Fascism and Communism: The Great Depression of the Early 1930s
Focused Essays: Each of the following questions is aimed to explore your understanding and synthesis of specific issues and debates. Each question asks you to take a position on a specific issue/debate and then use that framework to draw on specific examples and material from the readings and lectures. This format is meant to allow you to draw your own conclusions and be able to defend them. Remember there are no “correct” positions, only strongly or weakly argued positions. One page for each topic, no intro or conclusion needed.
1. The Great Depression of the early 1930s began as an economic crisis but had important political repercussions in the interwar “crisis of meaning.” Compare the distinct responses to the Depression by liberal, fascist and communist regimes, and analyze the broader political impact of their economic policies and rhetoric. In your judgment, would you rank WWI or the Depression as the most important catalyzing event in the interwar crisis and why?
2. Make an argument that ranks international, short term and long term factors in explaining why the new Spanish democracy of the 1930s failed to consolidate and explain what your ranking tells us about the “crisis of liberal democracy” in the interwar period.
3. Focusing on the Stalinist “second revolution” of the 1930s, make an argument about whether the interwar USSR constituted “communism betrayed” or “communism fulfilled”. Be sure to define your understanding of communism and explain how the pillars of Stalinism deviated from or implemented these principles.
4. Analyze the competing frameworks for viewing the Vichy Regime as a “caretaker” regime or as the start of a “new order,” pick a position and explain what is at stake in this interpretative debate for French and interwar European history.
5. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences in the tripartite structure of the Nazi and Italian fascist regimes and make an argument that either 1) emphasizes the common qualities of a “generic” fascism or 2) emphasizes the differences between them and thus the separate categories of “fascist” and “nazi.”
6. One of the most visible elements of fascist regimes was a mass culture of participation that included propaganda, mass rituals and organizations and visual symbols. Drawing on “Triumph of the Will” as an example, make an argument about the aims, effectiveness and limitations of propaganda and myth-making in mobilizing the masses behind the Italian and German regimes.
Fascism and Communism
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Question One
The Great Depression of the Early 1930s
The Great Depression was the deepest, longest and the most pervasive economic depression that has ever been witnessed in American history. The depression started in 1929 and ended in 1939. Although it started in the United States, but its impacts were felt practically all corners of the world and it has been ranked as one of the great economic calamities in the books of history and economics. The Great Depression was the far reaching economic meltdown that was caused by over confidence, over extended stock market and the drought that struck the South. Different countries with different political or political ideologies responded differently to the Great Depression of 1930s. To the United States and the Western Europe, the Great Depression proved that the achievements that had been made in these countries in 1920s were actually fragile. The response to the great depression was actually counterproductive as far as the crisis was concerned as some of the economic policies that ended up worsening the situation even further. There was a decline in the confidence for normal politics; those radical political parties were able to gain new support. Even the parliamentary form of governments was in most cases weakened. In France, for instance, the Popular Front government that was largely dominated by the socialists later won an election in 1936. The government of Scandinavia responded to the great depression more active in the economy that gave positive results. In Britain on the other hand, new Industries emerged due to creativity in business leadership. After figuring out for a few years, the united finally responded by initiating new economic programs that were baptized as the New Deal that was based on social welfare as well as government intervention. Through the guidance of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the economic idea of New Deal hugely increased the size of government and hence restored the public confidence, despite the fact that the problems of the great depression were solved after the Second World War.[Cole, Harold L., and Lee E. Ohanian. "The Great Depression in the United States from a neoclassical perspective." Handbook of Monetary and Fiscal Policy (2001): 159.]
In Germany the Great Depression led to the creation of fascism. The parliamentary democracy of Germany was attacked by the fascists; they claimed that the parliamentary democracy was corrupt and weak, the proposed a strong leader that had a forceful military and foreign policy. This made the fascists to gain respect and support from the business community due to the way they attacked the socialists and unions. This saw the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany and he called for government and the people of Germany to guide the society, since that was greater than individuals’ interests put together. The Jews were used as the scapegoat for the modern problems and as a result, Hitler sanctions and restrictions on them.[Calomiris, Charles W., and Joseph R. Mason. "Consequences of bank distress during the Great Depression." The American Economic Review 93, no. 3 (2003): 937-947]
There have been arguments between people as to whether the inter-wars were brought by the First World War or the Great Depression. All of these arguments all of these views are true depending on how an individual is looking at them. Generally, the First World War came before the Great Depression and therefore to a large degree, the First World War can be blamed for the inter-wars that took place in the world during those days. There were many economic problems that came up after the First World War. For instance, Germany suffered a great inflation that it could not control. Britain, that mostly depended on the exports also found the competition in the world market even stiffer. The economic meltdown that was witnessed in the world during the 1930s was brought by the aftermath of the World War One. Therefore it can be concluded that the World War One Cole, Harold L., and Lee E. Ohanian. "The Great Depression in the United States from a neoclassical perspective." Handbook of Monetary and Fiscal Policy (2001): 159.[Cole, Harold L., and Lee E. Ohanian. "The Great Depression in the United States from a neoclassical perspective." Handbook of Monetary and Fiscal Policy (2001): 159.]
Question Two
Short and Long Term Factors for the Failure of New Democracy in Spain During 1930s
The depression that took place in the world during the early 1930s led to the civil war in Spain. The civil war that took place in Spain eroded the democratic space that was enjoyed in that country. There were both short and long term factors that contributed to the civil war in Spain during the early 1930s. There were political, economical and social factors that led to the erosion of democracy in Spain. One of the social and economic factors that contributed to the failure of a new democracy in Spain was the poverty in the rural areas that was brought by the great depression of 1930s. There was an extreme polarization of wealth in most rural areas in Spain that existed between the landlords and laborers who were landless. Separatism or segregation in Spain led to the failure of a new democracy in Spain. The other factor that contributed to the failure of a new democracy in Spain was the Agrarian reforms. One of the major agrarian reforms was the law of Obligatory Cultivation that was enacted on May 7, 1931. Military and anti-clerical reforms also contributed to the failure of a new democracy in New Spain. For examp...