World History Spring Final Essays

A fierce rivalry developed among Europe's Great Powers as they competed for materials and markets and fought in territorial disputes. Another force that pushed European nations closer to war was imperialism.

As European countries competed for overseas empires, their sense of rivalry and mistrust of one another deepened. Militarism, the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war, also challenged the fragile peace.

Europeans believed that they had the right and the duty to bring the results of their progress to other countries.

British imperialism altered the economic organization and the social structures of Africa and India.

When Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922, the Communist Party began to look for a new leader and found two candidates: Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. As the general secretary of the Communist Party, Stalin worked behind the scenes to move his supporters into positions of power.

By 1928, Stalin was in total command of the Communist Party. Trotsky was forced into exile in 1929, so he no longer posed a threat to Stalin, who seized the absolute power as dictator of the Soviet Union.

Many of these issues, such as alliances, imperialism, and militarism, were not resolved after the war. History repeated itself. After the humiliation caused by the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler sought to restore nationalism in Germany, which helped him rise to power.

Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers, and Japan ignored the League of Nations and invaded multiple countries with the hope of building an empire. These three events later led to World War II.

Fascists promised to revive the economic, punish those responsible for hard times, and restore order and national pride.

Hitler and Nazists, the German brand of fascism, rose to power because they also promised to restore nationalism in their country.

Another effect of imperialism and colonialism was the division of the African continent. Long-term rival chiefdoms were sometimes united, while at other times, kinship groups were split between colonies. The artificial boundaries combined or unnaturally divided groups.

Imperialism also affected the economic and society in India. The increased presence of missionaries and the racist attitude of most British officials threatened traditional Indian life.

During the 1910s, the wartime government in each country took control of the economy. Governments told factories what to produce and how much. Numerous facilities were converted to munitions factories.

In Germany, Britain, Austria, Russia, and France, the entire force of government in was dedicated to winning the conflict. World War I was also considered the first total war because it was the first war to touch the lives of civilians.

In 1928, Stalin called for a command economy, a system in which the government made all economic decisions. Under this system, Stalin identified the country's economic needs and determined how to fulfill them.

In addition to seizing control of the economic, Stalin took control of agriculture in the Soviet Union with his collective farms, which were large, government-owned farms. Hundreds of families worked on these farms and produced food for the state.

Many nations competed for new markets for their goods. A attitude that also supported the idea of imperialism was the belief in European superiority. Racism, this belief that one race is superior to others, was a reflection of Social Darwinism.

In this theory, Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution and natural selection were applied to human society. Non-Europeans were considered to be on a lower scale of cultural and physical development because they had not made the scientific and technological process that Europeans had.

As Germany suffered from lack of protection and economic instability, Germans grew bitter in addition to feeling humiliated due to the war guilt clause. This section of the Treaty damaged German nationalism, which later helped Hitler rise to power as he promised to revive national pride.

Other nations felt cheated and betrayed by the peace treaty as well. People in mandated territories were angry at the way the Allies disregarded their desire for independence.

Growing rivalries and mutual mistrusts led to creation of military alliances, which pushed the continent closer to war. By 1907, two rivals existed in Europe: the Triple Entente and the Triple alliance.

Since these treaties involved many nations, a rival war between them would drag all the nations of Europe into war. The final cause of World War II that destroyed the fragile peace was the assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary in Bosnia.

To transform the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state, Stalin got rid of his enemies, controlled all mass media, used indoctrination, approved of religious persecution, called for a command economy, and created collective farms.

Stalin created a police state to maintain his power; his secret police arrested and executed millions of so-called traitors.

Both Japan and Italy, which had entered the war to gain territory, had gained less than they wanted. Because the League of Nations lacked the support of the United States, the League of Nations was in no position to take action on these and other complaints.

The United States, the most dominant nation in the world after the warm did not back the treaty because Americans believed that the United States' best hope for peace was to stay out of European affairs.

To gain total control of the Soviet government and Communist Party, Stalin launched the Great Purge, a campaign of terror directed at eliminating anyone who threatened his power.

The arts and sources of information, such as newspapers, were used for propaganda and were censored by Stalin's government.

3: What were the long-term and short term causes of WWI? Were they resolved after the war? Explain

The causes of World War I were militarism, alliances, nationalism, imperialism, and the assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary. Nationalism, the deep devotion to one's nation, caused an intense competition among nations with each seeking to overpower the other.

India, a British colony, suffered from lack of political and economic power, political instability, and threats to traditional Indian life. Because British held much of the political and economic power, the British restricted Indian-owned industries such as cotton textiles.

The emphasis on cash crops resulted in a loss of self-sufficiency for many villagers. The conversion to cash crops reduced food production, causing famines in the late 1800s.

The British adopted a hands-off policy regarding Indian religious and social customs, and missionaries tried to convert Indians to Christianity. Because British held much of the political and economic power, the British restricted Indian-owned industries such as cotton textiles.

The emphasis on cash crops resulted in a loss of self-sufficiency for many villagers. The conversion to cash crops reduced food production, causing famines in the late 1800s.

Three of these political systems were fascism, Nazism, and communism. Fascism's rise in Italy was fueled by bitter disappointment over the failure to win large territorial gains at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.

To millions of Italians, their democratic government seemed helpless to deal with the country's humiliation, rising inflation, and unemployment.

The Treaty of Versailles created the League of Nations, an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations, and punished Germany to prevent another world war.

To punish Germany, the Treaty placed restrictions on her military, took away substantial amounts of land, placed the sole responsibility for the war on her shoulders, and forced her to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allies.

Rapid industrialization stirred discontent among the people of Russia. The growth of factories brought new problems, such as terrible conditions, extremely low wages, and child labor. The government outlawed trade unions.

To try to improve their lives, workers unhappy with their low standard of living and lack of political power organized strikes.

Germany was humiliated and deprived of large amounts of land and money due to the Treaty of Versailles, so Hitler gained popularity as he promised to revive national pride. Most Germans ignored Hitler and Nazism until the Great Depression ended the nation's brief postwar recovery.

When American loans stopped, the German economy collapsed. Civil unrest broke out. Frightened and confused, Germans now turned to Hitler, hoping for security and firm leadership. As Nazism rose in Germany and fascism gained popularity in Italy, communism began to grow in Russia.

Due to European colonial rule, Africans lost control of their land and their independence. Famines resulted from the change to cash crops in place of subsistence agriculture.

Africans also suffered from a breakdown of their traditional cultures. Contempt for the traditional culture and admiration of European life undermined stable societies and caused identity problems for Africans.

In 1857, sepoys, Indian soldiers rebelled against their British commanders because they had heard a rumor that their cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat.

Both the Hindus, who consider the cow sacred, and Muslims, who do not eat pork, were outraged by the news and rebelled.

After this Sepoy Mutiny and almost a year of political instability, the British took direct command of India. In addition to this, the increased presence of missionaries and the racist attitude of most British officials threatened traditional Indian life. The

British adopted a hands-off policy regarding Indian religious and social customs, and missionaries tried to convert Indians to Christianity.

2: Do you think colonized peoples were better off or worse off as a result of European colonization? Choose two colonized countries and support your answer with economic, political, or social evidence.

Colonized peoples were negatively affected by European colonization because it resulted in the loss of political and economic control, the breakdown of traditional life, death by foreign diseases, and the division of ethnic groups into colonies.

7: Trace Stalin's rise to power in the Soviet Union, discuss how he implemented a totalitarian regime, and explain what economic and political policies he established.

In 1922, Joseph Stalin began his rise to power in the Soviet Union, where he would implement a totalitarian regime by brainwashing his people, destroying his enemies, replacing religion with communism, and seizing control of the economy and agriculture.

Contempt for the traditional culture and admiration of European life undermined stable societies and caused identity problems for Africans. Another harmful effect of colonialism was the division of their continent.

Long-term rival chiefdoms were sometimes united, while at other times, kinship groups were split between colonies. The artificial boundaries combined or unnaturally divided groups, creating problems that impacted African colonies during European occupation.

Another country negatively impacted by British colonialism was Africa. Africans lost control of their land and their independence. Many died of diseases, such as smallpox, that Europeans brought to their country.

Many Africans also died due to famines, which resulted from the change to cash crops in place of the subsistence agriculture. Like the Indians, Africans also suffered from a breakdown of their traditional cultures.

10: Describe how Mao's Marxist regime transformed China by considering his 5-year plan, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. Did these changes positively or negatively affect China? Explain using historical evidence.

Mao's Marxist regime transformed China by causing an increase in industrial production, harm to economic growth, food shortages, and violence. In 1953, Mao launched a five-year plan that set high production goals for industry.

6: Why did non-democratic political systems (fascism, Nazism, and communism) gain so much traction in nations between the two world wars? Consider the political, economic, and social reasons

Non-democratic political systems rose to power between the two world wars because people lost faith in democratic government due to the economic struggles of the GD, the insufficient and humiliating peace treaties that followed WWII, and the new problems caused by industrialization.

These students formed the Red Guards and led the major uprising called the Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards targeted anyone who resisted the regime and executed and imprisoned thousands.

Purges and conflicts among leaders created economic, social, and political chaos. Chaos threatened farm production and closed down factories. Civil war seemed possible.

He and his wife were murdered by Serbian member of a secret nationalist society committed to ridding Bosnia of Austrian rule, and Austria used this murder as an excuse to punish Serbia and declared war.

Russia, an ally of Serbia, stepped in and suddenly almost all of Europe became involved because they were tangled in alliances.

1: Describe two important European desires, needs, or attitudes that supported the concept of imperialism in the 19th century. How did imperialism alter the economic organization and the social structures of the lands Europeans conquered? Provide examples from two different countries.

The European need for new markets and raw materials and the European attitude of racism supported the concept of imperialism in the 19th century. In the 19th century, industrialization stirred ambitions in many nations. They needed more resources to fuel their industrial production.

5: Describe how the Treaty of Versailles was ultimately a flawed peace and led to the political instability of the 1930s. Give two specific historical pieces of evidence to explain how this was a 'peace built on quicksand."

The Treaty of Versailles was ultimately a flawed peace and led to the political instability of the 1930s because it harshly punished on Germany, did not satisfy the demands of several of the Allied powers, and was rejected by the most dominant nation of the world during that time.

Years later, the Soviet Union and the U.S. found themselves in an arms race, which led to the Cold War.

The only cause of World War I that was resolved was the assassination because Austria-Hungary was defeated and split into several new countries.

The peasants who worked the land in these communes had no incentive to work hard because only the state profited from their labor. Poor planning and inefficient home industries hampered growth.

The program was ended when crop failures caused a huge famine. As leaders eventually moved away from Mao's strict socialist ideas, he inspired high school and college students to revive the revolution.

Nearly every able-bodied civilian was put to work. Total war meant that governments turned to help from women's as never before. Thousands of women replaced men in factories, offices, and ran hospitals.

The war also caused governments to turn to rationing. Under this system, people could buy only small amounts of the items that were also needed for the war effort.

The nations of Europe believed that to be truly great, they needed to have a powerful military, which led to the buildup of armies.

This arms race frightened people and caused mutual mistrust.

As a result of this, several revolutionary movements began to grow and compete for power. One of these was a group that followed the communist views of Karl Marx.

This group eventually was named the Communist Party and seized all power in Russia.

This five-year plan had both a positive and negative effect because China's output of coal, cement, steel, and electricity had increased dramatically by 1957, but it also caused agricultural output to grow very slowly.

To expand the success of the first Five-Year Plan, Mao proclaimed the "Great Leap Forward," which negatively impacted China. This plan called for communes, which were collective farms.

They glorified Stalin and communism. Stalin also used indoctrination to control education and mold people's minds to the government's beliefs.

Under Stalin, the government sponsored a group of atheists who spread propaganda attacking religion. Communists aimed to replace religious teachings with the ideals of communism.

4: Why was World War I considered the first total war?

World War I was considered the first total war because countries devoted all their resources to the war effort and the war affected every aspect of life in all countries who participated.