Our entire year, we've looked at European nations fighting each other, working to undermine the other, etc. After World War 1 and then the worse World War II, Europeans had grown tired of war.

 

Granted, much of the second half of ht e20th century saw the creation of the Welfare state throughout Europe. This is very expensive. Depending on which country, it might help or hurt. Regardless...by the late 1970's and 80';s in BOTH the US and Great Britain, a conservative movement will begin. This "conservativism" is actually ECONOMIC LIBERALISM! Free trade, end unions, tariffs are expensive, taxes suck, welfare states are a drain on economies, etc. 

 

Back to the EU(european Union) You will have the creation of what many hoped would be a European Super State that would challenge american economic hegemony(dominance) to promote efficiency, to cut costs, and to promote European unity, the EU was born. The EU will END national borders. It will get rid of NATIONAL currencies. It will END tariffs between Euro states(zollverein!) Many of these states will become very attractive to foreigners .Europe still offered many of the welfare benefits that it did before, making it attractive! for businesses, these immigrants were VERY Attractive! Tou didnt have to pay them high wages, also, w fewer border restrictions, Europeans from poorer euro countries(italy, greece) could go to wealthier ones like germany or northern europe. This will take jobs from Nationals. The EU has certainly kept peace in europe. It HAS however, drawn much criticism from those on the political right who have seen NATIONAL borders disappear. Who have seen foreigners taking jobs. Many of these foreigners have come from places outside of Europe. In GB, the caribbean, Africa, Pakistan. In Germany, they have come from Turkey. They will work for lower wages. W tariffs gone, prices are reduced. Wages are reduced too! This is GOOD for companies BAD for workers. The far right will gain a voice, condemning EU for destroying national unity and welcoming foreigners in. All the while, embracing free trade. 

The historic differences between East and West are things we've discussed since the beginning of the course. The West was rooted in roman catholicism (then the reformation) it's language was based on the vulgate of latin and evolved into specific vernaculars. The Russian language and alphabet was Cyrillic, it was NOT based on LATIN. The Eastern orthodox church played an enormous roll in what it means to be "Eastern", russian or just "Slavic." The East never had an "Enlightenment." It had few (in fact they try to fight a series of wars to get access) to war water ports which precluded diversity of knowledge, new ideas, new peoples' etc...As the west liberalized and east (specifically Russia and it's sphere of influence throughout the east) held on to it's themes of Autocracy, Slavism, and Orthodoxy. Lot's of pride in being from the east.

 

Now, was the cold war inevitable? Communism(although what was in USSR was NOT communism, it was a "Re-run" of the autocracy(stalin replacing the czar and the state replaces orthodoxy) existed DUE TO THE INEQUALITIES of capitalism. The two were incompatible. Stalin was ruthless. The west desired a rebuilt (Marshall Plan!) europe to promote democracy and capitalism. According to George Kennan, an american diplomat, who wrote the "The Long Telegram" in 1946 said that Russian (therefore Soviet) "insecurity" of the west would make it impossible to have peace w the West. Kennan said (of the USSR) "it's impervious to the logic of reason, but it was highly sensitive to the logic of force." BE STRONG AGAINST THEM!!!! Truman will stand tough against stalin. Containment will become us policy for decades, Truman doctrine will seek to help countries fighting outside communist influence in their country. The US, based on Kennan's telegram, commits itself to fighting communism globally. That being said, Stalin went back on his yalta promises at Potsdam, supported the spread of his sphere of influence in satellite countries in Eastern Europe, arms race, LATER the Berlin wall. That being said.....the US AND the Soviets will engage in large scale espionage

Practice tests have been scored. Come see what you earned in the AM Thursday between 630-715am or after school from 248-310

Friday, 248-320PM

Monday After school 245-315

Tuesday 615-715am after school 248-315

TAKE NOTE! This was your FIRST attempt. Did you study as hard as you could have? What might you change? Was it harder? EASIER? What strategies might you employ next time? Which strategies seemed to work? 

Fascism starts in Italy, then Germany and then successfully takes hold in Spain. In spain, however, there is a TERRIBLE civil war. There is a war between those that REPUBLICANS(those that supported a republic. They would seek the support of the soviet union as well as other nations and people---including many americans who supported the concept of republicanism) V. the Nationalists. The latter were supported by the fascists in italy and Germany and represented the military, supported by conservative forces--monarchists, the wealthy, the church, and ANTI-COMMUNISTS!! The Republican forces called for modernization, a republic, a separation between church and state. When the 20th century began in spain, Spain was totally behind everyone else. Remember, the last time we spoke of spain we saw them have to fight Napoleon's occupying army by using guerrilla warfare. The traditional power in Spain @beginning of 20th century was the "Army, the Church, and the King." Spain was really behind everyone in europe due to it's failures to embrace the scientific revolution, then the enlightenment. SYNTHESIS! Remember, the Inquistion played very powerful role in punishing advocates of modernity or anything that challenged Spain's "Traditional" leaders. ***Both italiy and Germany will support the Spanish Nationalists. Spanish civil war often referred to as the "Dress Rehearsal" of ww2 due to it's use of new , TERRIBLE weapons as well as the fight between fascism and communism(eastern front) 

 

 

Fascism believed in traditional roles for people. Women, STAY home and have children, raise the children. Mussolini, although not a religious man at all, will seek the approval of the Catholic Church in the Lateran accords. The compromise will give the Church's approval to the fascists in return for the Church controlling education, ending divorce, ending birth control,and later the prohibition of marriage between Jews and Italians in Italy, AND created the Vatican-the official state of the Catholic Church and the Pope as the head of this sovereign country. Before this, the Pope had basically lived in self imposed (there had been i think four popes since Italy's unification) exile or house arrest at the vatican do to his hatred of the birth of the Kingdom of Italy which promoted secularism. (remember! Syllabus of Errors!) What both the fascists and the Church shared in common was a HATRED of the Communists. 

 

Hitler and Mein Kampf. In his book Hitler basically outlines ALL of the things he wishes to see for Germany. Beyond the destruction of the Jews, he also points out the need to destroy lesser "sub human" people like the Slavs in Eastern Europe. This term "sub human" will be used to describe those that the Nazi's were fine w exterminating. He also called for "Living Space" or "Lebensraum" for the New Germany, the Third Reich. This would entail the destruction of the slavic peoples as well as the occupation of Eastern Eurpe and Russia. 

We've discussed in length the ideas of anti-semitism, it's meaning, it roots, and how it will be endemic in throughout Europe(this is counting obviously Russia which is where we'll take things.)  Remember, Russia was VERY late to the ideas of reform, modernity, liberalism. By the turn of the 20th century, the little bits of reform implemented Czar Alexander II will fall prey to reactionaries. (remember, he's murdered by anarchists. His son "3" will be a total jerk a total reactionary.) When he expires, his son Nicholas who is totally stupid, lazy, incapable of the job(and the last Czar ironically) continues reactionary policies. That being said, liberal ideas will still try and take root in Russia. To combat this liberalism, friends of the czar will create a forged book called the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It is TOTALLY fake, totally. However, its contents warn of a Jewish plot to overthrow govts and dominate the world. (again, it was a forgery from something decaes earlier warning of Napoleon III-don't worry about this.) Regardless, due to it's anti semitism, due to the decades earlier Jewish Emancipation laws, and the equating w liberalism w being "jewish" intellectual idea, the book gains popularity in backward, reactionary Russia. When the Czar is done, the book will find it's way to growing Fascist Italy and to the West in general. Adolf Hitler loves the book. So does American auto giant Henry Ford who commission 500,000 copies to b emade in the USA. **It will be taught in German schools after the Nazi's take over in 1933 EVEN though it was proven to be a fake. It does terrible damage and only promotes anti-semitism and the the conspiracy of a Jewish plot to rule the world. Reactionaries, anti-liberals, anti- semites love it. 

FYI...MAKE up LEQ and MC MAKE up Wednesday 630am sharp. MAKE up LEQ themes: 2nd industrial Revolution, NEW Imperialism

 

THEMES for LEQ test Wednesday for ALL: A. Anti semitism, B. Russian growth/problems/relationship w Ottoman AND west. What did they want? Why? C. Russian Comparisons throughout our course? D. World War I EFFECTS

 

I find it hard to argue that ANYONE wins ww1. To be sure, the USA emerges as a VERY dominate world power. Relatively untouched by the War, Pres Wilson announces his 14 points and the League of Nations appears as a "cure" for future wars. That is, IF they USA decides to join the organization they created. They will propose the Dawes Plan which will alleviate immediate problems, not lONG TERM. The US will back off though follow through and war, hate, far right nationalism, resentment, will grow in the 1920's SUCCESSFULLY first in Italy THEN Germany.

 

**With the Kaiser gone, the new Weimar DEMOCRACY will emerge. It will be the govt that signs the surrender. To those on the Right...this democracy, this LIBERALISM (franchise, democracy, equality, tolerance...basically enlightened ideas that WERE NOT at the heart of the Germany we have learned about.) will stab the Germany they loved in the back. The army, conservativism, etc. Civil servants, teahcers, and those who'd worked for the kaiser didn't like it they; they like the kaiser! The Officer Corp(the military leadership who REMEMBER were rooted in Prussian Militarism) HATED it. They loved conservativism. Hated liberalism and saw these ideas of surrender, especially when germany occupied n france as hateful. That being said, Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution will become VERY handy for the Nazi's when they are voted in to power in the '30's. 

 

Let's think about this..  WHY Weimar? You had basically at the end of the war a revolution in Germany. A communist rev had just been successful(ish) in Russia, Gemrany was the real prize. Industrialized, rich(ish), educated the Social Democratic Party of Germany took the initiative and created the Weimar rep when Wilhelm abdicated. This was done because fighting in the streets (in Bavaria in particular WHIHC will also be the birthplace of Nazism) had a temporary communist victory. Those loyal to the conservative Germany will ultimately crush this revolt and will call attention to the fact that many of the leaders of the communists there were jewish. The Freikorp, will form. They were ANGRY veterans from the war will not tolerate this left  wing communism in their germany. Veterans of the war, like adolf hitler will return home.He'll go to Munich (the capitol of the german state of bavaria..) B4 the war, he had lived in VERY open, free, artistic, liberal, Vienna. He tried to make it as an artist. while he could draw, he was not unique in his ability to create anything new. He hated vienna. Hated the people, hated the new ideas, the multi culturalism(remember, austria SUPER diverse) He will, along w others on the far right, equate liberalism, Marxism, multi culturalism w being the ENEMY of what a Germany should (was, could, might be. The dude was a total romantic. He glorified all germanic beliefs. Wagner, germanic myths, blood nationalism, the idea of the German Volk) The the Nazi party that emerged, the idea of "socialist" will not be what it is everywhere else. It espoused EXTREME nationalism. There is an ENORMOUS contrast between what we've learned about what "socialism" is and what "National Socialism" in Germany will be. ALL things work to serve the betterment of the state whereas in traditional socialism, the state serves to make the lives of the PEOPLE better. 

 

The US, thanks to massive DE-REGULATION and the desire for  a "return to normalcy" (a term coined by the then super popular future president Harding.....now decried as one of the WORST in history) helped create a MASSIVE american economy. Roaring 20's. They'll help Germany w the Dawes plan. Things are ok for a bit in Germany. Then the economic collapse of '29 (you'll see this in APUSH) ruins the american economy which keeps them from helping Germany. German economy collapse and the desire to make Germany Great Again emerges. The Far Right wing Nazi party is overwhelmingly elected. "Someone" will burn the Reichstag(the german capitol down) down. It MUST be the communists!! (who HATE nazi's and totally vice versa!) "Communists are often Jewish!" (nazi ideology) Article 48 MUST be implemented. Birth of THIRD REICH.

 

Th e1920's referred to as Age of Anxiety for many reason. New art, new philosophical ideas, cultural changes, Existentialism("Meaning in a meaningless world.")