The idea of CENTRALIZED government is that a king or a leader(or a government) will be the CENTRAL authority of that country. Examples of this would be the Pope in the Catholic Church. NO MATTER where you in the world (today, too) the Pope is the unchallenged leader. Kings, especially dudes we'll call the NEW MONARCHs, will seek to CENTRALIZE their authority.  When we talk about the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) we'll see that it's HUGE. However, it's SUPER DOOPER DE-CENTRALIZED. Yeah, they have an emperor BUT he holds little power. THE HRE is broken up into over 300 different states, principalities, margravates, etc with their own leaders. Yeah, they recognize the Emperor, but they pretty much do their own thing. Throughout the year we'll see kings assert their authority. Then we'll see govtss assert their authority into the CENTER of their country. Efforts to challenge CENTRALIZATION will occur throughout our year. When you think about De-CENTRALIZED govt, think "LOCAL" government. Think the State of California V. that of the Federal govt in Washington dc. 

 

Urban centers, "BIG CITIES!" will emerge first in "italy." Why? See your notes but remember "geography is destiny." The dark ages was feudal, a terrific example of decentralized authority. The creation of the big urban centers will put POWER in the hands the growing merchant class, the business dudes. The OLD Rich (traditional feudal lords) will be jealous. The NEW Rich will demand respect. They represent the future. 

 

The thinkers, the scholars and rock stars of the Early Renaissance were focused on learning about how those dudes in Antiquity thought. Medieval art was ONLY religious. Renaissance art will be considered "Pagan" by conservative folks who believed in tradition. Soon, however, the Pope will embrace the idea of the Renaissance. Live for today! Enjoy life! To many people, primarily in Northern Europe, these EARTHLY pursuits and VICE will be seen as not only sinful, but bad. They'll soon challenge the authority of the Catholic Church---IN THE NORTH!! The Italian Renaissance goes and celebrates ALL THING GRECO-ROMAN! Let's enjoy life! However, debauchery and vice will become all too frequent. 

 

A REAL HUMANIST studies the HUMANITIES!! Also, can you USE your knowledge. THEY HATE tradition, the QUESTION things. During the Middle Ages (medieval, dark ages) focused on tradition. A humanist would QUESTION WHY!!!? They'll look directly at literature to understand things rather than rely on what some one tells them. Virtue, wisdom. These are cool things---stuff a humanist strove for. Let's be WELL ROUNDED, not one dimensional! Contemporary example.....You guys all take history, foreign language, literature, science, math, maybe band, maybe sports, maybe for theatre, maybe art. You're WELL rounded. You don't just come to school to take AP EURO.

 

How did Lorenzo Valla's study of language serve him and the cause of humanism? Did it embarrass the Catholic Church? How? How might later enemies of the Catholic Church use what he PROVED(by the way, he was a VERY loyal Catholic) to attack the AUTHORITY of the Catholic Church?? Consider these important themes. See if you can figure them out

The historic differences between East and West are things we've discussed since the beginning of the course. The West was rooted in roman catholicism (then the reformation) it's language was based on the vulgate of latin and evolved into specific vernaculars. The Russian language and alphabet was Cyrillic, it was NOT based on LATIN. The Eastern orthodox church played an enormous roll in what it means to be "Eastern", russian or just "Slavic." The East never had an "Enlightenment." It had few (in fact they try to fight a series of wars to get access) to war water ports which precluded diversity of knowledge, new ideas, new peoples' etc...As the west liberalized and east (specifically Russia and it's sphere of influence throughout the east) held on to it's themes of Autocracy, Slavism, and Orthodoxy. Lot's of pride in being from the east.

 

Now, was the cold war inevitable? Communism(although what was in USSR was NOT communism, it was a "Re-run" of the autocracy(stalin replacing the czar and the state replaces orthodoxy) existed DUE TO THE INEQUALITIES of capitalism. The two were incompatible. Stalin was ruthless. The west desired a rebuilt (Marshall Plan!) europe to promote democracy and capitalism. According to George Kennan, an american diplomat, who wrote the "The Long Telegram" in 1946 said that Russian (therefore Soviet) "insecurity" of the west would make it impossible to have peace w the West. Kennan said (of the USSR) "it's impervious to the logic of reason, but it was highly sensitive to the logic of force." BE STRONG AGAINST THEM!!!! Soviets had always been threatened from nomadic tribes from the East and also army's from teh West. New ideas FROM the west alway "threatened" them, too. Remember! (triad-orthodoxy, nationalism, autocracy)

 

Truman will stand tough against stalin. Containment will become us policy for decades, Truman doctrine will seek to help countries fighting outside communist influence in their country. The US, based on Kennan's telegram, commits itself to fighting communism globally. That being said, Stalin went back on his yalta promises at Potsdam, supported the spread of his sphere of influence in satellite countries in Eastern Europe, arms race, LATER the Berlin wall. That being said.....the US AND the Soviets will engage in large scale espionage

This might be helpful. Remember. Communism is EXTREME left wing. Fascism is EXTREME right wing. Both hate one another. Laborers, the poor, the intellectuals would often turn to the left whereas the conservative class, industrialists, middle class, the Church would turn to the Right. They had EVERYTHING to lose by a communist victory. 

 

---Leon Blum will get elected to lead the Third Rep. He is LEFT Wing and represents the "Popular Front." (Note, anytime/everytime you see "popular front" think left wing. Anytime/everytime you see "national front" think Right wing). He promotes many reforms for the people of France. Two week paid vacation, the right to form unions AND strike. The ability to go on vacation is transformative for so many. Many workers in the interior of France had never seen their country. NOW they could go. Lot's of fun pictures/postcards of French people playing in an Ocean they would have NEVER seen before. Of course, the old conservative class will be annoyed by all of this. PAID VACATION!!!??? Right to strike? New demands for workers?!!!!!  When the Nazi's defeat France, many on the right are happy to "collaborate" with the occupying power. "Better to be ruled by Hitler than governed by Blum!" 

 

*********SPorts!!! The fascists will use sports to show the glory of the nation, the superiority of their people. Sports in countries like France will be to create a better, well rounded person. Also, as war between Germany and the West is becoming clearer, it'll serve to better prepare young men to be conditioned physically and mentally. Summer oLYMPICS ARE HELD IN BERLIN, 1936. IT SHOWCASES THE  "New Germany", the so called "Master Race." African American sprinter Jesse Owens defeats the NAZI sprinter. IT IS ALSO FILMED!!!!! High quality, propaganda by LENI RIEFENSTAHL (KNOW HER)

Fascism starts in Italy, then Germany and then successfully takes hold in Spain. In spain, however, there is a TERRIBLE civil war. There is a war between those that REPUBLICANS(those that supported a republic. They would seek the support of the soviet union as well as other nations and people---including many americans who supported the concept of republicanism) V. the Nationalists. The latter were supported by the fascists in italy and Germany and represented the military, supported by conservative forces--monarchists, the wealthy, the church, and ANTI-COMMUNISTS!! The Republican forces called for modernization, a republic, a separation between church and state. When the 20th century began in spain, Spain was totally behind everyone else. Remember, the last time we spoke of spain we saw them have to fight Napoleon's occupying army by using guerrilla warfare. The traditional power in Spain @beginning of 20th century was the "Army, the Church, and the King." Spain was really behind everyone in europe due to it's failures to embrace the scientific revolution, then the enlightenment. SYNTHESIS! Remember, the Inquistion played very powerful role in punishing advocates of modernity or anything that challenged Spain's "Traditional" leaders. ***Both italiy and Germany will support the Spanish Nationalists. Spanish civil war often referred to as the "Dress Rehearsal" of ww2 due to it's use of new , TERRIBLE weapons as well as the fight between fascism and communism(eastern front) 

 

 

Fascism believed in traditional roles for people. Women, STAY home and have children, raise the children. Mussolini, although not a religious man at all, will seek the approval of the Catholic Church in the Lateran accords. The compromise will give the Church's approval to the fascists in return for the Church controlling education, ending divorce, ending birth control,and later the prohibition of marriage between Jews and Italians in Italy, AND created the Vatican-the official state of the Catholic Church and the Pope as the head of this sovereign country. Before this, the Pope had basically lived in self imposed (there had been i think four popes since Italy's unification) exile or house arrest at the vatican do to his hatred of the birth of the Kingdom of Italy which promoted secularism. (remember! Syllabus of Errors!) What both the fascists and the Church shared in common was a HATRED of the Communists. 

 

Hitler and Mein Kampf. In his book Hitler basically outlines ALL of the things he wishes to see for Germany. Beyond the destruction of the Jews, he also points out the need to destroy lesser "sub human" people like the Slavs in Eastern Europe. This term "sub human" will be used to describe those that the Nazi's were fine w exterminating. He also called for "Living Space" or "Lebensraum" for the New Germany, the Third Reich. This would entail the destruction of the slavic peoples as well as the occupation of Eastern Eurpe and Russia. 

 

For Hitler, the new impromptu interpretive works of art were nonsense. Jazz music was terrible due to African American heritage. Things that were great were German books, German music (WAGNER!) and traditional art.

 find it hard to argue that ANYONE wins ww1. To be sure, the USA emerges as a VERY dominate world power. Relatively untouched by the War, Pres Wilson announces his 14 points and the League of Nations appears as a "cure" for future wars. That is, IF they USA decides to join the organization they created. They will propose the Dawes Plan which will alleviate immediate problems, not lONG TERM. The US will back off though follow through and war, hate, far right nationalism, resentment, will grow in the 1920's SUCCESSFULLY first in Italy THEN Germany.

 

**With the Kaiser gone, the new Weimar DEMOCRACY will emerge. It will be the govt that signs the surrender. To those on the Right...this democracy, this LIBERALISM (franchise, democracy, equality, tolerance...basically enlightened ideas that WERE NOT at the heart of the Germany we have learned about.) will stab the Germany they loved in the back. The army, conservativism, etc. Civil servants, teahcers, and those who'd worked for the kaiser didn't like it they; they like the kaiser! The Officer Corp(the military leadership who REMEMBER were rooted in Prussian Militarism) HATED it. They loved conservativism. Hated liberalism and saw these ideas of surrender, especially when germany occupied n france as hateful. That being said, Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution will become VERY handy for the Nazi's when they are voted in to power in the '30's. 

 

Let's think about this..  WHY Weimar? You had basically at the end of the war a revolution in Germany. A communist rev had just been successful(ish) in Russia, Gemrany was the real prize. Industrialized, rich(ish), educated the Social Democratic Party of Germany took the initiative and created the Weimar rep when Wilhelm abdicated. This was done because fighting in the streets (in Bavaria in particular WHIHC will also be the birthplace of Nazism) had a temporary communist victory. Those loyal to the conservative Germany will ultimately crush this revolt and will call attention to the fact that many of the leaders of the communists there were jewish. The Freikorp, will form. They were ANGRY veterans from the war will not tolerate this left  wing communism in their germany. Veterans of the war, like adolf hitler will return home.He'll go to Munich (the capitol of the german state of bavaria..) B4 the war, he had lived in VERY open, free, artistic, liberal, Vienna. He tried to make it as an artist. while he could draw, he was not unique in his ability to create anything new. He hated vienna. Hated the people, hated the new ideas, the multi culturalism(remember, austria SUPER diverse) He will, along w others on the far right, equate liberalism, Marxism, multi culturalism w being the ENEMY of what a Germany should (was, could, might be. The dude was a total romantic. He glorified all germanic beliefs. Wagner, germanic myths, blood nationalism, the idea of the German Volk) The the Nazi party that emerged, the idea of "socialist" will not be what it is everywhere else. It espoused EXTREME nationalism. There is an ENORMOUS contrast between what we've learned about what "socialism" is and what "National Socialism" in Germany will be. ALL things work to serve the betterment of the state whereas in traditional socialism, the state serves to make the lives of the PEOPLE better. 

 

The US, thanks to massive DE-REGULATION and the desire for  a "return to normalcy" (a term coined by the then super popular future president Harding.....now decried as one of the WORST in history) helped create a MASSIVE american economy. Roaring 20's. They'll help Germany w the Dawes plan. Things are ok for a bit in Germany. Then the economic collapse of '29 (you'll see this in APUSH) ruins the american economy which keeps them from helping Germany. German economy collapse and the desire to make Germany Great Again emerges. The Far Right wing Nazi party is overwhelmingly elected. "Someone" will burn the Reichstag(the german capitol down) down. It MUST be the communists!! (who HATE nazi's and totally vice versa!) "Communists are often Jewish!" (nazi ideology) Article 48 MUST be implemented. Birth of THIRD REICH.

 

Th e1920's referred to as Age of Anxiety for many reason. New art, new philosophical ideas, cultural changes, Existentialism("Meaning in a meaningless world.")   

Don't get confused when you see October/Nov rev or Feb/March rev. Remember, the calendar is different in the west than in the East. Gregorian Calendar V the Julian Calendar. So it's November in the West BUT Oct in Russia-in the Eastern Orthodox world

 

Let's remember that in Russia they believed in that triad of Nationalism, Orthodoxy, and Autocracy. The Czar was at the center of this belief as SOLE head of the country and religious leader. This Czar, Nicholas the II is dumb. He's really dumb. He likes to be Czar but hates to work, no interest in it. Also....he's married to a German woman who was educated in England. SHE IS A TOTALY WESTERNER!!!!!! Russians always distrust the west and she was no different. As the war went badly, they blamed her saying that she was secretly spying on Russia for Germany. She was NOT spying. BUT....in a country tired of war angry at their idiot king (remember, the humiliating defeat by Japan in the Russo_-Japanese war?) she, like marie antoinette will become the symbol of absolutism, of decadence and a need for change. After russo japanse war, there is a revolution--1905. 

 

***Note, like Austrian-Hungarian Empire russia was SUPER SUPER DIVERSE. Lots of nationalities in it's empire. What do nationalities crave by the end of the 19th century and certainly by 20th? 

 

Rev of 1905. People are angry. Poor, nationalities(mad due to russification by super conservative Alex II--he also hated jews. His son Nickolas not much better. His thugs are responsible for writing and forging that Anti Semitic book, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion) , liberals, the educated. The Liberals will demand that the Czar create a Duma---a Parliament that will help he lead. essentially what the liberals wanted was a constitutional monarchy that would rule. They will demand free speech, elections, freedom of religion(liberal ideas) 

 

October Manifesto written by Sergei Witte stopped the strikes in st petersburg. It was given to the czar to sign and granted formation of POLITICAL parties, basic civil rights, extending the franchise, AND creation of a Duma. the czar whined and was angry but signed. CONSERVATIVES furious. There is a conservative backlash in Russia. Liberals, socialist, AND jews targeted. 

 

***The Russian Socialist Democratic Labor Party was an outlawed party from the 1880's til 20th century. Rooted in Marxist goals.  Lenin will join it in like 1902. Two groups, "factions" {think Jacobins V Girondins in French rev) emerge. The Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. Lenin will lead the Bolshevik faction, it will be HIGHLY centralized, disciplined and will focus on the educated workers. The "Vanguard" will lead. The people will follow and obey. What we'll get w Lenin's version of "Communism" is not the idea of communism espoused by Marx.(w marx, suffrage, free speech, etc) Lenin will say that a Vanguard will tell you what to do. You will obey. You'll essentially get "state capitalism." (ill explain later