Interwar Years/WWII 1919 - 1939

Essential Question

How did Russia and Germany change after WWI?

Lenin’s Russia Russia becomes the Soviet Union Communist Party under Lenin controls

government (not a democracy) New Capital – Moscow Treaty with Germany to end the war

– Russia lost land Distributes farmland to peasants Workers control factories Average person has little freedom or

rights

Murder of the Romanov family

Treaty of Versailles and Germany German economy was weak after the

war– Now, they had to pay reparations– Lost valuable land and towns

German people were dissatisfied– Felt they were punished unfairly– Felt “stabbed in the back” by their

democratic government who ended the war

Germany was insecure and paranoid– Army was reduced– Surrounded by enemies (France, Poland,

Russia)

“So it had all been in vain. In vain all the sacrifices and privations ... in vain the hours in which, with moral fear clutching at our hearts we nevertheless did our duty; in vain the deaths of two million…had they died for this? So that a gang of wretched criminals could lay their hands on the Fatherland?”

~Adolf Hitler (1923)

Essential QuestionWhat caused the Great Depression and how was the world affected by it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpKmfjf5tUk

Underlying CausesUneven distribution of wealth

–Top 5% controlled 33% of the wealth

Overproduction of goodsPeople are buying on credit. Go

into debt–Buy stocks (certificates of ownership in a company) on credit

–This is okay as long as the economy is good

The CrashEconomy starts downturn in Sept 1929

People lose confidence in economy

Investors sell their stocks and get less in return

Oct 29, 1929 – Black Tuesday–Economy takes a dive and entire

fortunes wiped out, billions lost

Great Recession of 2008

Depression Goes Global U.S. was largest economy so it

affects others U.S. had loaned countries money to

rebuild after WWI (France, Germany, etc…)– Their economies collapsed– U.S. cannot buy world goods or sell

American goods – hurts Europe World goes into Global Depression

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuGv3HsV-U

Directions: Use the document (song, charts, and quote) to answer the following:–1. What was the point of the song?

–2. How was life for a worker or cook (use charts)?

–3. Explain how these events could make you lose faith/trust in your government