Interwar Period in Europe

Lecture Slides
How was your Spring Break? Tell
me atleast one thing you
did/enjoyed over the break.
Theory of Relativity
Existentialism
Coalition Governments
Weimar Republic
Dawes Plan
Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact
National Government
Popular Front
Postwar Europe
After WWI, people around the world began to question traditional beliefs. They
began to challenge how people viewed the world and the convenience of new
technologies improved daily lives.

As society opened, women began to demand more rights and younger generations
adopted new values.
New Revolution of Science
Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity, said that the speed of light is constant,
but time and space are not. This altered people’s perceptions of the world around
them.

Freud started further developed Psychology and the idea that human reason is
irrational. His ideas gained widespread influence and weakened people’s faith in
reasoning.
Literature
Writers also joined this new wave of thinking. They focused on situations people
can not understand and many began to showcase the thinking of Freud.

Existentialism began to emerge in Literature. This is the idea that there is no

universal meaning to life, but instead each person creates their own meaning to
life.
Societal Challenges
Women’s roles in society took a drastic turn during the Interwar Period. Their rights
increased after WWI due to participation in War Efforts. They also turned away from
traditional ideas of dress.

Influential women, like Margaret Sanger and Emma Goldman, spoke out for greater
freedoms in their lives. Women began to seek new careers, growing their influence
in industries like medicine, education, journalism, and others.
Technological Improvements
The first automobiles became more attainable to the masses. Airplanes
transformed travel around the globe. Radios and Movies altered the entertainment
industry around the globe.

Labor saving devices became widespread during the interwar period.

The Rise of New Democracies
Post-WWI, new democracies popped up around the world. The Weimar Republic,
Germany’s democratic government, shows the weaknesses of such Democracies.
Inflation harmed the country, saved by the Dawes Plan.

Countries attempted to make a Lasting Peace and improve relations with one
another. Through the “Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact” almost every major country
vowed to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.
Financial Crisis
The world began to rely heavily on the economy of the United States. Flaws in the
US system led to economic collapse in 1929. This sent the globe into a terrible
depression.

The American collapse sent shock waves around the world. World Trade dropped
by 65 percent and unemployment soared. Austria and Germany hit especially hard
due to war debts. Asian farmers and urban worker felt the pain as exports fell by
half. Latin America also had a drop in exports and prices collapsed.
Respond to the Image on Peardeck
Respond to the Image on Peardeck
British Response
Britain also felt the hardships of Global Depression. They elected the National
Government that passed high tariffs, increased taxes, and regulated the currency
They also dropped interest rates to encourage industrial growth.

By 1937 they had cut unemployment in half and production had risen above 1929
levels. This helped to avoid political extremes and preserve Democracy.
European Response
France had 5 coalition government form and fall in 1933 alone. In 1935, 1 million
people were unemployed. Political leaders feared upheaval and formed the
Popular Front to pass reforms around the country. They too preserved Democracy.

Scandinavian countries used Socialist Governments or cooperative community

action. They sponsored massive government projects to keep workers employed.
They heavily increased taxes to provide benefits, such as unemployment,subsidies
for housing, and pensions for the elderly. Democracy stayed in tact in these regions
of Europe.
Next Class: We will
look at the countries of
the world that were
unable to keep their
young democracies in
tact. What do you know about
Fascism in Europe?
Rise of Totalitarian Regimes
Fascism

Nazism

Mein Kampf

Lebensraum

Reichstag Fire

Anti-Semitism

Kristallnacht
Rise of Fascism
Many governments, like Britain and France, remained strong Democracies during
the economic crisis of the 1930s. However, millions of people lost faith in
Democracy and turned towards an extreme system of government called Fascism.

Fascism was a new, militant political movement that emphasized loyalty to the state
and obedience to it’s leader. They preached an extreme form of nationalism and
that peaceful states were doomed to be conquered. Similar to communism in
structure, but did not see a classless society, Instead believed each class had its
place and function. Aristocrats and Industrialists.
Fascism in Italy
Italians were angry over not receiving territorial gains at the Paris Peace
Conference and rise of inflation. They wanted a leader that would solve the
country's problems. Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919, vowing to
revive the economy and rebuild the military.

In October 1922, Fascists marched on Rome and demanded the king give power to
Mussolini. Victor Emmanuel III did so, giving Mussolini power “legally”. He was now
Il Duce (the leader). He outlawed political parties, jailed opponents, censored
media.
Hitler Rises to Power
Adolf Hitler was little known when Il Duce rose to power. Hitler joined a political
group called the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi for short). They
adopted a brand of Fascism called Nazism. Hitler used his success as an organizer
and speaker to become “ der Fuher” (the leader).

Hitler was influenced by the Fascist march on Rome and tried to seize power in
1923. However, he failed and was arrested. While in jail he wrote Mein Kampf (My
Struggle) setting forth his policies. He asserted “Aryans” as the master race and
other races as inferior. He also declared Germany needed more “Lebensraum” or
living space due to overcrowdedness.
What Implications could “Lebensraum” have
on Nazi ideals? What does this sound like
that we have covered in class?
Hitler Rises to Power
At first, people ignored the Nazi Party after Hitlers release. However, once the
Great Depression hit and the german people turned to Hitler for “security and
leadership”. Once in power he called for new elections and communist blame for
the Reichstag fire gained him a slim majority.

He used his power to ban other political parties, arrest opponents, and used a new
Group called the SS to murder his opponents. The Nazis took control of the
economy, dropping unemployment from 6 million to 1.5 million in 1936. He used
propaganda in the media to win total control of German life.
Nazis in Power
A key aspect of Nazi Idealogy was Anti-Semitism or a hatred for Jewish Individuals.
Less than 1% of the German population, Hitler blamed Jewish peoples for the
struggles of Germany since WWI. This created a wave of Anti-Semitism starting in
1933.

They passed laws depriving them of their rights and violence against Jewish
individuals mounted. On November 9th, 1938 Nazi mobs attacked Jewish people
in their homes and on the streets. Destroying thousands of Jewish owned
buildings. This is called Kristallnacht or Night of the Broken Glass. It marks the
beginning of the process to eliminate Jewish peoples from German Life.
What do Mussolini and Hitler have in
common when working to gain power in
their countries?
Other Countries Fall to Dictators
Austria fell to military forces led by Miklos Horthy and Poland to Marhal Jozef
Pilsudski seized power in 1926. By 1935 only Czechoslovakia remained as a
Democracy in Eastern Europe. By the mid 1930s the powerful nations of the world
were split into two camps - democratic and totalitarian regimes.

Francisco Franco led the Fascist Party in Spain during the 1930s. Lost the election
of 1936 and attempted a failed coup, leading to the Spanish Civil War. Franco
emerged victorious and named himself “El Caudillo”.