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