THE WESTERN DEMOCRACIES STUMBLE

Chapter 16.2

1919- The Western governments (Britain, France, United States) look powerful Ruled Paris Peace Conference Hopes for democracy among new

nations in Eastern Europe Problems beneath the surface

PARTY STRUGGLES IN BRITAIN

Times of uncertainty = political

unheaval

IRISH INDEPENDENCE AT LAST

“THE RED SCARE” AND ISOLATIONISM IN THE US

The US emerges from WWI in good shape Late entrant into war=relatively few casualties and

little loss of property Domestic Unrest

Fear of the Bolshevik Revolution set off the Red Scare

Police rounded up foreign born radicals and a number were expelled from the US

Sacco and Vanzetti The Red Scare let to demands in the limit of

immigration

ARGUING ALLIES France wanted to secure its borders against

Germany Built Maginot Line along German border

France also strengthened its military alliances with other countries

Strict enforcement of the treaty of Versailles and payment reparations Kept German Economy

weak - $30 Billion = $2.7 Today Britain disagrees with this

THE SEARCH FOR PEACE People worked for peace in the 1920s

1925-Locarno Treaties signed (settled Germany’s disputed borders)

Kellogg Briand Pact- the great powers pursued disarmament Almost every independent nation signs

THE LEAGUE’S WEAKNESS Peace was fragile The League was powerless to stop

aggression Dictators in Europe noted the League’s

weaknesses and pursued aggressive foreign policies

POSTWAR ECONOMICS The war hurt and helped some nation’s

economies Britain and France owed a lot of money

to the United States They depended on the reparations from

Germany These Reparations hurt Germany

BRITAIN AND FRANCE RECOVER Britain deeply in debt in the 1920s

Factories were out of date Unemployment is severe Wages remain low

1926- general strike occurs which lasts nine days

The french economy recovered rapidly Reparations and territories from Germany

help out a lot

THE UNITED STATES BOOMS The US emerges from the war as the

leading economic power

U.S is #1!

FALLING DEMAND AND OVERPRODUCTION The wealth in the US was not evenly

spread The demand for raw goods during the

war was great After demand dwindled, production didn’t Led to overproduction Factories began to make less, and cut

worker’s jobs

CRASH AND COLLAPSE Prices at the NY Stock exchange were at an all

time high People bought stocks through risky means

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates in 1928 and 1929 to slow the growth

In the autumn of 1929, jitters over the economy caused everyone to sell their stocks all at once Black Tuesday Financial panic set in Stocks crashed The Great Depression begins

THE DEMOCRACIES REACT TO THE DEPRESSION

The governments of Britain, France, and the United States try to find ways to life

the depression.

BRITAIN AND FRANCE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS

Britain sets up a coalition government made of leaders from all three political parties By 1931, 1 in 4 workers is unemployed

By the min-1930s France felt the pinch of the Depression People back Leon Blum- a socialist leader Strikes soon bring down Blum’s government

because he could not solve all of the labor problems

HOOVER’S POLICY US president Herbert Hoover believed

the government should not intervene in private business matters Did try limited number of

measures to solve crisis (Hoover Dam, etc.)

Didn’t help to ease the financial crisis

ROOSEVELT OFFERS THE US A NEW DEAL 1932- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

elected Said the government needed to take an

active role in combating the Depression Introduced the New Deal

Government became more involved in people’s lives

Passed legislation social security TVA

THE DUST BOWL Natural disaster hit many states-

created the Dust Bowl Migrant workers went Westward

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Dorothea Lange – famous photographer!

Migrant Mother

Hard Times and Good Times in America