AP Euro: Unit 16.5-16.8 - The Interwar Years

AMERICA

The Roaring 20’s

• WWI had been a catastrophe for many European nations.
• While European society was reorganizing itself and rebuilding after the war, the United States experienced a post-war boom of productivity and culture.
• Society fragmented into many smaller groups each with different outlooks on life and how to live it.
• The US becomes a nation of many different personalities, all at the same time; and some of those personalities don’t get along with one another.
• This age is known as the “Roaring 20’s”

Those Disillusioned in Government/Society

• Lost a ton of the younger generation on the battlefields of Europe, people on the homefront struggled and starved
• Many of those that survived were crippled 
• Many experienced feelings of anger, despair and resentment at being used in such a way
• A new generation of writers described it as the moral breakdown of western Society.
• Write about wandering the US, out of touch with society.
• Many of these authors got sick of our society and left the US altogether (Paris seemed to be the center of the “disgusted with society” bunch)
• Gertrude Stein called them the “lost generation” and the name stuck.

The Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance

• African American popular culture was becoming somewhat mainstream
• The Jazz Age: Musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington become household names as Jazz is a new fad
• African Americans in Harlem (a neighborhood in New York with a high concentration of African Americans) started a movement to express pride in African American roots.  Harlem Renaissance 
• Authors describe the unique experience of living in a society that both puts them down (racism is still a thing) and admires them at the same time (accomplishments in Jazz and literature)

Flappers

• A new popular culture emerged in the late 1910’s and early 1920’s that embraced rebelliousness.
• They rejected the moral values and rules and chased after excitement. More open to experimentation.
• The “poster child” for this age was the liberated young woman known as “flappers.”
• First flappers are American, but the fashions and attitudes associated with it soon reached Europe.
• Wore their hair and dresses short.  
• Smoked cigarettes and went to nightclubs with men until early hours of the morning
• Definitely the “it” fad but only a small percentage of women were actually flappers

The Professional Woman

• Given the right to vote in 1919 (US)
• New labor saving devices like washing machines, blenders, vacuum cleaners, etc. gave women a TON more free time
• Many left work in factories when men came home, but women were a more accepted part of the professional workforce than ever before.
• Golfers, tennis players, pilots, reporters, novelists, ect.  Some women even won positions in government!
• Most careers were still dominated by men however. 

The Rigid Part of Society

• There are many who reject the carefree lifestyle of the flappers (actually a majority of the nation).
• Pass laws governing decent behavior
• Social activist groups (again, mostly containing women) fought hard to vilify the consumption of alcohol.  
• Got enough support to pass the 18th amendment (prohibition) which banned the sale, production, and possession of alcoholic beverages
• Highly controversial, almost from minute one, people called for repealing it.
• Intended to keep people from the negative aspects of alcohol, but it backfired, and led to a new host of problems.

Organized Crime

• Flappers and others in society chose to ignore the new laws, which led to organized criminal activities being undertaken by a significant percentage of the population.
• Gangsters like Al Capone manufactured and distributed bootleg alcohol and reaped in ENORMOUS profits, making them even stronger.
• Illegal bars, known as speakeasies sprung up around the nation
• The 18th Amendment (prohibition) was repealed in 1933.

Red Scare in the US

• In the US, a wave of anti-communist hysteria was just beginning (this will REALLY ramp up during the Cold War) to engulf the nation
• Leads to the rounding up of people deemed “communist sympathizers” who were then exiled/deported (if they were immigrants) out of the United States.
• The US passes laws to limit immigration from Russia and eastern European nations fearing that communism would “infect” America.

The Great Depression

• A global economic collapse
• Caused by a multitude of factors.
• Overproduction: Total War had factories operating at 100%.  When the war ended and demand dropped, factories had to lay off workers
• Financial: Banks had begun to play fast and loose with lending money.  Wall street also resorted to riskier and riskier methods in order to make money.  The Federal Reserve Bank raised interest rates, which shook investor confidence resulting in a…
• Bank Run: People went to the banks to withdraw money, but there is nothing in the banks to withdraw...  
• This had a spiraling effect.
• Banks had no money
• People can’t withdraw money, so they buy fewer goods
• Businesses that produce and sell goods can’t sell them (no buyers) and can’t pay their workers, so they end up closing
• Now goods and services are scarce (and so is money) so the cost of everything goes through the ROOF (hyperinflation)
• The US demands payment of war debts, when nations can’t pay, the US issues the highest tariffs in our nation’s history and refuses to loan money to other nations.
• The higher tariffs and refusal to give loans cause fewer countries to be willing and able to buy US goods, more layoffs and more businesses close.
• Millions out of work, the cost of simple things like food goes through the roof.

Insult to Injury: The Bonus Army

• People are struggling and failing to get by
• Veterans from WWI began to march on Washington DC to demand payment of their service certificates (promised payment for service, but YEARS away)
• Grew in size until there were 43,000 marchers
• Camp gets so large it is almost its own city!
• Marchers descend on the White House to have their demands be heard
• While marchers were away, Herbert Hoover sent in the US army to burn their camp (Hooverville) 
• Army dispersed what was left of the marchers.  
• People losing faith in US government

Insult to Injury: The Dust Bowl

• During the middle of the calamity of the Great Depression, the US also experienced an ecological crisis in the Dust Bowl.
• Over Farming (and POOR farming practices) turned a huge chunk of the South Central US into a desert.
• Millions turned into refugees from this disaster (many actually settle in California)
• Will take years for us to recover and undo the damage we caused here, most of it was thanks to one of the US’s greatest presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

FDR

• FDR argued that the government had to take action to combat the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.  His plan is called the New Deal. Has several parts
• New laws regulated banking and Wall Street
• New laws protecting bank deposits
• Social Security Program Created
• Programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) went to work on America’s infrastructure, planting trees, building roads and bridges, 
• Expanded the size, the role, and the DEBT held by the United States
• US presidents now rack up the debt to pay for things that we want, but can’t afford.
• Government has more power over, and direct contact with the general populations (we have fewer freedoms)
• We are right back to the shady practices that caused the GD in the first place.

EUROPE

In the Spirit of Peace

• The allies decide to lessen Germany's reparations payments.
• They induct Germany into the league of nations (1926)
• The League of Nations members also signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.  
• It's major points included:
• Further Disarmament
• Outlawed declarations of war
• Weaknesses:
• No-one specified how much disarmament had to occur, some nations got rid of more than others (cough, France)
• How do you enforce "no declarations of war" when you can't back it up.......

ENGLAND

Labor Party in Britain

• The Labor party surpassed the Liberal party in Britain, who made steps to gradually transition to more socialist policies.
• The Liberal party seemed to be unable to affect change, so many liberals threw their support behind the conservatives (because at least they weren’t socialist)
• Resulted in the conservatives regaining power at the Labor party’s expense, and passing new legislation
• Limited workers rights
• No right to strike against unfair treatment by employers after a massive (3 million)  general strike of workers across many industries, in 1926

Postwar Politics: Ireland

• More clashes between the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the English over the freedom of Ireland.  (want to be independent from GB, not have the Hungary-deal)
• IRA resorts to guerilla tactics and carries out a campaign of terrorism.
• Horrible and brutal tactics used by both sides.
• Ireland was finally granted independence in 1922, but Northern Ireland remains a part of Great Britain to this day.
• Fighting between IRA and British also continues

ITALY

Forces Causing Unhappiness

• Italy had been promised territory once WWI was over (promised by Great Britain, they did NOT get this territory, it became the new nation of Yugoslavia).  
• This made Italian nationalists furious
• Feel like major European nations are cheating them of what they deserve
• War veterans came home to work in factories.  Since most of Europe was in a depression, many workers were laid off (most of them Veterans)
• Italy tried to protect its markets with tariffs (like the US, and like the US), this only made Italy’s recession worse.
• New radical groups gained voices in Italian politics.  One such group was the Fascists.

Rise of Benito Mussolini

• A man named Benito Mussolini used the chaos resulting from WWI to become a household name in Italy.
• Soldier in WWI
• Sought ways to further stir up feelings of nationalism in Italy
• Promised that he could end the massive amounts of unemployment in Italy
• Named his party the fascists (comes from an ancient Roman word fasces which was a symbol of unity and strength)
• Fascism: A centralized, authoritarian government, which isn't communist, but its policies glorify the state over the individual, and are destructive towards human rights.
• Promised to restore parts of the old Roman empire (make the Mediterranean into a Roman lake again!)
• Used the feelings of unhappiness among workers to promote ideas of socialism 
• Resulted in Mussolini coming to power

Fascism in Italy under Mussolini

• Super charismatic speaker
• Mussolini organized his followers into smaller military-style units.  These are called the Blackshirts (voluntary militia for national security)
• Blackshirts are radical thugs.  They reject democratic processes and resort to violence to achieve their means.
• Terrorize citizens into following the policies set by Mussolini.  Elected government officials Mussolini considers opponents are “persuaded” not to run
• Eliminate people who can’t be persuaded 
• The people of Italy are unhappy with the government but don’t condemn these acts of violence.

Blackshirts Organize

• An army of Blackshirts gathered in the Italian city of Naples.  
• They would march to Rome (March on Rome) gaining support the whole way, and force the King to make changes to the government favorable to the blackshirt goals.
• King Vittorio Orlando wants to avoid civil war, so he appoints Mussolini as his new prime minister, thinking this would appease the people.
• Soon, it was clear that Mussolini, not the king, really ruled Italy.
• Mussolini adopted the title “Il Duce” which literally translates as “the leader” by 1925
• Made additional efforts to consolidate his power.

Mussolini Consolidates Power

• Agriculture, Industry, and trade were all controlled by the fascist party
• In order to move Italy forward, the individual rights and personal freedoms of people were sacrificed to serve the interests of the state (state is ALL IMPORTANT!)
• Men were urged to become warriors and fight ruthlessly for the advancement of the Italian cause.
• Women were encouraged to have children
• Women who gave birth to more than 14 children were given special commendations (medals) from Mussolini himself!
• Those children were educated in schools FORCED to learn fascist ideals.
• Young boys trained almost as if they were in the military (Germany will copy this!)
• Mussolini rigged elections, destroyed liberal newspapers, suppressed rival political parties, etc to consolidate his power.
• Forged a deal with the Pope called the Lateran Pact
• Part of the city of Rome (Vatican City) is declared a sovereign nation 
• The Pope and the Catholic Church must support Mussolini and his government.
• Embraced Social Darwinism
• Once consolidation is over, Italy is a totalitarian state (a one-party dictatorship that seeks to control as many aspects of people’s lives as possible).  Mussolini is every bit a dictator.
• Popular!  People feel that democracy will only lead to corruption
• This will lead Italy to be strong: therefore more fit to survive in this new world.

Don’t Play Well with Others

• At first, foreign nations applauded Mussolini (until he started trying to conquer other nations)
• Italian people are huge fans of Mussolini
• Groundswell of Italian nationalism
• Projects strength
• Got the government running efficiently
• Though there is a LOT in common with Mussolini’s government and socialism/communism,...
• Government control over industries
• The nation comes first, not individual rights
• Most times rely on a charismatic leader
• ...Fascists are sworn enemies of both communism and socialism (differences)
• Have social classes and use capitalism
• Can own private property
• Are intensely NATIONALISTIC instead of trying to get an international movement going

Making All the Wrong Friends

• Mussolini had achieved international renown.
• His takeover of Italy was closely watched by an Austrian living in Germany named Adolf Hitler.
• When Hitler eventually rose to power, he copied many of Mussolini’s habits (and was arguably more successful with them than Mussolini himself)
• Use intense nationalism to glorify the state
• Play the soldier background (Hitler actually fights though)
• Blackshirts = Brownshirts
• Charismatic Speaker, have lots of parades
• Give them someone to hate (Jews in Germany, Communists in Italy)
• Government nationalization of certain industries
• Start training a new generation of youth in schools (see give them someone to hate)
• Strong advocate for young people to have LOTS of babies!