Political

The Treaty of Versailles

World War I came to an end with the German surrender and the request for the Armistice. This action caused a reunion of the victorious nations in order to set up the reparations that the defeated empires would have to pay as consequence of losing the war. These victorious nations did not arrange the consequences with an objective point of view, but with a feeling of resentment and wanting the defeated empires to pay for what they had supposedly cause. The reparations were argued and established in France in 1919, known as the Treaty of Versailles.

The Treaty of Versailles was a peaceful agreement made in order to deal and reconstruct Europe after the devastating war. “The Big Four”, best known as Great Britain, France, United States and Italy, were the leading nations due to their victory and they decided to create this arrangement in order to prevent other war and maintain Europe and the world in peace.

This treaty consisted of many impositions, especially on Germany; military and legal restrictions along with territorial changes and the payment of reparations made this nation even weaker than it was after the loss of the war. The imposing of a democratic form of government and the creation of organizations in order to maintain Germany supervised, were some of the terms given in the treaty, which at the end provoked a crisis in this weakened nation, known as the guilty one.

The “big four” had all democratic forms of governments, reason why the USSR was not invited to the sign of the agreement. The anti-communist feeling grew even bigger after the creation of the Soviet Union, as they saw it as a threat and did not support the expansion of this socialist ideology in Europe or the rest of the world.

Italy, one of the victorious nations, was the one who earned the less in the whole treaty. As a democratic leader and as part of “The Big Four”, Italy expected to win more and get more advantage as an effect of changing from alliances, obviously for a matter of interest. 

The Treaty of Versailles ended in 1919 with Germany accepting all the terms imposed and with the ease of the victorious nation because of the achievement of their objective.

The Treaty of Versailles was made with the goal of reorganizing Europe and making the defeated or “guilty” nations to pay for what they had done. At the end this agreement caused a lot of difficulties, terror and destruction to appear inside Europe and the world. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the main causes for totalitarianism to develop in Germany, Italy and to increase in Russia. A feeling of resentment and revenge appeared in Germany; because of the payment and control the treaty imposed over them, Italy; because they believed its nation was going to gain more, and the USSR; because of the growing of the anti-communist feeling and the rejection of their participation in the treaty. In short, the Treaty of Versailles caused strong and dangerous ideologies to develop mainly in these three nations, which will bring as a long term consequence a second and even worst world war.

In this cartoon shows how the victorious countries; "The Big Four"

forced  Germany to agree with everything that the Treaty of Versailles proposed

Map of Europe before the Treaty of Versailles

Map of Europe after the Treaty of Versailles

Rise of Nazism

After the Treaty of Versailles, a lot of nations ended up with a strong feeling of resentment and revenge; these brought totalitarian governments to appear throughout Europe. Fascism appeared in Italy, when Benito Mussolini created the Fascist Party in 1919. Fascism will be the base for Nazism, one of the world’s most nationalistic ideologies, to appear. This ideology is going to be spread, starting with it a strong process of revenge and the rebirth of an empire; what at the end will affect Europe and the world in a major and devastating scale.

Versailles gave Germany no possibilities to be a strong nation again. By imposing a democratic government, known as the Weimar Republic, the rule of the Kaiser finished along with the chances to build the strongest military empire in the whole world. By that time, Adolf Hitler, an Austrian soldier who had served during the First World War, had already started to involve himself in the Germans politics by becoming the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi Party in 1923.

The Weimar Republic had a weak government due to inflation; which brought a big debt, unemployment and the lack of confidence in this government, which made the creation of new political parties possible. Political corruption, violence and instability started in Germany, bringing a period of crisis.

The Nazi Party tried to take over the government, reason why the members of this party including Hitler, were arrested. After Hitler made it out from jail, he will focus on achieving power in a legal way. He became Chancellor and after the president died he took the title of Führer (Leader), achieving with this, total power and dictatorship over Germany.

With the power under Hitler and the Nazi Party, Nazism was established as the leading ideology in Germany. This ideology stood out for its theory of the Arian Master Race, the enthusiasm and support it received from the people and the fact that they should lead the other races throughout the world.

Nazism was so easily spread through Germany and the world because it emerged at the perfect time. Germany was in an internal crisis due to the economic instability, big debts, political corruption, violence, unemployment and many other factors which made the achievement of power way more easily than in the case the nation had been stable. Because of this crisis and the well prepared propaganda along with the youth movements, the Nazi Party achieved power and started its totalitarian regime. The great feeling of resentment due to the loss of the war and the Treaty of Versailles was still lived in Germany. Hitler’s party, with Nazism had the exact answer to what these people were living; the cause why Germans supported this socialist party, along with the improvements it planned. In short, Nazism spread so easily because it made German people feel proud of who they were and made them think that their race, the Arian race, was superior to all the other races in the world and their destiny was to rule the world. These is the exact opposite that Versailles made them feel, so at the end it was a matter of feeling that made them adopt Nazism so easily.

Symbol of the Nazi Party

Symbolism

Bibliography:
Farah, M.  and Karls, A. (2001). World History: The Human Experience. United States: McGraw-Hill Companies.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/versailles.htm

By: Janice Brandes

Social

Women inside Nazi Germany

“The slogan “emancipation of woman” was invented by Jewish intellectuals and its content was formed of the same sprit … If the man´s world is said to be the state, his struggle, his readiness to devote his powers to the service of the community, then it may perhaps be said that the woman´s world is a smaller world. For her world is her husband, her family, her children and her home. But what would become of the greater world if there was no one to tend and care for the smaller one? How could the greater world survive if there were no one to make the cares of the smaller world to content of their lives? No, the grater world is built on the foundation of the smaller world. Providence has entrusted to the women the cares of the world which is her very own, and only on the basis of this smaller world are not antagonistic. They complement each other, they belong together, just as man and women belong together.” - Adolf Hitler

Source: Frankfurter Zeitung, 9 September 1934

The Nazi regime had strongly opposed ideas of equal rights for woman. Every woman lived in a male- dominated world. The Nazi system insisted that women and men had tattily different roles in life. Nazis main tacks for women were to be beautiful and to bring children into the world. That was the only job from them. While men wore uniform, defeat the country and be rewarded for that. Women were just expected to be wives and mothers with nothing in return or some gratefulness. Nazi Germany didn’t allowed woman to vote of any kind, they couldn’t judge or represent local or in national politics.

The Nazi party separate woman in three big organizations. The German Woman´s Enterprise, the National Socialist Womanhood and the Reich Mother´s service. The first one was the German woman´s enterprise that were the ones in charge of encouraging woman to attend cookery courses, they were 5.8 million members. The second group was the National Socialist Womanhood that had 2.8 million members; they should promote the Nations love life as marriage, motherhood, the family, blood and race, youth nationhood. And finally The Reich Mothers’ Service promoting child care.

Between 1933 and 1939 the number of woman in employment increased from 5 million to 7.4 million. Female labor was very cheap. At the start of the war women were not called up for either military or labor service. Until 1943 that was when women finally conscripted to work for the war effort.

In my opinion it’s true that women are pillars of their own small world and that is very important that they care for their house, children and husband. But even that should be a choice and not an imposition. All families should be able to decide how they bring up their home and children. I believe woman should be able to explore and exploit other abilities, throughout history the role of women in the world has been very important and women have demonstrated to be great professionals and great leaders.

This video show woman´s life inside the  Nazi regime... 

 

Education inside Nazi Germany 

A key aim of the regime was to insert the young with a new set of ideas. And the way to make this possible was by creating a new education system. Hitler makes Bernhard Rust Reich Minister of Science, Education and Popular Culture. He was diagnosed with mental instability, but because of his extreme methods he takes the job and restores the education program. He forced all schools in Germany to upgrade the importance of practical skill increasing and physical fitness from two to 5 hours a day, putting away the other classes. New textbook were produced but now with the Nazi ideology. Rust adds a new course of history on the rise of the Nazi party.  

All teachers were enrolled in the Nazi teachers´ association. Between 1932 and 1938 the number of qualified elementary teachers fell by 17,000.Party membership increasingly ranked more highly in selection of new teachers than formal teaching qualifications.

In case of the German universities, world leaders in so many subjects went into a sharp decline under the Nazi regime. Hitler had all under his control, professors and the academic life of universities. Between 1933 and 1939 a total of 2,800 lecturers and over 300 full professors were dismissed because of political and racial reasons. But it steel being a great majority that they did not oppose the brutal destruction of intellectual and scientific knowledge.

It became a very fashionable subject “the Racial Sciences” which focused on Hitler’s crude racial theories, while the natural science went into a steep decline. Brilliant scientists fled abroad like Einstein.

University education by the Nazi regime fell in the number of students, from 127,920 in 1933 to 58,325 in 1938. Instead all students had to undertake four month of labor service in an SA camp and engage in three hours of sport per week as part of their degree studies.

In my opinion I think Nazi Germany as with any dictatorial government was focused on brain washing people from their youngest age, so that they could keep control for much longer and pass on their horrible ideas of racial difference. As any other people involved in this terrible era many teacher in that time had to follow the Nazi’s orders because they were afraid of their lives and the wellbeing of their family.

-          Frank McDonough, Hitler and Nazi Germany , England (Cambrige University) 1999.

By: Nicole Gutiérrez De Rutté

Economical

Economic crisis 1929

Economic hegemony after World War I displace from Europe to the United States especially concentrated in New York on Wall Street. For the years 1923 United States passed a golden age had become the most important country in the global financial aspect known as'' 20 happy years’’. It was a period in which United States grew sharply improving economic expansion in manufacturing, mechanical, trade, production, etc.., But  ended in 1929 with the crisis of crack or black Thursday, one of the major economic crises that have happened until today.

It originated in New York (on 24Thursday of October with the price collapse of stock values. The problem began when companies asking to increase appropriations for higher production and to purchase products consumed. Production increased sharply to become a blockbuster result there is more supply than demand, and become a stock and so prices fall and production is less benefit. There was an Impact of lower prices given the ruin of the peasantry and increased a huge unemployment in the country.

'' Black Thursday´´ was the day the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, there was panic among investors began selling their products to pay their loans. This caused some shareholders unable to repay their loans which led to a bank failure, this genre general closure of companies. The crisis spread worldwide and many companies went bankrupt owners. Also United States being the world center of economy, they were helping Europe recover after World War then Europe would have no further aid United States to repatriate their foreign investments and demanded their loan payments abroad (Europe) is so a crisis expands in Europe and the rest of the world. The crisis lasted for much of the time 1930

The 1929 crisis was the worst financial crisis in history by the number of shares sold, the total number of losses and the number of firms, owners, investors ruined. Also stop the economic growth of United States and the world after being in accordance stability in the economy. It was a blow for United States had never experienced such poverty reached a point of thousands of people left the farms and competing for scarce jobs in the city and just as Europe moved from a time of reconstruction after the first World War and the crisis had increased social tension and contributed to the strengthening of fascism in Italy took especially consequential to the second world war.

Great Depression 1929

When the U.S. got a great power in World War I, became the most powerful country and being the global economic center, but soon there was a production and exports fell, like many banks failed and many unemployed Americans. After the economic crisis of the 1929 crash and the great production bankruptcy produce the Great Depression. 1929 had the stock panic in Wall Street in New York and many actions had to sell that same year. The closure of large companies gave a lot of unemployed and impoverished United States and the world. They broke more than nine thousand bank and had an unemployment rate of almost a quarter of Americans. Governments were forced to have to change or intervene in the economy to ease the state out of poverty and they were going through.

The Great Depression affected the entire United States, the situation improved with the entry into government of the new president franklin d. Roosevelt in March 1933. Agriculture had fallen and farmers were particularly damaged and also a drought that had been coming. Franklin d. Roosevelt promised to all citizens a New Deal was a new deal. It was to strengthen social protection by the state and boost the industry and promote job creation especially in agriculture-based insurance and suppression of neighborhoods of the city. And he made a project of restructuring the banking system. New Deal was a radical change of economic policy, Roosevelt forced banks and hill severe decree laws that some of them continue today in U.S. economic policy. They made a new policy eliminating the gold in the currency and most countries did the same. Many citizens were supported by the state and had new jobs. In 1934 created a system of monitoring the stock status and social monitoring system with the labor protection law. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps and the successful project of the Tennessee Valley Authority that provided work for over thousands of employees.

In Latin America after the Wall Street stock market in New York fell, countries like Mexico and Peru tried to break free from the dominion of the economic crisis in the United States. In the case of Brazil passed a low precious crisis of its main resources. In Austria the first bank failure of Vienna began to affect Europe and Great Britain renounced the gold standard and devalued the pound.

The Great Depression caused widespread unemployment and poverty on a large scale until now not been seen. The period after the crisis was different in each country for example in the case of Germany the bank and cancel the jobless lead in increasing support of Adolf Hitler

 Bibliography

Benton, w. (1970). encyclopedia barsa 2 and 5
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/p/greatdepression.

by: Flavia Rivarola 

Cultural

Art: A Way of Expression.

During the in-between wars period of time, people’s ideas and feelings were mixed and changed very fast. One of the areas in which this was shown was art. People use art to express what they are living and the emotions they were feeling. Many art movements were developed during this period of the time but some of the most representative were surrealism and expressionism.

Expressionism, as his name says, wants to show the emotions and feelings through the art. This movement was created in Germany and it tries to emphasized the expression of innermost feelings. This movement’s art showed very well how people felt in this period of time, especially in Germany. In painting, a leader is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who twisted the shapes to show emotions.

In this painting , Kirchner shows two well-dressed prostitutes  walking down a street in Berlin  and the men looking at them. This artwork was created during a period of loneliness.  Kirchner was a depressive painter and he even took his life when the Nazi told that his work was degenerated.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: “Street, Berlin” 1913.

In printmaking, we can see the works of Käthe Kollwitz, she mostly created black and white artworks when most artist did color in that period of time. In her work below, Kollowitz shows the sadness of the lower class mothers after losing their husbands and left alone to care for their children after the World War I.  In this picture, she shows the pain and the suffer that people went through during that period of time and how she is concerned about them.

Käthe Kollwitz: “The Mothers”, 1919

Surrealism isn’t only an art movement but also a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s. In art, surrealism expresses the imagination as reveled in dreams, free of the conscious control of reason and convention. “ The aim of Surrealism was to reveal the unconscious and reconcile it with rational life. Surrealism also aimed at social and political revolution and for a time was affiliated to the Communist party” (Artrepublic: http://www.artrepublic.com/art_terms/19-surrealism.html)  The main leaders are Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst.

 Salvador Dali: “Soft Construction with Boiled Beans“(Premonition of Civil War), 1936

In this painting, Dali expresses the destruction during the Spanish Civil War, which he was present of  and the self-destruction that it causes. The beans represent that there were many difficulties in the war so the Spanish citizens had to do their best to deal with their problems.

In my opinion, art is a way in which people escape from reality and show in a different way how they feel about the changes that took place. These art movements showed clearly how people felt and it is shown in the paintings with deep meanings.  A good artist isn’t just the one with good techniques, it is the one who manage to show people the way he feels and that makes people indentified with his work and the artist of this period of time did that because many people felt just the same way, worried and scared.

by: Fernanda Zurek

Sources:

1. Glencoe: Gene Mittler and Rosalind Ragans "Understanding Art"(  Editorial:Glencoe/McGraw- Hill)

2. Art Republic: Surrealism http://www.artrepublic.com/art_terms/19-surrealism.htm

3. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism

Indoctrination in Nazism- The Hitler’s Youth

Indoctrination comes from the verb indoctrinate, which is the act of teaching someone  to accept doctrines uncritically. Indoctrination is extremely useful for convincing people that your idea is the right one and that they should follow you, and that is exactly why Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party used it in Germany.

Hitler realized that in order to succeed he needed the young people to support him, so he decided to use education to his favor and used it as a tool for the consolidation of the Nazi system. For doing that, he needed teachers on universities and schools to follow the Nazi curriculum and he made sure that it happened, so he sent Nazi officials to inspect them and if any teacher didn’t do it, they would be sent a month away to training courses and they will be taught how to teach the new curriculum.

The main changes occurred in the courses of Religion, Physical Education, Biology, German and History.  Religion was omitted because Christianity opposed to many ideas of the Nazist ideology. In German, the center was to have a nationalistic spirit and that being a German was the most important, so they taught superiority of the German race. History emphasized the victories of Germany and this led that young people would have a strong nationalism towards their country. Biology taught the importance of the Aryan race, discrimination and the Nazi’s racial theory and  kids couldn’t failed Physical Educations tests and fitness exams because they could be expelled from school.

The Nazis created an organization and a camp called Hitler’s Youth in 1922, which was made up of the Hitlerjugend , for male youth ages 14–18, Deutsches Jungvolk for ages 10–14; and the girls section that was called the Bund Deutscher Mädel. The girls needed to attend to the BDM ) were they would learn how to be good wives and mothers and to love Hitler. This related to the Nazi idea of of “Kinder, Küche, Kirche”, that said that the women’s role was in the house and that they should only take care of the children. The boys had different exciting activities, like war games  and they were taught how to be labor leaders and technicians. In the Hitler Youth, indoctrination was very present and the children that went there were seen as “Aryan Superman”. In the Hitler Youth they were taught to worship Hitler as well.  

Hitler Youth's Flag

I think that Hitler was very cruel but also intelligent in using education for his own good. The young people were forced to accept this and they really didn’t know any other way of thinking than the one that the Nazis presented to them. It was like if they inserted them these ideas and they weren’t free to think what they want and do what they thought was the right thing. I think it was dangerous that Hitler had the control of the Youth, the future of the country, until 1945. 

Sources: Indoctrination in Nazi Schools (September 10, 2008): http://socyberty.com/history/indoctrination-in-nazi-schools/

Hitler Youth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_Youth

By: Fernanda Zurek