Who Is Joseph Stalin
Stalin:
In 1922, he was made general secretary of the Communist Party, a post not considered particularly significant at the time but which gave him control over appointments and thus allowed him to build up a base of support
After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin promoted himself as his political heir and gradually outmanoeuvred his rivals. By the late 1920s, Stalin was effectively the dictator of the Soviet Union.
His forced collectivisation of agriculture cost millions of lives, while his programme of rapid industrialisation achieved huge increases in Soviet productivity and economic growth but at great cost.
Moreover, the population suffered immensely during the Great Terror of the 1930s, during which Stalin purged the party of 'enemies of the people', resulting in the execution of thousands and the exile of millions to the gulag …show more content…
system of slave labour camps.
These purges severely depleted the Red Army, and despite repeated warnings, Stalin was ill prepared for Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941.
Spanish Civil War:
The Spanish Civil War started in 1936 and finished in 1939.
The forces on the right were lead by Generals Franco and Sanjurjo. They were known as Nationalists.
The forces on the left were lead by Azana and were known as Republicans.
The Nationalists received help from Nazi Germany in the form of the Condor Legion from the Luftwaffe - Germany's air force. 50,000 "volunteers" from Mussolini's Italy also helped the Nationalists.
The Republicans received help from Russia. Stalin sent advisers and technicians. An International Brigade comprising of volunteers from all over the world also helped the Republicans.
Hyperinflation in Germany:
The 1923 crisis began when Germany missed a reparations payment. This situation spiralled out of control and once again the German people were unhappy and in financial difficulty, so uprisings occurred throughout the country.
Prices ran out of control - eg a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923 had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923. German's currency became worthless.
The sudden flood of paper money into the economy, on top of the general strike - which meant that no goods were manufactured, so there was more money, chasing fewer goods - combined with a weak economy ruined by the war, all resulted in hyperinflation.
In 1922, French and Belgium troops invaded the Ruhr; Germany’s most valuable industrial area. The French and Belgium troops took over the iron and steel factories, coal mines and railways. Those Germans who lived in the Ruhr and were considered not to be co-operating with the Germans were imprisoned. Food was taken.
The wall street crash:
When the Wall Street stock market crashed in October 1929, the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression.
By the winter of 1932, America was facing the greatest economic depression in its history.
The number of unemployed people reached upwards of 13 million. Many people lived in primitive conditions close to famine. One New York family moved into a cave in Central Park.
The American economy did not fully recover until the USA entered the Second World War in December 1941.
The entire American banking system reached the brink of collapse. From 1929 to 1932, 5,000 banks went out of business.
The depression:
Unemployment in Britain rose to 2.5 million (25 per cent of the workforce) in 1933. Worst hit were the areas of heavy industry (e.g coal, iron, steel, shipbuilding) in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the north of England.
The government did not have a clue how to cope with the Depression, and the policies it did put into action were either useless or made matters worse.
These four actions made things worse:
1. Raising income tax.
2. Cutting unemployment pay by 10 per
cent.
3. Introducing the means test.
4. Adding import duties to goods from abroad
The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world.
In 1922, he was made general secretary of the Communist Party, a post not considered particularly significant at the time but which gave him control over appointments and thus allowed him to build up a base of support
After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin promoted himself as his political heir and gradually outmanoeuvred his rivals. By the late 1920s, Stalin was effectively the dictator of the Soviet Union.
His forced collectivisation of agriculture cost millions of lives, while his programme of rapid industrialisation achieved huge increases in Soviet productivity and economic growth but at great cost.
Moreover, the population suffered immensely during the Great Terror of the 1930s, during which Stalin purged the party of 'enemies of the people', resulting in the execution of thousands and the exile of millions to the gulag …show more content…
system of slave labour camps.
These purges severely depleted the Red Army, and despite repeated warnings, Stalin was ill prepared for Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941.
Spanish Civil War:
The Spanish Civil War started in 1936 and finished in 1939.
The forces on the right were lead by Generals Franco and Sanjurjo. They were known as Nationalists.
The forces on the left were lead by Azana and were known as Republicans.
The Nationalists received help from Nazi Germany in the form of the Condor Legion from the Luftwaffe - Germany's air force. 50,000 "volunteers" from Mussolini's Italy also helped the Nationalists.
The Republicans received help from Russia. Stalin sent advisers and technicians. An International Brigade comprising of volunteers from all over the world also helped the Republicans.
Hyperinflation in Germany:
The 1923 crisis began when Germany missed a reparations payment. This situation spiralled out of control and once again the German people were unhappy and in financial difficulty, so uprisings occurred throughout the country.
Prices ran out of control - eg a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923 had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923. German's currency became worthless.
The sudden flood of paper money into the economy, on top of the general strike - which meant that no goods were manufactured, so there was more money, chasing fewer goods - combined with a weak economy ruined by the war, all resulted in hyperinflation.
In 1922, French and Belgium troops invaded the Ruhr; Germany’s most valuable industrial area. The French and Belgium troops took over the iron and steel factories, coal mines and railways. Those Germans who lived in the Ruhr and were considered not to be co-operating with the Germans were imprisoned. Food was taken.
The wall street crash:
When the Wall Street stock market crashed in October 1929, the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression.
By the winter of 1932, America was facing the greatest economic depression in its history.
The number of unemployed people reached upwards of 13 million. Many people lived in primitive conditions close to famine. One New York family moved into a cave in Central Park.
The American economy did not fully recover until the USA entered the Second World War in December 1941.
The entire American banking system reached the brink of collapse. From 1929 to 1932, 5,000 banks went out of business.
The depression:
Unemployment in Britain rose to 2.5 million (25 per cent of the workforce) in 1933. Worst hit were the areas of heavy industry (e.g coal, iron, steel, shipbuilding) in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the north of England.
The government did not have a clue how to cope with the Depression, and the policies it did put into action were either useless or made matters worse.
These four actions made things worse:
1. Raising income tax.
2. Cutting unemployment pay by 10 per
cent.
3. Introducing the means test.
4. Adding import duties to goods from abroad
The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world.