The Interwar YearsUnrest in Asia and Africa

1. China after World War I

a. The May Fourth Movementi. In 1917 China declared war on Germany

1. They had hoped that after the war the Allies would give German controlled Chinese territory back to China

2. Japan got these territories under the Treaty of Versailles

ii. The Chinese saw the treaty as a sign that the world still saw China as a weak nation

iii. On May 4, 1919, thousands of angry students in Beijing demanded change1. The strikes and protests that followed became

known as the May Fourth Movement

b. An Uneasy Partnershipi. Guomindang nationalist still had the support of

some Chineseii. Others thought that Communism was the best

way to strengthen and modernize China1. 1921, the Communist Part of China was formed

iii. Communists and the Guomindang formed an uneasy partnership1. They worked together to fight the warlords of

China2. Made many gains by the early 1920s

iv. Led by Jiang Jieshi (a.k.a. Chiang Kai-Shek) continued to fight imperialism and warlords

v. Jiang will eventually turn on his communist allies

vi. The partnership had expanded communist influence in China

vii. 1927, Jiang had his armies attack Communists in several cities, killing thousands of people1. This began the Chinese Civil War

C. The Long March

i. Mao Zedong1. Leader of the Communist Party of China2. Tried to rebuild the organization3. Was under pressure by the Guomindang

4. Led 100,000 Communist supporters on a 6,000 mile trek through Chinaa. Purpose of what is now known as the Long

March, was to find a safe place for them in China that was outside the influence of the Guomindang

b. Only 8,000 survived

2. Changes in India

a. India and World War Ii. Some 800,000 Indians served with the British in

WWIii. This did not gain India any new freedoms from

Great Britain

iii. 19191. British passed the Rowlatt Acts

a. They allowed the British to deal harshly with the growing opposition in India

2. April 1919a. British soldiers opened fire into a crowd protesting in

the city of Amritsarb. Nearly 400 were killedc. The Amritsar Massacre helped convince many Indians

that they must rid themselves of their British rulers

b. Gandhi’s Protest

i. Mohandas Gandhi1. Started organizing

protests against Britain2. Believed in two

important conceptsa. Ahimsa (non-violence

toward living things)b. Civil disobedience (the

refusal to obey unjust laws)

3. 1920, he began his boycotts against British rulea. Encouraged Indians to boycott all British

products

4. 1930, he launched a protest against the British monopoly on saltb. This lead thousands to start to produce their own

salt

c. Gandhi’s Progress

i. Inspired millions to resist British ruleii. 1935, the British Parliament gave Indians a

limited degree of self-rule1. This was far from the full independence Gandhi

sought

3. The Middle East

a. Turkey and Ataturki. Treaty of Sevres

1. The Ottoman Empire agreed to give up control of much of its territory

a. Included the homeland of ethnic Turksb. Allies planned to give these lands to Greece and other

nations

ii. Kemal Mustafa

1. Led Turks to fight against the Allies for their homeland

2. Defeated Greek forces sent to claim their homeland

3. October 1923, Mustafa announced the establishment of the Republic of Turkey

4. Later became known as Kemal Ataturk (Father of the Turks)

iii. Ataturk1. 1st president of Turkey2. Sought to modernize the nation3. Believed to achieve modernization, he had to

end the influence of the Muslim religion on government and personal life

4. Made Turkey’s government completely secular (non-religious)

b. Persiai. Reza Khan

1. Overthrew Persia’s shah in 1921

2. Became shah in 19253. Wanted to make Iran

into a modern and fully independent nation

4. Sought to advance industry and to improve education

5. 1935, changed Persia’s name to Iran

c. French and British Mandates

i. Belfour Declaration1. Issued in 19172. The British government declared support for a

Jewish homeland in Palestine, while respecting the rights of existing non-Jewish communities

ii. Post war agreements set up French and British mandates in the Middle East

iii. France gained control of: Syria and Lebannoniv. Britain gained control of: Iraq and the Palestine

mandate1. 1921, British gave eastern part of the Palestine

mandate to Abdulla, as the kingdom of Transjordan (Jordan)

v. Will expand area population of Muslims and Jewsvi. Will lead to religious tensions in the area that

are still on going today

4. Nationalism in Africa

a. Nationalist Feeling Growsi. Many believed they had earned their

independence through their war effortii. War effort also caused great economic hardships

in Africa as well iii. Trade with Europe had dried upiv. Treaty of Versailles

1. No Africans were involved in the negotiations2. European’s gave German colonies in Africa to other

European nations

b. Working for Independencei. Pan-African Congresses began in 1919

1. Organized by people of African heritage living around the world

2. Led to a series of demands for African independence

ii. North African Arabs took action to win independence in Egypt

1. Protests over arrests swept the country2. Forced Britain to recognize that they could not maintain

full control of Egypt3. February 1922- Egypt gained its independence

THE GREAT DEPRESSION

1. The U.S. Economy in the late 1920s

a. Economic Growthi. American farms and factories supplied much of

the world with the foods and supplies necessary to fight the war during WWI

ii. Had steady economic growth throughout the 1920s

1. Much of this growth came in industry….i.e. automobiles

iii. Success of American industry was reflected in the stock market

iv. Many Americans rushed to buy stock, so as to not miss out on the prosperity

v. The increasing investment drove prices higher

b. Hidden Problems

i. Wealth was not distributed evenlyii. Easy availability of credit allowed Americans to

increase their spending on consumer goods1. Credit- the arrangement in which a purchaser borrows

money from a bank or other lender and agrees to pay it back over time

iii. By the end to the 1920s many consumers were reaching their credit limit and could no longer afford buying the products that had expanded the U.S. economy

c. The Stock Market Crashes

i. By the fall of 1929, consumer spending had slowed

ii. Fears began to grow that stock prices might soon drop

1. By the end of October, some investors began selling off their stocks

iii. Black Tuesday1. Occurred Oct. 29, 19292. In a single day, investors had sold off 19 million

sharesa. This flooded the market and stock prices collapsedb. Many investors wee forced to sell stocks at a loss to

repay their loans

3. This not only impacted the stock market but also the banksa. Banks that had lent money to investors were in

financial trouble as well

4. Crash delivered a blow to American industry as well

d. Overall Causes of the 1929 Stock Market Crash1. Increasing speculation in the stock market2. Stock prices at unrealistic levels3. Declining consumer spending4. Struggling businesses

2. The Depression Spreads

a. The Great Depressioni. The period that followed after the stock market

crashedii. American economy took a downward turniii. Resulted from a number of complex factors

b. Industry slowsi. Industry slowing was one cause of the depressionii. Had begun before the crash but only grew worse

afterwardsiii. Workers lost jobs (1 out of 4 people were unemployed)iv. Consumer spending was reduced which only hurt the

industry morev. Bank failures

1. Meant people could lose their life savings2. Many came to withdraw life savings, forced banks to close

c. Government Response

i. Herbert Hoover1. U.S. President at the time

of the crash2. Did not believe

government should interfere with the economy

3. Saw the crash as a healthy adjustment to the overheated economy

4. Eventually will put forth reforms but it was a little to late

d. Roosevelt Elected

i. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

1. Elected president in 1932

2. Pushed for a program called the New Deal, in response to the Depression

3. Believed government spending could help start an economic recovery

4. New Deala. Established public works programs that gave jobs

to the unemployedb. Provided government money for welfare and

other relief programs

e. New Economic Theories

i. John Maynard Keynes1. A British economist2. Believed government

could limit or prevent economic downturns

a. Done by spending money, even if it created an unbalanced budget

3. The Worldwide Depression

a. Before the Crashi. Some areas in the world were already having

economic difficulties before the American stock market crashed

ii. Countries in Europe were still struggling to recover after WWI

iii. Many countries were in debt to the United States

iv. Great Britain 1. High interest rates led to decreased spending and

high unemployment

v. Germany2. Steep reparations, led to severe inflation, making

German money virtually worthless and crippled the economy

vi. JapanHad a severe economic depression hit in 1927 that

forced many banks to close

b. A Slowdown in Tradei. 1930, President Hoover signed the Smoot-

Hawley Tariff Act1. Placed heavy taxes on imported goods2. It was an attempt to encourage Americans to buy

goods and products made in the United States3. Backfired, other countries raised tariffs on imported

American goods4. Result, world trade slowed to a stand still

a. This crippled many foreign economies

c. Political Impacti. Postwar era had been challenging for many

European governmentsii. Difficult peace process and formation of new

states life many countries politically unstable1. Will lead to several new governments in places like

Great Britain and France

iii. Extremist political groups will gain strength in other countries as the economies worsened

JAPANESE IMPERIALISM

1. Japan in the 1920s

a. Economic Challengesi. Rapid industrialization in the late 1800s into the

1900s had created problems within society1. Peasant and rural workers had not shared in the

nation’s prosperity2. After WWI ended many industries started to slow

down3. Businesses began laying off workers4. Strikes and labor disputes increased in the 1920s

ii. Other Economic Challenges1. Did not have the natural resources needed to supply

modern industrya. Forced to import these materialsb. Paid for these materials with their own products against

foreign competion

2. Other countries had put tariffs on imports to protect their own products against foreign competition

3. Both of these factors will lead Japanese leaders to believe that they needed to expand

b. Social Changei. New ideas from the West began to influence Japanese

societyii. Democracy flourishediii. Political parties emergeiv. Adopted western fashionv. Question traditional Japanese values

1. i.e Obedience and respect for authority

vi. Conservative Japanese, resented these changes and believed that straying from traditional Japanese beliefs and interest had corrupted the country

2. Growing Military Influence

a. Foreign Relationsi. Military influence grew as public opposition to the

Japanese government’s foreign policy increasedii. Civilian leader had made several treaties with the

West to limit size of the Japanese navyiii. 1924, United States passed a law banning Japanese

immigrationi. This deeply offended the Japanese and lead some to

question their policy of cooperation with the west

iv. Japanese public began to put its faith in their military

3. Japanese Aggression

a. Building a Fighting Spiriti. WWI had shown that modern war would rely on

technology and industrial powerii. Japanese realized they would have difficulty

contending with the world powers1. They did no have the industrial capacity2. They had been forced to limit the size of their navy

iii. Japanese military leaders focused on creating the best soldiers to combat these two problems1. Promoted the fighting spirit among the troops2. Removed the words of surrender, retreat,

defense from their training manuala. These were no longer an option

3. Placed military personal in schools to instill the fighting spirit in the public as well

b. Taking Over the Governmenti. A group of Japanese military leaders plotted to take over

the government and put into place a military dictatorship ii. Believed aggressive nationalist leadership was vital to

Japan’s futureiii. During the 1930s Japanese soldiers and military leaders

carried out assassinations of government officials1. i.e. the prime minister and cabinet members

iv. Japanese government slowly gave into the military’s demands for power

c. Conquering Manchuriai. The Manchurian Incident

1. Happened in 19312. Japanese military leaders decided to conquer

Manchuria in northeastern China3. Area was rich in natural resources like iron and coal4. Many believed it would help free Japan from

economic reliance on the west5. Japanese public supported this action, civilian

government was virtually powerless to stop it

6. Japanese troops will eventually set up a government in the region

7. Announced that Manchuria was a new state under Japanese control called Manchukuo

d. Forming New Alliancesi. League of Nations condemned Japanese action

in Manchuriaii. Japan withdrew from the league in 1933iii. Japan announced in 1934 that it would no longer

limit the size of its navy

iv. In 1936, signed the Anti-Comintern Pact1. Made with Germany2. Agreed to work together to oppose the spread of

Communism3. Each promised to come to the aid of the other if

that country was attacked by the Soviet Uniona. Italy joined a year later

e. War in Chinai. Conflict between Japan and China grew worse as

Japan became more aggressive and seized more territory in eastern China

ii. Worried that the Guomindang and the Chinese communist would join together and turn on Japan

iii. Summer 19371. Open warfare between the two sides began 2. This conflict is known as the Second Sino-

Japanese War3. Nanjing or Nanking

a. Early battleb. Japanese troops took the cityc. Killed at least 100,000 Chinese men, women and

childreni. Known as the Nanjing Massacre

f. A Move toward Wider Wari. War with China will turn in a long and costly struggle

for Japanii. Japan looked to Southeast Asia to find natural

resources to use to supply its armyiii. 1940, Japan’s foreign minister proposed the creation

of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere1. This was to be a group of nations whose combined

resources would allow independence from Western control2. Presented as an economic benefit, but was nothing more

than Japan’s attempt at building an empire

DICTATORS IN EUROPE

1. Mussolini’s Italy

a. Fascist Ideologyi. Benito Mussolini

1. Became known as Il Duce (“the leader”)

2. Wanted to build a great and glorious Italian empire

3. 1919 founded the Nationalist Fascist Partya. Name comes from the Latin word fasces

i. Refers to an ancient Roman symbol for unity and strength of the state

b. Fascism is an authoritarian form of government that places the good of the nation above all else, including individual needs and rights

i. Envision an aggressive state ruled by a dictator (all-powerful leader)who makes all the decisions

b. Mussolini in Poweri. By 1922 Fascist had become a significant force in

Italian politicsii. Mussolini wanted to rule Italyiii. Led the so-called March of Rome in October of that

year1. Show of force convinced the king of Italy to put Mussolini

at the head of Italy’s government

iv. Mussolini will move to establish a dictatorship1. Using threats, violence and political skill, he will outlaw all

opposition and take unlimited power

c. Fascist Italyi. Mussolini tried to influence Italians thoughts,

feelings and behaviors1. This is totalitarianism

a. It is the governments’ attempt to control all aspects of life

ii. Totalitarian program had many parts1. Two most effective

a. Use of propaganda to promote Italy’s greatnessb. Establishment of festivals and holidays that reminded the

modern Italians of their proud Roman heritage

d. The Invasion of Ethiopiai. Mussolini wanted to make Italy a strong military

powerii. Looked to Ethiopia to accomplish that endiii. Ethiopia had two disadvantages

1. Located between two Italian colonies2. Military was ill-equipped

iv. Italians crushed the Ethiopians in 1935v. Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie appealed to

the League of Nations 1. No one would give aid to Ethiopia2. Did not want to risk another world war

2. Stalin’s Soviet Union

a. Communism under Stalini. Joseph Stalin

1. Came to power after Lenin died in 1924

ii. Stalin worked to turn the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state

1. Was intent to control every aspect of Soviet Union

iii. Believed it was necessary in order to strengthen Communism in the Soviet Union

b. The 5 Year Plansi. 1928- Stalin began the first of the 5 Year Plans

1. Each factory and mine had production goals set by the state

2. Plans reflected the Soviet system of central planninga. Government makes major decision about the production of

goodsi. Differs from capitalist economy

1. Market forces are the major influences on production

3. Did increase Soviet industrial output

c. Collectivization and Faminei. Stalin also wanted to increase Soviet farm outputii. Wanted to combine the small farms into larger,

mechanized farms1. This combining of small farms is called collectivization

iii. Peasants resisted when Stalin tried to take the land back after Lenin had given it to them

1. Stalin responded with violencea. He executed thousandsb. Sent others to Siberia to work in the Gulag or labor camps

d. Political Purgesi. By the mid-1930’s Stalin had absolute powerii. Still feared that people would turn against himiii. Began a campaign known as the Great Purge or

the Great Terror1. Stalin attacked both real and imagined opponents of

his rule2. Led to thousands being executed or sent to the Gulag

e. Totalitarian Rulei. Children were encouraged to join youth

organizations where they were taught the attitudes and beliefs that Soviet leaders wanted them to have

ii. Religion was discouraged and many churches were closed

iii. Portraits of Stalin decorated public placesiv. Promoted a cult personality which allowed him

to gain a strangle hold over Soviet Society

3. Hitler’s Germany

a. Postwar Germanyi. Germany formed a republican government

known as the Weimar Republicii. Extremely unpopular with Germans

1. Blamed them for the humiliating Versailles treaty2. Also for the economic problems that overwhelmed

Germany after the war

b. Hitler’s Early Career

i. Adolf Hitler1. Born in Austria in 18892. Served in the German

army during WWI3. Became involved with

right-wing extremist4. Joined the Nationalist

Socialist Party or the Nazi Party

ii. The Nazis1. Hitler discovered that he had a talent for public

speaking and leadership2. Became a key figure in the party

iii. Hitler led an attempt to overthrow the German government in October 19231. Effort failed and he was given a short prison

sentence2. Wrote the book “Mein Kampf” it means “my

struggle” while in prisona. Major political ideasb. Nationalismc. Racial superiority of the German people, called Aryans

c. Hitler Gains Poweri. Continued to work to gain power after being released

from prisonii. Effects of the Great Depression helped his cause

1. People were desperate for a strong leader

iii. Promised to rebuild Germany’s militaryiv. Nazis gained strength during the early 1930sv. 1933- Hitler is appointed to the position of chancellor

1. The most powerful position within the German government

d. Hitler Controls Germanyi. Once in power he begins to crush his opposition

1. Many were arrested2. Other were intimidated by Nazi thugs3. By these means Hitler was able to gain dictatorial

power

ii. Hitler’s rule was totalitarianiii. Propaganda built up a cult personality that

glorified Hitler as the Fuhrer (leader)

iv. Nazi youth organizations shaped the young minds who pledged complete loyalty to Hitler and Germany

v. He rebuilt the military and improved the economy

vi. Strict wage control and massive government spending on public works programs helped reduced unemployment

e. Nazi Anti-Semitismi. Key component to the Nazi system was strong anti-

Semitic beliefs1. Anti-Semitism is hostility toward or prejudice against

Jews

ii. Hitler blamed Jews for many of Germany’s problems

iii. Christian hostility towards the Jews had existed in Europe since the Middle Ages

1. Nazis combined this with their anti-Semitism to state and believe that the Jews were a separate race

iv. During the 1930s Hitler’s Nazi government passed many laws aimed at excluding the Jews from mainstream German life1. Prohibited Jews from marrying Germans2. Nuremberg Laws

a. Created a separate legal status for German Jewsb. Eliminated their citizenship and many civil and property rights

i. i.e. right to vote

c. Limited the type of jobs they could haved. Defined Jewish as the ancestry of one’s grandparents not

religious beliefs

v. Kristallnacht or the Night of the Broken Glass1. On the nights of November 9-10, 1938, Nazis

encouraged anti-Jewish riots across Germany and Austria

2. Nearly 100 Jews were killed3. Thousands of Jewish businesses and places of

worship were damaged and destroyed