B-The+Western+Democracies+Stumble+(529-535)

=The Western Democracies Stumble (529-535)=

**Vocabulary**
Maginot Line- Massive fortifications built by the French along the french border with Germany Kellogg-Briand Pact- An international agreement disarmament- Reduction of armed forces and weapons general strike- Strike by workers in many different industries at the same time overproduction- Condition in which production of goods exceeds the demand for them finance- Management of money matters Federal Reserve- Central banking system of the U.S. Great Depression- A painful time of global economic collapse Franklin D.Roosevelt- President of the United States at the time of the Great Depression New Deal- Massive package of economic and social programs

Politics in the Postwar World
When people first got back from the war the issues they worried about most were jobs for the veterans. They wanted to rebuild the war-ravaged Lands. Because of the economic problems created social unsettling making the crazy ideas more popular among the people.

Party Struggles in Britain
As the Liberal party faltered, the Labour party grew stronger because it gained support by promoting a gradual move toward socialism. While the Liberal party grew weaker, the middle class began to back the Conservative party which then held power during much of the 1920's.

**Irish Independence at Last**
In 1914 Irish decided that they wanted to pass a home-rule bill. On Easter 1916 a militant Irish nationalist started a revolt against British and was quickly shut down. In 1919 Parliament tried again for home-rule but failed. The Irish republic army began guerilla war fare against British. In 1922 they finally reached another agreement where most of Ireland became a self governing Irish free state. The northern protestant remained under British rule.

France's Troubled Peace
France emerged from WWI with several political divisions and financial scandals in the Third Republic. Several parties competed for power. The parties argued on how to get reparations payments from Germany. Most of the parties were either conservative or communist.

"The Red Scare" and Isolationism in the United States
After WWI the United States had few casualties and little loss of property because of their late entry in the war. The U.S. once back from WWI had domestic unrest for fear of radicals and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia setting off "Red Scare" in 1919-1920. Because of this police rounded up suspected foreign born radicals and some were expelled from the United States. The "Red Scare" limited the growing demands of immigration. Between 1890 and 1914 immigrants from southern and eastern Europe came into the United States. Some of the Native born Americans were hesitant about the newcomers because their cultures differed from those of earlier settlers from northern Europe. As a reaction of this congress passed laws limiting immigration from Europe. Chinese and Japanese was already limited because of earlier laws.

Postwar Foreign Policy NotesThe three democracies of the world (England, France, and the U.S.) faced a difficult international situation. The peace settlements, signed at the Paris Peace Conference, caused tension, especially in Germany and among some ethnic groups in Eastern Europe. After the war, France was worried about protecting their borders from Germany. Remembering the invasions of 1870 and 1914, to prevent a third invasion, France built MAGINOT LINES along its borders with Germany. Maginot lines are massive fortifications built by the French along the French border with Germany in the 1930s to protect against future invasions. However, that wouldn’t work in 1940, World War 2. Debate over the treaty of Versailles caused even more tension in Europe. France tried to enforce this treaty in order to weaken Germany’s economy, since the treaty of Versailles would make Germany pay for World War 1 damages. Britain however, disagreed with the treaty, because they thought it would make Germany’s economy so weak that they feared France and the Soviet Union would become too powerful.

Despite disagreements, representatives from seven European nations signed a series of treaties at Locarno, Switzerland. These treaties settled Germany’s disputed borders with France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. The Kellogg-Briand Pact, Which was sponsored by the United States in 1928, was a multi national treaty that prohibited the use of war as “an instrument of national policy, except in matters of self-defense. It was the result of a determined American effort to avoid involvement in European alliance system. In this optimistic spirit, the great powers pursued disarmament, the reduction of armed forces and weapons. The United States, Britain, France, Japan, and other nations signed treaties to reduce the size of the navies. However, the failed to agree on limiting the size of their armies.
 * The Search for Peace**

The league of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919-1920 The League’s primary goals as stated in its Covenant included preventing war through collective security, disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other goals in this and related treaties included labor conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants. Located in Geneva, Switzerland, the League of Nations encouraged cooperation and tried to get members to make a commitment to stop aggression. In 1926, after signing the Locarno agreements, Germany joined the league, and later the Soviet Union was admitted. However, the League of Nations had many weaknesses in its goal to achieve peace. Although the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawed war, it provided no way of enforcing the ban. The League of Nations, too, was powerless to stop aggression. In 1931, the League tired to stop Japan’s invasion of Manchuria, but did not take military action to stop it.
 * The League of Nations**

The war affected economies all over the world. Britian and France owed debts to the U.S. and depended on payments from Germany to fulfill their debts. Germany’s economy meanwhile was suffering due to the crushing reparations and other conditions. Britain faced serious economic problems because it was deeply in debt with out of date factories. Low wages lead to unrest and frequent strikes. In comparison, French economy recovered rapidly even though a few economic swings did occur. Despite this, Europe made a pretty good recovery in the 1920’s, economies returned to manufacturing and trade, and veterans even found jobs even though unemployment was still a huge issue. In contrast the United States emerged from the war with little damage to their economy. American money helped the recovery in Europe. As long as American economy prospered, the global economy remained stable. The prosperity ended at the end of the 1920’s. The wealth in the 1920’s was not shared by all. Farmers and unskilled workers got a lot less money than others. While raw materials and agricultural products were in high demand during the war, after it was done the demand dropped off and company’s began to overproduce goods. Because people began to earn less they bought less and when factories began to cut back workers lost jobs. While jobs were being cut, another problem was beginning to surface, financial problems. Prices on the New York Stock Exchange were at an all time high so few saw the danger. Investors began to aquire stocks through risky methods. To slow the stock market the United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates in 1928. This was a bad move because it just made people nervous about borrowing money and therefore hurt the demand. In late 1929, people were so nervous that they sold their stocks at once which cause stock prices to crash beginning the Great Depression. In 1931 the Federal Reserve again increased the interest rate which caused businesses to close, banks to fail and through millions out of work. Economic problems quickly struck the rest of the world as American banks stopped making loans abroad. Without American money, Germany, France, and Britain suffered. Desperate governments tried to protect their economies from foreign competition. The U.S. imposed their highest tariffs in its history but this policy backfired when other nations raised their tariffs in retaliation. The Great Depression spread misery from the industrial world to Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
 * Postwar economics**
 * Britain and France recover**
 * The United States Booms**
 * The Great Depression**
 * Falling Demand and Overproduction**
 * Crash and Collapse**
 * The Depression Spreads**

//**The Democracies React to the Depression**// Britain, France and, United States governments tried to find ways to lift the Depression. No methods worked quick but, they alleviated some suffering.

Britain set up a coalition government made up of leaders from all three of its major political parties. They provided unemployment but, didn't improve the economy. In 1931, 1 in every 4 workers were unemployed. The Great Depression took longer to effect France than it had with other countries. By the mid 1930s though, France had decreased production and unemployment. Several leftist parties united behind the socialist leader Leon Blum. His Popular Front government tried to solve labor problems and passed some social legislation. It could not satisfy more radical leftists and soon strikes brought down Blum's government. The Democracy survived but, the country didn't have any strong leadership and couldn't respond to the clamor for change.
 * //Britain and France Searc//h for Solutions**

//**Roosevelt offers The United States a New Deal**// President Herbert Hoover strongly believed that government should not intervene in private business matters. But, he did try a variety of measures to try to solve the crisis but, nothing seemed to work. Then in 1932, the U.S. citizens elected **Franklin D. Roosevelt** "FDR" decided that the government needed to take an active role in in fighting the Great Depression. He introduced the **New Deal** which was a massive package of economic and social programs.With the New Deal, the Federal government became even more directly involved in people's everyday lives. The new laws regulated the stock market and protected bank deposits. New government programs created jobs and aided farmers. A new Social Security system provided pensions for the elderly and other benefits. Then a natural disaster in 1934 hit several states. Because of years of drought and over-farming, huge winds blew across the plain and carried away topsoil caused by erosion, creating the Dust Bowl. The Dust bowl destroyed many crops, land and, equipment. Thousands of farmers lost their land and many migrated West Coast cities in search of jobs and a new lifestyle. The New Deal did not end the Great Depression but, it did ease suffering for many. Although, critics condemned FDR's expansion of the role of the government in citizen's everyday lives. The debate about the size/role still goes on today.

//**Loss of Faith in Democracy**// Because the Depression wore on, many people lost faith that the democratic government could solve problems in the modern day world. The misery and hopelessness created fertile ground for extremists who promised radical solutions.

**Packet Questions!!!** 6. The country that emerged from World War I in the best financial shape was the United States, D 7. The Kellogg-Briand Pact was designed to end wars between countries, A 8. One important cause of the Great Depression was overproduction and falling demand in the United States, B 9. What 1929 event aggravated the economic decline in the United States was the stock market crash, B 10. Which statement best describes western countries' attempts to end the Great Depression is C