Depression & War

1. Depression & War Looking at the causes & effects of World War II.

2. Causes of the Great Depression • Agricultural Problems: Farmers had difficulties after WWI. • Farmers produced goods/food at record amounts for WWI. • After, the process of cutting back production was difficult. The result was large amounts of unsold surpluses. • Some countries even closed off any/all imports to help keep the sale of their own products within their borders. • Overinflated Stock Exchange: The values of stocks became overvalued. • Investors recognized this & many tried to sell their stocks at record rates. • This led to an immediate drop in the value of stocks & caused the stock market to plummet. • Culminated on 10/29/1929—known as “Black Tuesday”

3. The Stats: • Unemployment increases globally. • The depression hit Europe much earlier than in America. • Britain—unemployment reached approx. 3 million. • Germany—unemployment among industrial workers rose to 30% in 1932. • Also experienced hyperinflation mainly due to the massive debt from the Treaty of Versailles. • America—between 1929-1932, approx. 14 million people were unemployed. • Lack of Government Aid • Most nations lacked the proper aid to help their citizens. • Britain did offer medical aid & housing for the poor, but help was still minimal. • The US lacked most government assistant programs that exist today, including: welfare, medicaid, social security, etc… • U.S. President, Herbert Hoover, believed the people should try & help themselves through the depression. Known as “rugged individualism,” many Americans felt ignored by the government & their president.

4. Creation of the “Welfare State” • America emerges as a prime example of a welfare state under president FDR’s New Deal: • The gov’t assumes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. • Examples include • 1. Civilian Conservation Corps = created jobs to promote conservation & reforestation of national parks. • 2. Tennessee Valley Authority= created jobs to build an immense hydroelectric program. • 3. Securities & Exchange Commission=regulated the stock exchange. • 4. Social Security Act= introduced unemployment, old age, & disability insurance. • Britain’s Welfare State: • Examples include- • 1. Unemployment insurance • 2. Medical aid to the poor.

6. Causes of World War II • The Treaty of Versailles • The harsh treatment of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, & the Ottoman Empire) led to resentment & anger. • Breaking up the empires of Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Germany, & the now Communist Soviet Union led to an imbalance of power. • The Allied Powers kept colonies/mandates, yet removed the colonies of the “losers” of the war. • The debt that Germany was forced to pay left them economically crippled & resentful. • The Great Depression • The global economic problems led to increasing tensions among European nations.

7. Causes of World War II cont’d… • Rise of Totalitarian Governments • Governments that control all aspects of society, often led by charismatic dictators. • Examples include: fascism, Nazism (form of fascism). • Fascism: a political philosophy that exalts the nation over the individual, favors the elites by forming alliances with business leaders, & uses propaganda to manipulate the citizens. • Nazism in Germany is a form of fascism that includes extreme racism (in this case, against the Jews). • Fascism in Italy—Benito Mussolini demanded suppression of all opposition, took control of the economy & social life. He used militant groups to enact fear & to coerce the people to do as he wanted. • Demanded he be called, il Duce (supreme leader) in an effort to exalt himself to the people. • Fascism in Germany—Hitler manipulated elections to come to power, suppressed all who opposed him, stripped Jews of citizenship, built up the military, controlled manufacturing, & used militant groups to manipulate the people to do as he wished. • Called himself Fuhrer, to gain the support of Germans.

8. Causes of World War iI Cont’d… • Fascism in Japan? • Japan though not a totalitarian government, it showed the signs of fascism: • Use of nationalism? Japan had been nationalistic for many years, mainly because they worshipped the emperor as being divine. • Controlling the economy? Zaibatsu (huge businesses/conglomerates) worked with the government to influence the economy. • Use of militant groups? Though not militant, the samurai reclaimed significant influence in the government. • Failure of the League of Nations • The League of Nations failed to prevent global conflicts. • It didn’t have the capabilities to call up armed forces • It didn’t have the authority to control nations.

9. Steps to War… • Japan attacks Manchuria & takes over the province in 1931. • Italy invaded Ethiopia & takes over the country in 1935. • Germany places troops in the Rhineland (a demilitarized, safe zone between Germany & France) • Germany & Italy sent troops, money, & supplies to General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. • German & Italian aid helped Franco win & establish a dictatorship in Spain. • The horrors of the Spanish Civil War showed the fragile state of European politics & the brutality of totalitarian governments. • Many spoke out against the war, often using art to express their opposition. Pablo Picasso’s painting, Guernica is an example of this process.

11. Steps to War Cont’d… • Japan invaded China & began a years-long attempt to conquer the country in 1937. • Germany invades the German-speaking area of Austria known as the Sudetenland in 1938. • Germany invaded & conquered all of Czechoslovakia in 1939. • German forces invaded Poland from the west; Soviet forces invaded Poland from the east in 1939. • The invasion of Poland was the final straw. France & Britain declared war against Germany on 9/1/1939.

12. War in Europe • Germany began WWII by invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, & France in 1940. • The success occurred due to the Blitzkrieg (lightning war) process: • 1. Bombing from the air • 2. Invasion on land using tanks • 3. Sending troops on foot • Mussolini joined Hitler by invading southern France & Greece. • Germany attacked but failed to conquer Britain during the famous, Battle of Britain in late 1940. • The USSR invaded & incorporated the Balkan states in 1940. • Italy invaded Libya & Egypt, claiming control of the Suez Canal in 1940.

13. War in Europe Cont’d… • Germany broke their alliance & invaded the USSR in 1941. • Germany sent forces to North Africa to aid Italy between 1941-1942. • Germany began to use submarine U-boats to attack ships in the Atlantic in 1941. • America continued to send aid & money to Britain & France throughout the war.

15. Turning Point in the War in Europe • The Soviets began pushing the Germans back at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943. • The Allied Powers (US, Britain, French forces) began a two-front invasion process: • Invade & push up the Italian peninsula from Sicily in 1943. • Invade & push toward Germany by liberating France (D-Day) in 1944. • As a result of the combining efforts of the Soviets invading from the east & the Allies invading from the west, Germany surrendered on 5/7/1945.

16. War in the Pacific • Japanese continued their invasion of China. • The fighting was particularly brutal. • Rape of Nanjing—a full-scale attack on the Chinese city. Japanese raped, pillaged, murdered approx. 12,000 civilians in the 1st 3 days. After six weeks of a siege, approx. 200,000 civilians were either killed or taken as prisoners of war. • The United States reacted to Japanese aggression by placing an embargo on trade & freezing its assets in 1941. • Japan reacted to the move by launching a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. naval base in Hawai’i on 12/7/1941. • Island Hopping became the method of fighting the Japanese. • Moving from island to island, the U.S. & Japan engaged in a series of naval battles.

17. Turning Points in the War in the Pacific • Fighting against the Japanese led to immense casualties. • The Japanese used aggressive tactics, especially as the U.S. advances moved closer to mainland Japan. • Battle of Okinawa (1945)—one of the fiercest battles in the Pacific. Fighting raged for over 3 months & on a single day, 83,793 people were killed. • Projections estimated that the loss of both civilian & military lives would be even greater if the fighting continued. • Dropping the atom bomb- • The new American president, Harry Truman, was left with the decision of whether or not to drop the bomb on Japan. • The “Little Boy” atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 8/6/1945. • The “Fat Man” atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on 8/9/1945. • Japan surrendered on 8/15/1945.

20. Total War • WWI & WWII are considered to be “total wars” because they involved the entire populations & economies of the nations that fight. • Civilians & military personnel participate in the war efforts. • It is estimated that 50 million people died (30 million were civilians). • USSR lost 20 million alone! • Civilians rationed food to help the war efforts. • Propaganda was used to motivate both civilians & military soldiers for inspiration. • Consumer factories were transferred to produce military products (uniforms, weaponry, tanks, ammunition). • Women helped participate in the war effort as well. • Went to work in factories that were running 24/7. • Efforts of women in areas like Latin America inspired the governments to grant them universal suffrage by the war’s end.

22. “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” J. Robert Oppenheimer, architect of the atom bomb.

23. Effects of World War II • Totality of war showed the horrors of humanity. • Use of the atom bomb & its effects shocked the international community. • Discovery of the concentration camps in the Holocaust also shocked people around the world. • Many refugees fled European countries to escape the horrors, but still, the numbers of those who died is staggering: 6 million Jews; 11 million total (including gypsies, homosexuals, mentally handicapped) • Concentration camps were discovered throughout Nazi-controlled Europe including France, Poland, Germany, Austria, etc…among the worst was Auschwitz-Birkenau. • Nuremberg Trials were established to prosecute the architects of the Holocaust for “crimes against humanity.” This was the first of its kind & marked unprecedented action against those who committed war crimes. • A separate set of trials was established for Japanese leaders for their crimes against the Chinese during the Rape of Nanjing & other war crimes.

26. Effects of WWII Cont’d… • Creation of United Nations International Organization. • The League of Nations was dissolved due to its troubles maintaining global peace. • The charter for the UN was signed by 50 countries on 6/26/1945. • Consists of the General Assembly & the Security Council. • Security Council is comprised of 5 permanent members: U.S., USSR, France, Britain, & China. • No longer would the U.S. maintain an isolationist attitude, but rather, become involved in global politics for maintaining peace. • UN-sponsored international organizations were formed to help maintain global peace & stability including: • World Health Organization (WHO) for monitoring global epidemics, UN Economic, Scientific, & Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Trade Organization (WTO) for monitoring global trading processes, the World Bank for handling any global economic problems/crises, & the International Criminal Court for trying political leaders.

27. Effects of WWII Cont’d… • Tensions between the U.S. & the USSR began. • Despite their alliance against Nazi Germany during the war, an increasing tension between the ideologies of capitalism & communism led to a strained political relationship. • Competition between the two nations, use of spies, & a generalized sense of fear of communism led to the era post-WWII known as the “Cold War.” • Postwar Resettlement & Demographic Changes Occurred. • National borders had to be redrawn, especially in Central & Eastern Europe due to Nazi imperialism. • Demographic Changes: • Germans living/fighting in E. Europe returned to Germany • 4.5 million Poles returned to a re-established Poland. • Approx. 320,000 Jews &/or survivors of the Holocaust emigrated to join the efforts in creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine. • Japanese POWs were sent to labor camps in Siberia or were murdered by the Chinese for revenge.