The Great Depression Intro
Video
6:09
Economic Causes
The increase in printing money to
pay off reparations leads to severe
war inflation
Germany was forced to pay $33 Billion in war
reparations over 30 years for World War I
($768 Billion in today’s money)
Economic Causes
The cost of World War I and a decline
in the labor force
Combined, the Allied Powers spent $125 Billion on
World War I (the US spent $22 Billion alone). The
Central Powers spent $60 Billion combined. As many
as 25% of Americans were unemployed.
Economic Causes
The Stock Market Crash of 1929
In total, $25 billion — some $319 billion in
today's dollars — was lost in the 1929 crash.
Stocks continued to fall over subsequent
weeks, finally bottoming out on November 13,
1929.
Political Causes
After World War I, the U.S. emerged
as a major creditor and financier of
post-war restoration
Even before entering World War I, the US had
already loaned $2.25 Billion to the Allies by
January 1917
Political Causes
Issues with the Treaty of Versailles
anger the German people and throw
the country into chaos
Desperate people begin to follow leaders like
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
Great Depression &
Germany
Video
6:10
Political Causes
When banks began to fail the US
stopped loans and asked for its money
back. This leads to the global
economic downturn.
Response of
Governments to
Great Depression
United States
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal – government
spending would create jobs and start a recovery
through public works projects
• The creation of government agencies that gave
financial help to businesses and farms (USDA)
• The creation of the welfare system and relief
programs including Social Security
The New Deal in Three
Minutes
Video
2:39
Germany
• The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
• Militarism and mobilization of the military
helped to reduce high unemployment
(in violation of the Treaty of Versailles)
• German Jews were allowed to leave the
country if they paid the next year’s taxes in
advance and surrendered their property to the
state
Hitler Rise
Video
2:39
Russia (Soviet Union)
• Stalin’s government emphasized rapid
industrialization and “collectivization”
(farms under government control)
• Millions were exiled to Siberia in labor camps
Stalin Collectivization
Video
4:19
Stalin Total Power
Video
:54
A political system in which the
state holds total authority over the
society and seeks to control all
aspects of public and private life
whenever necessary
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Mussolini (29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945) was the
fascist dictator of Italy from 1925-1943. He sided
with Hitler and the Axis Powers in World War II.
Fascism – government ruled by a dictator controls
the lives of the people and in which people are not
allowed to disagree with the government
Mussolini Intro
Video
1:08
1. Dictatorship and absolute rule
• The state is led by a dynamic leader who
unites the people toward a common goal,
expecting unconditional loyalty and
non-critical support
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) rule Germany
from 1933-1945 and plunged the world into the
Second World War. He is the main author of a war
leaving over 50 million dead and millions more
grieving their lost ones
Hitler Seizes Control of
Germany
Video
2:04
2. Ideology glorifies the aims of the
state and justifies government actions
• Whatever the government does – no matter
how discriminatory, violent or ruthless – is
justified if it meets the goals of the state (the
ends justify the means)
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) ruled the
Soviet Union from 1922-1952. After initially signing a
non-aggression pact with Hitler, he would lead
Russia to defeat the Nazis.
Because of this, he was somewhat shielded from the
fact that he was one the greatest mass murders in
history
Stalin Totalitarianism
Video
4:31
3. State control over all aspects of
society – business, religion, family life,
etc.
• A Totalitarian state can and will deny civil
liberties – freedom of speech, press and
assembly – to ensure complete control over its
people
Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo
Tojo (December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was
Prime Minister of Japan from 1941-1944 and was
primarily responsible for the successful Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor – which brought the
United States into World War II.
He allied Japan with Germany and Italy in World War
II and was later executed for war crimes after
attempting suicide.
Trial By Fire; Rise of Japan
Video
2:28
4. Dependence on mass communication
to spread propaganda
• A Totalitarian state monopolizes (controls)
the media to send its message and its message
alone.
• Foreign newspapers, television, etc. are not
available to the people.
5. Organized violence in form of police
terror and the targeting of national
minorities and political opponents
• An organization like the Secret Police can
keep the people in line through fear, but can
also be used to eliminate perceived enemies.
Examples of Police Terror
• Mussolini's Black Shirts
• Hitler’s SS and Gestapo
• Stalin’s NKVD
The Black Shirts
Organized by Mussolini in 1921, the Black Shirts terrorized
and killed political opponents enforcing Mussolini’s rule in
Italy. They numbered around 200,000.
One of their favorite ways of making people conform was to
tie a ‘troublemaker’ to a tree, force a pint or two of castor oil
down the victim’s throat and force him to eat a live toad/frog
etc. This punishment was enough to ensure people kept their
thoughts to themselves.
But they weren’t as feared as Hitler’s SS
Blackshirts Motto: "Me ne frego"
(I do not give a damn")
Hitler’s SS
Chosen to implement the Nazi "Final Solution"
for the Jews and other groups deemed inferior
(and/or enemies of the state),the SS was the
lead branch in carrying out the killing, torture
and enslavement of approximately 12 million
people. Most victims were Jews or of Polish or
other Slavic extraction.
Hitler’s Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret
police of Nazi Germany and also of
German-occupied Europe.
It was the Nazi’s main tool of oppression
and destruction, which persecuted
Germans, opponents of the regime, and
Jews. It later played a central role in
helping carry out the Nazi's "Final
Solution.”
The Gestapo
Video
2:46
Heinrich Himmler
In 1936, both the Gestapo and SS were put under the
control of Heinrich Himmler.
On Hitler's behalf, Himmler formed the Einsatzgruppen and
built extermination camps. As facilitator and overseer of the
concentration camps, Himmler directed the killing of some
six million Jews, between 200,000 and 500,000 Romani
people, and other victims; the total number of civilians
killed by the regime is estimated at eleven to fourteen
million people. Most of them were Polish and Soviet
citizens.
Stalin’s NKVD
The NKVD or People's Commissariat for
Internal Affairs conducted mass extrajudicial
executions, ran the Gulag (prison) system
of forced labor camps and suppressed
underground resistance.
At the height of Josef Stalin’s Great Purge in
1937 and 1938 alone, at least 1.3 million were
arrested and 681,692 were shot for “crimes
against the state.”
Stalin Secret Police
Video
2:10
Gestapo-NKVD Conference
After signing a non-aggression pact in
1939, the German Gestapo and the
Russian NKVD met in Poland to discuss
how they planned to occupy Poland and
deal with Polish resistance movements.
Top 10 Ruthless Dictators
Video
6:47
Name:_____________________ Period:___
Due Date: April 30, 2013
• You must answer the following on each slide:
– The name of the country the totalitarian leader is
from and a picture of the leader (2 points)
– The leader’s role in government (4 points)
– Describe two political actions the leader took (4
pts)
– Describe two of the leader’s actions that involved
violence (4 points)
• The last slide asks you to answer a question worth
18 points. (3 sentences minimum)
Country:
In charge from _____ to _____
Role in Government:
Two Political Actions:
Two Violent Actions:
Place Picture Here
Place Picture Here
Country:
In charge from _____ to _____
Role in Government:
Two Political Actions:
Two Violent Actions:
Country:
In charge from _____ to _____
Role in Government:
Two Political Actions:
Two Violent Actions:
Place Picture Here
Country:
In charge from _____ to _____
Role in Government:
Two Political Actions:
Two Violent Actions:
Place Picture Here
What is your perception of these
leaders?
Why are they called totalitarians?
What was the overall impact of these
leaders? (minimum of 3 sentences)
(18 points)