HIST 1115 Lecture Notes - French Franc, Reichsbank, Austen Chamberlain
Europe in the 1920’s
Political Strain
The US decides that they want to be isolated
The European nations are focusing on the map that they made
Britain was going to behave like an offshore island
oThey were most interested in their colonies
oThey were also concerned with internal affairs
oThey were going to have a big hand in determining international relations
in the 30’s
The French feel that they compromised for the peace treaty
oThey were the only ones that wanted to enforce it
Italy is very bitter from the peace treaty
The Germans were furious from the peace treaty
oThey were very angry
oThey would not accept that they lost the war
The French were very angry at the Soviet Union
The Germans would have a very interesting relationship with the SU because
they were close
oThere was a potential for the spread of Bolsheviks
oWhen things get tough, there is political polarizaition
oIn crisis, the extreme right and the extreme left become more and more
powerful
People wanted to get back to the way that things used to be
oNormalicy
The US is going to try to return to normal
In Europe it was going to be very hard to get back to normal
oThe war destroyed network of national trade
oIt could not return to how it had been beore
In the Pre-War period
oThere was good trade unions
oAfter the war they are gone
The lack of trade is marked in the A-H nations that were formed
oThere are new nations
oCountries that relied on trade of certain types of trade but now there are
borders
oThey are cut off
oThere are trade barriers
oThey want to protect their brand-new industries
oWhen they used to be able to use trains to transport, they are cut off
because it goes through another nation’s border
oThis whole region relied on the power hours of Germany
German power has collapsed
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oThis is bad for the other countries
Czechoslovakia has good industry
oThey were where Austria produced arms
oThey are really the only ones that are doing ok post-war
There was a lot of Economic distress, and very high unemployment rates
Britain
They are still the most powerful nation in the world
The Irish don’t let the war finish before they revolt from the British
oGermany had promised a Irish national revolt
oThe British put down the rebellion, but they did so very savagely and
made Martyrs
oThe militant group called Sinn Fein
They win most of the irish vote in the post war election
They are republican
They’re going to make Dublin their capital
They eventually form an insurrection against Britain
Irish republican army
They make an army that is led by Michael Collins
They’re gurrilla forces
The Black and Tan’s are the people that the British brought in to
fight the Irish starting in 1919
In December of 1921 they’re exhausted so they send someone
over to compromise
oThe counties of Ulster become separate so they were still ruled by Britian
oMichael Collins are the first PM of Irish
He is assassinated by his own men
They are unhappy that the agreed to divide the island
The Labor movement was pretty angry before WW1
oWhen they come back, they’re pretty angry and politically organized
Ramsay McDonald is the first Labor Minister
oHe is Prime Minister
oMinority Government
oThey want to repair Britain’s economic position
oThey wanted to trade with the Soviet Union
There was no trust between them
He said that they would lend the soviets the money to pay them
back for the trade
All blows up when someone finds a letter from Zinoviev and it is
printed in the Conservative paper
Britain has lost a lot of their markets
oOver seas markets
oThey had to liquidate their investments during the war
Winston Churchhill: Chancellor of the Exchequeur
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The us decides that they want to be isolated. The european nations are focusing on the map that they made. The french feel that they compromised for the peace treaty: they were the only ones that wanted to enforce it. Italy is very bitter from the peace treaty. The germans were furious from the peace treaty: they were very angry, they would not accept that they lost the war. The french were very angry at the soviet union. People wanted to get back to the way that things used to be: normalicy. The us is going to try to return to normal. In europe it was going to be very hard to get back to normal: the war destroyed network of national trade, it could not return to how it had been beore. In the pre-war period: there was good trade unions, after the war they are gone. German power has collapsed: this is bad for the other countries.
