The+West

I chose this because the European nations that spoke English to me = The West


 * 2. Read p. 673- 678 - and 690 - 695 Outline notes**

// Bouncing Back? // Main Idea: Consumerism and women’s role in society were changing and found ground; the United States and Japan = economic gains and political tension while new authoritarian movements surged in Eastern Europe and Italy · Postwar challenges – Europeans – massive deaths · New democratic republic in Germany · Wave of  o Cubist movement – Pablo Picasso o Writers and composers challenged stylistic traditions o Modern design in architecture/furniture gained grounds o Albert Einstein o Mass consumption items = radio o Middle Class women = participation in popular culture (nightclubs, smoking) § New aspects of culture disturbed traditionalists · British economy = still sluggish · Western Europe did not regain export markets that had been taken over by the United States or Japan // Other Industrial Centers // · Canada, Australia, New Zealand = gained rewards for participation in WWI o Several conferences in the 1920s confirmed independence of Dominions and co-equal status with Britain o British Commonwealth of Nations = free association of members, as British rep. in 3 Dominions = purely symbolic o Dominions registered solid export growth and population gains · US economic and popular cultural initiatives advances rapidly during 1920s o Corporations expanded and innovated o Henry Ford = introduced assembly line for automobile production in 1913, used conveyer belts to move parts past workers o Industrial psychologists studied how to increase output further; added music o Production changes largely imitated that of Europe, Japan, and the Soviet Union o Popular culture exports; jazz = spread o Hollywood o 2 years = spent in an isolationist policy in foreign policies § Treaty of Versailles rejection; League of Nations rejection o Red Scare · Japan o Entered a new phase of industrialization during 1920s o Rapidly augmented in heavy industrial sector o Sill depended heavily n cheap exports to the west because it needed foreign earnings to cover import of fuel and raw materials to support rapid population growth
 * __The Roaring Twenties__**

// New Authoritarianism: The Rise of Fascism // o Benito Mussolini § Formed “fascio di combattimento” aka “union for struggle” § Italian fascist vaguely advocated corporate state that would replace both capitalism and socialism with new national unity § Pointed to the need for an aggressive, nationalistic foreign policy § Worked to seize power by any means and build strong state under strong leader o Fascism § Found roots in late 19th centuries with disenchanted groups regarding liberal, parliamentary systems, and social conflict § Various intellectuals began to urge the need for new authoritarian leadership and devotion to nationalist values over capitalist profit-seeking class struggle o Nationalists resented the fact that Italy got so little after WWI o Veterans felt abandoned by civilian society o Italian king called on Mussolini to form a new government § Once in power, he eliminated most political opposition

Main Idea: Centered in the West, the Great Depression had global roots and Western responses varied but none in succeeded in ending the crisis. // Causation // · Structural problems affected many industrial societies during 1920s, even after postwar recovery. · Food production = soared in response to wartime needs and during postwar inflation many farmed borrowed heavily to buy new equipment but were hard pressed and unable to sustain high demands for manufactured goods · Problems continued although economies like France and Germany seemed to have recovered by 1925 · As Europeans gathered their African colonies for more profitable exploitation, they set up large estates devoted to goods of this type and production frequently exceeded demand, which drove prices and earnings down in both Africa and Latin America · Governments of leading industrial nations provided scant leadership during emerging crisis of 1920s o Little knowledge of economics o Nationalistic selfishness predominated Western nations and were more concerned about insisting on repayment of any debts than to construct tariff barriers to protect their own industries about facilitating balanced world economic growth // The Debacle // · October 1929 – New York stock market collapsed o Stock values tumbled o Banks echoed financial crisis o Institutions failed · Unemployed and unpaid workers could not buy goods whose production might give other workers jobs · The Depression – fed on itself and grew steadily from worse to worser from 1929 to 1933 · Great Depression = not unprecedented o Previous periods showed slumps by bank failures and over speculation o Was more than an economic event o Created hardship and tension that would be recalled even long after crisis ended o Suicides of ruined investors, vagrants’ camps o White collar unemployment = ^^^^ o Contradicted the optimistic assumptions of the later 19th century // Responses to the Depression in Western Europe // · National tariffs raised to keep goods out of other countries but this actually worsened economy and curbed sales for everyone · Most governments = cut spending and were concerned about avoiding inflation but their measures = further reduced economic stimulus and pushed additional workers out of jobs · People sought solutions from radical parties or movements · Support for communist parties increased in many countries · Great Depression led to one of two effects – o Parliamentary system that became increasingly incapacitated, unable to come to grips with new economic dilemma and too divided to take vigorous action even in foreign policy o Outright overturning of parliamentary system · France o French gov’t reacted sluggishly to Depression and voters responded by moving toward political extremists o Socialist and communist parties = ^^ o Rightist movements called for strong leader o Fervent nationalists = ^^ § Popular Front – 1936 · Used to win the election but was unable to take strong measures of social reform because of ongoing strength of conservative republications hostile to change · The New Deal o 1933 – Franklin Roosevelt, offered to the people o Offered more direct aid to Americans at risk through increased unemployment benefits and other measures o Many unemployed = given jobs on public works projects o Crucial innovation – Social Security System
 * __The Global Great Depression__**

Main Idea: European fasicm spread in response to Nazism in Germany and authoritarians regimes gained ground in Latin America while military authoritarians won power in Japan and Stalin tightened the totalitarian system // The Rise of Nazism // · Germany o Impact of Depression led directly to new fascist regime o Suffered the shock of loss in WWI and Germany = fertile breeding ground for fascism, but Depression took this to the forefront o Product of war o Proposal of strong state ruled by powerful leader o Hitler § Repeated standard fascist arguments about need for unity and hopeless weakness of parliamentary politics § Focused on grievances against various currents in modern life and attacked Jewish influences in Germany § Promised glorious foreign policy to undo the wrongs of the Versailles treaty § Once in power, set about constructing a totalitarian state – new kind of government that exercised massive, direct control over all activities of its subjects § Went on to eliminate all position parties, purged bureaucracy and military and installed loyal Nazis in many posts and his secret police, the Gestapo, arrested hundreds of thousands of political opponents
 * __The Authoritarian Reponse__**

- Europe = struggled to maintain their colonies - decolonization did not overwhelm the west as it did not strain economic/politics - Eastern bloc – Russian occupied, installed communist regimes included Poland, Czechslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. - Allied collaborations in Western Germany vs. Soviets, Soviet Union blockaded Berlin - = two rival military opponents - North Atlantic Treaty Organization - Iron Curtain - regimes patrolled by United States in Iran, Turkey, Greece - Facism and rightist movements = discredited and vv after WWII - Political extremist movements = no no - Actitivism movement in the west ; Economic issues and welfare issues of its people post WWII - Introduced programs to vv economic inequality --> medical programs - Technocrats = new class of bureaucrats - social security - Alliance with France and Germany to rebuild Europe - European Union; new countries, etc. - Low Countries + Italy = diplomacy - Economic developemnt in the West ^^ because of agricultural production + productivity and - re-emergence of textile industries - food needs = met - Advertising = consumers = ^ - Australia/New Zealand = joined together with US to help fend off communist aggression - Canada = increasingly non-dependent and reluctant to recieve aid from US, isolate from US - United States = growing in role of world affairs because Britain failed to stop the spread of communism, North Korea, Vietnam (examples) - CIA and Department of Defense = ^^ - policy of containment for Soviet Union - Military spending drastically increased, direct parallel to growing role in world affairs America = issues that they will help any country trying to fend off communists - Women = increasing roles in industrial industry, medicine fields, service work - Pop culture, ^^
 * 1. What were the major effects of decolonization post WWII on Europe? **
 * 2. How did the Cold War divide Europe? What were the implications of this division? **
 * 3. Why did European governments move towards Liberal Democracies? **
 * 4. What was the welfare state? Why did they develop? what were the issues? **
 * 5. Trace growing diplomatic relationships within Europe **
 * 6. Outline economic development in Europe **
 * 7. Outline the post war development of the non-European West (Excluding the United States) **
 * 8. Explain the growing role of the United States in world affairs **
 * 9. Trace developments for women in the post war West **
 * 10. Outline cultural developments in Europe. **