An Age of Anxiety

1. An Age of Anxiety Ch. 34

2. Probing Cultural Frontiers

3. PostwarPessimism Attacks on Progress Religious Uncertainty • Chorus of Despair • Karl Barth –Christian theologian, • Attacked liberal Christian who called • For progress • Christ’s kingdom not of this world • Refusal to accept God’s purpose • Was contemporary human society • Great war destroyed the idea of human • Progress • Scientist dreams go awry in wanting • To help humanity • Democracy was a fallen idol • Product of decay, no positive values • Preferred elite rule

4. Revolutions in Physics and Psychology Uncertainty Principle Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory • Challenged concepts of morality • And values • Conflict between conscious and • Unconscious mental process • Repressive mechanism • Dreams led to deepest parts of your • Mind • Oedipus complex • Psychoanalysis is the key to understanding • Human behavior • Werner Heisenberg-essentially • Scientists cannot observe the behavior • Of electron objectively, because the • Act of observation interferes • Leading to the Uncertainty Principle- • Objectivity was not a valid concept, the • Observer was a part of the process

5. Experimentation in Art and Architecture Bauhaus Artistic Influences • Not a reproduction of reality but • An end in and of itself • Inspiration came from Asian, Pacific • And African societies • Edgar Degas-visual angles, asymmetrical • Compositions • Paul Gaugin-inspired by “primitive” art, • Held wonder not in a civilized society • Pablo Picasso-cubism, African influence • Architectural institution • Focused on urban and industrial • Landscape • Functional design based on • Engineering and art. • Ludwig Mies von der Rohe-glass • Box skyscrapers

6. Global Depression

7. The Great Depression Economic Problems The Crash of 1929 Economic Contraction Spreads • Tangled financial system: • Allies war debts, reparations • Paid by Germany & Austria, • U.S. funds to Europe • Austria & Germany relied on • U.S. loans to pay France & England • France and England used those • Reparation payments to pay the • U.S. Loans • 1929 U.S. lenders began to • Withdraw capital from Europe, • Creating strain • Poor agriculture based on over • Production and falling prices • U.S. enjoys boom after • WWI • Invested in • speculative ventures • Stock prices over valued • So investors pull out • Decrease in business activity, • Wages & employment • Could not sell inventory, • Cutback and layoffs • Nat’l income drops by half • 44% of U.S. banks out of • Business • A hurting U.S. economy • Was felt all over the world

8. The Great Depression Economic Nationalism Industrial Economies • Great Depression destroyed int’l and • Financial commercial networks of • Capitalist economies • Economic nationalism-tariff barriers, • Import quotas, import prohibitions • This BACKFIRES • Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930)-raised duties • On most manufactured products to • Prohibitive levels • Other nations strike back, drop in trade • Investors shaken by the crash • Attempt to liquidate and take loans, • But Wall Street banks refuse extend • Short term loans • Germany experiences economic • Slide due to U.S. • Foreign trade falls causing losses • In manufacturing, employment and • Per capita

9. Despair and Government Action Personal Suffering • People grow desperate. • No food, housing, clothing • Shantytowns • Less marriage, children and divorce • Suicides rise • Non-existent job market • Writers put down political and social orders

10. Economic Experimentation Keynes The New Deal • Gov’t responds to crisis 1/2 ways: • 1)Most did nothing hoping for the • Economy to self correct • 2) gov’t took active roles (balancing • Nat’l budgets & cut spending) • People called for a revision of • Economic thought • Keynes-economist • Not excessive supply but inadequate • Demand • He urged gov’t to stimulate economies • By lowering interest rate, encourage investment, • Public works, redistribute incomes through tax • Policy would lead to reduced unemployment • And an economic revival • FDR applied ideas to stimulate • The economy through policy. • Gov’t justified in intervening for • Social and economic welfare of the • people • Policies of the “New Deal”: • prevent collapse of • Banks, jobs and farm subsidies, • Workers the right to organize and • Bargain collectively, guarantee • Minimum wages, social security

11. Challenges to the Liberal Order

12. Communism in Russia War Communism Civil War New Economic Policy • Russian Communist Party • Go into civil war 1918-1920 • Communists begin Red • Terror arresting, trying and • executing the White • Terror • July 1918 Bolsheviks • Execute Tsar Nicholas II and • His family • White terror just as bad as • Red terror, often received • Foreign support • Whites defeated by Reds • Due to poor organization and • support • No plans to change Russian • Economy • Practiced war communism – • Nationalization, annulled private • Property, controlled banks, • Industry and other commercial • Properties, abolished private trade • By 1920 production fell by one • Tenth of its pre-war levels • Spring 1921 Lenin calls for a • Reversal of war communism • Implemented by Lenin • Restored market economy • And some private enterprise • Small industry returns to • Private ownership • Peasant can sell surplus • Agriculture in a free market • Est. technical schools

13. Communism in Russia Collectivization of Agriculture Joseph Stalin & Five Year Plan The Great Purge • General secretary, promoted • Socialism in one country • “Man of Steel”, 1928 est. • An unchallenged dictatorship • Est. plan for rapid economic • Development • Emphasized heavy industry • At the expense of consumer • Goods • Pushes for resources and a high • Labor force • Alternative to market capitalism • Expropriated private land • To create co-op farms • Profits shared by farmers • Helped to make sure workers • Were fed • Stopped in 1931 half of the • Farms in the Soviet Union were • Collectivized • 5 year plan was unrealistic • No real consumer gratification • But balanced out with full • Employment , low cost utilities, • Cheap housing and food • Planned economy looks • appealing • Civil war w/in the Communist • Party • Attacked Bolshevik elites • For treason • Purged 2/3 of the delegates • Russia’s Communism showed • A viable political and social • system

14. The Fascist Alternative & Italian Fascism Defining Fascism Benito Mussolini Fascist State • Attractive to middle class, • rural pops., and nationalists • Fascist wanted to create a • Nat’l community (by nation- • State, ethnic or racial grp) • Fascism: honoring the • State, devotion to leader, • Ultra nationalism, ethno- • Centrism and militarism • (military life, large military • Establishments, public life • Subordination of indiv. To • The state • Hostile to: individualism, • Liberal democracy, class based • visions • Fascist gov’t gains power • Through many laws: • Eliminates other political • Parties, no free press, speech • And association • No labor unions or strikes • Corporatism-organic entity • Through which different views • Come under the control of the • State • Racism and Anti-Semitism • Prominent (unpatriotic, no • Gov’t employment, no inter- • Marriage) • Leader of Italian Fascism • Emphasized nationalism, • Repression of socialists • 1922 becomes prime • Minister and forms new • Italian gov’t

15. German National Socialism Hitler and the Nazi Party Consolidation for Powers The Struggle for Power • Nazi party had a broad • Appeal • Attracted the disillusioned • Who did not agree w/the • Treaty of Versailles, lower • Middle classes • Hitler promises to end • Misfortunes • He stresses racial doctrines • Esp. anti-Semitism • 1932 it becomes the largest • Party in Parliament • Offered Hitler the chancellor- • Ship • From republic to dictatorship • Used all means to impose rule • Eliminates working class and liberals • Officially takes away • Constitutional and civil rights • Outlawed political, crime to • Create new ones • Prohibited strikes and lockouts • Took control of all police forces • 1921 Hitler becomes • Chairman of the National • Socialist Party (Nazi) • Aims to get into power • Legally after being • Imprisoned due to a revolt

16. German National Socialism Nazi Eugenics The Racial State & Women and Race Anti-Semitism • Racial superiority • Racial purity • Eugenics to improve • “quality” of German race • No room for “racially • Inferior” of “biological • Outsiders” • Nazis launch campaign • To increase birthrates • Encourage marriage through • Tax credits, allowances, loans • Rewrote divorce laws • Outlawed abortions, restricted • Birth control • Prejudice against Jews • Used religious descent • As a determination of Jews • Nuremburg Laws which were • Discriminatory laws: 1) no • Citizenship 2)no marriage or • Sexual intercourse with a non-Jew • Economically: expropriated • Wealth, civil servants lost jobs, • Jewish lawyers and docs could • Not help non-Jew, liquidation • Of business • Kristallnacht: destruction of • Jewish stores and synagogues • 250,000 Jews leave Germany • (1938) • 1933 sterilization program • For “hereditarily determined” • Illness • 1935 gov’t sanctioned • Abortions • State sponsored euthanasia • Program, for those seen “useless” • To society (physically & mentally • Handicapped)