-
Nationalism
Nationalism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own nation over all others. In the extreme, it can lead to major conflicts between nations. Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan’s Tojo each touted their nation’s ability to dominate all others in the years leading up to WWII. -
Militarism
Militarism is the policy of nations based on the belief that anything could be achieved through military might. So to achieve their aims countries started making themselves stronger than their neighbours. During Napoleon's days, Europe had seen what an army led by an able general could do. Wars were often won by nations with better equipped armies. -
Treaty of Versailles
Germany was forced to take all of the blame for losing the war. As a reward for their lost, they had to pay millions to France and Britain for reparations. The treaty left bitter feelings of people. -
Rise of Italian fascism
The fascists rose to power in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Propaganda and censorship are widely practiced during this time. Fascism had no opposition or protests are tolerated. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression was the richest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world. In the United States, the Great Depression began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out thousands of investors. Over the following several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and rising levels of unemployment as failing companies lay off workers. -
American Isolationism
The failure of peace efforts such as the Kellogg Briand Treaty during the 1920s disillusioned many Americans about international involvement. The U.S. was in a major depression throughout the 1930s and was mostly concerned with its own problems. -
Japanese expansionism
As Japan began to industrialize, leaders realized that they lacked the industrial resources needed to build a strong industrial economy. They lacked oil, coal, and iron ore. Japan’s government launched a plan to invade weaker neighbors who were rich in mineral deposits. -
Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party grew into a mass movement and ruled Germany through totalitarian. -
Appeasement
Appeasement is the act of breaking into an enemy’s demand in hopes of avoiding further conflict. It became indelibly associated with Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Although the roots of appeasement lay primarily in the weakness of post-World War I collective security arrangements, the policy was motivated by several other factors. -
Anti-communism
From the late 1940s through the 1950s, as the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other in a Cold War, anti-Communism dominated American domestic politics. In Chicago, as elsewhere, conservative politicians and pressure groups as well as city newspapers sought to expose Communist subversion and discredit liberal causes.
