Chapter 35 – An Age of Anxiety

Directions. Printout and review the Chapter outline & Study Guide prior to reading the Chapter. Not all the terms or people are to be found in the Chapter. For these, you are expected to research their relevance and include them.

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Introduction. The decades between the two world wars were neither peaceful nor prosperous. These were anxious, uncertain years. Old certainties were shaken; the liberal ideals of the Enlightenment lost their potency. After 1929, a global depression intensified the social and political unrest, and new extreme ideologies gained momentum. Common elements of the “age of anxiety” include:

Disillusionment: The harsh realities of trench warfare shattered the illusions of many young intellectuals. The culture of the 1920s is characterized by uncertainty and experimentation. Old truths in science, art, and religion were challenged. Nothing seemed certain anymore.

Political Extremism: The momentum of the nineteenth century had been toward democracy and great inclusion of the poor, minorities, and finally women in the political process. In desperate times, many found democracy too inefficient and sought simple solutions in charismatic dictators.

Extreme Nationalism: The Paris peace settlements both aroused and disappointed nationalist hopes, especially in Italy, Japan, and Germany. Nationalists in these countries were frustrated at being denied territory considered rightly theirs. These frustrations were channeled into militaristic parties: the Fascists, the Nazis, and the Japanese militarists.

The Communist Alternative: The world watched, in horror and fascination, as the communist experiment unfolded in the Soviet Union. In spite of appalling losses through civil war, forced collectivization, and political purges, the Soviet Union did appear to deliver a basic living to all citizens. With capitalist nations slumped in depression, this was an intriguing alternative. Communism gained ground in China, but was violently attacked in Italy and Germany.

The following section, including “People & Terms”is to be highlighted on the Chapter Outline. Words not appearing in the outline must be added to the outline. Incorporate the information for the Study questions into the notes you add to the outline.

People & Terms / Study Questions
State in your own words what each of the following terms means and why it is significant to a study of world history. Response should include answers to who, what, where, when, how why is this person important.
Albert EinsteinSigmund FreudPablo Picasso
Getulio VargasJ.M. KeynesJoseph Stalin
Mohandas Gandhi Benito MussoliniAdolf Hitler
Muhammad JinnahMao ZedongJiang Jieshi
Franklin Delano RooseveltSun Yatsen
Uncertainty principlePsychoanalysisBauhaus
Smoot-Hawley TariffNew DealNew Economic Program
Long MarchFive-Year PlanCollectivization*
Fascism*National SocialismWeimarRepublic
Mein KampfEugenicsNuremberg Laws
KristallnachtSatyagrahaIndia Act
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)Guomintang
Three Principles of the People May 4th Movement /
  • What are the defining characteristics of fascism in both GermanyItaly? Consider the organizational structure and symbols that each adopted. To whom did this message appeal?
  • What was the status of India within the British empire after World War I? What were some of the sources of tension in India at this time?
  • Compare the experience of the Great Depression between the industrial nations and the primary producing nations. What parts of the world were most affected by and what parts were least affected? What would be the economic explanation for this difference?
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  • Compare the economic strategies embedded in Lenin’s war communism, his New Economic Policy, and Stalin Five-Year Plan. What were the aims of each program? Which was most effective?
  • Evaluate thesignificance of the Revolution of 1911 in China.
  • Explain the relationship between each of the following pairs. How does one lead to or foster the other? Be specific in your response.
  • Social Darwinism & Nüremburg Laws
  • The New Deal & the Five-Year Plans
  • Nicholas’s Secret Police & Stalin’s purges
  • Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle & fascism