1919-1945+(C)+Dictatorships

= **1919** **-1945** Post-WWI Crisis and Dictatorships  =

By: Kia DeAngelis and Elizabeth Tullo
Map of Europe Post WW1 (1919-1929)

**Italy**- Victor Emmanuel III (1900-1946)
Hitler and Mussolini

=__Crisis __=

German Inflation of 1923
Germany was forced to pay reparation payments, but did not have enough money to pay back the allies without hurting themselves financially. When the French invaded the Ruhr valley as a threat, the Germans quickly printed more and more money to get the French out as quickly as possible of their country. This ongoing printing of money lead to inflation within the country, making the German currency practically worthless which lead to hard economic troubles. This made the middle class of Germany completely broke and not hopeful for the future. Until the Dawes Plan was created Germany lived in tough times. When the plan was issued Germany was able to pick itself up by borrowing capital from the United States. During the inflation period 4 trillion paper marks = 1 dollar.

Anti-Imperialist Movements in Asia
Europe's hold on Asia slipped during this time as many countries became anti-Imperialist as they became more nationalistic. The natives feared that their ancient cultures would become lost as the spheres of influence would take over. It was a revolt against western supremacy. China, India, and many other nations rebelled and this would cause Europe to lose its grasp on Asia, and therefore lose much of its economic system for which it had depended on for a very long time.

The Great Depression
The Great Depression was worldwide and began in 1929 with the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. This crash would then spread to Europe and lead to isolationist countries who would keep out everything wishing to develop their own industries. This was evident in the United State especially. The Great Depression was caused by massive amounts of borrowed credit and an agricultural depression where farmers were unable to pay for their farms due to a superabundant output of wheat. This would cause the financial market to collapse and would later to industry doing the same. This lead to massive unemployment, where some, especially in Europe, turned to new political ideologies as a way out (Fascism). Germany suffered the most from the Great Depression because Germany hadn't fully recovered from the inflation of 1923.

Anti-Semitism (Kristallnacht)
"The Night of Broken Glass" was a key example to show Germany's discrimination towards Jews. On November 9, 1938 a massive attack against Jews was started by the Germans by smashing up their businesses and rounding up roughly thirty thousand to take to concentration camps. It was the beginning of what was to come of the Holocaust.

Italian Fascism

 * ==== 1921: Benito Mussolini seized control of Italian government and proclaimed political system of //Fascismo//. ====
 * ==== October 1922: Mussolini's "March on Rome" led by the Blackshirts, to suppress the Left. Result was cabinet resigning and Mussolini becoming premier. Fascist state was born. ====
 * ==== Fascists were upholders of national law and order and property, they were patriots and nationalists. ====
 * ==== Mussolini denounced democracy, saying it declared class struggle and led to selfishness. He preached action under a strong leader, //Duce//. ====
 * ==== Fascism, said Mussolini, is the "dictatorship of the state over many classes cooperating". ====

Germany's Third Reich

 * ====1920s: Adolf Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist German Workers Party; Nazis are born.====
 * ====Hitler tried to collapse Weimar Republic by a //Putsch//, popular revolt.====
 * ====His "beer hall Putsch" happened in 1923 and began with gunshots and screaming of "national revolution broken out".====
 * ====This resulted in Hitler being arrested and put in prison for only a few months.====
 * ====Hitler denounced the Weimar Republic for producing class struggle, division, and weakness. True democracy is in the people, //Volk//, behind a great leader; pure Germans rely on themselves.====
 * ====Hitler legally became chancellor by President Hindenburg on January 30, 1933. Hitler was the leader, Fuhrer, and claimed to represent sovereignty of Germans.====
 * ====The law of Germany was the will of German people working in interests of Nazi State.====

Italian Fascism

 * ==== Mussolini denounced free trade, laissez-faire, and capitalism, with class consciousness, which he said were the evil offspring of liberal ideas and capitalist econcomies. ====
 * ==== Mussolini's corporative system represented state control over economic life. ====
 * ==== It provided the division of all economic life into 22 major areas, where a "corporation" was established. ====
 * ==== In each corporation Fascist labor groups and government determined working conditions, wages, prices, and industiral policies. ====
 * ==== No reform changed status of farmers and peasants. The structure of Italian society was the social extremes of wealth and poverty. ====

Germany's Third Reich

 * ====Hitler did not like Habsburg courts, nobility of Eastern Europe, mixed nationalities, and Jews.====
 * ====The Great Depression was BAD for Germany.====
 * ====Foreign loans stopped, factories shut down, and millions were unemployed.====
 * ====The Germans blamed the Allies for its ruin: loss of colonies, markets, shipping, and foreign investment.====
 * ====1936: Four Year Plan of economic development.====
 * ====Goal was to be self-sufficient and independent from foreign trade.====
 * ====Nazis solution to Europe's political troubles would be bilateral trade agreements. This idea would make Germany superior.====

Italian Fascism

 * ====1929: Mussolini made his peace when he signed the Lateran accord, recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.====
 * ====Mussolini denounced liberalism, Marxism, materialism, and socialism.====

Germany's Third Reich

 * ====Hitler was very anti-Semitic. He disliked aristocracy, capitalism, and socialism.====
 * ====Hitler's anti-semitism continued with the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which deprived Jews from citizenship rights. In November of 1938, //Kristallnacht// resulted in a one billion fine on the Jewish community.====