Economic Ruin: Great Depression
Oct. 29, 1929- “Black Tuesday” Stock Market Crash. With Crash in America & Canada, circle of cash flow broke… Europe slid into depression as well. Every European country except Soviet Union, especially Germany was in deep depression.
- FDR in USA- New Deal- deficit spending to boost economy & jobs.
- Government intervention was high… some disliked this result.
- Keynes & welfare state became dominant economic theory.
Depression & Dictatorships
- Dictatorships due to economic hardships, border disputes, etc… Hungary (Horthy), Italy (Mussolini), Pilsudski (Poland), etc… Democracy pushed into the West.

- after WWI democracy was in place in most Western powers.
- Yet as 1930s progressed, Stalin in Soviet Union & Hitler in Nazi Germany created repressive totalitarian regimes.
- 1919 Peace at Versailles seemed to make another war inevitable. French & German relations remained conflicted.

Chapter 11 Between the Wars: An Anxious Generation
Legacy: West and the World

Hitler & the Rise of National Socialism - Hitler’s ideas were a jumble of old Central European hatreds: hatred of Marxists, Slavs, and Jews. - Fighting in WWI he said was defining moment. Bitter and felt betrayed about German defeat. - Read Hitler’s rise to power (p.424-425) Fascism in Power: The Third Reich- came to power in 1933, and took absolute power with Enabling Act- power to rule without Parliament. Nazi’s now made Germany Nazi… burned books, established SA first, then purged them with the SS. - First concentration camp, Dachau, opened in 1933. - Nazi’s created jobs, profits, etc… used mass rallies to gain popularity. Hitler’s War against the Jews- isolated Jews with various laws, made restrictions. In 1935, Hitler passed Nuremburg Laws- defined “German”, Jews denied citizenship. Had to wear yellow Star of David. Continued to take steps to strip Jews of rights, possessions, life. More Victims of the Third Reich - communists, homosexuals, gypsies… also eugenics… Nazi’s hoped to use ‘negative selection’ to exterminate thousands seen unfit. Family Life Under Nazism- many young people were attracted to Nazism… older were skeptical, created conflict in the home. Also, schools came to take over role of nuclear family, used to promote racial propaganda, etc…

Postwar North America, 1920-29 The Roaring Twenties - rebuilding after WWI, led to increase in economic activity, more jobs… rampant materialism to forget the war… music, fashion. Consumerism- new inventions, led to new products… electric irons, vacuums, washing machines, toasters, refrigerators. Advertising became important. More people were buying on credit… more luxury items such as cars. Car changed North American life. Revolution in Leisure- More leisure time, new activities: movies, sports, radios, newspapers… Changes in the Family- suburban lifestyle defined the post war period.

Art, Music & Literature
See Pages 435-445