Understanding The Global Unease After WW1 | Impossible Peace | Timeline

Summary

This documentary explores the aftermath of World War I and the turbulent 1920s and 1930s. It delves into the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism, the economic struggles, and the political shifts that reshaped the world. The script examines key events like the Amritsar Massacre, the League of Nations, and the hyperinflation in Germany, setting the stage for World War II. It also touches on cultural phenomena like the Jazz Age and Prohibition in America, highlighting the stark contrast between societal shifts and global political unrest.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The documentary introduces History Hit TV, a platform offering exclusive documentaries and interviews with renowned historians.
• 🌏 World War I had a profound impact on the world, changing the global economic system and leading to the rise of the United States as a dominant economic power.
• 🏛 The peace following WWI was short-lived, with the interwar period marked by political instability, economic depression, and the rise of tyrants, culminating in World War II.
• 🇮🇳 In India, the end of WWI was met with hope, but also with violence and unrest, exemplified by the Amritsar Massacre, which galvanized the Indian independence movement.
• 🏳️ The British Empire faced challenges in maintaining its global dominance, with growing anti-imperial sentiment and internal strife in various colonies.
• 🏙️ The post-WWI era saw significant political changes, including the establishment of the Weimar Republic in Germany and the rise of new states in Europe.
• 🕊️ The Paris Peace Conference aimed to establish a new world order based on the principles of self-determination, but resulted in complex territorial arrangements that sowed the seeds for future conflicts.
• 📜 The Treaty of Versailles and the subsequent peace treaties reshaped international relations, but also left a legacy of dissatisfaction and unresolved issues.
• 💵 The economic challenges faced by countries like Germany after WWI, including heavy reparations, contributed to economic instability and political extremism.
• 🚨 The rise of fascism, exemplified by Benito Mussolini in Italy, offered a 'third way' between communism and liberal democracy, with significant implications for the interwar period.
• 📊 The 1920s were marked by a worldwide depression, which had a profound impact on economies and societies, further destabilizing the interwar period.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the documentary presented by Dan Snow?

The main theme of the documentary is the impact of the two World Wars on the 20th century, focusing on the aftermath of World War I, the peace that followed, and the lead-up to World War II.

How did World War I transform the global economic system?

World War I brought an end to the era of British free trade dominated international economy and introduced a more autarkic international economy dominated by the United States.

What significant event occurred in India at the end of World War I that affected its relationship with the British Empire?

The Amritsar Massacre in 1919, where Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds, marked a turning point in Indian nationalism and its relationship with the British Empire.

How did the interwar period affect the political landscape of Germany?

The interwar period saw the rise of political extremism in Germany, with the Weimar Republic struggling to establish a stable democracy and eventually giving way to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party.

What was the mandate system established after World War I, and how did it impact the territories of the Ottoman Empire and former German colonies?

The mandate system was a League of Nations arrangement where major powers, particularly Britain and France, were tasked with administering territories of the defunct Ottoman Empire and former German colonies. It was intended to prepare these territories for self-governance but often led to resentment and resistance among the local populations.

What was the significance of the Paris Peace Conference in shaping the post-World War I world order?

The Paris Peace Conference was pivotal in establishing the new world order after World War I, with the Treaty of Versailles and other agreements redrawing national borders, creating new states, and setting the stage for future conflicts and political instability.

How did the United States' stance on the League of Nations influence its role in global affairs during the interwar period?

The United States' refusal to join the League of Nations, largely due to President Woodrow Wilson's failed efforts to gain Senate approval, led to a period of isolationism and limited involvement in international affairs during the 1920s and 1930s.

What was the impact of Prohibition in the United States on the country's social and economic landscape?

Prohibition led to a rise in organized crime, the proliferation of speakeasies, and a thriving illegal alcohol trade, which had significant social and economic impacts, including the enrichment of gangsters and the corruption of law enforcement.

How did the worldwide depression of 1920 affect the global economy and political stability?

The worldwide depression of 1920 led to economic downturns, high unemployment, and social unrest in many countries, contributing to political instability and the rise of extremist ideologies and movements.

What were the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany, and how did these contribute to the conditions that led to World War II?

The Treaty of Versailles imposed heavy reparations on Germany, leading to economic hardship and social unrest. These conditions, coupled with feelings of humiliation and resentment, contributed to the rise of extremist political movements and ultimately set the stage for World War II.

How did the political and economic turmoil of the interwar period influence the cultural shifts of the time, such as the Jazz Age in America?

The interwar period's political and economic instability contributed to a desire for escapism and a celebration of individual freedom, which manifested in cultural movements like the Jazz Age, characterized by a boisterous, nervous, and scandalous atmosphere that reflected the era's underlying anxieties.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Introduction to History Hit TV and WWI's Impact

The script introduces Dan Snow and the History Hit TV platform, offering a vast collection of documentaries and interviews with renowned historians. It also presents a special offer for Timeline fans. The video's main focus is the profound effect of the two World Wars on the 20th century, particularly how the 20 years of peace between them failed to prevent another devastating conflict. The summary touches on the immense loss of life and wealth post-WWI, the hope for a new world order, and the disillusionment as history unfolded with further conflict.

05:03

🌏 Post-WWI Global Transformations and the Indian Struggle

This paragraph discusses the significant changes in global economic systems post-WWI, with the United States emerging as a dominant force. It highlights the British Empire's challenges, including the extension of wartime emergency powers in India, leading to protests and the Amritsar Massacre. The interwar period saw a shift in American sentiment against the British Empire, influenced by events like the massacre. The script also covers the collapse of several empires and the struggles of new states to establish themselves, including Germany's transition to a parliamentary democracy.

10:05

🏛 The Weimar Republic and the Paris Peace Conference

The focus shifts to Germany's new political landscape, the Weimar Republic, and the challenges it faced, including political instability and the rise of extremist parties. The Paris Peace Conference is examined, revealing the power dynamics among Great Britain, France, Italy, and the United States, with President Woodrow Wilson's principles of self-determination causing complexities in Europe's new borders. The consequences of these decisions for countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia are outlined, highlighting the ethnic and political tensions.

15:05

📜 The Mandate System and Its Discontents

The script delves into the mandate system established by the League of Nations, which assigned major powers to govern territories of the former Ottoman Empire and German colonies. This system was criticized for contradicting the principle of self-determination and led to disappointment and unrest in places like China and Ireland. The mandates were seen as a means to rehabilitate imperial order under the guise of civilization's sacred trust, causing further instability and resentment.

20:12

🛑 The Illusion of Post-War Stability and the Rise of Fascism

This paragraph reflects on the illusion of stability after WWI, with the British and French Empires appearing strong but internally weakened. The United States' withdrawal and Soviet Russia's internal struggles created a power vacuum. The rejection of the Versailles Treaty by the US Senate and the subsequent impact on President Wilson are highlighted. The rise of fascism, led by figures like Benito Mussolini, is introduced as a 'third way' political phenomenon, distinct from both communism and liberal democracy.

25:14

🚨 Prohibition, Depression, and the Global Impact of 1920

The script describes the societal and economic challenges of the 1920s, starting with the introduction of Prohibition in the United States and its failure to stop alcohol consumption. The worldwide depression of 1920 is noted for its significant yet understated impact, particularly on Germany struggling with the terms of the Versailles Treaty. The script also touches on the British Empire's financial difficulties and the challenges of maintaining colonial territories amidst economic instability.

30:15

🔥 The Middle East's Geopolitical Shifts and Internal Conflicts

This paragraph details the geopolitical shifts in the Middle East, with Britain and France dividing the Ottoman Empire's territories. The script discusses the establishment of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine under British and French influence, and the use of air power to suppress local resistance. It also mentions the conflict between French and Arab forces in Syria and the challenges of nation-building in the region.

35:18

🇮🇹 The Emergence of Fascism in Italy and Soviet Russia's Struggles

The script turns to Italy, where the 'two red years' of social unrest led to the rise of fascism, initially as a movement to counteract peasant unions and later as a political force. The situation in Soviet Russia is also discussed, with the civil war reaching its climax and the Bolsheviks managing to maintain power despite significant opposition. The introduction of the New Economic Policy in Russia is highlighted as a pragmatic response to the country's challenges.

40:20

🔫 Gangster Wars and the Jazz Age in America

This paragraph contrasts the violent reality of prohibition-era America, marked by gangland wars and the rise of infamous figures like Al Capone, with the cultural explosion of the Jazz Age. The script notes the social and economic impact of prohibition, the popularity of jazz music, and the cultural significance of figures like Josephine Baker and Langston Hughes. It also touches on political figures like President Warren Harding and the national sentiment for normalcy.

45:23

🏛️ The League of Nations and the Middle East's Artificial Boundaries

The script discusses the role of the League of Nations, particularly the Permanent Mandates Commission, in shaping the Middle East's political landscape. The Cairo Conference of 1921 is highlighted for its influence on the region's boundaries. The artificial creation of Iraq and the crowning of Faisal as its king are noted, as well as the broader implications of these actions for the stability and identity of the newly formed states.

💶 Germany's Reparations and the Rise of Political Extremism

The final paragraph examines Germany's economic struggles with the heavy reparations imposed by the Allies, and the government's response of printing money, which led to hyperinflation. The script connects these economic policies to the rise of political extremism, culminating in Adolf Hitler's ascension to leadership of the National Socialist German Workers Party. The potential for crisis and the focus on gaining public attention, regardless of the reaction, are emphasized.

Keywords

💡World Wars

The World Wars are two global conflicts that occurred in the 20th century, with the first taking place from 1914 to 1918 and the second from 1939 to 1945. They are central to the video's theme as they represent the catastrophic events that shaped the 20th century's history. The script mentions the 'two world wars' as being 'etched into the fabric of history' and discusses the aftermath of the First World War, including the Treaty of Versailles and the rise of new political ideologies.

💡Peace Conference

The Peace Conference refers to the negotiations and agreements made after World War I, primarily the Treaty of Versailles, which aimed to establish a new world order. It is a key concept in the video as it discusses the outcomes and consequences of these negotiations. The script describes the Peace Conference as an event that 'would codify this new world order' and mentions the involvement of figures like Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, and the resulting treaties that reshaped Europe and the Middle East.

💡British Empire

The British Empire was the largest empire in history, covering a quarter of the world's land area at its height. In the context of the video, it symbolizes the old world order and its decline. The script discusses the empire's influence and actions, such as the Amritsar Massacre in India, which contributed to the rise of Indian nationalism and the eventual dismantling of the empire.

💡Interwar Period

The Interwar Period refers to the years between the end of World War I in 1918 and the beginning of World War II in 1939. The video discusses this period as one of significant political, economic, and social change. The script mentions the 'interwar period' in the context of the rise of fascist movements and the economic depression of 1920, which set the stage for the conflicts of the 1930s.

💡Versailles Treaty

The Versailles Treaty was the peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919, to officially end World War I. It is a central concept in the video as it outlines the punitive measures against Germany and the new borders of Europe. The script describes the treaty as adding 'a million square miles to Britain's Empire and about a quarter of that to the French' and discusses the dissatisfaction with its terms, including the United States' refusal to join the League of Nations.

💡League of Nations

The League of Nations was an international organization founded after World War I to promote peace and cooperation. It is mentioned in the video as part of the new world order envisioned by the peacemakers. The script discusses the League's mandate system and the failure of the United States to join it, which had significant implications for global politics in the following decades.

💡Mussolini and Fascism

Mussolini was the leader of the National Fascist Party in Italy and is considered one of the key figures in the establishment of fascism. The concept of fascism is discussed in the video as a political ideology that emerged during the interwar period. The script refers to Mussolini as launching 'fascism' and describes it as a 'revolutionary movement from the right' that was a response to both communism and liberal democracy.

💡Prohibition

Prohibition in the United States refers to the period from 1920 to 1933 when the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were banned. The video discusses Prohibition as a significant event in American history that led to widespread lawbreaking and the rise of organized crime. The script mentions Prohibition's start date and its ineffective enforcement, leading to the rise of rum-runners and speakeasies.

💡Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The video mentions the Great Depression as a global economic downturn that had profound effects on societies worldwide. The script refers to the worldwide depression of 1920, which was 'widely understated' but had significant impacts on countries like Germany, contributing to political instability.

💡Mandates

Mandates, in the context of the video, refer to the territories assigned to victorious powers by the League of Nations after World War I. The concept is important as it discusses the division of the Ottoman Empire and Germany's colonies. The script mentions the 'mandate system' where 'the League of Nations mandated the major powers, particularly Britain and France, to take over areas of the Ottoman Empire and former German colonies'.

💡Hitler and National Socialism

Adolf Hitler was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, and his rise to power is a significant part of the video's narrative. The concept of National Socialism, or Nazism, is discussed as a totalitarian ideology that emerged in Germany. The script refers to Hitler's leadership of the party and his strategy of gaining attention, stating 'it makes no difference, Hitler said whether they laugh at us or revile us the main thing is that they mention us'.

Highlights

Introduction to 'Timeline' documentary series by Dan Snow focusing on historical events and offering exclusive content on History Hit TV.

The First World War's enormous cost in lives and wealth, and the hope for a new world order post-war to replace inequality and injustice.

The transformation of the global economic system post-WWI, with the United States emerging as a dominant force and the end of British free trade era.

The Amritsar Massacre in 1919 and its impact on the Indian national movement, marking a turning point in British-Indian relations.

The breakdown of old empires post-WWI and the challenges faced by new states in establishing financial and social systems.

The Weimar Republic's establishment and the political instability that led to the rise of anti-democratic forces in Germany.

The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and its role in shaping the new world order, with Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points and the challenges of self-determination.

The impact of the mandate system established by the League of Nations, which led to the rehabilitation of imperial order under a new guise.

The May Fourth Movement in China, 1920, as a response to the Paris Peace Conference, which contributed to the birth of the Chinese Communist Party.

The rise of fascism in Italy, with Benito Mussolini's political entry and the ideology positioned as a 'third way' between communism and liberal democracy.

The Prohibition era in the United States starting in 1920, its enforcement challenges, and the rise of organized crime.

The worldwide depression of 1920 and its understated impact on economies, particularly affecting Germany's ability to pay war reparations.

The establishment of mandates in the Middle East by Britain and France, and the artificial creation of nation-states with lasting consequences.

The rise of political extremism in Germany due to economic instability and the hyperinflation crisis, setting the stage for Hitler's ascension.

The Jazz Age in America as a cultural phenomenon reflecting the rhythm of life and the societal changes post-WWI.

The League of Nations' Permanent Mandates Commission and its role in shaping the Middle East, with Winston Churchill's involvement in defining modern boundaries.

The turmoil in Italy with multiple changes of government and the rise of fascist groups, leading to Mussolini's eventual leadership.

Transcripts

hi everybody and welcome to this

documentary on timeline my name is Dan

snow and I will tell you about history

hit TV it's like the Netflix for history

hundreds of exclusive documentaries and

interviews with the world's best

historians we've got an exclusive offer

available to fans of timeline if you go

to history hit TV you can either follow

the information below this video or just

Google history hit TV and use the code

timeline you get a special introductory

offer go and check it out in the

meantime enjoy this video two world wars

tour the heart out of the 20th century

they are a went in the fabric of history

one world before another after

between these two tragedies a mere 20

years 20 years of peace that produced

war

a piece that failed impossible please

[Music]

in four years of fighting the first

world war had claimed a life every 25

seconds and when the mincing machine

stopped on November the 11th 1918 the

bill that had been run up was enormous

Great Britain lost 15% of our entire

international wealth during the first

world war what had been the point of it

all

surely it was that cut of all the grief

and loss would come a new world order

one in which peace and prosperity would

replace inequality injustice and

dynastic swagger for a long time

historians saw this moment has a sharp

guillotine moment when the world pivoted

from this terrible conflict to a new era

it wasn't as tidy as that history is

only interesting because nothing is

inevitable that the first world war

would reverberate through to

tumultuously codes the 1920s and 30s to

reimagines formed and more deadly was

not inevitable but 20 years after the

guns fell silent they were again about

deathlessness louder and more lethal

than ever

why why did the peace people prayed and

paid for last little more than 20 years

[Music]

why did tyrants rise to control the fate

of continents

why did a world that had survived a wall

collapse into an unprecedented

depression

why was an age that nostalgia views

enthusiastically as a time of jazz

prohibition the talkies the radio and

the motorcar in reality an age of

anxiety when the underlying current was

flowing towards disaster the catalog of

questions of what if so why did this

starts with the first year of peace

[Applause]

at the beginning of the First World War

the United States owned Europe four

billion dollars at the end you're

opposed the USA ten billion dollars and

America was making half of the world's

manufactured goods and this bright

shining shadow spread by the mass

producing richly resourced supremely

powerful USA all over the small states

and old states of Europe

World War 1 really transformed the

global economic system because it

brought to an end the era of British

free trade dominated international

economy and introduced a much more

autarkic international economy dominated

by the United States how were the old

world states to avoid tumbling into

insignificance George v said well we've

got nothing to worry about now we are

top dogs now George that's a lovely

phrase in January 1919 against the

wishes of the British Cabinet minister

responsible the imperial government the

top dog in India proposed extending its

wartime emergency powers indefinitely

the result was popular and massive

protests

the end of the first world war in India

was a moment with great hope I mean

India had been a loyal member of British

Empire imperial armies almost a million

and a quarter Indian troops fought under

the British flag in fresco war in a few

short months cities were in an uproar

local martial law was being imposed in

Punjab sweeping preventative arrests

smart counter demonstrations in which

foreign fuel appeals were murdered

brigadier-general legend of Dyer was

sent with 300 colonial troops to

Amritsar

we're in April he faced a crowd of

20,000 which refused to disperse

so Brigadier Dyer gave the order to open

fire

[Music]

[Applause]

ten minutes without a result from the

unarmed crowd

after 10 minutes 379 men women and

children were dead hundreds more were

wounded

during the interwar period most

Americans disliked the British Empire

they saw it as a British heel on the

necks of people all around the world and

this of course was not helped by the

Amritsar Massacre which people rapidly

learned about

the Secretary of State for India Edwin

Montague presenting his report to the

House of Commons called the massacre at

Amritsar a shameful act of racial

humiliation and declared that Dyer was

guilty of terrorism and Prussian ISM in

one of the British Parliament's less

proud moments Montagu was shouted down

by the Tory opposition with racist

bluster and anti-semitic remarks the

massacre at Amritsar in 1919 transformed

the Indian national movement both for

the older previously loyal generation

and for the younger radical nationalists

they really felt what could no longer be

loyal to British imperial cause

perversely the British people remained

loyal to the unrepentant Dyer the London

Morning Post opened a fund for the

general which when it was closed had

raked in more than 26,000 pounds at a

time when a skilled worker like a brick

layer who's earning little over one

other empires did not confront the

challenge of a new world they have not

survived the war the German Empire was

gone

so to the austro-hungarian the Russian

had preceded them the Ottoman father

within 48 hours of the kaisers flight 25

German dynasties had abdicated the

break-up fall the Empire's the breakup

of the German Empire break up the

ottoman empire break up the

austro-hungarian empire

you have 13 states that had not been

States before they didn't have financial

systems they didn't have central markets

they had to be created out of out of

wartime debris one might also say

Germany had never had a functional

democracy the Chancellor was made

accountable to the washdown only two

weeks before the Armistice in the hope

that peace talks would be found more

congenial if the German delegates were

representing the democracy Germany the

traditional leaps were kicked out in

1918 the aristocracy ended monarchy went

the army was humbled reduced to a

hundred thousand men and so the people

who had maintained the kind of social

and physical stability before 1914

didn't disappear that they lost that

that function in Germany the Social

Democrats planned a parliamentary

democracy but they were obliged to share

power with the spartacists

led by Kyle each victim Rosa Luxemburg

were intent on following the path of the

Bolshevik Revolution

it seemed most likely that Germany like

Russia before it would follow defeat

with a revolution

but the fry corpse mainly ex-servicemen

homemade armies as Richard ovary called

them murdered leap minute and Luxembourg

and crushed the spartacists on the

streets of Berlin after the elections

and because of the unrest in Berlin the

assembly met for the first time in the

town insulin year that gave its name to

the Republic Weimar

[Music]

76% of the electorate voted for the vine

Republic

14 years later almost the same

proportion voted for the anti-democratic

parties of right and left

whose only common cause was destruction

of the Republic

the reason why they flipped is a

fundamental motif of the interwar years

the bimah political arrangement allowed

for very small parties to make it past

the post and so that created this

possibility that either no coalition can

be stable or that an infinite number of

coalition's in a way are possible and

that no strong political force can

really emerge Russia went from Tsarist

Empire the communist republic in nine

months Germany from authoritarian

monarchy to parliamentary republic in

nine days

allowances should have be made they went

[Music]

[Applause]

the event of 1919 that would codify this

new world order was the Peace Conference

a story of chaps and labs in historians

are a stylus phrase had the newly

elected German government being made

part of the peace process things might

have gone differently but it was not the

process was in the hands of Great

Britain France Italy and above all the

American President Woodrow Wilson a lot

of Europeans wanted the same sorts of

things that Woodrow Wilson was

portraying they wanted a better world

because they had just seen what the war

had done throughout Europe in 1919

you get lots of demonstrations well can

you listen people on the streets

everywhere thinking that this is a great

new moment and opportunity for a new

kind of world

so this sort of story of violence sits

against the story of optimism and hope

in May 1919 British Prime Minister David

Lloyd George remarked that as long as

America England and France stand

together we can keep the world from

going to pieces well Brad she was right

but the three victorious powers could

not stand together in any meaningful

sense they never had Wilson was the

neophytes in international negotiations

and he was pretty well played by the

Allies at Versailles and he had a

compromise on a number of things that he

did not want to compromise on the peace

which seems in the context a boundless

Lee unsuitable word added a million

square miles to Britain's Empire and

about a quarter of that to the French

in the carve up of Central Europe the

peacemakers created a buffer zone

Bartek comprised unstable uncertain

states

the Baltic States Poland Czechoslovakia

the diminished Hungary Yugoslavia and it

set them like a knot between the jaws of

a cracker it was hoped at the creation

of this choral sanitaire of small states

who would sponge-like absorb any leaking

Bolshevism before it contaminated

West lloyd-george said that was a

strategy which would not allow him to

conceive any greater cause of future war

[Music]

the division of Europe contrived

adversely contained population anomalies

that would approve destabilizing

the American president looked at the map

and preached self-determination but in

Europe ethnicities and language books

had been Criss crossing the confluent

for centuries and self-determination was

a tricky principle to apply the

president had kicked a hornet's nest

only 65% of the population of Poland was

polish

51% of czechoslovakians were checked and

only 44% of Yugoslavia ins we're from

the ruling and dominant Serbs

the 13th the Wilson's fourteen points

stipulated that Poland should have free

access to the sea

which could only be achieved by dividing

East Prussia from the rest of Germany

which might have looked quite neat on a

map infrastructurally it was a major

problem to create this new polish state

different judicial systems different

currencies when they started even the

the railway system was of course the

Blvd system so there was no connection

for example between the main the capital

Warsaw the new capital and a live one of

the major cities because this was in

Austria Hungary lost 75% of its

territory and 3 million of its

population at Versailles Austria must an

empire and Bulgaria similarly punished

for backing the wrong horse

lost territory and 1 million of its

population Woodrow Wilson placed great

store in the idea of self-determination

but there was a conundrum what should be

done with Germany's former colonies they

where after war populated by what even

the most enlightened called child and

races one of the most extraordinary

consequences of the 1919 settlement was

the mandate system where the League of

Nations mandated the major powers

particularly Britain and France to take

over areas of the Ottoman Empire and

former German colonists and so on on

January the 30th 1919 the Supreme

Council of the league agreed to the

administration by advanced nations

[Music]

of those places inhabited by people's

not yet able to stand by themselves

under the strenuous conditions of the

modern world whose well-being was a

sacred trust of civilization and so was

self-determination a basic promise on

President Wilson's agenda accommodated

the British expected it to mean that the

child races could choose whose arms they

rushed into and were alarmed mr. Spicer

of the British Foreign Office said we

cannot hope to take into the British

sphere all the peoples of the world who

would doubtless like to enter into it

the Chinese expected it to mean that

they would get back Germany's Chinese

territory of Shandong but astonishingly

they did Martin

kind of hope to take back the previous

concessions of the German control was

now given to Japan so the anti-japanese

sentiment was arising as well as

nationalist sentiment

what are the consequences of the Paris

Peace Conference in China was that it

stimulated one of the most important

student-driven political movements of

the 20th century one that actually gave

rise to the birth of the Chinese

Communist Party itself and that took

place on the 4th of May 1990 historians

Suzann Pettersen described the league's

mandate system as a program perfectly

tailored to the task of rehabilitating

the Imperial Order at its moment of

greatest disarray Wilford scorned blunt

poet diplomat Explorer and amorous

deplored the idea of mandates

he was opposed to britain spreading what

he called it's the based industrialism

it's crude cookery and it's flavorless

religious greed

[Music]

and thus innocent British Empire who did

seem to be less top dog than baited bear

nipped at by Ireland Palestine

rock

India Egypt everywhere yet it remained

the sole superpower as the USA withdrew

into itself and Soviet Russia dealt with

itself

one more illusion of the loose Natori

age writing mine come from 1923

Adolphe Hitler would call the United

Kingdom the greatest power on earth

which it was not

[Music]

was no doubt that the major global

empires the British the French Empire

they strong they became large rotted in

the First World War but in fact that

masked fundamental weakness they'd never

really been prepared either power to put

the money into defending those areas

they didn't seem to be a profound threat

well little girl it is finished the

President of the United States of

America wrote to his wife at the

conclusion of the Versailles peace

conference and as no one is satisfied

it makes me hope we have made a just

peace but it is all in the lap of the

gods but of course it was not

it was in the laps of men including

those who sat in the US Congress

[Music]

President Wilson presented the text of

the Versailles Treaty to the Senate on

July the 10th he said it was the hand of

God who led us into this way and he

asked dare we rejected and graped the

heart of the world and the Senate on

said yes we dare I think there were

probably sufficient swing votes in the

Senate that had Wilson been able willing

to compromise on some of these key

issues then he might well have got some

sort of sinners of the Senate agreement

[Music]

Loosli tried to shift American public

opinion on a whistle-stop to her but the

strain broke him

he took his campaign to the American

people over the heads of Congress he was

got to persuade them by the force of his

personality and of course of his ideals

that this was going to be a good thing

and in the course of that when he was in

Colorado he had severe headaches and

terrible stroke

when in November the Senate put four

sides of the vote rejected it and

spurned the League of Nations the

American president lay partially

paralyzed in his band my own view is

that the treaty probably could have got

through the United States could have

joined the League of Nations but it was

defeated by a combination of Republican

intransigence and Wilson's own

stubbornness now if the United States

had joined the League of Nations we'll

never know but the history of the 1920s

and 1930s might have been a bit

different on September the 12th

gabrielle intendancy and 1,000 followers

seized the humble adriatic town of fiume

pledging to defend the city's italian

meter against the whimsical decision of

the peace makers who were tossed it to

the newly minted Yugoslavia when writer

and poet

Osbert Sitwell visited fiume he thought

there was a chance that demuccio this

frail little genius he called him might

create an ideal land where the arts

might flourish an alternative to the

choice between Bolshevism and American

capitalism

a young newspaper editor decided he

would create the third way

his name was Benito Mussolini and in

November he launched fascism fascism is

indeed and has been spoken about by by

historians as a third way phenomena now

what do we mean by this I mean

essentially it's a it's a revolutionary

movement from the right and in that

respect it's fascism against communism

which is a revolution from the left but

of course the really important x-factor

in the middle is the Mauri born liberal

democracy like Hitler in 1923 mousseline

his first foray into politics was a

humiliating failure both men proved to

be resilient elsewhere the minds of 13

children the most celebrated sportsman

of the age the Manassa mauler Jack

Dempsey was beating Jess Willard for the

heavyweight crown

[Music]

the 70,000 spectators packed around the

ring in the blistering sunshine for the

big fight begin the mahogany huge empty

circle moving in and out with fatwood

equipment the champion lost a few teeth

suffered a broken jaw broken cheekbone

and some broken ribs

the more powerful but not the better man

won said the Morning Herald a slogan for

the age

[Applause]

[Music]

the United States only officially

becomes an urban nation in 1920 and that

simply means that more than 50% of

Americans in 1920 are living in towns

larger than 2,000 people and given that

low threshold it's still a rural Society

its cities are big but most Americans

are still living thoroughly on farms or

in small towns

[Music]

prohibition came to America on January

the 16th 1920 the first prohibition

Commissioner John F Kramer confidently

declaring that this law will be obeyed

and sit in his large and small and where

it is not about it will be enforced but

enforcement relied on a small number of

enforcement agents who paid two thousand

dollars a year were not immune from

temptation

except for Isadora Hine Stein who would

sally forth with old friend most smith

equally unlikely equally overweight in

any number of visible disguises to do

battle in the bookmakers the legend of

the loved feared lava belizean mouth was

born

[Music]

and a few more Izzy scattered over the

country wrote the Brooklyn Eagle and the

US would be bone dry parched and would

1920 was not a year when men like easy

and low were appreciated 1920 was a year

when the world needed a drink the impact

of the worldwide depression of 1920 is

widely understated

[Music]

in Europe dr. Walter rattle now via our

Minister for Reconstruction and later

for finance was baffled

they write down thoughts and my noughts

means a million but no one can imagine

billiard does a would contain a million

leaves over a million blades of grass in

the meadow who knows

when those responsible for a nation's

economy don't know and rata mejor was

one such they're about to be problems

and aware

Germany was struggling to adjust to a

peace treaty in which he had lost all of

her colonies main sources of coal zinc

potash and iron ore 15% of her wheat

crop 18 percent of potato cultivation

and all German capital held aboard she'd

lost nine-tenths of her merchant fleet

which didn't just mean changing the

flags on [ __ ] steamers some of the most

splendid ocean liners changed some heads

the imperative became two knives

flagship Berengar eeeh the Bismarck

sailed as the White Star Line's majestic

and the vital and crossed the Atlantic

as the Leviathan Germany was also

presented with a bill for reparations to

pay the cost of the war something that

had been done over centuries you make

your enemy pay because you'd won but the

payment was classically fixed around the

military cost but a French and the

British start to include all of these

social costs so they include the widow's

pensions which is something that was

completely puzzled me when I was a

student I think understand why everybody

was obsessed about these widow's

pensions now I know it's cuz it cost an

absolute packet on many important counts

Germany emerged better place than Great

Britain where the cost of living by late

1920 had reached three times its pre-war

level where inflation was 22 percent

unemployment was over 11 percent and the

highest ever recorded and the debt was

enormous and inescapable

whereas as historian Niall Ferguson has

pointed out the Germans were more

successful than any other country in

defaulting on their debts

in such a climate the cost of

maintaining what Gibbon the great

historian of empire called

the arbitrary Dominion of strangers

might have seen prohibitive but for

France and Britain the alternative to

retreat from Empire meant to surrender

great power status so they expanded

their

what is to become of the Ottoman Empire

who is going to get which piece of that

territorial pie if you like Britain was

to get control of what we would

recognize today as Iraq and Jordan

France was to get control of what we

recognized today as Syria and Lebanon

roughly the area that we recognize today

as the occupied Palestinian territories

and Israel was to become under the

control of a sort of international

condominium they were not supposed to be

colonies but the trenches was that the

British and the French treated these

places as if they were part of their

empire painted and pink and green on the

map and so on stands guard against raids

by camel riders of the Arab tribes

[Music]

when the Arab tribes threatened trouble

Winston Churchill as Secretary of State

for war and air cinta Miyamoto Hugh

Trenchard head of the Royal Air Force

I think you should certainly proceed

with the experimental work on gas bombs

Churchill Road especially mustard gas

which would inflict - wound on

recalcitrant natives without inflicting

grave injury the expectation on the

ground inside Egypt or Iraq or Syria is

that they're on their way to nation

statehood but really when you look at

the British in the French they don't see

this happening anytime soon

on July the 24th 1922 sure if Ian's

forces battled some 80,000 French mainly

colonial Senegalese and Moroccan troops

and the plains of may salon outside

Damascus supported by aircraft from

artillery

the French crushed those who opposed him

King Faisal fled and another step was

taken in creating the tortured patchwork

inheritance of the Middle East

the neighboring British sphere of

influence was similarly convulsed and

was only suppressed in November after

extensive use of air power and at a cost

of 40 million pounds

in 1920 to stabilize recalcitrant Iraq

the British sent in diplomat Sir Percy

Cox a man who could it was said keep

silent in a dozen languages little

wonder that in 1920 photoplay magazine

wrote an editorial imploring Charlie

Chaplin to make a new film because it

said we are dull fool and bewildered in

a dull fool and bewildered world Charlie

Chaplin who in 1914 is unknown and by

1919 as the most famous person in the

world many people have tried to explain

the appeal of the little trout I think

Chaplin because of his musical

experience had a very good rapport he

understood what people would be amused

by but they were being

the point about Chaplin was we would all

like to keep the policeman we would all

like to keep the lungs

in the aftermath of the war Italy had

multiple changes of government 1919 and

1920 were known as the be in euro also

the two red years this paralysis of the

established order created an opportunity

that was seized by the fasci it's a

military term it's about a bundle it's

also it's it's a formation of soldiers a

protective move of soldiers becomes

associated with her with a movement a

street movement it's only from 1919

onwards that we start talking about

fascism

as the political movement groups of

fascist sprang up all over Italy one the

fashioner combat amento had been founded

in 1919 by Benito Mussolini Italy was

unusual in having an advanced peasant

trade union and after the first world

war it became for a while in 1919 and

1920 it did manage to get quite a few

gains in the pay and condition of

Italian peasants and fascism was

designed to kill some of them to give

them castor oil to humiliate them to

suppress people like that

Soviet Russia meanwhile and mistakenly

thought it would make a grab for lands

loss when he made peace with Germany at

brest-litovsk

but Poland was no pushover and P asuka's

counter-attack on the 15th 16th of

August smashed into five Soviet armies

destroy three of them and continued the

route and tell on August the third in

Europe's last great cavalry battle

that's lost twenty thousand horsemen

charged and counter charged in formation

until the Polish lands had swept the

field

lenin sued for peace and the treaty of

riga was signed in march 1921 it was not

to be a lasting peace

in Russia

the civil war that had been tearing at

the nation since the Bolsheviks doctor

at 7 million losses were four times

greater than in the world war was moving

to a climax the Russian civil wars were

a very messy set of affairs with peasant

uprisings and we Michel greens anarchist

movements bikes anti Russian nationalist

movements

on the 20th of October general nikolai

yudenich was advancing into the suburbs

of Petrograd Denikin driving north

towards Moscow and Kolchak advancing out

of Siberia had they been United in their

purpose Bolshevism would have been

doomed they were not it was not the

ideology did the white movement formed

which was much weaker they failed to

communicate that ideology or their

vision for the future of Russia to the

wider population as well as the

Bolsheviks had

Trotsky managed to press two million men

into the Red Army by mid-november the

Revolution had been saved

[Music]

war Trotsky said is the locomotives of

history

amidst the conflict urban life began to

collapse quite quickly major cities

begin to depopulate extraordinary rates

people flee the cities return to rural

areas where they could have better

chance of eking out a normal life

lemon learned when he suppressed peasant

unrest in 1921 that bullets do not

fertilize the soil and terror does not

make the wheat grow in March the new

economic policy proved if nothing else

that Lenin was pragmatist enough to

correct his mistakes

a partial market economy was introduced

but it battled the cronyism and

inefficiency that were already evident

by 1921 the Bolshevik bureaucracy was

ten times the size of the czars and

employed twice as many people as Soviet

industry

in America a different sort of fighting

was out on the streets

we're Tommy gun's cost about $3,000 each

in today's money fired 800 rounds in

days and became known as Chicago

typewriters

prohibition inflated the cost of

drinking as much as twenty fold and

fortunes were made and paid out

[Music]

captain bill McCoy ran Caribbean rum

along the eastern seaboard

just one of the rumrunners but a man who

gifted his name to the english language

because of the quality of his contraband

it was the real McCoy the best known of

the gang bosses to trade in bootleg Al

Capone had business cards that described

him as a secondhand furniture dealer and

a real sense of himself as a leading

citizen in the depression he organized a

Chicago soup kitchen that cost him $300

a day it was legal for doctors to

prescribe liquor for medicinal purposes

and in 1921 8 million gallons of that

medicinal whiskey were withdrawn from

federal warehouses the most common

ailment

according to wags was the status

[Music]

when it came to electing their president

this America described as a country

impatient of problems - waiting for the

mind in the street chose a man who

shrank from problems which he knew to be

beyond his powers I don't seem to grasp

that I am president said President

Warren Harding who confessed I don't

know anything about the European stuff

prohibition is here and so is Warren

Gamaliel Harding elected president by a

record majority on the slogan back to

normalcy there is no such word as

normalcy but the people wanted just the

same america's conception of itself was

still as the refuge from europe and when

many Americans thought of Europe they

thought of intrigue with aristocrats and

monarchs and leading their countries

into bad Wars and America's mission was

to stand apart from all that

modern America stood apart some said all

three pillars

[Music]

the dollar movies and jazz

[Music]

Harlem's first Jazz Age hit was shuffle

along which featured an unknown

Josephine Baker in the chorus jazz

simply fit the times the first great

African American poet Langston Hughes

put it perfectly the rhythm of life is a

jazz rhythm

[Music]

the Jazz Age was boisterous nervous

scandalous in Hollywood scandal ended

the career of a comedian whose

popularity was second only to Chaplin's

a young actress died at a wild party

Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle was accused of her

murder tried and acquitted one juror was

moved to say that a gross injustice has

been done to him

but the stories of how Virginia Rappe

died persisted fake news and Fatty

Arbuckle was finished on October the 4th

1921 the permanent mandates Commission

of the League of Nations assembled in

Geneva for its first session

lord Kherson described the middle-east

mandate as self-interest discreetly

veiled by a facade of self-determination

during the Cairo conference of March

1921 Winston Churchill colonial

secretary by this stage brings together

military officials colonial officials

interested parties to literally sit down

over the course of a conference to put

all of their ideas on paper and to come

up with the arrangements that will

become the boundaries that we recognize

today

the British conceived a novel solution

to the troubles in their middle-eastern

mandate Iraq is probably the most

artificial of all the states that are

created essentially they are lumping

together three very distinct provinces

of Baghdad Basra and Mosul three

provinces that have existed in the in

the Ottoman Empire but have never

recognized themselves as affiliated in

in any sense

Britain essentially draws lines around

those three provinces and says you are

now a single nation-states

the British offered the throne of the

rock to Faisal recently tipped off the

throne of Syria on mr. 23rd 1921 Faisal

was crowned king of Iraq

the war had been over for three years

the peacemakers had gone home

they had transformed the maps of Europe

and the Middle East in the Middle East a

blade minefields and Europe was

unsettled perhaps incendiary fascist

power was not in the Parliament it was

with the squadristi the gangs of

paramilitary thugs whose violence bully

peasants and townspeople into surrender

but in 1921 as junior members of a block

put together by Italian Prime Minister

Giovanni Giamatti to check the lies of

the left they entered the Italian

parliament of them giannotti said the

fascist candidates will be like

fireworks they will make a lot of noise

but will leave nothing behind

except spoke he was right but they made

more noise and for longer than he

imagined

in August 1921 the reparations

Commission finally said the sum that

Germany was required to pay two hundred

and twenty-six thousand million marks

[Music]

the relationship between that

announcement and a notorious

hyperinflation that lay ahead was not

the sum demanded but the German

government's plan for paying the bill

which was to print money

an astounding Paperchase in which you've

got paid your wages than you rushed out

to spend them as quickly as you could

because by the time you got to the cafe

we were going to eat they'd be worth

half what they were when you were paid

officially there was repeated denial of

the possible link between the profligate

printing of money and inflation leading

historians to wonder whether these

people were stupid or if they had a plan

to bring on a crisis that might provoke

the Allies into canceling reparations

what they brought on was a rise of

political extremism in August

Adolf Hitler member number five five

five took over leadership of the

National Socialist German Workers Party

it makes no difference

Hitler said whether they laugh at us or

revile us the main thing is that they

mention us and he said course towards an

unimaginable Cataclysm