Wilson on Post War Depression

I. Introduction.

A. (Similar) The post-war worlds of 1919-1939 and 1945-1970
1. Economic conditions were similar
2. Governments in distress
3. Redrawing boundaries
B. (Contrast) post-war worlds
1. World War I
a. a seemed period of agreed peace
2. World War Two
b. immediate decline- Cold War/ Berlin Blockade

Thesis: During the post-war periods countries had to deal with similar economic and political issues. The countries had to get back on their feet after the depression of war. There was, however, dispute between former allies in the post World War Two decades that was not as prevalent in the post world war one decades.

II. Post World War 1 Era

A. Economically
1. War debts
2, Great Depression
B. Politically
1. Treaty of Versailles- the treaty that ended the war
a. caused bitter resentment, especially the war guilt clause.
b. emergence of new states
c. League of Nations which was ultimately a failure.
2. Within the countries themselves- emergence of Democratic states
a. Great Britain
1. Lost many markets to the U.S. i.e. coal and steel
2. High unemployment
3. Labour Party ahead of the Liberals then conservatives took over
4.Labour government again John Maynard Keynes
b. France
1. Strongest power
2. Conservative government
3. Hard-line policy toward Germany demands for German Reparations-Ruhr invasion
4. Popular Front movement during Great Depression
5. Political decline approaching 1938
c. US
1. Great Depression
2. Roosevelt/New Deal
3. Social reforms
4. High unemployment
3. Decline to Totalitarianism
a. Italy
1. Mussolini
2. Fascism
b. Germany
1. Weimar Republic unable to handle post war issues
2. Hitler
3. Nazism perfect race anti-semitism
4 unhappy with Versailles Treaty leads to war
c. Cultural movements
1. Dadaism
2. Surrealism
3. New mass culture
4. Unconscious
5. Uncertainty Principle

III. Post-War (WWII) Similarly had to deal with economic problems, leads to democratic welfare states, bitterness at the end of the war terms which led to another war (cold war)

A. Democratic Welfare States

a. Great Britain
1.Labour Party
2. Welfare social reforms
3. Collapse of empire
4. Link with the post world war I era
b. France
1. De Gaulle -reestablish French nation
2. Rising economy
3. Nuclear status
4. Similarities- one of the better off nations again after the war
c. West Germany and Italy new democratic states
B. Rise of Communism again
1. Soviet Union
2. China and asia
C. Disappointment with treaties caused issues between U.S. and U.S.S.R.
1. Yalta
a. United Naitons
2. Potsdam
3. Creation of West and East Germany
4. NATO
D. Cultural movements
1. Feminism
2. Civil rights
3. Permissive society

IV. Contrasts

A. United Nations v. NATO

B. Desire for Peace after WWI Kellogg Brand Pact Spirit of Locarno

C. Rise of the permissive society after wwii feminist movement civil rights etc.

D. Betrayal of allies -U.S.S.R.