Age of Total War
Fall 2003
The French Search for Security
•
Without the U.S.A joining the
League.
•
The French sought a remedy.
•
The French could not count on
Britain.
•
Because the British wanted to
forget what had happened during the war.
•
The French sought a remedy for
there security needs.
•
The Rhineland Pledge was no
longer a reality.
Looking to the Covenant
•
The French looked to the
Covenant for answers.
•
They found Article X where
members were to respect and preserve member states.
•
Article XI that noted that any
war or threat of war was of grave concern to the whole League.
•
Then there was Article XVI which
noted the members can use economic, economic, and military means to respond to
aggression.
Turing to the League
•
The French sought two approaches
to strengthen the League of Nations.
•
The first remedy was the Draft
Treaty of Mutual Assistance.
•
This was proposed in 1923 and
called for the League to come member state who was a victim of aggression.
•
However the League Council had
to make that declaration.
•
Then they would come to the
victims aid.
The Second Proposal
•
The second proposal was the
Geneva Protocol of 1924.
•
Proposed that all international
disputes were to be submitted to either the International Court or to League
Council.
•
If a state refused, it was
considered an act of aggression.
•
Other members…who were in the
region…were to come to the victim’s aid.
•
But was this good enough?
Impact of the French Efforts
•
The Geneva Protocol received
wide appeal in the League.
•
But would not receive any
support from the British Dominions and the British government.
•
The Charles Evans Hughes was
concerned the USA could find itself at war with a League member.
•
And the British did not want to
be involved in a war in Eastern Europe.
Guilt Sets in
•
Lloyd George may have felt
guilty with his role in the Paris Peace Conf.
•
He convinced it was in France’s
best interest to lighten the burden on the Germans.
•
Lloyd George proposed a meeting
in Spa to address the Reparations issue.
•
Feelings were too hard to
address those issues.
The Rapallo Agreement
•
Lloyd George tried again at
Genoa in 1922.
•
The Germans were invited.
•
So were the Russians.
•
But instead of resolving the
pressing issues…the German delegation under Rathenau ran off with the Soviets.
•
And signed the Rapallo Treaty.
•
The British were determined that
something had to be done to keep German out of the Soviet orbit.
The French Reaction
•
The following year…the French
occupied the Ruhr.
•
This was the dream of Raymond
Poincare.
•
Seeking to punish Germany.
•
When the Reparations Commission
said Germany was out of compliance he acted.
•
Hating them with a passion.
•
Desiring to make them weak.
•
Forcing the Germans into the
passive resistance.
The Failure of the French Occupation
•
While Poincare thought he was
securing France.
•
His bold action had the opposite
effect.
•
Allowing Hitler to make his bid
for power.
•
Weakening German democracy.
•
Something had to be done.
The Dawes Plan
•
The Western Powers had to do
something from allowing chaos to reign in Germany.
•
In 1923-24, an international
commission was formed under Charles Dawes was formed.
•
The goal was to work out a
long-term schedule for Germany to pay their reparations payments.
•
Which eased the German economic
situation.
Reparation Schedule Under The Dawes Plan
•
Commission consisted of
delegates, two from each of the following countries…Belgium, France, Great
Britain, Italy, and the U.S.
•
Set the reparations for the
first year at 1 billion marks.
•
Then after four years rise to
2.5 billion.
•
The plan would go into effect in
1924.
•
Allowing the French to leave the
Ruhr.
•
This schedule continued until
1929.
•
The German economy revived.
Locarno
•
Stresemann notified the British
in the interest of general peace.
•
Germany was willing to recognize
the permanence of Germany’s borders in the West.
•
The key negotiators were Sir
Austen Chamberlain (GB), Aristide Briand (Fr), and Stresemann would meet in
Locarno in Switzerland.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
•
Negotiated by Secretary of State
Frank Kellogg and Aristide Briand.
•
The
Kellogg-Briand Pact
declared war was no longer and
instrument of foreign policy.
•
Fifteen nations signed the
agreement.
•
While it did not play an
important part in ending war.
•
It create a new climate for
Europe.
The
Locarno Treaties (1925)
•
The were a series of agreements
and treaties.
•
Germany, Belgium, and France
agreed to respect their common borders.
•
They also agreed to foreswear
the use of force or war against each other.
•
Except in the case of
self-defense.
•
Britain and Italy agreed to
guarantee the agreements.
Postwar Problems
•
Britain’s foreign trade was
ruined by the war.
•
Britain lost their overseas
markets to the new guy on the block…the
U.S.A.
•
If that was bad enough…their
dependencies didn’t need British goods either.
•
The backbone of British
industry, the Coal business, was outdated and could not compete with foreign
competition.
Lloyd George Responds
•
Lloyd George tried to use
tariffs to protect British industry.
•
Increased funding to national
insurance funds.
•
Better known as the “dole.”
•
British businesses rather than
modernize only sought to take government subsidies.
•
People were losing hope…in some
ways like the lost generation at the front.
Domestic Politics
•
Lloyd George was a great wartime
PM – in league with Pitt and Churchill.
•
But the Welsh Wizard how had no
answer to for the economic situation in Britain.
•
And neither did anyone else.
•
As a result of the situation in
Turkey in 1922 and the Conservative victory…Lloyd George was out…Andrew Bonar
Law was in.
Here Comes Stanley Baldwin
•
Baldwin would PM on and off
throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
•
Baldwin has faults…but the
public loved him.
•
Lloyd George said of Baldwin:
“He was honest to the point of simplicity.”
•
As Chancellor of the
Exchequer…he agreed to pay off his American debt…which could have better
negotiated.
Coming of Labour
•
In the elections of 1923, Labor
held 192 seats in Parliament, the Tories had 258, and the Liberals had 158.
•
Labour than reached an agreement
with the Liberals to form a coalition gov.
•
The new PM was Ramsey MacDonald
in 1924.
•
Who was fixed on the
aristocracy, had little sympathy for labor organizations.
•
Why did he hold power so long in
the Labour Party?
Why
did MacDonald Maintain Control of Labour?
•
MacDonald acted and sounded like
a great man.
•
He managed to manipulate the
rival factions in the Labour party to his advantage.
•
He had a unique oratorical
style…more like a sermon.
•
But was driven from power as a
result of charges of Labour being pro-Bolshevik.
The Zinoviev Letter
•
In October 1924, the British
Foreign Office came across a letter of Zinoviev to the head of the CPGB.
•
Zinoviev was the chief of the
COMINTERN.
•
The letter called for additional
party agitation on the part of the CPGB.
•
It was published in the British
press…leading to the return of the Conservatives.
Return of the Conservatives
•
Baldwin returned as PM in 1925.
•
The new Chancellor of the
Exchequer was Winston Churchill…who accelerated the return to the gold standard.
•
To the detriment of the British
industry.
•
Rising the price of the pound
sterling and further reducing British exports.
The Origins of the General Strike
•
The Coal industry was
particularly hard hit.
•
Coal operators wanted to reduce
wages and previous labor agreements.
•
The Miners Federation refused to
negotiate with the owners until the owners agreements were removed from the
table.
•
The General Council of Trade
Unions threatened a board work action in July 1925.
Baldwin Moves Quickly
•
Baldwin persuaded the operators
to postpone their impending changes.
•
And accept a royal commission.
•
Likewise the government would
continue to their financial aid to the industry.
•
The commission recommended
closing mines and ending the aid to the coal operators.
•
The Unions had enough.
The Strike Was On!
•
The TUC felt it was important to
maintain labor support.
•
Churchill and his rag…the
British Gazette…maintained public opposition to the strike.
•
Labor unions misread British
public opinion.
•
One-sixth of all workers were
involved.
•
But they had no public support.
Defeat of the Strike
•
The public was fearful following
the Russian Revolution.
•
The public was glad that there
was not major uprising.
•
No violence either.
•
It also lowered class violence
and antagonisms too.
•
Some elements of Marxism and
Syndicalism were discredited especially those which advocated the inevitability
of class conflict.
•
General strikes were out…so was
talk of revolution.
Postwar Recovery
•
France quickly recovered from
the physical damage of the war.
•
There was even an economic
recovery something that did not happen in Britain.
•
But there were serious problems
– social problems in France.
•
Problems that did not die since
1870-71.
•
What was the legacy of the war?
French Loses in the Great War
•
The French lost somewhere around
four million men.
•
1.3 million killed/120,000
horribly disfigured.
•
The material damage exceeded
Belgium, Poland, Russia, Austria, Italy, and Germany combined.
•
This is seen by the horrific
battles were fought at Verdun and the Somme.
•
As well as the destruction of
the Northern France.
Rebuilding France
•
The Third Republic threw all of
its efforts to rebuild.
•
800,000 homes and farm
buildings.
•
Rebuild 600 miles of railroad
tracks destroyed by the Germans.
•
Dredging canals too.
•
Restoring farm land to
cultivation.
•
Considered to be the greatest
achievement in Europe by 1926.
Surpassing the Competition
•
How did this happen?
•
The French had to purchase new
equipment to replace the damaged textile/steel equipment.
•
As a result France surpassed her
neighbors.
•
Especially with the restoration
of Alsace-Lorraine gave France access to one of the major iron ore fields in the
world.
•
Plus there was an upsurge in
demand for French wines and other French goods.
French Financial Problems
•
One of the problems was to pay
for the recovery.
•
The French were already in debt
before the war.
•
Now the French public did not
want to pay their taxes either.
•
And French politicians were not
bold enough to raise taxes either.
•
By 1918, France had a debt of
150 Billion Francs…and that would increase with the recovery.
•
Who was going to pay?
Finding a Solution
•
The French economy was going
into a tailspin.
•
Then came Raymond Poincare in
1926.
•
He raised taxes.
•
Borrowed from the Bank of
France.
•
Instituted reforms that saved
France from bankruptcy.
•
France returned to the Gold
Standard.
•
Yet the middle class was hurt.
Impact of Poincare’s Reforms
•
Agriculture and Business
flourished.
•
Tourists flocked to the Cote
d’Azur.
•
Party life in the Paris.
•
Enemy of the Third Republic had
no grievances to use against their opponents.
•
Yet there were enemies.
•
On the Right were the Action
Francaise.
Enemies on the Left
•
The Communist Party in France
was born in 1920.
•
It grew out of the split with
the United Socialists.
•
Then there was the split with in
the Confederation Generale du Travail in 1922.
•
The Communists created the
Conferderation General du Travail Unitaire.
•
But did not present a challenge
to Third Republic in the 1920s.
The French Colonial Empire
•
The French Empire spanned the
globe like the British Empire.
•
Since over 2 million colonial
troops served in World War I, many colonials thought this was the start of new
relationship.
•
Creating a new economic
community which was mutually independent.
•
But this would not happen.
The Showcase Was Algeria
•
Was a French colony since 1830.
•
Sent ten delegates to the French
Chamber of Deputies.
•
In 1919, Algerians were offered
both citizenship and limited government.
•
It seemed this was going to
work.
•
But also worked in Tunisia.
•
But did not work in Morocco.
The Riff War
•
The Spanish thought they could
extend their control over the Rif tribes.
•
The able Rif chieftain, Abd el-Krim
crushed the Spanish.
•
For five years the war
continued.
•
Then spilled over into French
Morocco in 1925.
•
For two years…the fighting
continued until the Rif was suppressed in 1926.
Other Problems in Arab Lands
•
There was a wave of Arab
nationalism…as great in Syria as there was in Iraq.
•
The French were unable to stop
the Arab nationalists.
•
Riots broke out in Damascus.
•
Soon the French had to send
troops into the Druses zone.
•
Near Lebanon.
•
Was not crushed until 1927.
•
Then there were other problems
too – in Indochina as well.
France and the Depression
•
Initially Poincare’s reforms
saved France from the pain of the Wall Street Crash.
•
But that would only last for so
long.
•
Then there was the cut in the
tourist trade, the cut in luxury goods.
•
Economic nationalism.
•
By 1932, France was in dire
straits like everyone else.
Hitting the Bottom
•
The Elections of 1932 brought
the Radical Socialists to power.
•
As well as the United Socialists
under Leon Blum.
•
Their solution was
nationalization of key industries and taxing the rich.
•
The Radicals represented the
small businessmen.
•
Who stressed economy in
governmental operations.
The Expansion of Republic’s Enemies
•
Communism grew rather quickly.
•
As did the enemies on the Left.
•
There was the Action Francaise.
•
As well as
Camelots du Roi,
gangs of young thugs.
•
Then
Croix de Feu,
an organization of Veterans.
•
Then the
Jeunesses Patriotes.
•
But much like Mussolini’s Black
Shirts or Hitler’s SA.
•
Much like Oswald Mosely’s
British Union of Fascists.
Why did Fascism Gain Strength in France?
•
The inability of the French
Chamber of Deputies to solve the Depression.
•
Then there was the vigor in Nazi
Germany.
•
Support given by French big
business.
•
The fear of the Nationalizing
the banks and key industries.
•
The corruption of the government
as seen in the Stavisky Affair.
The Stavisky Affair
•
A con man, Serge Stavisky was
involved in a series of stock manipulations that involved key government
officials in Dec. 1933.
•
He was discovered by the police
and was either killed by the police or he committed suicide.
•
Riots broke out in Paris on Feb.
6-7. 1934, claiming the Stavisky was murdered to protect government officials.
The Decline of the Republic
•
Emergency governments ran France
between 1934-36.
•
Some French officials – Pierre
Laval and Philippe Petain – had no respect for the government.
•
The French were not willing to
undertake a massive arms build up to match Hitler and Mussolini.
•
The Fascist parties grew too.
•
As did the Communists.
The Coming of Leon Blum
•
Blum creates a Popular Front
Government.
•
But faces a wave of sit-down
strikes.
•
Flight of gold from France.
•
Blum sought to introduce the 40
hour week; establishing collective bargaining; and introduce paid vacations.
•
Communists did not think he was
vigorous enough to the Fascists.
The Spanish Civil War & The Fear of War
•
With the coming of the Spanish
Civil War (1936).
•
There was also a wave of
articles warning of the dangers of modern war.
•
If war came – the Right argued –
only Stalin would gain.
•
Plus war was too destructive.
•
France could no longer pay that
price.
•
The situation was too dangerous.
•
The Republic was doomed.
The American Economy in Trouble
•
Following the economic down turn
of 1919-20, many Americans never thought there would be another economic crisis.
•
This was a result of the growth
during the 1920s.
•
The felling was that Americans
had entered a new phase of economic growth.
•
This accelerated a series of
“get- rich-quick schemes.”
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
•
One was the Florida Land Boom.
•
Made possible by a the Coolidge
prosperity and and the Henry Ford’s Model Ts.
•
The Van Sweringen Brothers
Railroad empire.
•
As well as Samuel Insull.
•
And other who developed holding
companies, trust companies…all designed to generate funds…but little else.
The Insull Empire
•
He became the secretary to
Thomas Edison.
•
Then vice president of Edison’s
General Electric.
•
J.P Morgan sent him west in 1892
to take over the struggling Chicago Edison Company.
•
He then established the Edison
Commonwealth Company.
•
He then established a holding
company to run all of his power companies.
Midland Utilities Company
•
In 1912, Insull formed the
Middle West Utilities Co., a holding company which eventually acquired several
electric railways and utilities in Indiana.
•
In 1924, the holding company
became Midland Utilities Co
•
In 1929 became Midland United
Co.
•
In addition, Insull continued to
control Commonwealth Edison, and acquired three electric railways operating in
Chicago and northern Illinois
The Stock Market
•
Following the collapse of the
Florida Land Boom.
•
The smart money returned to the
Stock Market.
•
Stocks soared on rumors.
•
Mellon’s tax breaks found their
way to the Street.
•
No checks on stock purchases.
•
Which were done on margin…10%
down.
•
If buyer could not make his
margin loans…he was out of luck.
Warning Signs
•
Home construction and car sales
were catching up to demand.
•
Business inventories were on the
upsurge.
•
Consumer spending slowed.
•
Most economic gauges were in
marked decline by mid-1929.
•
Conservative financiers warned
that something was in the offing.
•
And so did Hoover.
Advice from Charles “Sunshine Charlie”
Mitchell
“I know of nothing fundamentally wrong
with the stock market or the underlying business and credit structure.”
What Caused The Crash?
•
The
Crash
on Oct. 29, 1929, started the Depression.
•
Historical forces contributed to
the crash – the Market rose 597% over the past 8 years [1921-29].
•
US Banking Policies.
•
Benjamin Strong’s decision to
support Montague Norman, Gov. of the Bank of England, to restore the Gold
Standard (1925).
•
U.S. Governmental polices.
What Made the Depression So Severe?
•
The over-stimulated economy of
the 1920s.
•
The draconian monetary policy
pursued by the Federal Reserve Bank from 1930-1933.
•
The sudden rise of global
protectionism leading to the collapse of world trade. The dramatic rise of
income taxes in 1932 may have also prolonged the downturn.
Andrew Mellon’s Recommendations
•
Mellon’s response was very
simple.
•
“Liquidate labor, liquidate
stocks, liquidate farmers, liquidate real estate.”
•
Doing so “would purge the
rottenness out of the system.”
•
Hoover could not go that far.
•
But still he was limited by the
prevailing hardened view of a government’s responsibility to the public.
What The Country Needs Now…
•
Is confidence.
•
Hoover made efforts at public
construction, but local/state governments more than offset that trend with
cutbacks.
•
The Fed returned to an easier
credit policy.
•
The Hawley-Smoot Tariff
initially designed to help farmers, had the reverse effect.
The Protests
•
Farmers stopped foreclosures.
•
Farmers burned corn.
•
Dairy farmers dumped milk.
•
World War I vets organized the
BEF and marched on Washington.
•
What they wanted was the
immediate payment of their World War I bonus.
•
They set up a Hooverville in
Anacostia Flats.
•
Kept Communists out.
Hoover Sends MacArthur/FDR Sends His Wife
•
Hoover had Congress appropriate
funds for rail tickets home.
•
But on July 28, 1932, Sec of War
Patrick J. Hurley gave the
order
to move them out.
•
MacArthur had 700 men and with
Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton with him.
•
The mood of the nation was
somber…there was crisis in the air.
•
What would happen if Hoover was
re-elect.
FDR Comes to the Rescue
•
The Country was in the doldrums.
•
Something had to be done.
•
The
Depression
was forcing Americans to lose hope.
•
Soup kitchens were opened in
American cities.
•
The homeless slept in
Hoovervilles.
•
Farmers were angry.
•
Communism grew.
Who’s Franklin D…
•
Child of privilege and born in
1882.
•
Educated at Groton, Harvard, and
Columbia.
•
Was handsome…very handsome.
•
Wanted to be like cousin Teddy.
•
Married Eleanor.
•
Served as Assistant SecNav.
•
Caught Polio.
•
Ran for governor of NY in 1928.
The First Hundred Days
•
Closed the Banks.
•
Created the FDIC.
•
Established the Home Owner’s
Loan Corporation.
•
Securities and Exchange
Commission.
•
Civil Works Administration.
•
Public Works Administration.
•
Federal Emergence Relief
Administration.
•
Civilian Conservation Corps.
•
WPA.
•
NRA
•
AAA
•
More important he did something.
How Precarious?
•
The Communist Party in the U.S.
grew as a result of the Depression.
•
So did other extremist groups on
the Far Right.
•
Including the German American
Bund.
•
Also William Dudley Pelley’s
Silver Shirts.
•
Which had about 15,000 members
in 1934.
•
As a result
HUAC
was born.
Thunder on the Left
•
There were people who did not
think that FDR went far enough.
•
One was the King Fish, better
known as
Huey Long
of Louisiana.
•
Another was Francis E.Townsed,
who developed the
Townsed Plan.
•
Who promised all the elderly a
pension of $200 a month for all over 60.
•
Then there was Father
Charles E. Coughlin
and the National Union for Social Justice.
At the End of 1929
•
The Chancellor of Germany was
the Social Democrat Hermann Mueller.
•
But the Depression destroyed the
internal cohesion of the Mueller’s government.
•
The issue was should the
government provide additional aid to the unemployed.
•
The People’s Party was apposed
to additional outlays.
•
Mueller’s government collapsed.
Wilhelm Groener’s Concerns
•
After the Ebert-Groener
Agreement, he served the Republic loyally.
•
Now he was Defense Minister.
•
He feared that the government
could not solve the issues confronting the government.
•
He discussed this with his
trusted aid, Gen. Kurt von Schleicher.
•
The goal was to create a
government not hampered by parochial party views.
•
Goerner’s choice for Chancellor
was Heinrich Bruening.
•
A former captain during the war.
Bruening’s Recommendations
•
He had considerable energy and
courage.
•
Yet he was arrogant and easily
made enemies.
•
To solve the depression he
followed a deflationary program and governmental entrenchment.
•
When stumbling blocks happened.
•
He appealed to Hindenburg to
rule under Article 48.
The Reichstag’s Response
•
They voted no confidence in
Bruening.
•
Bruening then dissolved the
Reichstag.
•
And ordered new elections.
•
Despite warnings that elections
during those difficult times only aided the extremist parties on both the Right
and Left.
•
Which only proved to be only too
true.
The Growth of the Nazis
•
The NSDAP grew as a result of
the Depression.
•
As unemployment rose so did
support for the Nazis.
•
During the Depression, Joseph
Goebbels launched a massive campaign to explain Hitler’s program.
•
Which attacked the “November
Criminals,” the Treaty of Versailles, Marxism, the Weimar Republic, and the
Jews.
Bruening’s Efforts
•
Bruening’s effort to effectively
govern became increasingly more difficult.
•
Soon he was being called the
Hunger Chancellor.
•
Bruening attempted to cut a deal
which would have deflated the right by seeking modifications of Versailles.
•
Equality of armaments and ending
reparations.
•
Britain agreed, but not France
and Italy.
•
And a union with Austria.
Bruening’s Problems
•
The Nazis conducted planned acts
of violence in terror throughout Germany.
•
Hindenburg’s term expired in
1932.
•
Should the old man run again for
another term?
•
Bruening wanted to avoid the
turmoil of another election…but not Hitler.
•
The elections were held.
The 1932 Elections
•
In the First round the main
candidates were:
•
Hindenburg -- 49.6%.
•
Duesterburg – 6.8%
•
Hitler – 30.1%
•
Thaelmann – 13.2%
•
In the Second Round it was a
contest between Hitler and Hindenburg.
•
Hindenburg – 53%
•
Hitler – 36.8%
•
Thaelmann – 10.2%
Bruening’s Undoing
•
Bruening suppressed the SA.
•
To Schleicher, Bruening was
nothing more than a tool of the Socialists.
•
Using his influence with
Hindenburg’s son, Oskar, Schleicher found a new candidate.
•
Fritz von Papen, a real dandy,
but one that Hindenburg liked.
•
Schleicher cut a deal with
Hilter to support Papen in return for lifting the ban on the SA.
Schleicher and Papen Weaken the Republic
•
Using a pretext of violence in
Altona, near Hamburg.
•
Schleicher had Papen use
Hindenburg’s emergency powers to dismiss the Socialist government in Prussia on
July 20, 1932.
•
The last bulwark against the
Nazis was broken.
•
What’s can happen next?
•
Papen now thought the only
method of rule was outside the constitution.
•
Then Schleicher decided he had
to act.
Schleicher Intervened
•
Schleicher believed that if
Papen’s plan went into action.
•
It would lead to civil war.
•
The Reichswehr could not defend
German’s border.
•
As well maintain order in
Germany.
•
In his view…von Papen had to go.
•
And he would be von Papen’s
replacement.
Schleicher Moves
•
Hindenburg appoints Schleicher
Chancellor in Dec. 1932.
•
In the Nov. 1932 Elections, the
Nazi strength was diminished.
•
Schleicher than tried to reach
out to Gregor Strasser, a leftwing Nazi.
•
By promising Strasser a post in
his cabinet.
•
Hitler refused.
Von Papen’s Plots
•
Hindenburg liked von Papen.
•
So von Papen used his
relationship with Oskar to topple Schleicher.
•
Papen used his position to help
Hitler through his financial problems.
•
Schleicher probably feared a
second von Papen Chancellorship.
•
Von Papen believed that Hitler,
if surrounded by Conservatives could be controlled.
The Hitler Chancellorship
•
Von Papen assured Hindenburg
that Hitler could be controlled.
•
This was done on Jan. 30, 1933.
•
Hitler would be Chancellor.
•
Von Papen Vice Chancellor.
•
Alfred Hugenburg as Minister of
Economics.
•
Seldte as Minister of Labor.
•
Frick and Goering, both Nazis
were in the cabinet too.
Lenin’s Strokes
•
Lenin experienced his first
stroke in May 1922.
•
The second came in November.
•
It was obvious that the
Bolshevik state would be involved in a protracted succession crisis.
•
Lenin even had his doubts about
Stalin and sought to have him removed from the Secretariat.
•
For being too rude…less
capricious.
•
Then he had a third stoke…and
died in January 1924.
Stalin: Man and Monster
•
Lenin’s target was Joseph
Vissarionovich Dzugashvili, aka Stalin.
•
He was born in 1879.
•
His mother hoped that he would
become a priest.
•
But was removed of his health,
according to his mother or his political activities according to Stalin.
•
He became involved in Socialist
activities.
•
Became a Bolshevik and idolized
Lenin.
The Bolshevik Triumvirate
•
Once Lenin was incapacitated a
triumvirate of – Zinoviev, Kamenev, and Stalin – ruled in Lenin’s name.
•
Stalin then manipulated the
situation.
•
All enemies of Trotsky.
•
Following Lenin’s death,
Trotsky’s power was in decline.
•
In 1925, he was dismissed as War
Commissar.
•
Then removed from the Central
Committee and Party in 1927.
•
Then expelled from the USSR in
1929.
How Did Stalin Do It?
•
He used his position as Party
Secretary to place his Allies.
•
He managed the Politburo and
created factions which he manipulated.
•
Used his past of never
challenging Lenin to become the master of orthodoxy.
•
Allowing Stalin to purge his
opponents – Kamenev and Zinoviev – after Trotsky.
•
By 1930 – the rest of the Old
Bolsheviks – Bukharin, Tomsky, and Rykov – were purged too.
Gaining Control of the Party Machinery
•
Once the Old Bolsheviks were
purged, he replaced them with his allies.
•
In the Council of the People’s
Commissars.
•
All Party organs.
•
As well as city organizations.
•
He also relied on the GPU/OGPU/NKVD.
•
One of his cronies was Molotov
who told Trotsky:
•
“We can’t all be geniuses,
Comrade Trotsky, but we’ll see who lasts longer.”
Economic Regimentation
•
Lenin realized that his dreams
were not working and created NEP.
•
But not everyone like this
change – including Trotsky.
•
But after the Lenin died and his
opponents were purged, Stalin embarked on massive industrialization.
•
Which started with the First
Five-Year Plan in 1928.
•
To do this all over loyalties
had to be broken.
•
Stalin was up to the task
First Five-Year Plan of 1928
•
Went into effect in Oct. 1928.
•
Called for production increases
of 200 to 400 percent.
•
In agriculture inc. of 150% were
demanded.
•
This was to be accomplished by
collectivizing agriculture.
•
The peasants resisted and they
were crushed by the OGPU.
•
The peasants responded by
destroying their crops and killing their animals.
•
About 5 million people died as a
result of the Terror Famine and the resistance to collectivization.
Reporting on the Terror Famine
•
Generally it was not reported.
•
Walter Duranty, a Pulitzer Prize
Winner, failed to report the crime.
•
Even though he kept a ledger
including estimates of ten million dying.
•
Five million more than generally
anticipated.
•
Why did he fail to report this
crime?
•
Any ideas?
Consequences of Failure
•
The goals were set too high.
•
But Stalin did not want to hear
that.
•
Instead, foreign agents were
responsible.
•
Wreckers too were held
accountable.
•
Overall the gains were
negligible.
•
Most observers never understood
the human cost.
Background to the Purges
•
There was opposition to the
excesses of the super industrialization of the Five-Year Plan.
•
Marshall Blucher failed to
implement collectivization in Siberia warning the region could not be held
against the Japanese.
•
Stalin may not been aware of any
specific plots.
•
But he acted as if he did.
Death of Kirov
•
Was a popular Leningrad Party
Chief.
•
And questioned the direction the
government followed.
•
Stalin saw Sergei Kirov as a
threat.
•
On his way to his office, Kirov
was shot down by the assassin Nicholaev on Dec. 1, 1934.
•
Clearly this was done with the
approval of Stalin and designed by Yagoda.
The Impact of Kirov’s Murder
•
Stalin painted a picture of a
vast conspiracy lead by Zinoviev and Trotsky.
•
Thousands were sent to the
Gulag.
•
Soon Zinoviev, Kamenev, and
Radek were tried in the First Show Trial in 1936.
•
Followed by Bukharin, Rykov, and
Yagoda.
•
Then in 1937, the senior Red
Army commanders.
The Total Cost
•
About 800,000 Party members were
terminated.
•
Six out of Thirteen Politburo
members.
•
Ninety-eight out of 138 Central
Committee members.
•
Fourteen out of Eighteen members
of the Council of People’s Commissars.
•
Nearly all of the People’s
Commissars of the Federated Republics.
•
In the Army three out of five
marshals, fourteen out of sixteen army commanders, Sixty out of sixty-seven
corps commanders, 136 out of 199 Divisional commanders.
Conclusion
•
This happened on an
unprecedented scale.
•
Despite the Soviet Union was
facing a major threat from Nazi Germany.
•
Which supported Stalin’s
totalitarian style.
•
Who would challenge him?
•
How would they carry it off?