SS102 Exam 2 Review
On what grounds does Mussolini reject the doctrine of pacifism as hostile to fascism
Benito mussolini refers to pacifism as "dead as a doctrine." it was his belief that peace does not benefit society in any way because it leads to stagnancy and a lack of progress. He believed that choosing to remain passive encourages cowardice because it does not demand sacrifice for the greater good. In mussolini's eyes, war provides an ennobling energy that confirms superiority. Overall, mussolini viewed peace as being the end of progress.
In what ways did advances in science and technology contribute to European imperialism in the 19th century
During the 19th century, industrialization spread from England to continental Europe. The last 3 decades of teh 19th century saw the appearance of larger forms of business (corporations and monopolies); the growing importance of capital; and most importantly the application of new technology. With industrialization largely limited to Europe and the United States, European economic ascendancy was essentially guaranteed. Wester investors took control of the world's railroads, oil wells, mines, and factories and Europe established a dominion over the worlds wealth and resources
According to the analysis that John Maynard Keynes gives in his general theory, why should people not count on an economic depression to self correct?
During the great depression unemployment went up and wages went down. It was this combination that lead to a decrease in consumer spending. Even if somebody managed to keep their job, their wage would still go down because of the competition of the unemployed who are willing to work for less. With the decline in wages, it made spending and saving more difficult to do. Spending was what allowed money to get moved around. According to Keynes, people should not bet on the economy to improve because it is demand that leads to economic growth and the country greatly lacked that demand. With insufficient demand there is no investment and therefore no economic growth. In order to fix this, Keynes wanted the government to step in and invest and spend, which would lead to job creation on a massive scale
What influence did Social Darwinism have on the "new nationalism" of the late 19th century?
Extreme nationalists views were deeply influenced by social darwinism. Their version of social darwinism claimed that humans were natural divided by distinct racial and physical characteristics into nations. War, they believed was the natural state for nations since it destroyed the weaker nations and allowed only the fittest to survive.
Why did fascists have disdain for parliamentary democracy?
Fascism is an ideology that emphasizes the nation above the individual and discipline and conformity above personal freedom. Meanwhile, democracy is the "rule of the people." In a democracy, authority relies upon the assertion that the government acts on behalf of the people as a whole and that there is public participation in government. These two forms of government directly contrast because of the differing placement of power.Fascists denied that a simple majority rule would be able to direct a society. While democracy promotes equality in that it allows every person to input their opinions through voting, fascism openly views inequality as beneficial. Fascists believed that with inequality comes competition, and that competition is what would lead to progress. Meanwhile, democracy promotes majority rule, and in the fascists eyes, just because teh majority is the right solution. A main point of the fascist ideology was also the idea of nationalism and national unity. Fascists disapproved of the fact that democratic governments have distinct divisions built into them in the form of political parties... Mussolini believed that there should be struggle between nations, but not struggle within a unified nation
What influence did nationalism have on the system of alliances among european states in the years before WWI?
Germany and Austria-Hungary, both ruled by ethnic Germans, had an alliance dating back to the early 1880s. The treaties establishing this relationship, which became known as the triple alliance when Italy joined, stated that any attack on one member was considered an attack on all of them. Meanwhile, France Russia and Britain formed the Triple Entente. By having these two great alliances, the great powers of Europe became divided into two antagonistic coalitions. The members of each group had a national obligation to the other because their alliance meant they shared a national identity.
How did the application of industrial technology to warfare affect soldiers' experience of killing and dying, as depicted in All Quiet
In AQ, the main character Paul gives a disturbing example of the ay industrial technology to warfare affected soldiers' experience of killing and dying. When describing a group of snipers, Paul says that they were acting as if their job were a game- they had no emotional reaction or shock from taking away another human life. This is largely due to the desensitized nature of warfare technology. When killing a man at a great distance with a quick and simple pull of a trigger, all thoughts and repercussions that would normally come are depersonalized. In the book it can be seen that there is a connection between the way you kill someone and your reaction to it. When Paul kills the russian soldier in teh trench with his bare hands, he is forced to tough the man, be close to the man, and look the man in the eyes. H e had to witness the result of his actions firsthand and up close. Along with this, the randomness of death turned war into an unfair fight for the soldiers. Dying, which is an exclusively individual experience, became unpredictable.
16. What is the significance of Franklin Roosevelt's statement "But in seeking our economic and political progress as a nation, we all go up, or else we all go down, as one people"?
In FDR's inaugural address, he declares that in order for the economy to be repaired, there must be a reevaluation of morals. In order to do so and achieve a morally better world, FDR says "We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics." By saying this, he is ultimately saying that we need to substitute self interest for public interest. He says that progress is in helping the poor- by helping other people, the nations economy as a whole will begin to mend. In his speech, FDR ultimately describes a vision of gemeinschaft- he is looking for the riddance of self interest and instead wants moral ideas focused on the nation. He declares that we need to fight the impersonal forces of modernization and bind together as a nation to pull out of the Great Depression.
what is the significance of FDR's statement "we have always known that heedless self interest was bd morals; we know now that it is bad economics"
In FDR's inaugural address, he declares that in order for the economy to be repaired, there must be a reevaluation of morals. In order to do so and achieve a morally better world, FDR ultimately says that we need to substitute self interest for public interest. H says that progress is in helping the poor- by helping other people, the nations economy as a whole will begin to mend. In his speech, FDR ultimately describes a vision of gemeinschaft- he is looking for the riddance of self interst and instead wants moral ideas focused on the nation. He declares that we need to fight the impersonal forces of modernization and bind together as a nation to pull out of the great depression
In his "Doctrine of Fascism," how does Benito Mussolini define the relationship of the individual state?
In Mussolini's "Doctrine of Fascism," he emphasizes the subordination of the individual to a "totalitarian" state that was to control all aspects of national life.Mussolini's ideology was that everything should be engulfed by the state, which should hold all power and authority. He believed that all the individuals' focus should be on serving the state, and that they need to recognize the authority and power of the state
In All Quiet- what role does German nationalism have on soldiers feelings toward the enemy
In an attempt to recruit young men to enlist as soldiers, Germans who held an ultra nationalist spirit would glorify war as fighting for national honor. The german nationalists would romanticize war, however once the men who enlisted experienced war firsthand, their view of the enemy began to shift. The experience of war connected the German soldiers through a deep bond despite social/class/economic/racial differences. Though they had been trained to demolish and kill "the enemy" whenever the main character, Paul, has a one on one interaction with a soldier from the other side, he is hit with realization that the enemy is human and the technically have no real personal cause to hate each other. Paul even goes as far to call one dying Russian soldier "comrade." Overall, nationalism is what initially brough these young men to give up their lives and fit in the war, but through war experience, there is an invisible bond between soldiers that can mentally break national identity and difference.
How did John Maynard Keynes' proposals for stimulating economic growth challenge preexisting notions in economics
In his "on the democratic welfare state," keynes determines that by introducing "managed capitalism" the government would be able to enact policies (like job programs) that would stimulate demand. The preexisting notion of economies generally followed the ideas of adam smith in that self interested competition in the free market would benefit society as a whole and that the economy should be run by an "invisible hand"- aka we should allow little government interference and generally let the economy run itself. Keynes' notion challenged this preexisting idea because he believed that the government should step in to invest and spend. This, he believed, would lead to job creation on a massive scale. By creating new jobs, the economy would get rolling again because people would be back to work and when people work they earn more so they can spend and save more and ultimately recreate demand
How did a reliance on traditional military strategy contribute to the high number of casualties in WWI?
In the minds of the military planners, war was still a test of national will in which armies were supposed to go on the offensive, attacking their enemies until they disintegrated or surrendered; fighting spirit mattered above all else. However, the planners had not realized that war had changed. Science and engineering- the core of the industrial revolution- now provided armies with heavy artillery, machine guns, poison gas, hand grenades, and flame throwers. Artillery and machine guns and the iconic weapons of WWI favored defenders- not the offensive. Soon the soldiers learned that trench warfare was the best way to defend themselves, however they did not make this discovery before the tremendous amount of casualties
According to V.I. Lenin, in what way was overseas imperialism the outcome of "monopoly capitalism?
Lenin portrayed imperialism as a natural extension of capitalism that arose from need for capitalist economies to constantly expand investment, material resources, and manpower in such a way that necessitated colonial expansion. Lenin concluded that competition between Empire and the drive to maximize profit would lead to war between empires themselves, as well as continue future military interventions and occupations, expand, and exploit less developed markets for the monopolist corporations of the empires
25. What does David Schoenbaum mean when he describes the growth of popular support for the Nazi Party as "the mobilization of disaffection"?
Schoenbaum's thesis is that the Nazi's won support from social groups that were "disaffected"- groups that were frustrated and afraid and felt insecure about their future.
What was the significance of Article 231 of the Versailles Treaty on German popular opinion toward the peace settlement
The VPT contained the infamous article 231 which was called by the germans the "war guilt clause." the article suggested that germany had to accept full responsibility both for starting the war and for making good on the losses and damage it had caused. The notion of war guilt provided an opening for extremist gorups in germany who aimed to overthrow the versailles peace treaty and even moderate germans considered article 231 a stain on their sense of national self respect. the new republic, the weimar republic, received little support from the Germans because they had felt that the german leaders had stabbed germany in the back by agreeing to the treaty and changing the government
19. How did the Weimar Republic's response to attempted uprisings by workers and communists undermine the credibility of democratic government in Germany?
The Weimar Republic used a paramilitary group to deal with uprisings- which wasn't an official police force. Therefore they chose to allow certain civilians to carry out their dirty war. Any time a democratic government encourages fighting among its citizens trouble will occur. Democracy allows for competing views and opinions. The Weimar Republic doesn't seem to be acting in a way that considers that principle. The Weimar Republic also created anti Bolshevik propaganda- this attempted to demonize Bolsheviks and communists as a group hell bent on destruction. This demonization of your political enemies is also antithetical to democratic practices. You have to respect their right to have their own vision and ideology. By demonizing your opponants you are undercutting that opposing views can exist among each other.
What principles of liberalism does von Treitschke's philosophy of the state reject?
The main principle of liberalism that von Treitschke's philosophy rejects is the relationship between the individual and the state. He believes that above all else, power of the state is what makes a country prevail, not the totality of the people. He determines that if the state focuses on promoting the idealistic aspirations of man, it will neglect its own strength and ultimately perish. Overall, Treitschke views anything written earlier than this mans recollection cannot be applicable to the current time period.
What was Germany's Schlieffen Plan designed to do?
The schlieffen plan was the german war plan designed to avoid a 2 front war against france and russia. The plan called for a surprise invasion of france through the neutral belgium by the bulk of the german army. the french would then be outflanked and germany, in theory, would be able to capture paris and knock france out of the war. The timetable for this plan was 2 months; 6 weeks to defeat the french and 2 weeks for the germans to travel east and be in position to fight the russians
How, according to Heinrich von Treitschke, was war useful to society?
Treitschke believed that war was elevating because the individual disappears into the great conception of the state. He saw the individual human as unimportant and irrelevant- only when giving himself to his country through the act of war can the human experience a taste of importance. His glorified view on war was that the "puny man" will be annihilated by the state. He states in Nations and Nationalism that all of the strides that civilization makes agains unreason are due to the sword. Treitschke believed that war between civilized nations goes beyond survival of the fittest- that war brings glory. He rejects peace as not only impossible but immoral. Treitschke also saw war as both uniting and dividing. It does not draw other nations, but through war nations learn to respect each other.
Why did fascists have disdain for communism
communism is a socio economic system that stands for a classless, stateless, and egalitarian society. Fascism is an ideology that tries to bring together radical and authoritarian nationalism. While Communism stands for a stateless society where all are equal, Fascism pertains to a state and considers state greater than all else.
How did the "stab in the back" legend undermine germany's weimar republic?
many germans associated the weimar republic with humiliation and defeat due to the myth of the "stab in the back." the idea was that the war had been lost not on the battlefield but through a political sellout by those who dominated the new republic. rumors were spread that communists and jews were associated with the weimar leadership, which had purposefully weakened the nation and betrayed the german military
How did the newly created states of Czechoslovakia and Poland contradict the principle of national self determination
national self determination is the right of a nation to determine its own form of government without influence from the outside. This principle directly contradicts the creation of the states of C and P because they had been forced into becoming German states and had actually fought against it. After seizing Austria, Hitler demanded that C cede Sudetenland to Germany, however C had mutual defense agreements and its leaders were willing to stand up to hitler if they had international support- which they did not. Neville Chamberlain and the French leader had meeting with Hitler and agreed that germany could have sudetenland- this was all done without the presence of any C representatives. Similarly in Poland, the actual country itself was against becoming a german state, however germany had invaded and poland was defeated within a month.