Enquiry 2. Communist and Fascist Ideology, individuals and economics: How can ideas create fear and conflict 1919-c1945?
In this enquiry students consider the struggle of countries to establish domestic and international stability in the period 1918-39. This period witnessed the continuity of democratic systems of government in America and much of Western Europe and in contrast the emergence of new ideologies that sought to change the status quo in countries such as Russia and China that witnessed the emergence of Communism and Germany which witnessed the emergence of Fascism. These contrasting ideologies and their inability to coexist would lead to an even more deadly Second World War by 1939 until 1945 which included the Holocaust against European Jewish communities. |
Overview 1. What were the key ideas of Russian communism pre-1917?
What is capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership. In capitalism, the means of production are privately owned and operated to make profit for the owners. While workers are usually employed to work for an agreed salary. This is very different to communism where the means of production are owned by the community and profits should be shared out according to need. Indeed, the rivalry between the two ideologies led to what was known as the Cold War, which lasted for most of the second half of the 20th century.
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Overview 2. How did communists gain power in Russia 1917??The First World War was a disaster for Russia, In February 1917, a combination of strikes and huge protesting crowds crippled Petrograd (St Petersburg). Troops were brought in to restore social order, but many were unwilling to open fire on the crowd. This was the first revolution in 1917. In March, the Tsar was forced to abdicate due to social and political unrest. A provisional (temporary) government was formed to try to introduce reform and end the unrest. The provisional government decided to continue to war, which made them very unpopular both with the people and the communists. In October 1917, the communist Bolsheviks seized power from the provisional government in a final revolution. The provisional government ended.
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Overview 3. How was a Russian communist dictatorship formed and what was life like for the people 1920-1953?Lenin was a ruthless leader. He led Russia through civil war, famine and hardship. He died in 1924. He was succeeded by Joseph Stalin. Russia was now called the USSR or the Soviet Union. Stalin wanted to turn the Soviet Union into a great power, which would show the world how good communism was. He wanted to turn it into a modern, industrial country. He wanted to catch up with the powerful countries in the West, like the USA and Britain. And he wanted to build the weapons he needed to protect his country. In the 1930s, some people thought he was doing a good job; others, who knew what was going on behind the scenes weren’t so sure.
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1 Stalin's Russia |
Overview 4. What were the key ideas of communism in China and how did the communists gain power in 1949?China had been a republic from 1911. It was no longer ruled by emperors. The country was politically unstable, and the government had little control. In 1928, the party's leader, Chiang Kai-shek, captured Beijing. He set up a new government with the support of the businessmen and landowners. Between 1927 and 1934, Chiang waged five 'encirclement campaigns' against a rival group, China's communists. They were led by Mao Zedong. In 1934, Mao and 100,000 communists fled to Yenan in north-west China on 'the Long March'; it was a horrific 6,000-mile march. As they marched, they fought their way past ten opposing armies. Only 20,000 arrived alive in Yenan, but Mao was able to create a small communist state and build up his power. After the Second World War, the communists waged a guerrilla war against Chiang Kai-shek's government. The Guomindang government was corrupt, and did nothing to improve the life of the peasants. Mao's communists were popular with the peasants, promising land reforms. In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek fled to the island of Taiwan.
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Overview 5. What were the key ideas of Nazism in Germany and how did the Nazis gain complete power by 1934?A fascist state is usually ruled by one party led by a dictator, who seizes power forcefully or achieves power by eroding democratic institutions. In many fascist regimes, violence and repression are used to crack down on opposition. But, the most notorious fascist regime of the 20th century, was in Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazi Party's success was due in part to the German people's resentment of the terms imposed on them after World War One in the Treaty of Versailles, and to the economic crises of the time.
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Overview 6. What was life like in Germany under a Nazi dictatorship?
From 1933, Hitler was able to turn Germany into a dictatorship under his complete control. Firstly, he was able to take control between 1933-34 using the Emergency Decree, Enabling Act and the Night of the Long Knives and once he was in firm control the Nazis used a variety of methods to keep control over the German population. The success of Nazi control is highlighted in the lack of opposition
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Depth 1. What was life like for the Jews in Europe before the 1930s?How many Jews lived in Europe before World War Two? How long had some Jewish communities existed in Greece? Discover examples of activities described by the video of life in Europe before World War Two…
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Depth 2. How did the Nazi persecution of the Jews change 1933-1939?The group most heavily targeted for persecution by the Nazis were the Jews of Germany. The outbreak of World War Two brought the horror of mass killings and the Final Solution, but the period 1933 saw a gradual increase in persecution, reaching a turning point during Kristallnacht in November 1938
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Depth 3. How did the Nazis seek to implement their ‘Final Solution’ and what were the consequences for European Jews?
Hitler is believed to have given the order to begin the attempted extermination of Europe’s 11 million Jews in 1941. This so-called ‘Final Solution’ to the question of what to do with Europe’s Jews. During the Holocaust, approximately 6 millions Jews were murdered by the Nazis, this is known as a genocide. Victims were not only from Germany but from all Nazi occupied territories in WW2 (E.g. Poland, Hungary, Russia). There was a broader genocide which refers to at least five million prisoners of war, Romany, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and other victims.
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Depth 4. What methods did people use to resist the Nazis?A common question when we’re studying about the Holocaust is, “Why didn’t the Jews resist?” But they did. In this video we discuss different forms and types of resistance, both spiritual and armed. In the unprecedented inhumanity of the Holocaust there were Jews who found the strength and the courage, both physical and spiritual, to retain their humanity and resist hopelessness and dehumanization. The story of their resistance is a human story that shows the heights that human beings can reach even in the depths of despair.
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