World War Two and the Cold War

Great Depression and how Europe and America dealt with the economic problems

America

Hoover FDR and the New Deal Keynes “deficit spending” Gradual Recovery – but not a full one World War Two – full employment

Britain

Creation of the National Government – all party coalition

Coped with depression – retrenchment and budget balancing

Encouraged industry to reorganize and rationalize production

Did not solve problem of economic crisis

France

Fascist agitation made greatest headway in this country

Recovering from physical destruction of war, instability of coalition govts, and fear of GR

Reparations issues with Germany and occupation of the Ruhr

Poincare – national union ministry made new taxes, cut govt spending, stabilized the franc and repudiated internal debt

France and the Popular Front

Appearance of fascist leagues Antirepublican, antidemocratic,

monarchist, funded by wealthy industrialist

Mob of fascists assembled at the place de la Concorde

This threat to the republic was met by the Popular Front under Blum – coalition of the left – including the hard core Communists

Reforms – French New Deal

Totalitarianism

Theory of life and human nature (and of govt)

Regarded life as an everlasting emergency

Headed by a dictatorship Complete control over every aspect of life

Italian Fascism

State of Italy after World War One precarious – did not have a long tradition of democracy

Many of the propertied classes feared a communist take over

Fascists seemed like those who upheld law and order

March on Rome – Mussolini legally named premier – with one year’s emergency powers

Mussolini as fascist leader

Man of action – flamboyant, jumped through hoops, wrestled a tiger, jutted out his jaw

Denounced democracy as outmoded Preached need of vigorous action, under

a strong leader Preached national solidarity and state

management of economic affairs

Corporative State

Fascist organized labor groups (govt) determined working conditions, wages, prices and industrial policies

Govt was the decisive factor Most extreme form of state control over

economic life within a network of private enterprise/ capitalist economy

Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Fascist Party

Rise of Hitler

Fear of Communists Weakness of the Weimar Republic Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch – not really

punished and did not serve full jail term Wrote Mein Kampf Hitler appealed to many Germans during

this economic crisis – but when the Dawes Plan helped save the economy etc – Hitler was on the wane

Great Depression helped to bring him back

Hitler’s rise to power

Hitler came to power legally – under the emergency of the depression and the fear of Communists

Given emergency powers Began his Nazi state Anti Semitism Coordinated all aspects of society from

Religion to the economy Totalitarianism Use of propaganda Glorification of violence

Pacifism of the West - Appeasement

Hitler will capitalize on the inability of the West to take a real stand against him

Rearmed Germany Unified Austria and Germany Repudiated Locarno agreements Reoccupied the Rhineland Mussolini invaded Ethiopia – League of

Nations ineffective at stopping him Spanish Civil War Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia – Munich

Agreement

Nazi Soviet Non Aggression Pact

Invasion of Poland War Fall of France – Vichy France under

Marshal Petain – Collaboration Churchill/England stand alone against

Hitler Hitler takes over much of continental

Europe America- Lend Lease

WWII

Nazi Invasion of Russia Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor –

America enters war North Africa Uneasy alliance – USSR, America and

England

WWII

Holocaust Use of the atomic bomb Moral implications of WWII

Foundations of peace

Yalta – United Nations, what to do with Germany, Eastern Bloc Nations – free and unfettered elections promise

Potsdam – told Stalin that we had the bomb, zones of Germany, denazification

Cold War

Cold War 1950 US government

decides the Soviets are on a path for world domination

Argument: Soviets are willing to do anything to win the struggle therefore the US must be willing to do almost anything

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE COLD WAR

1946 Winston Churchill (British

Prime Minister) states that an “iron curtain” has descended on Europe

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across the continent.”

1946 Containment Policy:

Proposal for dealing with the Soviet Union

The communist government will break down if we contain it

1947 Truman Doctrine:

States that the US will not let Greece and Turkey become communist and therefore will come to the aid of nations that need help to keep them from turning to communism

1948 Marshall Plan

Lend $12 Billion in aid to 16 European nationsUS afraid that many nations are so broke that the miserable masses might want to turn to communism

1948 Berlin Blockade:

Berlin divided among powersCity in Soviet territory Soviets irritated at the containment policies

A CITY DIVIDEDBlockaded Berlin in an attempt to force western nations out

Western nations, led by US sent a huge airlift to send food and supplies over the blockade and into the city

The powers decided to split Germany into east and west which increases tensions

1949NATO Permanent military alliances with free democratic European nations to protect members against communist invasions

WARSAW PACT – Soviet alliance

1949China goes communistErupts into civil war with Mao Zedong leading communists against nationalists

1949Soviets explode their 1st atomic bomb launching arms race

1950Korean war beginsSoviets in charge in North, US in South

North invaded the south

1950Causes Truman to agree about conspiracy that Soviets trying to take over and spread

Idea that can’t just contain them any more but roll them back

1950

Ordered troops to help South Korea

Any part of the world is a potential battlefield

1956 – Open Revolt in Poland and Hungary

Poland – pressure for independence from Moscow

Gomulka – relaxed political and economic controls

Hungary – Heard about Poland’s success – return of leader Imre Nagy

Reform program – pressure for democratization/parliamentary govt

Soviets installed a more friendly leader – hanged Nagy and brought Hungary back

1962

Cuban Missile CrisisSoviets building nuclear missile bases in Cuba

JFK after discovery demanded Soviets remove missiles

blockaded Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis

Fearful time –brink of nuclear war?

Troops in Florida ready to attack

Cuban Missile Crisis

A Narrow escapeSoviets remove missiles, US promises not to invade Cuba

1956-1973

“A defeat for freedom anywhere is a defeat for freedom everywhere”

Vietnam

Vietnam = French colony never under one solidified government before

1954 groups of Vietnamese succeeded in overthrowing the French

Vietnam

Us supports France through funds because Ho Chi Minh claims to be a communist

US makes sure this is no election because Minh would have won, so we divided Vietnam in Two and supported the South

Vietnam

Have poured a lot of money into effort and send advisors to help police and military in S. Vietnam become more effective

By 1963 lost confidence in leader we were supporting in S. Viet and we support a military coup

Vietnam

By 1965 – 15,000 advisors involved

Can’t withdraw now and have to increase effort to win

-begin with bombing, therefore needed air force, bases, marines, military etc

Domino Theory

“You have a row of dominoes set up, and you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly” Pres Eisenhower explaining why the US needed to stop the Communists in Vietnam

Reasons for Vietnam

1965 – internal documents listed the following

10% for freedom 20% to avoid Vietnam going

to the communists 70% to avoid humiliating US

defeat

1968 Prague Spring

Czechoslovakia – reforms of leader Alexander Dubcek – Prague Spring

threatened Soviet control Soviets ruthlessly crush Spring Brezhnev Doctrine – Soviets can

intervene to protect proletarian internationalism

American response???

Space Race

Race to the moon Sputnik – soviet satellite

launched into space before the US can – causes humiliation and wanting to invest in more technology

Thawing Out

Citizens in communism unhappy

Thawing Out

Gorbachev comes in and opens Soviet – glasnost and perestroika

Glasnost = openness, allowed for free flow of ideas and info

Perestroika = economic restructuring

Thawing Out

Reagan essentially spends soviets into the ground with continuing to engage in arms race and create new defense technology

Eastern Bloc Nations Start revolting

Gorbachev’s changes allow for Eastern Bloc nations to start resisting USSR

Poland 1989

Solidarity Movement – unions - Lech Walesa

John Paul II 1989 – leader Jaruzelski – allowed for

parliamentary elections – gave Solidarity landslide - communists became a minority

Lech Walesa – president - 1990

Hungary 1988

Communist Party took itself out by easing up and allowing for mulitparty elections

Reform of the party led to a revolution Communist party dissolved

Czechoslovakia 198989 is 68 Upside Down

Seeing the success of Poland and Hungary – demonstrations broke out

Demanded end to one party rule Alexander Dubcek – hero of 68 – comes

out Communist party reforms itself and

allows for democratic elections

Collapse of the Soviet Union

Union Treaty – Gorbachev signs treaty granting autonomy to republics within USSR

Hardliners in the party cannot handle this – initiate coup – to seize power

Unsuccessful Yeltsin declares Communist party illegalYeltsin dissolves USSR

January 1, 1992

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist

15 Soviet Republics were independent states

Russian Federation is left over – 21 federated Republics

Nuclear Weapons

Russia was to retain the nuclear arms within old Soviet states

Dismantled

Secessionist Threats

Federated Republics adopted their own flags, constitutions etc

Chechnya - war to keep them a part of Russia

Economic Issues

Transition to a market economy extremely difficult

Political problems

Yeltsin vs Legislature – October riot New Constitution gave President power to

dissolve Duma

Putin as successor

Existentialism

Reflection of a troubled civilization A world disturbed by war and oppression A civilization of material progress and

moral uncertainty in which the individual could be crushed by the triumphs of science and technology

Limitations of the power of human reason Sisyphus – anguish of human existence,

frailty of human reason, and a need to reassert human freedom