Deck 21: B: Collapse at the Center World War, Depression, and the Rebalancing of Global Power 1914-1970s

Question 1

What nineteenth-century developments contributed to the outbreak of World War I?

Answer 1

•The emergence of Germany and Italy as unified states destabilized the balance of power in Europe.
•The system of alliances created obligations among the major European powers.
•The scramble for colonial empires contributed to the culture of competition and tension between European powers.
•The rise of nationalism fed the flames of war.

Question 2

What international organizations took shape after World War II,and what were their purposes?

Answer 2

•The United Nations,which has proven effective as a forum for international opinion
•The World Bank and International Monetary Fund,which were intended to regulate the global economy,prevent another depression,and stimulate economic development,especially in poorer nations
•The European Coal and Steel Community (1951)/European Economic Community (1957)/European Union (1994),which began as a community dedicated to joint management of the production of steel and coal but which eventually expanded to become a common market whose members developed common trade policies and adopted a common currency
•The North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATo),which committed the United States to the defense of Europe against the Soviet Union

Question 3

In what ways were the Italian and German fascist movements similar to each other?

Answer 3

•Both espoused an extreme nationalism.
•Both openly advocated the use of violence as a political tool.
•Both generated a single-party dictatorship,were led by charismatic figures,and despised parliamentary democracy.
•Both opposed communism and viewed war as a positive and ennobling experience.
•The two movements rose to power under similar circumstances of economic crisis.

Question 4

How did various countries around the world deal with the effects of the Great Depression?

Question 5

What political forms did nationalism assume in Italy,Germany,and Japan in the 1930s?

Question 6

How did political boundaries change in Europe and the Middle East after World War I?

Question 7

What were the key factors that allowed Europe to recover from World War II quickly?

Question 8

How did the two world wars affect civilian populations?

Question 9

How did the outcomes of World War I contribute to the outbreak of World War II?