20th-Century Global Conflicts

Introduction

Artwork - Picasso self-portrait At the beginning of the 20th century, tensions were running so high in Europe that when WWI finally began, many felt a sense of relief. It was to be the "war to end all wars," and numerous soldiers rushed to join before it was too late. Up until WWI, European wars had been simple, quick affairs. But new inventions caused devastation and stalemate while submarines ensured that the war’s consequences could be felt on the food-deprived home front as well. World War I marked Europe's official entry into the modern technology age - the clash itself was in many ways representative of the fight between old and new as ages old empires crumbled and industry and innovation reigned supreme on the battlefield. The peace settlements that ended World War I in Europe left the losers – above all, Germany – aggrieved, and the principle of “war guilt” meant that Germany had to pay significant reparations to the losers. Meanwhile, the new, communist system in the Soviet Union was associated with the specter of revolution spreading in the wake of the war’s destruction and the deprivations it left behind.

By the 1920s, a general sense of disillusionment had overtaken overtook Europe, as the war’s devastation continued to impact every aspect of life. Art and culture took on a surreal approach that reflected artists’ struggle to find meaning in what many now saw as a senseless world. The ongoing dissatisfaction with the post-war settlement fueled right-wing extremism while, on the other end of the political spectrum, international communism preached revolution everywhere. The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 paved the way for the rise of German Nazism, which, increasingly, appeared to have a totalitarian counterpart in Stalinist Russia. The alignment of these two powers against the status quo in August 1939 precipitated the beginning of the Second World War.

World War II became the deadliest conflict in history and forever changed the face of Europe. For the first time, civilians became military targets as improved technology allowed for bigger and more destructive bombs. Both sides hoped that the destruction of the home front would force the other into surrender. Soviet Russia lost over 20 million of its citizens in the conflict. The Holocaust decimated Europe’s Jewish population and forever changed history by using industrialized killing methods against non-combatant men, women, and children. The weakening of Europe during World War II set the clock ticking on its continued control over its colonies.

Image - Self Portrait by Pablo Picasso

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Road to WWI - The factors that lead to the First World War.
"The war will be over by Christmas" - How the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a series of events culminating in the first year of the war.
A Global Conflict - The war expands on the Western and Eastern Fronts and brings in countries and soldiers from all over the globe.
The Beginning of the End - Total war begins to wear on the combatants and peace is declared.
The Russian Revolution - Russia undergoes its own battle as a civil war changes the political landscape.
Caught Between Wars: Life in the Interwar Years - Changes in culture during the interwar period.
The War to End All Wars Leads to Another War: Impact of Versailles Treaty and Rise of Mussolini - Mussolini rises to power in Italy.
"Lacks Leadership Characteristics": Rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany - Hitler rises to power in Germany.
Moving towards WWII - Factors that lead to the Second World War.
The War in Europe - The path of the war in Europe.
Holocaust and War in the Pacific - The scope of the Holocaust in Europe and the path of World War II in the Pacific.
Putting it All Together - Review Module.

Essential Questions

How would you define World War I as a total war, and how did its causes come together to produce an outcome that no one at the time foresaw (make sure you can name the main causes of the war)?
What are prominent examples of technologies that altered the conduct and course of war?
How did the prolongation of total war create internal conditions within the warring societies that fostered social and political revolution?
What impact did World War I have on Europe’s position in the world, given the new role of the United States and the collapse of empires within Europe, and the undermining of imperial rule outside of Europe?
In what way did Marxism-Leninism constitute a new ideological framework that was both radical within Europe and anti-imperialist outside of Europe?
Why, following the Bolshevik victory, did the Russian Civil War give way to the New Economic Policy?
How did the Versailles Treaty restructure Europe territorially while simultaneously creating a situation in which revanchism and domestic instability within the Weimar Republic created justifiable fear of another war?
What explains the weakness of the League of Nations?
How did the post-1919 mandate system factor into European imperialism?
What were the main economic weakness that confronted Europe after 1918 and how were they interconnected with the United States?
What was the link between the Great Depression and the rise of anti-democratic right- and left-wing extremism?
What were the main characteristics of fascism and why – unlike communism with its post-Enlightenment roots – did fascism represent something completely new?
Why was the Spanish Civil War viewed by many as an ideological prelude to World War II, and how did the spread of authoritarian dictatorship affect the political map of Europe up to 1939?
How did Stalinism change the Soviet Union’s political, economic, and social development?
How do you explain the democratic states’ failure to stop Hitler’s march to war, and what role did Stalin play in the outbreak of World War II?
Which factors made it possible for the Allies to defeat the Axis powers?
How does the Holocaust represent the convergence of ideology and war into a new form of atrocity, genocide?
What were the major social and cultural impacts of World War II – how did change and uncertainty combine to create a new situation within a weakened Europe?

Textbook Assignment and Unit Review Form

As you work through this module, be certain to read the chapters on 20^th Century Global Conflicts in your textbook. Focus on World War I, the interwar war period, and World War II. As you are reading you may wish to jot down notes in the unit review form. Please pay careful attention to the fact that Europe experienced two major wars over forty-one years and that the first war established preconditions for the second war. At the same time, developments within Europe reverberated throughout the world. Use the textbook and other resources to answer the questions that accompany the lessons. The module assessment may contain two randomly selected questions for you to complete.

Download a copy of the unit review form here.

Identifications

Complete the attached identifications. The module assessment may contain these ids for you to match with correct answers.

Download a copy of the ID List for this module here.

The presentations below are helpful in seeing some of the more important people and terms for this module but are by no means a definitive list.

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