The Years Between the

WarsChapters 27 & 28

I. Introduction Between June 28, 1919 and September 1,

1939 Period of great economic decline and political

changes Political

Fascism in Italy Communism in Russia Socialism in Germany

Economic Hyperinflation and Economic Depression

II. Soviet Union Communist had to consistently fight for

power until the end of the Civil War in 1921 Red Russians won due to disorganization of

White Russian War Communism

Lead under Leon Trotsky Cheka- Communist secret police used to enforce

communist power Confiscated banks, transportation and heavy

industry and grain production

II. Soviet Union New Economic Policy 1921

Lenin’s plan to boost the Russian economy after the civil war “Tolerated” peasants selling of excess grain for

a profit Result of Lenin’s view on peasants

Eventually re-established production to pre-war levels (1927)

Turned whole economy into small private businesses

II. Soviet Union End of Lenin

Stroke 1922 and died in 1924 Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky fought over the

future of the Soviet Union Trotsky’s new economic plans

Confiscate all agriculture and rushed industrialization

Only could be financed if other communist revolutions occurred in other countries Use their industry to boost their economy

II. Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)

Was less educated than Lenin or Trotsky More manipulative politically and very brutal to

all opposition Ruled through terror and coercion

Killed 20 Million + Exiled Trotsky, to Siberia, in 1927

Solidified Stalin’s control of Soviet Union “Socialism in one country”

II. Soviet Union Rapid Industrialization

Started in 1928 5 year plan (Gosplan)

Very high production goals were set in factories, mines and steel mills Greatly boosted factory labor

force At cost of consumer production Used propaganda to sell the

ideas to people Industry was poorly ran but

brought about “full employment” Production increase 400% but

quality suffered

II. Soviet Union Collectivization of Agriculture

Kulaks- independent farmers- were forced into collectivization

Followed Trotsky’s agriculture plan Private farmers forced to work together in a

type of communal farm- state owns produce 1929 agents sent to collect hoarded wheat

and force collectivization. Result of food shortages but brought about

greater food shortages as a result of farmers sabotaging collectivization

II. Soviet Union Great Purges

Stalin sought to kill anyone that he saw as a threat Result of extreme paranoia

Happened in waves Resulted in a number of deaths to rival that of

Hitler

III. Italy Fascism in Italy

Reaction to Bolshevism Authoritarian Nationalism Focus on Middleclass but dislike parliamentary

governments and political hereditary Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)

Initially was a socialist Became leader of Fasci di Combattimento

(1919) Nationalist group of Italians who felt Italy was not

given its fair share from the Treaty of Versailles Elected to Chamber of Deputies (1921)

III. Italy March on Rome

October 1922- Fascist marched on Rome (Black Shirt March) King Victor Emmanuel asked Mussolini to

become prime minister October 29, 1922 Legal but forced 1924- manipulated voting laws and representation

to allow the fascist a majority in the Chamber of Deputies Gained large amounts of power and kept it

through use of propaganda

III. Italy Lateran Accord 1929

Peace between Italy and the Vatican Since 1860

Paid Vatican for lands confiscated Pope is the official ruler of Vatican City Benefits for the Catholic Church

No taxes Church in charge of marriage Catholicism is the official religion

Solidified Mussolini’s power

III. Italy Mussolini’s economic policy

Increased public works Pushed domestic goods rather than imports Laissez-faire/ socialism Syndicates

Private ownership of capital with government overseeing labor Groups that combine labor and management to seek to improve

production/profits Sought to avoid class conflict

Corporations Combined syndicates from similar industries (22)

Allowed government to gain control on large portions of the economy 1938- Chamber of Deputies replaced with Chamber of Corporations

1935- Invasion of Ethiopia resulted in wartime economy and League of Nation economic sanctions

IV. Germany Weimar Republic

Officially formed in August 11, 1919 Became a symbol of German defeat Officially ended with Hitler coming to power

Constitution Written in Weimar Positives

Universal suffrage by direct election Civil Liberties

Negatives President can appoint and remove chancellor President can rule by decree in “emergency” Small groups can gain power very easily

IV. Germany Years of Crisis 1919-1923

Came under attack from both communist and socialist

Period of hyperinflation Papiermark became virtually worthless due to

the government over printing to pay off reparations

Rentenmark replaced the old mark to reset the currency Actually became more valuable than the US dollar Became the beginning of the Golden Era

IV. Germany Golden Era 1924-1929

Under Chancellor Gustav Stresemann Helped by the Dawes plan

US banks lent money to Germany banks to pay of reparations

Artificially boosted German economy which later collapsed as a result of 1929 NYSE crash Ended Dawes plan

Period of “prosperity” similar to US roaring twenties

IV. Germany Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Joined Christian Social party- Mayor Karl Lueger (Vienna) Anti-Semitic group Associated Marxism with Jews

National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) AKA Nazis (1920) Pushed for breaking Treaty of Versailles, excluding Jews

from citizenship, small vs. large businesses and nationalism Nazi Socialism- all production for the good of the country

25 Points SA- Storm Troopers (Roehm) military group given food and

clothing and later pay- Nazi enforcers that attacked Communist and Socialist

IV. Germany Beer Hall Putsch Nov. 9, 1923

Hitler and General Ludendorff led an attempted overthrow of the government During Chancellor Stresemann’s term Tried for treason: Ludendorff- Acquitted and

Hitler sentenced to 5 years Used this time to write Mein Kampf

Extremely anti-Semitic Planned to expand Germany

IV. Germany Racial breakdown as per Hitler

Nordic -(blond, blue-eyed) Close to pure Aryan Germanic- (brown hair, blue-eyed, or less

desirable, brown-eyed) Predominantly Aryan Mediterranean- (white but swarthy) Slight

Aryan preponderance Slavic -(white but degenerative bone

structure) Close to Aryan, half-Ape Oriental -Slight Ape preponderance Black African -Predominantly Ape Jewish- (fiendish skull) Close to pure Ape

IV. Germany Rise of Hitler

Economy declined again in 1929 due to removal of Dawes Plan Unemployment almost tripled from 1930-1932 Government became disunited

Allowed Nazi’s to gain power in the Reichstag Chancellor of Germany

President Hindenburg (1925-1934) Hitler ran against Hindenburg in 1932

Lost but kept pushing to be chancellor Legal appointed chancellor on Jan 30,1933

Vowed to protect Germany from Communist and Socialist and protect small businesses (Non-Jewish)

Used this as a stepping stone to total control

IV. Germany February 27, 1933 Reichstag Fire

Communist set fire to the building Hitler used this issue Article 48 to purge

Germany of communist Gained almost total control of Reichstag

March 23 Enabling Act- Hitler rules by decree Allowed for oppression of any resistance

July 14, 1933- Nazi party only legal party

August 2, 1934- Hindenburg dies and Hitler combines both offices

IV. Germany Schutzstaffel (Protective Force/Nazi SS)

Under control of Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) Police Force of Germany/ later elite force

Tasked with purging all non-Aryan blood from Germany Also Hitler’s bodyguards

Attack on Jews 1933- banned from holding office 1935- Nuremburg laws- Banned Jews from professional

occupations and citizenship and no intermarriage Defined as having at least 3 Jewish grandparents or

practicing Judaism 1938- Continued Persecution (Kristallnacht- Nov 9 and

10- attacks on Jewish businesses and synagogues) 1941- Extermination

IV. Germany Economic Policy

Hitler used unemployment to gain office Solved the Great Depression- Through sacrificing liberty,

unions, consumerism and capital- Full employment through war preparation All went to the good of the state

Private property still existed Public Works and private farming

No labor changes 1935- Broke Treaty of Versailles by total rearmament for war

Government handled negotiations and scheduled recreations

V. Economic Depression

Most of Europe as well as United States suffered Economic depression Decline in production from war era spending Artificially inflated production and prices due to

lifting of rationing on citizens Europe suffered decline as a result of reparations

Created cycle of US lending money to Germany, Germany making payment to Allies and the Allies paying off their loans to the US Ended with the suspension of the Dawes Plan in 1929

Lead to the power shifts that led to WWII