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Class 29: History of 20 th C

Class 29: History of 20 th C. Ann T. Orlando 5 April 2006. Introduction. The end of the Victorian Age WW I Communist Revolution in Russia Economic Exuberance and Depression WW II Cold War Victory of Americanism in West. Queen Victoria. Reigned 1837-1901

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Class 29: History of 20 th C

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  1. Class 29: History of 20th C Ann T. Orlando 5 April 2006

  2. Introduction • The end of the Victorian Age • WW I • Communist Revolution in Russia • Economic Exuberance and Depression • WW II • Cold War • Victory of Americanism in West

  3. Queen Victoria • Reigned 1837-1901 • Stability in England, during time of British expansion abroad: India, Africa, Australia • Through Victoria and Albert (German prince) and the marriage of their children, • Queen Victoria was the ‘grandmother’ of major royal monarchs during WW I • Germany, Russia, Austria, England • Gave a false sense of stability to Europe

  4. Contributing Factors to WW I • System of National Alliances established by Congress of Vienna • Disconnect in Europe among political system (regal); society (urbanization); and economics (worker movements) • Disintegration of Ottoman Empire • Arms race among France, Germany, England

  5. The Great War, The War to End All Wars1914-1918 • Starts with assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand (heir to throne) of Austria by a Serbian • Because of system of alliances, Germany and Ottoman Empire support Austria; Russia, France, England, Italy support Serbian nationalists • Expectation that war would be over quickly • Modern technology had created incredibly lethal weapons; but strategic thinking had not advanced • Trench warfare, • Massive loss of life on battle field; 9,000,000 died • War did not end quickly (11/11/18)

  6. Political Result of WW I • Destruction of Ottoman Empire; Middle Eastern holding divided between England and France • Destruction of Austro-Hungarian Empire; end of HRE • Political and Economic Punishment of Germany; loss of territories won from France in Franco-Prussian War • Rise of America as a world power • Collapse of Russian monarchy, rise of communism • League of Nations (to which neither the US nor Soviet Union belonged)

  7. Social and Economic Result of WW I • Massive displacement of peoples due to revised political boundaries • Germany, especially, unable to compete economically • All major European countries were nearly bankrupt because of the war • The US became the banker to the world • When the US goes into a depression in 1929, takes the rest of the world with it

  8. Nationalism as Replacement for Religion • Lenin and then Stalin in Soviet Union attempt to create national identity and loyalty focused exclusively around the State • Common good, but without dignity of person • No private property • Enforced sameness • Beehive model of society and economics • Hitler does much the same thing in Germany between the Wars • Mussolini in Italy • Spanish Civil War results in a unity of religion and nationalism

  9. Europe at End of WW Iwww.wwnorton.com/college/history/ralph/resource/wwii.htm

  10. Hitler and Appeasement • Europe is tired of War after WWI; horrors of trench warfare still very fresh • Recognition that economic reparations against Germany at Treaty of Versailles had been overly punitive • Willing to do almost anything to avoid War • After Hitler invades Czechoslovak, England and France refuse to sanction Germany • Munich Agreement 1938 • Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England: “Peace in our time”,

  11. WWII 1939-1945 • Hitler invades Poland, 1939 • Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) • Allied Powers (US, England, France, Soviet Union) • Truly a world war in ways WWI had not been • Massive civilian as well as military casualties (21 M in Soviet Union; 11 M China; 6 M) • Total casualties in WWII 56M (1/2 civilian) • Within this horror of Holocaust • World-wide refugee problem

  12. Reshaping Map of World • Elimination of colonial powers, or at least plan for independence • State of Israel • World divided between US and Soviet Union ‘spheres of influence’ • Note this represents the victory of two ‘Enlightenment’ powers • United Nations

  13. Cold War • Massive armament • Threat of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ • Science and Technology as means to military and political survival • Competing economic and social models that come from Enlightenment • In Soviet Union, break from ancient forms of society; not unlike French Revolution • In US increasing concern about “Red Menace”

  14. From Time Magazine, Jan 1959history.acusd.edu/gen/USPics14/75657.jpg

  15. America as World Leader • Amazing historical fact: America defeats Soviet Union as a result of economic not military warfare, 1989 • Confidence that if only everyone else was like us they would be so much better off; collapse of Soviet Union seemed to justify that view, especially after debacle of Vietnam War • Economic Power • US economic power rebuilds societies within US sphere of influence • Soviet Union tries, but does not have the economic resources to do this • Disparity between Western/Eastern Europe; North/South Korea • Cultural Power • Economic prosperity makes US culture envy of many • US able to project its cultural influence • But, US can no longer chose to be isolated • Pearl Harbor • Threat of ICBMs • 9/11 • World-wide economic interdependence has grown such that US economy is completely dependent on world economy, not vice versa

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