UNIT 6. EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR I. THE SECOND WORLD WAR
TASK 1:
A brief revision of World War I. What do you remember about World War I?
a) Try to classify these powers according to what side they were on in the war
(Central Powers or Allies)
Germany
France
Russia
Austro-Hungary
Italy
United Kingdom USA
b) When did the war start? When did it end?
c) When did the USA join the Allies? When did Russia withdraw?
1.
1.1
EUROPE IN THE 1920s
Politics
TASK 2. Read this text about the consequences of World War I and change the
underlined words for different ones with a similar meaning:
World War I carnaged people's lives. Besides the high level of deaths both the
victorious Allies and the defeated Central Powers had enormous debts, which
contributed to financial insecurity. When World War I ended, millions of soldiers
were sent home. At the same time, the workers who manufactured guns, tanks or
munitions lost their jobs. Unemployment rose and a deep economic recession started.
The general destruction led to internal political conflict and social instability in
almost every nation in Europe during the inter-war period. Governments seemed
powerless. This led to extremist groups, such as Communists and Fascists, solving
their country's problems.
European borders and policies also changed. In Russia there was a communist
revolution. The Russian and Austrian empires fell apart and new countries were set
up. After the war most countries in Europe were democracies. But by the 1930s many
of them were replaced by dictatorships. The new countries which emerged after the
war had democratic governments, with pluripartidism, elections, parliaments and
personal liberties. But the situation was unstable, due to nationalist aims and a
difficult economy.
In most parts of Europe, governments passed laws in favour of workers conditions,
such as the eight-hours working day, health insurance and retirement. The Trade
Unions got stronger, with thousands of unionists.
WORDS: crisis, grew, owed much money, mortality,
disappeared,
deported,
war equipment, discontent, weak, non-democratic, were born, several political
parties.
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1.2
International Relations
TASK 3. Copy the text and fill in the gaps with the suitable word.
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
In 1919, the______Allies organized a conference in Versailles. Wilson (president of
USA), Lloyd George (British PM) and Clemenceau (France) wanted Germany to
be___________:
Germany had to pay_______for the damage made. Germany had to pay €8.4 billion
to France, Belgium and Britain. This meant the______for German economy.
Germany_______territories to France and Poland
Germany gave up all colonies
Germany could only have an______of 100,000 soldiers with no tanks, planes or Uboats.
This treaty considered that only Germany was________for the war. This increased
the_______between Germany and the Allies. By this time, a not very brave Austrian
soldier named Adolf Hitler began to hate the__________, the French and the
Russians. Guess what happened some years later!
WORDS: hate
1.3
guilty collapse returned British
Army punished
victorious
reparations
Economy. The 1929 crash and the New Deal
TASK 4: Read this text about the Wall Street Crash and answer the questions.
After WW I, the economies of many European countries were in chaos. Germany and
other nations suffered as they tried to pay back the money borrowed to finance
their war effort.
Most of the money borrowed to finance the war came from the United States. There,
many people were starting to invest in stocks and shares, causing the price of shares
to rise. Share prices reached a peak in August 1929, then they started to fall. When
they were still falling in October, investors began to panic and sold their shares for
whatever they could get. Prices fell further still and thousands of investors lost all
their money. This is called the Wall Street Crash and started an economic crisis as
banks and businesses closed down, throwing people out of work. The economic crisis in
the US soon affected the whole world. The system of international loans depended on
the US and collapsed as money loaned in Europe was demanded back. This caused high
unemployment in Europe.
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QUESTIONS
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Explain the economic situation of Europe after World War I
Which country helped the European countries to finance the war?
What happened in Wall Street up until August 1929? Why?
What happened in October 1929? Why?
Explain the consequences of the Wall Street Crash
Why did the Great Depression affect the whole world?
TASK 5
Match each word with its definition (the words are underlined in the previous text)
To borrow
Any of the equal portions into which
property or invested capital is divided
To finance
The home of the New York Stock
Exchange
To invest
The capital of a business company
Stock
Something lent, especially a sum of money
Share
To receive money with the intention of
returning the same plus interest
To panic
To commit money in order to earn a
financial return
Loan
To provide funds or capital
Wall Street
To suddenly feel frightened so that you
cannot think clearly
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TASK 6
Look at the picture of a soup kitchen. Write a description of it. Use these key words:
HUNGRY
MISERY
INCOME
BEGGING
QUEUE
TASK 7. Read the following text. Can you find some similarities with the current
situation in the USA?
In 1932 there was an election for president in the US. Franklin D. Roosevelt
was elected president, and he promised people a “new deal”. His main aim was to
create jobs. He got money to build roads, schools, hospitals and ports. By 1938, over
8 million people were employed in this way. He built dams to supply water and
electricity some poor areas in the country. Roosevelt was so successful that he was
reelected president three times. He led the US during the Second World War and
died in 1945.
2.
The rise of totalitarianisms
2.1. Characteristics of Dictatorships
TASK 8 What is democracy? What is dictatorship?
–
Read this text about the meaning of Democracy and Dictatorship
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"Democracy gives power to the people, who exercise their power by voting in
elections. Democracy also includes the right to freedom of speech, freedom of
assembly and personal freedom.
In a dictatorship, the country is controlled by one man or party. The dictator controls
press, radio and education.
All political parties are banned, except that of the dictator. Those who oppose the
dictator are arrested and imprisoned and sometimes killed."
–
Now classify the following statements into democracy or dictatorship:
a) There are several parties with different ideas about how the country should be
run
b) People cannot join trade unions or belong to different churches
c) There is only one party
d) The parliament has the power to pass laws and approve taxes
e) There is only one leader who makes the laws
f) You can criticize the government
g) Elections are held every four or five years
h) People can belong to any religion they like
2.2.
Communism: Stalin and the USSR
TASK 9 Stalin "the villain"
Between 1924 and 1929 Stalin had total power over the Russian people. He
established a totalitarian dictatorship to make sure of his power.
–
Read the following statements and classify them into the following
headlines:
Terror - state control of education - propaganda and censorship - personality cult
a) No word of criticism was ever been heard
b) By 1938, all of the Bolshevik leaders of 1917 had died or been executed (except
Stalin)
c) The churches were not allowed to publish books
d) Purges: 20% of members of the Red Army were executed
e) Stalin´s picture was everywhere
f) Many teachers, doctors or scientists were arrested and sent to labour camps
g) Mass media were heavily controlled
h) Anyone could be a member of the secret police
i) Several towns received the name of Stalin
j) The History books were written by Stalin himself
k) Twenty million people were sent to labour camps. Millions died in the camps
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TASK 10
Have a look at these pictures of Stalin and then answer these questions:
–
Are these pictures realistic? Why?
–
Try to write a description of the Stalin showed in the pictures. Use these
key words:
HERO LEADER
PEOPLE
WORKERS
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2.3 Fascism
TASK 11. Read this text and then mark these statements about fascism with either
true or false
"Fascism is the name of a political movement that became prominent between the
wars. Fascist leaders promised strong leadership and were opposed to socialism. They
gained massive support by promising to restore national pride and create jobs in
countries humiliated by defeat in World War I and the misery of high unemployment"
a) Fascist leaders wanted to build up an empire
b) Fascist leaders shared their power with the Parliament
c) Fascism was a democratic system
d) There was only one party
e) Economy was ruled by the state
f) Fascists believed that all races should have equal rights
g) Fascist leaders didn´t like massive rallies
2.3.1 Mussolini and Italy
TASK 12. How did Mussolini seize power?
Read this text and change the underlined words for different ones with a similar
meaning
" Italy was the exception in the democratic Europe of the 1920s. Since 1922 Italy
was ruled by the fascist leader Mussolini.
In WW I, Italy was on the winning side. But after the war, life was not easy for
Italians. Prices rose rapidly and people could not afford to buy food. Former soldiers
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could not get jobs. Strikes and riots were common. Many workers joined the
communist party and people thought there might be a communist revolution. Church
leaders, landowners, bankers, industrialist and army officers feared such a
revolution.
Benito Mussolini had fought in the war. Afterwards, in 1919, he set up the fascist
party. Many former soldiers joined it. They became known as the "Camicie Nere", the
blackshirts. They used force to intimidate all opposition to the Italian Fascist Party.
Mussolini promised to stop communism. His "camicie nere" broke up strikes, attacked
socialist meetings and beat up communists. The police, the army and the judges
turned a blind eye to their violence. The Fascist Party had a huge increase in
membership.
In October 1922, Mussolini decided to march on Rome with 40,000 camicie nere to
demand the new government to include fascist members. The King Vittorio Emmanuele
invited Mussolini to become Prime Minister and to form a government.
Mussolini or il Duce ,the Leader, as he liked to be called, then set out to destroy
democracy in Italy and to make himself into a fascist dictator.
WORDS: rallies
violence
were called
ignored
founded unrest there was inflation Italians
ministers hard were afraid of
governed
ex-soldiers
victorious
become
TASK 13
As a dictator, Mussolini´s decisions were antidemocratic. Here there is a list of the
most important decisions taken by Mussolini. Make new sentences following the
example:
To ban all parties......All parties were banned
To
To
To
To
To
To
To
ban trade unions and strikes
close down the Parliament
create a secret police force
control the media
use propaganda
control the educational system
expand his empire in Africa
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TASK 14
Read the following text about Mussolini (as a dictator) and then say if the
statements below are true or false:
During the 1920s, Mussolini liked to present himself as a peace-loving statesman. He
signed agreements to outlaw war, and promised to settle international disputes by
negotiation. He also signed a treaty with the Pope in 1929, which brought him fame at
home and abroad, especially among Catholics.
Besides this, he promoted public work (new roads, railways, dams, draining marshes)
that gave work for Italians and made them think that the loss of democracy was not
so important.
But after the Abyssinian invasion and the sanctions of the League of Nations,
Mussolini joined up with Hitler, creating an anti-Communist alliance called the "RomeBerlin axis". In 1939 they formed a full military alliance called the "Pact of Steel",
and Mussolini entered war on the side of Hitler. During the war, the Italians
overthrew Mussolini. He was killed by partisans (resistance movement) on 28 th April
1945 and his body hung upside down in Milan for everyone to see.
–
Italy was a pacifist country in the 1930s
–
The Catholic church was supported by Mussolini
–
Mussolini´s policies provided many new jobs
–
Italy and Germany were allies during World War II
–
The "Pact of Steel" was an economic treaty
–
The Abyssinian invasion was a war between the League of Nations and the
Communists
–
At the end of World War II, Mussolini was hated by Italian people
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2.3.2 Hitler and Nazi Germany
TASK 15
In November 1918, Germany lost the First World War. The Kaiser resigned and a new
democratic government took over: The Weimar Republic.
The Weimar Republic faced terrible problems. Here there is a list of them. Try to
relate every problem with a picture.
PROBLEMS: Factories closed (unemployment)
Strikes and riots
Inflation
Lack of food
Hate against the Treaty of Versailles
IMAGE 1
IMAGE 2
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IMAGE 3
IMAGE 4
11
IMAGE 5
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TASK 16 How Hitler won power
Read this text about Hitler's rise to power and fill in the gaps with a suitable word
from the list:
In 1923 Hitler tried to ___________ the democratic government . He failed and was
sent to ______. While there, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf ("My struggle"),
where he put forward his ideas. After his jail sentence, he founded a new
political______. It was a _______party like Mussolini´s but Hitler gave it a German
name, the Nazi party. He chose the svastika as its _______
At first its progress was slow. The economy was going better, and people were not
____________in Hitler´s ideas. But things changed after the Great Depression that
devastated Germany. By 1932 there were many people out of _____ many of them
were hungry and _________ Germans were desperate. The democratic
__________could not cope with the situation. Many people turned to Hitler´s Nazis
instead and ______for the Nazi party in the 1932 elections. As a result, Hitler
became prime minister in 1933. Within a year, he had destroyed democracy and made
himself the________ of Germany.
WORDS: dictator emblem fascist overthrow
government homeless jail party
interested
work
voted
TASK 17
After reaching power, Hitler started a series of reforms to destroy democracy. This
is a list of them:
–
–
–
–
–
objected
–
He declared the Third Reich, that is, the third German Empire
He banned all parties except the Nazi party
He abolished the German parliament
He banned trade unions and forbade strikes
He set up a secret police force, the Gestapo, to arrest anyone who
to what he did
He declared himself the Führer (leader) of the German people
Now, compare these reforms with those of Mussolini (task 13). Can you find
similarities?
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TASK 18
Life in Germany under the Nazis
Here you can see a series of images related to the Nazi Germany. You must write a
report about life in Germany under Hitler. Use these pictures as a source. Use these
key words in your report: Ideal family, propaganda, massive rallies, public works,
strong leadership, education
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TASK 19. The Holocaust
Your mate has the complete text. Try to fill in the blanks listening to his/her
explanations:
Hitler hated the Jews (anti-Semitism), so he used the power of the
government to persecute them. The --------- ----- were passed in 1935. Under these
laws:
- Jews were deprived of German citizenship
- Marriage between Jews and non-Jews was banned.
- Jews had to wear the --------- ---- ------.
On 9 November 1938 in the “Night of Broken Glass”, Jewish shops and -------were attacked, about ninety Jews were killed, and others were arrested and sent to
concentration camps.
By 1939, half of Germany’s Jews (about 300.000) including --------, had
emigrated to other countries. The mass murder of Jews under the Nazi regime took
place during World War II. As Germany conquered Poland and --------, millions of
Jews came under its control. Jews were rounded up and contained in ghettos such as
that in Warsaw, or in concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau and Treblinka.
The Nazis put into action their “Final Solution”, which was the ------------ of the
Jews.
3. World War II
TASK 20
Your mate has the complete text. Try to fill in the blanks listening to his/her
explanations:
Hitler wanted to take back the _______that Germany lost after World War I.
These included the Saar area, which he reoccupied in 1936. In 1938, Hitler sent
_______ into Vienna to persuade the ________ to agree to a union with Germany
and also ____________ to take over the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. To try to
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keep peace, the Munich Agreement gave the Sudetenland to_________. The
following March, however, Hitler´s troops took over the ________ of Czechoslovakia
and began to threaten Poland.
3.1
3.2
The beginning of the war
German Victory (1939/41)
TASK 21 ppt. The WWII
TASK 22
3.3. The results of the war
Although the war in Europe had come to an end, fighting continued in Asia. An allied
invasion of Japan was planned but in the end, two atomic bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945). Almost 200,000 people died in Hiroshima. Five
days later, the Japanese government under Emperor Hirohito surrendered and on
August 14 World War II ended.
Almost six years of fighting had had a devastating effect on the world. There had
been battles at sea, as well as on land and in the air, and the loss of lives was
enormous. On both sides there had also been millions of civilian casualties, either
through bombing raids or through illness, cold and hunger in cities such as Leningrad,
which were besieged for many months.
The worst affected of all, however, were the Jews of occupied Europe. Hitler had
been determined to wipe out the Jewish people and around six million died as a result
of slave labour, torture, medical experiments and gassing in concentration camps
through Germany and Poland.
After the war, Soviet troops occupied most of eastern Germany and other Allied
troops to the west. Its devastated capital, Berlin, was divided among the Allied
powers. In November 1945, leading Nazis were put on trial in Nuremberg before an
international court. They were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
a) When and how did World War II end?
b) Who was Hirohito?
c) How many people died in Hiroshima?
d) Name the main causes of death amongst civilians
e) How many Jews died in the concentration camps? How?
f) What happened to Germany and Berlin after the war?
g) What happened in Nuremberg?
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