World War 2

The devastating effects of world-wide depression and Treaty of Versailles led to rise of totalitarian regimes. German, Italian, and Japanese aggression led to a major war involving most world powers. Following WW2, two superpowers emerged leading to a Cold War.

World War II

The World After the Great War

Treaty of Versailles

Humiliated Germany by forcing to pay reparations, accept guilt, demilitarize, give up land and colonies

Reparations left Germany in debt

Treaty of VersaillesEstablished League of Nations:

–Organization of 42 nations who met to work out problems of world & avoid future wars, BUT…

–Had no military so League could not enforce any of its laws

–Did not include US (voted against signing treaty & League of Nations because did not want to be involved in future European problems)

Countries Destroyed

Great Britain:

–After the Great War, England was no longer the leading economic power in the world; war caused large debt & had to borrow from US

Countries DestroyedFrance:

–Most of fighting during war took place in France & Germany; war destroyed villages, farms, forests

–Huge war debts meant that France could not rebuild quickly

–Built Maginot LineMaginot Line between France & Germany to protect from future invasions

Countries DestroyedItaly:

–Mad about Versailles Treaty because did not get land on Adriatic Coast

–Unemployment grew in Italy after the war; led to riots & strikes

Countries DestroyedGermany:

–New Weimar Republic created at Versailles, but seen as traitors; political instability & military coups threatened overthrow of Weimar government

–In 1922 Germany declared could not pay reparations

–Printed more money, led to massive inflationinflation (money value decreased)

Countries DestroyedRussia:

–By 1921, Russians had experienced the Great War, Russian Revolution, & a Civil War

–27 million Russians were killed as a result of these wars

–Russia’s economy was broke

1919-1939 Between WWI & WWII, the

European countries that fought in the Great War were in debt & were slowly able to rebuild

The USA & Japan emerged from the Great War with wealth & prosperity because both had traded with Allies during war

In USA, the 1920s were a great time

1919-1939New innovations were made in

psychology, physics, art, and transportation:

–Sigmund Freud created new ideas in psychology; believed that human mind had conscious & subconscious thoughts that affect peoples’ behavior & mental illness

Sigmund

Freud

1919-1939Albert Einstein created new ideas

in physics (many disproved Newton’s ideas); believed light traveled at constant speed; believed space & time were not constant, but moved relative to other objects (Theory of Relativity); believed all matter could be transferred to energy (E=mc2)

1919-1939Pablo Picasso revolutionized art

by creating cubismcubism (abstract form of art using geometric shapes)

Salvador Dali utilized surrealismsurrealism in art (using of dream-like images & unnatural objects); based on Freud’s ideas

Pablo Picasso Salvador Dali

1919-1939Other technological innovations

changed human life:–Cars became easy to buy &

became a common purchase; paved highways built to connect places

–First commercial air travel–Radio allowed people to hear

news & entertainment

Economic DepressionIn 1929, the US Stock Market crashed

–investors were buying on marginmargin (pay for only part of a stock), lenders called in loans which led to panic; banks collapsed; workers lost jobs (Great Depression in US)

No money for investment in Europe; European banks collapsed; led to world-wide economic depression

Affects of ConditionsBad conditions led to rise of

totalitarian regimes in Europe:

–FascistsFascists in Italy under Mussolini

–NazisNazis in Germany under Hitler

–CommunistsCommunists in Russia under Lenin & Stalin