf Hitler So, what’s the point? Difficulty realizing how ‘bad guys’ come to power Hitler was elected! German people wanted a return to prosperity and greatness & Hitler promised that Do you feel badly about electing him into power now that you know what happens later on?

Emergence of Fascism Great Depression caused loss of faith in democratic government Fascism – new militant political movement that emphasized loyalty and obedience to the leader No defined theory or program (unlike communism) Extreme nationalism Peaceful states doomed to be conquered Loyal to authoritarian ruler who will guide & bring order to the state Wear uniforms, have special salutes, hold rlalies Fascist leaders promised to revive economy, punish those responsible for hard times, & restore national pride

Some Similarities to Communism
Both ruled by dictators who allowed only one-party rule Denied individual rights State supreme Neither practiced democracy But, different Fascists didn’t seek classless society Fascists believed each class had a place and function Fascist arties made up of aristocrats and industrialists, war veterans, and lower middle class Fascists were nationalists Communists were internationalists, hoping to unite workers worldwide

Italy – Benito Mussolini
Fueled by disappointment over failure to win territorial gains at 1919 Paris Peace Conference Rising inflation + unemployment = social unrest Wanted a leader to take action Mussolini promised to revive economy & rebuild armed forces First teacher, then newspaper editor & politician Founded fascist party in 1919 Popularity increased as economy worsened Criticized Italian government Won support from middle class, aristocracy, & industrial leaders by playing on fear of workers’ revolt Activities Groups wore black & attacked Communists and Socialists 30,000 marched on Rome in 1922  King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini in charge Took power ‘legally’

Il Duce Mussolini now leader of Italy Abolished democracy
Outlawed political parties besides Fascists Secret police jailed opponents Government censors of radio & publications Outlawed strikes But, never had total control achieved by Hitler or Stalin

Attack on Ethiopia Ethiopia was one of 3 independent African nations
Bordered Italian Somaliland Invaded October 1935 after border incident Emperor Haile Selassie appealed to League of Nations Condemned attack Actually did nothing! Britain continued letting Italian troops pass through Suez Canal All hoped to keep peace in Europe by letting Italy have its way in Africa

Germany – Adolf Hitler Background Plotted to seize power in Munich
Born in Austria Joined WWI effort & twice awarded Iron Cross for bravery Settled in Munich after war Joined right-wing political group: German Workers’ Party Overthrow Treaty of Versailles Combat communism Became National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi) Adopted swastika Set up private militia (storm troopers / brown shirts) Quickly became leader of NSDAP Plotted to seize power in Munich Attempt (Beer Hall Putsch) failed Arrested & imprisoned Wrote Mein Kampf while in jail Established beliefs & goals for Germany Asserted Aryans were master race Non-Aryans were inferior: Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, etc. Wanted to regain lands lost in Treaty of Versailles  lebensraum (living space) Revived Nazi Party in 1924 after leaving prison Mostly ignored until Great Depression

Becoming Chancellor Nazis were largest political party by 1932
Conservative leaders thought they could use & control Hitler (leader of NSDAP) Prompted president Paul von Hindenberg to name him chancellor (came to power legally) Called new elections once in office 1933 6 days prior, Reichstag building set ablaze & blamed on communists Stirred fear of communists = not elected Allowed Hitler to gain supporters & suspend civil rights, impose censorship, & deny meetings of political parties Used secret police against communists & socialists Nazis & allies won by slim majority All ages & classes Especially youth Believed Germany would be great if Hitler was leader Industrial working class & lower middle class Political party – not ‘army’ or ‘Germans’ but a specific membership-required group = can be German isoldier and not a Nazi

Totalitarian State Enabling Act passed March 1933
Suspended constitution for 4 years Allowed Nazis to take effect WITHOUT parliamentary approval Hitler had unchecked power Banned political parties besides NSDAP Imprisoned opponents in concentration camps beginning 1933 (Communists, socialists, homosexuals, Jews.. Anyone interfering with Volksgemeinschaft) Schutzstaffel – SS – created Led by Heinrich Himmler Intimidating police force & in charge of concentration camps Night of Long Knives – June 30, 1934 = arrested & murdered political enemies & civilians, including Ernst Rohm, leader of the Storm Troopers (SA) Gestapo – Nazi secret police – shocked Germans into obedience Laws banned strikes & dissolved labor unions Government oversaw businesses and labor Millions put to work Constructed factories, built highways, manufactured weapons, & served in military Unemployment dropped from 6M to 1.5M in 1936

Nazi Propaganda “The receptivity of the great masses is very limited; their intelligence is small.” Shaped public opinion using radio, press, literature, paintings, & film Elaborate displays of strength Parades Banners Uniforms Burned books that didn’t conform Churches forbidden to criticize government Schoolchildren had to join Hitler Youth or League of German girls Anti-Semitism prevalent Less than 1% of German populace Used as scapegoats for WWI troubles & Great Depression Nuremberg Laws (1935) deprived Jews of most rights Kristallnacht – November signaled start of elimination of the Jews Began in retaliation for a Jewish teenager’s killing of a German official who’d harassed his parents Attacked 200+ synagogues 20K imprisoned

Maintaining Hitler’s Regime
Required economic & social programs to hold support Economic revival Built popular support Strengthened military industries Basis for German expansion Pump priming – stimulate economy through gov’t spending on tanks, planes, Autobahn Unemployment declined drastically to point of labor shortage Women drafted as farm workers & domestics Set pay levels & work procedures 4-year plan aimed to prepare for war by 1940 Controlled every day life Encouraged Aryans to marry & have children Loans for newlyweds Wife had to leave workforce Loans forgiven on birth of 4th child Severely censored radio programs

Appeased by League of Nations
Violated Treaty of Versailles Remilitarized the Rhineland 1936 **turning point Rebuilt military 1925 Left the League of Nations Anschluss of Austria 1938 for ‘unifying Aryan race’ Appeasement – leaders thought giving concessions to Hitler would prevent a war… Annexed the Sudetenland – part of Czechoslovakia occupied by ethnic Germans & rich in industrial resources, 1938 Chamberlain, Daladier, & Mussolini all agreed NOT to intervene Czechs really had no say – annex or be invaded.. Invaded Poland Sept. 1, 1939

Other European Dictators
New democracies in Eastern Europe fell to dictators for stability Hungary – Admiral Miklos Horthy, 1919 Poland – Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, 1926 Kings suspended constitutions & silenced foes in: Yugoslavia Albania Bulgaria Romania Only one democracy remained by Czechoslovakia

CLASSWORK Pact of Steel Video [25 min] HOMEWORK Primary Source Analysis: Mussolini or Hitler 1 paragraph please 

Japanese Expansion Became more democratic in 1920s, but had problems
Constitution limited power of PM and Cabinet Civilian leaders had little control over military Military leaders reported only to emperor Militarists took control Blamed government for Great Depression Military leaders gained support Wanted to restore traditional control of government to military Made Emperor Hirohito symbol of state power Extreme nationalists Solve problems through foreign expansion Provide Japan with raw materials & markets for goods Room for growing population Eyes on Manchuria & China Hideki Tojo rose in military in campaigns in Second Sino-Japanese War  became Prime Minister  launched attack on Pearl Harbor 1941

Invasion of Manchuria Rich in iron & coal
Seized in 1931 despite objections from Japanese Parliament Installed puppet government Built mines & factories First direct challenge to League of Nations Protested seizure of Manchuria Japan withdrew from League 1933 No enforcement mechanism! Invasion of China 1937 Beijing, northern cities, & capital Nanking fell 1937 Killed tens of thousands of captured soldiers & civilians in Nanking China in middle of civil war (we come back to this) – put this on pause Jiang Jieshi set up new capital at Chongqing Guerillas led by Mao Zedong continued to fight Japanese

Appeasement Proved Faulty
Appeasement – strategy of preventing a war by making concessions for grievances (i.e. affront to Germans in the Treaty of Versailles) Secured “peace in our time” at the Munich Pact (Chamberlain) Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939 anyway Gave Hitler time to build his army After invasion of Czechoslovakia, GB & France promised aid to Poland, Romania, Greece, & Turkey if Germany invaded Response – Hitler & Mussolini’s Pact of Steel in May 1939 – pledge of offensive & defensive support Also made pact with Japan Japan, Germany, & Italy called Axis Powers Stalin saw democracies were not going to support eastern Europe (communist) USSR & Germany signed nonaggression agreement – the Nazi-Soviet Pact or Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Aug. 23, 1939 If one country became involved in war, the other would remain neutral Secretly agreed to divide Poland and the Baltic states Allowed Stalin time to rebuild officer corps (destroyed in the purges)

Isolationism United States chose isolationism – political ties to other countries should be avoided Easy due to geography How many countries border the US? How many countries border Germany? Argued entry to WWI was a costly error Three Neutrality Acts passed after 1935 Banned loans and sale of arms to nations at war Not really followed…

CLASSWORK Journal #13 – Analyze why dictators were able to rise to power in the interwar period. Hitler Mussolini Tojo Treaty of Versailles League of Nations Appeasement Isolationism HOMEWORK Study for Unit 6 Exam! Causes & effects of WWI Alliances of WWI Characteristics of WWI 1920s Prosperity & Culture Russian Revolution Great Depression Rise of Dictators

Interwar Period 1919-1939.

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Interwar Period 1919-1939.

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