Political Experiments of the 1920’s

I.               The Search for a Stable International Order

A.     Problems

1.     Germany resented the Versailles Treat’s harsh terms, calling it a Diktat, or imposed settlement.

2.     The United States rejected the Versailles Treaty and followed a policy of isolationism.

3.     France was determined to enforce the Versailles Treaty and make Germany pay reparations for the damage it had caused.

4.     Communist Russia remained outside the international system.

II.             Conservative Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism

A.     Conservative Authoritarianism

1.     Committed to the existing social order

2.     Opposed to popular participation in government

3.     Revived in eastern Europe, Spain, and Portugal

B.     Totalitarianism

1.     Exercised total control over the lives of individual citizens

2.     Used modern technology and communication to manipulate and censor information.

3.     Used education to mold loyal citizens and demonize scapegoats and enemies

C.     Forms of Totalitarianism

1.     Fascism

a.     Led by one leader and one party

b.     Condemned democracy, arguing that rival parties undermine national unity

c.      Supported state-sponsored capitalism

d.     Glorified war and aggressive nationalism

e.     Exercised control over the media

2.     Communism

a.     Led by one party, the “dictatorship of the proletariat”

b.     Condemned capitalism, arguing that it exploits workers

c.      Supported state ownership of the means of production

d.     Glorified the working class

e.     Exercised control over the media

III.           Lenin, Stalin, and Communist Russia: 1921-1939

A.     Vladimir Lenin and the New Economic Policy

1.     Widespread famine, a deteriorating economy, and increasing unrest all plagued Russia following the civil war.

2.     Lenin pragmatically realized that he needed to make a tactical retreat. In March 1921, he launched the New Economic Policy. It called for a temporary compromise with capitalism. Small businesses were denationalized, and peasants were allowed to establish free markets in agricultural products. The Communist Party still maintained control of large industries such as oil and steel.

3.     The New Economic Policy successfully revived the Russian economy. By 1928, the country’s farms and factories produced as much as they had before WWI.

B.     Joseph Stalin Versus Leon Trotsky

1.     Lenin’s death in 1924 created a power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin.

2.     As a charismatic leader since 1905, Trotsky was second only to Lenin in fame. Trotsky believed that Russia should support communist revolution around the world.

3.     In contrast, Stalin was a quiet man who preferred to work behind the scenes. As general secretary of the Communist Party, Stalin placed his supporters in key positions. Stalin argued that communism should first gain a firm hold in Russia before supporting a global revolution.

4.     Stalin proved to be cunning and ruthless. He successfully expelled Trotsky from the Communist Party. By 1927, Stalin stood alone as the Soviet Union’s undisputed leader.