Hist 102 Final short essays
Explain Hitler's ideas in Mein Kampf (be specific and show that your read and remember the arguments he made in the piece!)
*See Mein Kampf excerpt
Describe the unification process for Italy and Germany. Who were the important figures behind each nation's unification and what did they do to achieve this unity?
1. After Napoleon's reign German Confederate states are freed from HRE rule then Prussia pulls all 39 german confederation states and slowly becomes Germany, they begin nation building under Otto Von Bismark and Kaiser William I. Bismark has most of the power, Chancellor for the Kaiser, Accomplishes unification of Germany. Philosophy: Blood and Iron, war. Germany unites it self with military conquest, realpolitik 2. Prime Minister of Emmanuel II King of Sardinia, promises Nice and Savoy to France if it pushes Austria out of N. Italy. He unites Northern Italy under the King.Southern Italy united by Garibaldi, Lead a group called red shirts. Has military campaigns, he agrees to turn over southern Italy to Emmanuel II. Italy is finally united and complete. They don't know how to function as a united nation. They have a hard time figuring out politics of uniting a country and dont do very well in WW1 They united in the first place because they wanted to be able to fight. Southern is military Northern is political
Discuss the general events of the two successful revolutions of 1830.
1. Greece- revolts against ottoman empire, Greece starts to breaks away and becomes independent, They revolt, many Europeans are conservatives and the ottoman turks (muslim) because they are catholic. European Conservatives don't have the same political views as greeks but dot have the same religious views as turks, but they end up siding with the Greeks and they become independent 2. France- Charles the 10th, his brother got executed by french people (guillotine), he wants sole power and doesn't want people to have power, he dissolves legislative assembly, people cant vote anymore. Paris gets angry, go out in streets and riots, they build barricades, revolution last 3 days, Charles goes into exile and cousin tells everyone of France he will be liberal and enlightened king, called the "July Revolution"
Use the poems and All Quiet on the Western Front to discuss at least 2 of the 4 post-war reactions to WWI we explored in class.
1. Revolutionary Settlement- Soldiers and citizens feel that they were betrayed by the government, there has been a new sense that leaders, not people wanted the war 2. Pacifism- People reject war, they want peace instead, A new disgust with warfare as mechanized distant, impersonal slaughter.
What is fascism (consider at least three elements of its ideology) and how is it different from totalitarianism in "communist" countries?
1. Totalitarian (centralization, manipulation of daily life) (How is it different from communist dictatorships?) 2. Elitism and a Leader 3. Renewal after Apocalypse 4. Worker/Owner cooperation- Primacy of the collective! 5. Nationalist not Internationalist 6.Militarist not Pacifist
Name the members of the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. How did this list change when the war began?
1. Triple Alliance- (Central Powers) Before the war begins Germany forms alliances with Austria-Hungary and Italy. When the war begins Austria-Hungary was the agressor, so Italy drops out and joins the other side and Italy is replaced by Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. (central powers Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire) 2. Tripe Entente- France, Russia and Great Britan (England) When the war starts they will be called the allies. Belgium, Italy and the U.S. will join a while after the war begins.
Explain the Schlieffen Plan by describing what each prong was intended to do. How was this altered before the war began? What was the significant result for the rest of the war?
Germany expects a quick defeat of France and a single front war with Russia to follow, Schlieffen plan is weakened when Kaiser William reinforces the eastern front with troops from the Northern force also Belgians resist, On French side faith in the success of Plan 17, Realities: Schlieffen plan stalls in West at the Marne River Sept 1914 and allows open two-front war. Yields Stalemate, Trench warfare, a long drawn out war
Compare the rise to power and governing styles of Mussolini and Hitler— how did they rise to power, limit opposition, expand their empire, and control the public? How are their movements/reigns different?
Mussolini: Begins as a grassroots organization of local "fasci" throughout Italy (helps in elections), Movement is strengthened by shock troops called Black Shirts(beats up anyone who heckles their speakers) (decides to beat up other political parties), Creates cult of il Duce (leader) and promotes vision of a new Roman empire. He decides he wants to be prime minister, he goes to King of Italy and tell him, the king says he has to run for prime minister, mussolini says, if he doesn't make him prime minister then he will release the black shirts and rebel on Italy. (march on Rome) king didn't want civil violence, form of appeasement. Acerbo law, legislation giving government control press and censorship, and expanded police authority ( and secret police for political terror) and making fascists party the only party. "Everything within the state, Nothing outside the State, Nothing against the State" Wants to control a Mediterranean empire, They dominated Albania and Ethiopia. Different from Nazism: 1. Worked more closely with existing, conservative government 2. Totalitarianism is never as complete (9 deaths) Most important difference 1. No doctrine of biological racism or anti- Semitism and no concept of superior Italian ethnicity 2. No anti-Semitic policies in Italy until 1938 when they are implemented to allow the Rome-Berlin alliance. (borrow Nuremberg laws) Even after 1938 there are no Italian concentration camps for Jews Hitler: Infiltrates DAP; first he was as police spy for government, finds people that are opposed to the weimer government, he then reports to the government but becomes leader of the DAP this becomes the NSDAP (Nazi Party). He created brownshirts (SA) they asserts power. 2000 SA attempt coup (take over of government), beer hall is designed for speaking. They took over building and kidnapped people of Weimar government, but people did not agree. Hitler ended up in jail, and writes mein kampf. He gets out of jain in 9 months, when he gets out he releases mein kampf. He tried to woo big industry and working class by critiquing Weimar Government and emphasizing nationalists cooperation. Anti communist, Allies with President Paul Von Hindenburg, NSDAP begins propoganda campaign during depression- woos military and middle class, gains seats in Reichstag, hitler ties Hindenburg for president, runoff makes him Chancellor. 1. Article 48 of the Constitution (censorship and book burning, wiretapping, private mail, arrest without charges) 2. March 1933 Enabling Act lets Hitler create laws without the legislative branch for 4 years: first is to dissolve all parties except the Nazis 3. Hindenburg (president) dies 1934 and Hitler makes himself President How is Germany seduced and controlled? 1. Party membership provides opportunities and benefits 2. Goebbels (minister of propoganda)and effective use of propaganda. Mass rallies at Nuremberg etc gives feeling of participation 3. Hitler's personality cult of the Fuhrer- pledge oaths to Hitler not Germany- IMAGE 4. Military expanded after 1935 despite Versailles 5. Creation of Gestapo under Himmler and Eichmann for civil control and SS (Schutzstaffel) for military control (SS eventually oversees Gestapo) 6. Eliminate Potential rivals, Night of the long knives. 7. Youth group programs for recreation, military training, socialization, propoganda, and Nazi Morality 8. Women returned to traditional roles, Girls get seperate education track, Emphasis on homemakaing, child bearing.
Describe how soldiers fought in WWI— discuss tactics of fighting, living conditions, disease, contact with the enemy, new weapons, and the overall experience of war.
Modernized and Mechanized warfare- technology makes killing a science 1. New Weapons- Barbed wire and Razor wire, Machine Guns, Mustard and Chlorine gas, gas masks, Untersee boats (Sink Lusitania and Arabic), battleships, tanks, airplanes, Zeppelins, trains, torpedoes, Sea mines, grenades, flamethrowers, taxis. 2. Trenches and no mans land, soldiers lived slept and used the bathroom in the trenches, there were dead bodies and rats in the trenches, rats would eat the dead bodies and dead bodies and the men would eat the rats. Christmas in the trenches everyone sings silent night in their own languages. Soccer game opposing sides played soccer. Their saw their enemy as another "man". Men started to bring humanity to an inhumane war 3. Daily Life- Death and monotony- digging trenches, pumping water, digging latrines and graves, repairing walls, filling sandbags, cleaning weapons, drills. 4. repelling or mounting attacks, bunkering down for bombings- some time for reading, letters, memoirs, and poetry. 5. dead bodies- sewage, lice rats, malnutritions, supplements include, horses, rats, stealing from towns 6. Diseases- trench fever, gangrene, trench foot, tetanus, cholera, Spanish influenza (swine flu), self-inflicted wounds, shell shock (combination of combat fatigue and PTSD)
Discuss the policy of Appeasement—what did it involve? Who were the main supporters? What territory/concessions did we allow Mussolini and Hitler (be specific). What was the Munich Conference? Why did the Allies think this was the best policy in the 1930s?
New Attitude about Versailles- willing to make small concessions to repair European balance and countries because Versailles was unfair don't want another war they also want to fight communism Germany remilitarizes: 1. 1935 triples number of soldiers 2. 1939 begins a draft and can field a force of 1,000,000 3. New Panzer tank divisions envisioned (emerge 1942 as most heavily armored tanks in world) 4. Luftwaffe and Navy rebuilt and retrained 5. Newmethodofwarfare:Blitzkrieg requires mechanized force and new mentality 6. Does Europe or American intervene? NO! - Everyone watches him do this to Germany and nobody stops him Axis Powers: Italy, Germany, Japan
Describe at least 5 terms of the Versailles treaty. How do these reveal what the Allies wanted to achieve with this treaty?
Terms of Treaty: 1. All german colonies go to England as mandates 2. France gets Alsace and Lorraine 3. France gets Saar Basin for 15 years 4. Rhineland is demilitarized 5. German army is cut to 100,000 6. 13 billion dollars reparations are to be repaid over 42 years
Describe at least three different underlying causes for WWI (rivalry only counts once) and one immediate cause.
Underlying 1. National Rivalry- (1) Russia vs. Austria Hungary, Serbia vs. AH because they took Bosnia and Serbia wanted it (2) France Vs Germany Franco-Prussia war, France wanted to go to war with Germany to get back their territory(Alsace and Lorraine) and national pride, Germany's effort to Undermine French colonies (morocco) so that they could take it away. Military and population growth threatening. French women don't have babies, Germany is having babies to fill military etc. (3) England vs. Germany, Germany's Efforts to undermine English Colonies, England doesn't like that Germany is getting bigger and more poweerful, and their indurty growth (made in Germany) (4) Russia vs. Ottoman Empire, Russia wanted to control waterway but ottoman empire was in the way. 2. Entangling Alliances- There is a domino effect and one country goes to war with another country. If one Allie goes to war all the allies go to war 3. Goals of Empire- Germany hopes to take English colonies, everyone wants an empire. Countries keep taking territories away from others. 4. Arms Race, a race to build up the biggest military and the most and best weapons. Particularly between England and Germany because they are both industrialized. Creates the Immediate environment of militarism, overconfidence and gives national an 5. Population race, people are rushing to have more kids, Germany is winning. France must have a draft,(368,000) and Germany can field (1.2 million) Germany has both industry and man-power. Russia has millions of men but little immediate causes 1. Assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand Goes out of austria on goes to Bosnia. Also an anniversary the serbia were conquered by the turks 2. Blank Check
What were some of the expectations of what war would be like? How was the reality different? Be specific and use examples from class lecture, readings, and/or discussion.
people thought this would be the war to end all wars. became a new type of war, a Total war, drafting, rationing little supplies left, women have to get jobs in the is workforce, city sieges, countryside, and farmland are ravaged and ruined.