1. In Between the Wars

2. Question 1 When do you think we could consider ourselves in a depression and not a recession?

3. Question 2 How do you think that this generation would react to a true depression?

4. Age of Anxiety Term used to describe the period between 1919 and 1930’s – post WWI. In Germany and France led to counter-culture movements (flappers in US) – Release from Victorian ideals. Major advancements in science and culture in Germany – Heideggar in philosophy, Heisenberg in physics, Brecht in theater, Einstein in physics. Lost Generation in Literature – Hemingway, Stein, Fitzgerald.

5. Weltanschaung Formed by Freud as a concept. “Worldview” Should focus on science as a solvent for everything.

6. Some Important Ideas, Movements Abounded Lack of Optimism – Dadaism – Existentialism – Weltanschaung – Age of Anxiety World Wide Depression

7. Weimar Republic Created by popular uprising among sailors and military in 1918 – forced government to sue for peace. Created an unstable democratically elected government – Parliament called “Reichstag” Faced popular uprising by Pols and Salisians “Stab in Back Theory” - Hindenberg

8. Challenges to Weimar Government 1. Marxist uprising in Munich – 1920 – put down by Freikorps – elite ex soldiers not under control of gov’t 2. Strikes and Uprisings in Saxony and Hamburg 3. Paramilitary organizations in Germany – Right wing and left wing. 4. Beer Hall Putsch – 1923 – failed Munich uprising by Hitler and Nazis

9. Oh yeah…and Versailles 1. Hyperinflation – Caused by inability to pay reparations and default on loans – French and Belgians then took over Ruhr valley and all mining operations – Had to pay striking workers – more money in system - hyperinflation 2. Reparations – Finally paid off in 2010 However – Post 1923 – short lived golden age of art and culture.

10. Weimar Golden Age… Gustav Stresemann – President who brought stability to German state in this period – Secured American money to back currency via Dawes Plan – Adherence to international policy and Treaty – Created by “outsiders” – Dada (Art), Expressionism (Philosophy), Bauhaus (Architecture), Epic (Theater)

11. Dadaism Artistic movement directly connected to WWI Blamed the event on colonization and bourgeoisie nationalism. Dada art is the opposite of art. It does not focus on aesthetics – it rejects logic and reason in art. A reaction to a lack of optimism.

12. Bauhaus Architectural movement Modernist – brought all aspects of design together Influenced by Dada and by industrial structure

13. Epic Theater – Bertolt Brecht Epic theater was developed to force you to understand that you are seeing a play. Example – a sign drops down in the middle of a performance that tells you how many people are sitting in the audience at the moment. Best example – Mother Courage and Her Children / The Threepenny Opera

14. Causes of the World Wide Depression Depends on the Economist – Easy Credit of Federal Reserve – Caused the Stock Market Collapse – lots of debt – Dawes Plan Gold Standard Pre-War / Post-War German Reparations paid in 1 billion mark increments US provided aid to Germany to pay it back, France would then pay back US and Britain – John Maynard Keynes – the government took a non-interventionist policy – Monetarists – it was caused by a lack of money in the system

15. Effects of the World Wide Depression Canada had its total wealth drop by 56% France: development of the socialist Popular Front and rioting Japan: Used Keynesianism and was able to recover quicker USSR: Avoided the worst of the depression – unless you were Ukrainian of course US: 1/3 unemployment and almost 60% of total wealth lost Germany – Weimar Republic eventually collapsed under pressure of hyperinflation and poverty. Papiermark was worth 4.2 Trillion per 1 US Dollar in 1923.