Chapter 16 Section 2 Notes

Western Democracies Stumble

Directions: Read and take notes. Anything that has a hyphen needs to be summarized from your reading.

Politics in the Postwar World

  • Biggest problems were finding jobs for returning WWI vets and rebuilding Europe.

Britain

  • Government became more socialistic as the labor party pressed for more reforms .Many strikes occurred to grant workers more rights.
  • Britain lost control of Ireland after WWI due to pressure from the IRA and their guerilla war tactics. Southern Ireland became independent.

France

  • Several political parties
  • Many fights over issues in government and financial scandals made France’s government weak

US

  • In good shape post WWI-late entrance caused few casualties and little loss of property
  • Americans went through a period of isolationism where they wanted to stay out of other countries affairs
  • Americans feared the Bolshevik takeover in Russia and a “Red Scare” swept America where foreign born radicals were expelled from the US. It was an anti-immigrant time in America. Immigrants took jobs and they were not liked post WWI.
  • Congress passed Immigration Quota Acts to limit immigration from South Eastern Europe. (Japanese and Chinese immigrants were already limited)

Postwar Foreign Policy (page 531)

Arguing Allies

  • France’s chief concern-
  • Maginot line-

Search for Peace-many countries worked for peace despite disagreements

  • Kellog-Briand Pact-
  • Disarmament-
  • League of Nations-

League of Nations Weakness

  • Powerless-
  • Ambitious dictators-

Post War Economics-read this section carefully (page 532-535)

Many countries struggled to help people get better wages and jobs post WWI. Strikes were on the rise and people lost faith in their governments. Unemployment was extremely high and the standard of living went down in many countries.

The US was doing well by the 1920’s but that did not last. The stock market crashed and the Great Depression hit.

The Great Depression-read this section and complete the following

List the steps in which worldwide depression occurred after WWI. (include US financial collapse in your list)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

The Democracies React to Depression

  • Britain and France-
  • FDR and the New Deal-
  • Loss of faith in democracy-