Between the Wars:
Europe and America
in the 1920s and the
Great Depression
Europe in the aftermath of the War
Germany, Austria, and Turkey were defeated
powers, their empires destroyed and their
governments being reorganized
 France and Britain had ‘won’ the War, but at
great financial and human cost
 Russia was in the midst of a civil war
 The USA had rejected the Treaty of Versailles
(and the League of Nations) and was
withdrawing again from European affairs

The League of Nations
Dominated by France
and Britain, the League
had little power to
influence events if these
two did not agree on
what to do – they
seldom did agree.
Britain’s Empire at Risk
A foolish decision to fire on Indian civilians at Amritsar
in 1919 leads to the growing movement for Indian
independence.
Ireland in Revolt
1919 – British government divides Ireland into
northern and southern sections, sends troops to
protect the largely Protestant section in Ulster –
decades of terrorist war ensues.
“Should the order ("Hands Up") not be
immediately obeyed, shoot and shoot with effect.
If the persons approaching (a patrol) carry their
hands in their pockets, or are in any way
suspicious-looking, shoot them down.” -- British
commander to troops in 1919
Fascism in Italy
In the early 1920s, Italy came
under the control of Benito
Mussolini, a former socialist who
created a doctatorship based on
the idea that “unity” would create
a new Roman empire. Anyone
who did not want to be part pf
Mussolini’s unity was either
imprisoned or killed.
Russia under Stalin
In the late 1920s and early
1930s Stalin used Russian
agricultural crops to
expand Soviet industry.
Millions died in famines
while the food was seized
and sold to other countries.
Stalin used the money to
build new factories.
The German “Republic”
The German government
is stable only as long as
war hero, General von
Hindenburg, is the
president. Only he can
induce the German army
to support the republic.
Wild inflation in Germany
The war damage and the
billions owed in reparations
ruins the German economy –
people use 20 billion Mark
notes (like the one at right) to
buy a loaf of bread and some
milk.
The United States
Election of Warren Harding in 1920 opens
an era of U.S. withdrawal from most
European affairs.
 Americans are angry that most European
nations are not repaying their war debts.
 U.S. politics is dominated by prohibition
and and rising power of Wall Street.
 Farmers are having a very hard time.

The Dawes Plan
Disarmament
The U.S. used its
financial power to
persuade Britain,
Japan and others to
reduce the size of
their navies – the
1922 Naval
Limitations
agreement will
remain in force for
over 10 years.
No War?
In the late 1920s, U.S. Secretary
of State Frank Kellogg joined the
French foreign minister in
persuading world leaders to sign
a pact promising to “settle all
differences without resorting to
war.” Every major nation signed
it – and then ignored it.
Radical Parties in Germany
Inflation and anger at
the Versailles Treaty led
many Germans to join
either the Communist
Party or one of the
militant ring-wing
groups, like the National
Socialist German
Workers Party – the
Nazis.
Nazi Attempt to Seize Power
In 1924 Hitler tried to
take control of the
government in
Munich. Arrested, he
and his followers were
tried for treason,
convicted – and
sentenced to only two
years in prison.
Nazi Ideology
The Nazi’s were violently Anti-Semitic,
blaming the Jews for Germany’s defeat in
the Great War
 The Nazis believed in a racial hierarchy
that placed “Aryans” (Germanic peoples)
as the top and Jews & Slavs at the bottom

Nazi Ideology



The Nazis believed that Germany has a
“destiny” to rule over all of Europe, even if
this meant the deaths of millions
The Nazis believed that violence was good
in that it “allowed” the superior to thrive
while the “inferior were destroyed in the
competition for land, resources, etc.
The Nazis believed that people needed a
strong ruler (leader—Fuhrer) to lead society
Aryanism
Nazi doctrine decreed
that blond, blue-eyed,
Central European
“Aryans” were the
superior race, which
should dominate all
others.
Prosperity on shaky ground
Despite the rising stock market, American
(and world) prosperity rested on very little
more than public confidence
 World trade declined as many nations
imposed high tariffs (taxes on foreign goods)
 The gold supply was not stabilizing prices
 Unemployment was slowly growing, as few
people could afford modern luxury goods

THE CRASH
Bank Failures – 9000 banks failed in
U.S., holding $7 billion (there was
no deposit insurance)
Unemployment
High unemployment in
both U.S. and Europe
results in many people
advocating either a
communist government
or a right-wing
government.
Unemployment
Hitler Takes Power
Appointed chancellor (prime minister) in 1934 to unify
the nation, Hitler took full power in 1934 after
President Hindenburg died.
Anti-Jewish Laws
Once Adolf Hitler
gained power in
Germany, the Nazis
passed laws that
restricted Jewish life –
the park bench has a
sign: “Aryans only”
Repressing “non-German ideas”
Nazis frequently
burned the books of
Jewish writers, of
communists and of
non-Germans whose
ideas were considered
“weak, liberal, and
pacifist”
Destroying Jewish businesses
Nazi troopers used
intimidation to
prevent other
Germans from
shopping in Jewishowned businesses –
the sign says “do not
buy from Jews”
Camps for the “Reich’s enemies”
Hitler ordered camps
constructed for the
“protective custody” of
Jews, communists,
socialists, intellectuals,
and any critics of the
Nazi state – the Third
Reich.
Rearmament
Both Italy and Germany
began to enlarge their
armies (in defiance of
treaties that limited
military growth). Germany
began to experiment with
fast-moving columns of
tanks, supported by large
numbers of bombers.
Populism – Urban Protest
“[After waking on a park bench] I reached Fifth
Avenue. Near Madison my eyes lit on two bottles
of milk on a doorstep. I took one and ducked
into an alley to drink it. The doorways of
grocery stores were just beginning to fill [with
deliveries]. Drivers were leaving bread and rolls
tied into gunny sacks. I found a chain store,
made as though I were looking to see if they had
opened, and tucked away a sweet rye.”
Edward Newhouse (New Masses staff) You Can’t
Sleep Here (1934)
“Alphabet Soup”
As US president from 1933-41, Franklin Roosevelt
relied on several new Federal agencies to combat
unemployment and poverty.
Father Charles E. Coughlin

“Shall we suffer while this
money remains idle to
fatten the wallets of the
bankers?” (Radio Speech,
1935.) By 1936, Coughlin
was expressing admiration
for Hitler and Mussolini in
his calls for “destroying the
Jews who created this
financial panic.”
German-American Bund, 1938
The GermanAmerican Bund
pushed for a
fascist-type
government
after 1934.
American Communism and the
Depression
The U.S.
Communist
Party’s
presidential
candidate
received
103,000 votes
in the 1932
election. This
encouraged
suspicion of
‘foreigners.’
“The battle is on! Go this morning to
the nearest picket line and put up a
united front, mass struggle against
the greedy landlords of New York.”
Quote from the Daily Worker, 1933
Francis Townsend – Father of Social
Security
Jews flee Germany
While permitting Jews to leave, Hitler’s government
seized up to 80% of their property in taxes and
marked their passports with a “J”.
US restrictions
Because of high unemployment, President Hoover
issued an executive order in 1930, requiring US officials
in Europe to “refuse immigration papers” to any
applicant who was "likely to become a public charge"
(unemployed).
Because artists, writers, actors, film-makers, scientists,
and other intellectuals could more easily get work in
colleges or in entertainment, many well-educated
German and Austrian Jews found it easier to get to
America.
Their work in America would change both high-brow
culture an popular culture.
EXILES
Bruno Walter –
conductor in
Germany and
US.
EXILES
Bertolt
Brecht –
playwright
and socialist
EXILES
Lotte Lenya
-- actress
“From Russia With Love,” 1962; Lotte Lenya as
Rosa Kleb, Russian assassin.
EXILES
Albert
Einstein-physicist
EXILES
Josef Von
Sternberg –
director in
both Europe
and US.
Hungarian Jews
From top – John von
Neumann, Robert
Capa, Leo Szilard,
Michael Curtiz.
Rising Tensions
The depression had made international
cooperation less likely
 The depression had been accompanied by an
increase in violence in many countries
 Some states were threatening to resort to war
to get what they wanted – Italy, Germany and
Japan were seen as very aggressive
 Fears of “foreigners” intensified in US, but by
1945, immigrants would play key roles in
changing culture, creating the computer, and
building the atomic bomb.
