The 1930s
Rylie, Gabby, Caroline, Qi, Alison, and Arianna
The Young Plan
● Renegotiated the
Dawes Plan
● Reduced payment
amount
● German politicians,
including Hitler,
disliked it
● Germany eventually
ceased reparations
● Tied countries
together economically
Loans
Germany
USA
$713 Million
in reparations
$2.6 Billion
in war debts
Allies
Causes of the Depression
● Wall Street crashed in late
October 1929, precipitating
the Great Depression
● Unemployment rate topped
at 25%; fewer purchases
● Major bank failures followed,
reducing expenditures
● Smoot-Hawley Tariff sparked
economic retaliation
FDR's New Deal
● Franklin Delano
Roosevelt was
inaugurated in 1933
● Elected to four
terms
● Achieved lots
during his "First
100 Days"
● Gave "Fireside
Chats" to inform the
public
Public Works Projects:
The Bonneville Dam
Social Security
1st Fireside Chat
The Dust Bowl
A map of the
area
A giant dust storm
Dorothea Lange's
photojournalism
● The Great Plains
region was devastated
by droughts
● Enormous and
dangerous dust storms
● 60% of the population,
"exodusters", left
● Woodie Guthrie sung
about "Dust Bowl
Blues"
Al Capone
Prohibition
● 1919: 18th Amendment
and Volstead Act
enacted
● Circumvented by
gangsters like Al
Capone
● Speakeasies were held
● 1933: 21st Amendment
repeals 18th
Amendment
The results of a speakeasy raid
Britain: The Depression
● American stock market crash of 1929 made the
●
●
1930s a time of economic hardship for Britain
Particularly affected the industries of shipbuilding, coal-mining, and steel. In 1933, there
were almost 2.5 million unemployed, which
constituted 25% of the population.
The Depression was worsened by government
policy in 1931 when the government raised
income tax and cut unemployment benefits by
10%, and when and import duty was placed on
goods from abroad.
Political Parties
● Although Labor party
rises to power in
1929, smaller, more
extremist parties
increase in
membership
○ British Communist Party
○ British Union of Fascists
(took inspiration from
Germany and Italy)
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Jewish Immigration from
Germany
● Increase in immigrants
from Germany, most of
whom are Jewish (Nazi
regime makes life hard for
Jews in Germany)
● 1933-1939: More than
50,000 Jews migrate to
Britain (even faced British
hostility)
● In addition, 9,000
unaccompanied children
allowed in
(Kindertransport) - some
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Improvements in Quality of
Life
● Standard of living improves for those with a
job
● 1929-1930: 10% of population living at
subsistence level
● 1936: 4% of population living at subsistence
level
● 1939: 1.5 million electric ovens, 9 million gas
stoves
● 1900: 90% of population rents housing =>
1939: 27% of population owns own house
Culture
● People went to
cinema 1-2
times a week
● 1933: Half of
households in
Britain have
radio (important
during WW2)
● 1936: Television
- BBC begins
broadcasting
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Japan
1931: Japanese invade
Manchuria -> Manchuko
Mukden Incident
Lytton Report
1933: Withdraws from the
League of Nations
1936 (Nov): Anti-Comintern
Pact with Germany -> the
Axis Powers
1937: Second SinoJapanese war
Armed Japanese soldiers during
Second Sino-Japanese war
Japanese Fascism
1936: February 26th Incident
1937: Industrial Association for Service to
Country
Atmosphere of government turmoil:
two prime ministers assassinated/fatally wounded
two other prominent public figures murdered
two abortive military coup plotted
governments headed by party politicians ended
Japan's Motives
● Dissatisfaction with
international standing
○ Treaty of Versailles, a "have-not"
country
● Affected by Great Depression
○ -Unemployment rates, prices
● Growth of zaibatsu frustrated
business owners
China
1927: Chinese Civil
War started
During Japanese
attack KMT and CCP
tried to work together;
intermittent clashes
1932: Shanghai
bombed
1934: Mao Zedong
Long March
Luding Bridge Battle during Long March
Italy's economy
● Italy during the 1930's was characterized by
society under fascism
● 1931 - mass bankruptcy
● 1932 - Italian government begins to
intervene
● 1933 - The Industrial Reconstruction Institute
(IRI) is established.
● 1935 - Italy invades Abyssinia
Mussolini's economic
ideals
● Mussolini wanted to change the country's
economy with fascist ideals
● Main goal was to use economic power to
reshape Italy.
● Mussolini wanted to modernize the economy
German Economy: PreHitler
● Great Depression in
America abruptly ended
the Young Plan
● Economy was
supported by American
loans
● No loans = stagnant
economy
● Unemployment reached
30% in 1932
Weimar Republic coat of
arms
Collapse of the Banking
System
● Germany economy
functioned due to loans
from the US banks
● US banks recalled those
loans following Great
Depression
● Industrial output fell by
close to 30%
● Mirrors the fall of world
trade
Berlin, 1931: The Germany
Army tries to help the
struggling population by
feeding the poor
Political Repercussions
● Political system veered
towards extremism
● Hitler promises to fix
economy by reducing
unemployment
● Sworn in as Chancellor in
January of 1933
● Historical theme: people are
willing to venture further
(politically) in trying times
● Also applies to rise of
dictators
Economic Works Program:
Post-1933
● Hitler implemented a large public works
program; two main parts
1. Emphasizing Autarky: the quality of
being self-sustaining
2. Public Works Program: jobs, Ex.
extension of the Autobahn system
● Largely successful: unemployment virtually
eliminated by 1938
● Partly due to increased industrial output from
war
France
● 1932 French Depression as a result of the shockwave
sent out by America
● André Tadieu elected in 1932 - New government closely
resembled the Hoover Administration.
● Popular Front - coalition of left-wing parties formed in
response to Fascism (rise of the Nazi Party)
● 1936 Elections won by the Popular Front
● Massive failures in economic policy weakened French
productivity which was being met in Germany
● Plutôt Hitler que Blum
Discussion Questions
In small groups or pairs, please discuss the
following questions:
● Why did the fall of the American stock
market have such a global impact?
● What were some of the different impacts the
Depression had on various countries
worldwide?
● To what extent is the Great Depression
responsible for WWII?
Bibliography
Jean Fritz, China’s Long March
http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/cou/fra/pol/fp-pf.html
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/34History7545.html
http://thenagain.info/webchron/India/SaltMarch.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-is-named-chancellor-of-germany
http://www.history.com/topics/1930s
http://www.history.com/topics/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/abyssinia_1935.htm
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-sims/japanese-fascism
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2129.html
http://www.johndclare.net/LoN_Manchuria_Japan.htm
http://www.neveragain.org/1937.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/peopleevents/pandeAMEX99.html
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=blacksunday
http://www.usnews.com/news/history/articles/2009/02/12/the-first-100-days-franklin-roosevelt-pioneered-the-100-day-concept
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/04/dayintech_0414
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/time/1930/1930fr.html
“A History of the Modern World since 1815, 10th edition” by R.R. Palmer, Joel Colton, Lloyd Kramer
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/linglong/china_in_the_1930s.html
http://www.localhistories.org/1930slife.html
http://www.scva.org.uk/education/resources/pdfs/14.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/britain/depressionrev5.shtml