The Western Democracies

The Interwar Period

The United States

Citizens wanted to return to a life of isolation, free from international problems

Congress did NOT ratify the Treaty of Versailles, because they had problems with the League of Nations The absence of the US weakened the

League’s effectiveness as a strong international peacekeeping organization

Red Scare in the US

People feared the effects of communism Led to the expulsion (deportation) of

suspected foreign radicals Also opposed immigration from southern and

eastern Europe Congress enacted limits to immigration from

Europe. Earlier laws had been passed that limited Asian immigration

From Boom to Bust in the US Emerged from WWI with a dynamic industrial

economy Became a “lending nation”

As a result of the booming economy People bought expensive items on credit Invested heavily in the stock market, sometimes

buying stock on “margin” Farm prices dropped as they did not cut back

on their WWI production practices Too much supply; not enough demand

The Great Depression Over-saturation in the stock market helped to

cause it to crash 10/29/1929 Many people lost everything they had as a result

People lost their jobs, when the economy stopped: 25% unemployment during the 1930s

1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President

The New Deal During FDR’s first 100 days as President, he

initiated legislation to stimulate the economy These laws were to provide relief, recovery, and

reform They helped restore the nation’s confidence Ultimately they resulted in creating the “welfare

state” and did NOT end the depression

Great Britain WWI had cost Great Britain its position of a

leading economic power in the world Great Britain was forced to borrow money from

the US Japan & the US had newer industrial equipment

and could produce at a lower cost than Great Britain By 1921, more than 2 million workers had lost their

jobs

The General Strike By 1926, coal miners were involved in a strike

for higher wages. Employers refused to give in to their demands May 4, 1926, a general strike involving many

other trade unions walked off their jobs Government called a state of emergency &

called troops to run essential services, so the strike was unsuccessful

1927, Parliament passed the Trades Dispute Act, which made general strikes illegal

Rise of the Labour Party British workers formed the Labour Party &

became the second leading political party in Great Britain, in 1924 & 1929 Labour governments were elected King George V named Scottish Labour leader,

Ramsay MacDonald as Prime Minister Labour Party supported socialist policies, which

alarmed the Conservative Party MacDonald was able to temper many of the

radical demands

The Dominions

Canada & Australia became independent states

1931, Parliament passed the Statute of Westminister, establishing the Commonwealth of Nations, which voluntarily linked Great Britain & its former colonies on an equal basis

Ireland 1916, Irish nationalists revolted against the

British The brutal crushing of the Easter Uprising by

British forces increased Irish support for full independence

1921, Michael Collins (leading the Irish) & British leaders signed a compromise Southern Catholic Ireland became a dominion known

as the Irish Free State The mostly Protestant north remained joined with

Great Britain as Northern Ireland

Ireland Continued Irish radicals who wanted full independence for

Ireland, led by Eamon De Valera, revolted against the Irish Free State

Irish government suppressed the uprising 1932, Irish elections brought De Valera to

power 1937, the country’s name was changed to Eire,

and a president replaced the British monarch as head of state

France Suffered severe economic problems Could not rebuild infrastructure as a result As a result of their constitution, no political party

ever received a majority, so to form a government they had to form a coalition

Coalition governments usually failed Extremist groups on both the left & right

threatened the political stability Communists, socialists, fascists all struggled for

power

The Popular Front 1934, fascist groups rioted in Paris Fearing a fascist takeover, communists

appealed to the Socialist Party leaders to form a popular front to combat fascism

1936, the Popular Front won enough votes to form a government & Leon Blum, the socialist leader, became prime minister

Only in power for about a year, but passed laws to help workers & farmers

French Foreign Policy Above all else, France wanted to avoid any

future wars Created a series of alliances to contain Germany &

signed the Locarno Treaty with the German Weimar Republic, Italy, Belgium, & Great Britain

Built the Maginot Line, 200 miles of concrete bunkers & trenches along their common border with Germany

What they failed to consider was that France’s border with Belgium was unprotected!