World War I and the Paris Peace Conference

• Modern History

End of WW1

• Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the end.
• Began with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
• Ended November 11, 1918, at 11 am with the signing of the Armistice.
• The League of Nations was created following the war.
• The Paris Peace Conference was held.

Paris Peace Conference

• Meetings were held from January 1919 until January 1920.
• Leaders from 32 countries attended, representing 75% of the world.
• The signing of the Treaty of Versailles occurred in the Hall of Mirrors.
• German representatives were compelled to sign the treaty.
• The "Big Three" determined the treatment and punishment of Germany based on their actions during the war:
  • Woodrow Wilson (USA): Founded the League of Nations (14 points) and sought peace.
  • George Clemenceau (France): Positioned "in between"
  • David Lloyd George (Britain): Advocated for harsh punishment.

Treaty of Versailles

• Considered overly ambitious and horrifying to Germans.
• Contributed to the rise of the Nazi party.
• Key points summarized by the acronym "GARGLE":
  • Guilt of war placed on Germany
  • Armed forces reduced
  • Reparations required
  • German land loss
  • League of Nations formed
  • Extra territorial points

Territorial Adjustments after Treaty

• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.
• Pasen and the Polish Corridor (rich in coalfields) were given to France for 15 years.
• Germany's colonies were given to France and Britain as mandates.

Military Restrictions Placed on Germany After Treaty

• The army was restricted to 100,000 men.
• The navy had a limit of 6 battleships, with no air force or submarines.
• The Rhineland was demilitarized.

Financial and Economic Impact on Germany after Treaty

• 132 billion gold marks were to be paid.
• Germany was initially barred from joining the League of Nations.
• Germany had to accept responsibility for causing the war.

The Great Depression

• Occurred during the 1929-1940s.
• Started in America with the Wall Street stock market crash.
• Quickly spread worldwide due to economic interdependence.
• Characterized by rapid declines in production and sales of goods.
• Banks and businesses closed.
• People lost jobs, homes, and savings.
• Income was distributed unevenly.
• "Buy now pay later" schemes led to accumulated debt.
• Rapid stock market growth occurred between 1927-1929.
• The price of stock exceeded its actual worth.
• Hoovervilles, shantytowns built by the homeless, emerged due to President Herbert Hoover's perceived lack of government aid.
• The Dust Bowl caused prices of farmers' goods to fall by 50% between 1929-1932, beginning with a severe drought in Arkansas in 1930.

League of Nations

• Established on January 10, 1920, as the first organization of its kind.
• Goals included:
  • Disarmament.
  • Preventing war through collective security.
  • Settling international disputes through negotiation and diplomacy.
  • Improving global welfare, addressing labor conditions, human and drug trafficking.
  • Ensuring just treatment of natives.
  • Managing prisoners of war.
• Reached its peak membership with 58 members in September 1934 – February 1935.
• Ceased operations on April 20, 1946.

Failures of the League of Nations

• Lacked a military force.
• Had no money, relying on Britain for funds, which were not provided, and depended too much on central powers.
• Its failures contributed to WWII.
• It was unable to prevent conflicts, such as Greece paying Italy.
• It was involved in conflicts in Asia
• Germany and the U.S. were not members.
• International relationships deteriorated.
• Germany remilitarized.
• The League's upholding of the Treaty of Versailles led to the rise of Hitler.
• Japan deceived the League about an explosion, defeated China without permission, and then left the League.

Rise of Hitler and the NSDAP

• Long-lasting hatred against the republic helped fuel the rise.
• The republic was blamed for the economic crisis.
• Political uprisings occurred.
• NSDAP refers to the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party.
• Adolf Hitler led the party.
• In September 1919, Hitler was sent to spy on workers of the NSDAP.
• Anton Drexler, the leader, was impressed by Hitler, who was then invited to join.

Qualities of Hitler as a Public Speaker

• Showed up late.
• Waited for complete silence.
• Spoke passionately and progressively louder.
• Used involved body language.
• Became a member of the NSDAP leaders committee.
• Helped Anton Drextor write the 25-point program.
• Employed men who had lost jobs during the Great Depression, highlighting how the Weimar Republic failed to create jobs.
• Passes enabling act
• SS (army) rounded up anyone who didn't meet their nazi standards (25 point)
• Became Chancellor in 1933.
• Article 48 allowed him to make laws without consulting parliament during a state of emergency.

Hyperinflation in Germany

• Occurred in 1921.
• Money became worthless.
• The government's actions contributed to Hitler's rise in popularity.
• Hitler promised to fix the economic situation.

Weimar Republic

• It was a Monarchy to Democracy
• Hated by most Germans due to the hyperinflation
• Could not provide jobs for Germans.

Australia's Involvement in WWII

• In September 1939, Germany's invasion of Poland led Britain and Australia to declare war.
• Australia sent troops across the world in support of Britain.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

• In December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
• Japanese aircraft destroyed military equipment.
• Japan aimed to destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet to control the Pacific without U.S. interference.
• The attack outraged the U.S. and encouraged them to join the war.
• The U.S. declared war on Japan, officially entering WWII.

Bombing of Darwin

• There were 64 bombings in total in 1942.

D-Day

• In 1944, German forces controlled much of Western Europe.
• Allies opened a new front in Normandy, launching a major amphibious assault (Operation Overlord).
• Allied forces landed on the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944 (D-Day).
• Despite initial success, the breakout of Normandy was delayed until mid-August due to German forces' determination.
• The war in Europe continued until May 1945, with contributions from allied forces, including Australia.
• Australia's involvement in D-Day was limited because of the south-west pacific theatre, however, 3,300 Australians did contributed to the efforts.

Aftermath of D-Day

• 13 Australians lost their lives, and many more were in support operations.
• The goal was to liberate oppressed people of Europe.
• At the Trident Conference in May 1943, American and British leaders declared a cross-channel attack for the following year.

Chocos

• Nickname for Australian soldiers in Papua New Guinea.
• Slang term for ill-trained and weak soldiers.
• Implies soldiers would "melt like chocolate" in Kokoda.

Kokoda

• A campaign in PNG that took place between Japan and Australia in 1942.
• Conditions were harsh, muddy, and the terrain was unknown.
• Australia defended against Japan to prevent them from taking Port Moresby and advancing further.
• Fighting was intense and prolonged. Australia lost 600 soldiers with 1,600 injured. Japan lost over 10,000.
• Australia won, which was crucial as it proved Japan was not invincible.

Holocaust

• Mistreatment of Jews and other minorities by Nazi Germany.

Antisemitism

• Hostility or prejudice against Jewish people.
• In 1933, the German government gradually excluded Jews from public life and education.
• In 1938, German authorities isolated and segregated Jews, expelling them from professions and taking away opportunities for living.
• November 9, 1938, known as "Night of Broken Glass," Nazi's orchestrated anti-Jewish violence throughout Germany where SA, SS, and Hitler youth vandalized Jewish businesses.
• Over 70,000 Jewish businesses and places of worship (synagogues) were torched and burned down.
• After 1935, antisemitism became popular in Germany.
• Public displays of antisemitism reinforced a climate of hostility toward Jews in Germany.

The Final Solution

• Nazi's aimed to control Jews forced them to live in areas called "Ghettos''
• Jews were cut off from society.
• Life in "Ghettos" was difficult with food rationed, shared living spaces, and limited sanitation leading to the spread of disease
• Einsatzgruppen: mobile killing squads that killed Jews in mass shootings throughout Poland and the western Soviet Union.
• In January 1942, Nazi officials met at the Wannsee Conference to discuss how to solve the "Jewish question".
• The "Final Solution" was to establish death camps with gas chambers

The Purpose of Death Camps

• Death camps were how the Nazis aimed to achieve the "Final Solution."
• Prisoners were misinformed that gas chambers were "showers".
• After gassing, prisoners were burned in crematoria or buried in mass graves.
• There were many concentration and labor camps where people died from exposure, torture, and severe conditions.
• The "White Rose" movement, founded in June 1942 by Hans and Sophie Scholl, protested against Nazism.
• The Scholls were executed after distributing leaflets.

The Creation of the Bomb

• There was a race to build the bomb.
• Einstein warned the U.S. about the potential for atomic weapons.
• The Manhattan Project was the U.S. project.
• The first test was conducted in New Mexico in 1945.
• The bomb's creation relied on plutonium, uranium, design, and testing.

Dropping of the Bomb

• The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, from the Enola Gay.
• The second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
• It was predicted that 1 million U.S. soldiers would die if they invaded Japan.
• The bombings caused 100,000-210,000 Japanese deaths.

Historical Interpretations of the Bombings

• Debate over justification.
• Considerations:
  • Saving more lives?
  • Other options?
  • Genocide accusations.
  • War crime?
  • Inhumanity?
  • What is fair?
• Long-Lasting Impacts
• Justified
  • Ended war quickly.
  • Saved U.S. lives.
  • Contributed to medicine and space advancements.
• Unjustified
  • Was genocide
  • A War crime
  • Had Long term effects
  • Only focused on saving U.S. lives

Other Historical Interpretations of the Bombings

• Ahead of the game?
• Suffering
• Loss of civilian life.
• Environmental effects and agricultural impacts.
• Targeted a city instead of a military base.
• Radiation effects.
• Expense.
• Some believe it was a calculated decision and racist.

Definitions

• Alliance: A union between groups/countries for mutual benefit.
• Colonialism: Control by one power over a dependent area/people.
• Imperialism: Ruling policy of establishing/enforcing a nation's rule outside its borders.
• Militarism: Opinions/actions promoting military methods for national power/goals.
• Nationalism: Ideology emphasizing loyalty to a nation, outweighing individual interests.
• Reparations: Amends for wrong/injury, providing assistance to those wronged.
• Nazism: Political principles of the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party.
• Antisemitism: Discrimination against Jews for being Jewish.
• Liberalism: Respect for different behaviors/opinions; openness to ideas.
• Appeasement: Giving concessions to prevent harm/negative behavior.
• Ceasefire: An agreement between armies to stop fighting.
• Socialism: Political/economic theory: community owns/regulates production/exchange.
• Racism: Prejudice based on the belief one's race is superior.
• Communism: Economic ideology: communal ownership of property/wealth for a classless society.
• Patriotism: Devotion to/vigorous support for one's country.