1880s-1940s

Also known as the Great War, World War I was fought between the Triple Alliance (including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and later the Ottoman Empire) and the Triple Entente (an alliance between Britain, Russia, France, and later the United States). While many believed that the war would be over by Christmas, the war lasted a long and brutal four years. This is largely due to the fact that both sides practiced trench warfare. The war is often referred to as a total war because both combatants and civilians were forced to mobilize.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 831-840.

This peace settlement dealt with terms of post-war Germany. Negotiations in Paris were controlled by Woodrow Wilson of the US, Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France, and Prime Minister Lloyd George of Great Britain. While Clemenceau demanded that Germany seriously pay for its aggressions, it was Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen points and principles of national self-determination that dominated negotiations.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 859-860.

Since Germany played no role in the peace settlement, the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles divided German politicians. While some politicians were willing to accept the humiliating terms, others refused to a sign their names on a document that blatantly put all the blame on the German nation.

Source:
John McKay et al, Sources for Western Society, Vol. 2., pg. 418-420.

Before the Great Depression, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, also known as the Nazis, was just a small political party with an insignificant amount of power. However, after the Great Depression, Hitler and the Nazis were able to take advantage of the fiscally-devastating climate and the ineffective, conservative policies and ascend the party. Hitler formed a collation with Germany's conservative politicians and was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 915-916.

The crash of the United States stock market led to severe economic and social consequences like mass unemployment, a shortage in production, and a general decrease in prices. The economic crisis not only affected the United States but also European countries like Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, etc. In his address to the British Parliament, Sir Stewart highlights the plaguing issues in Northern England. Due to the Great Depression, Northern England experienced a significant loss of industry, therefore, massive unemployment amongst young, poor, hungry men. Stewarts explicitly implies that if the State does not attempt to combat this unemployment, these young men will pose a serious threat to the State. Stewart’s solution is to bring back industry to those areas.

Source:
John McKay et al, Sources for Western Society, Vol. 2., pg. 430-432.

World War II began after Hitler's armies invaded all of Czechoslovakia and Poland. This war is characterized by the Hitler's use of "blitzkrieg" and desire to create a New Order, space in which inferior ethnic groups would be cleansed to make room for a pure, Aryan race. The Holocaust, the systematic killing of European Jews, helped to realize the New Order.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 922-929.

Beginning in the 1840s, Realism began to dominate art and literary culture. Realism rejected the ideas of Romanticism and sought to depict things in the most honest and accurate way. This kind of approach to art allowed for artists to explore the more bleak aspects of reality in the nineteenth century.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 753-755.

This letter was penned by Emile Zola, a famous French novelist, after the The Dreyfus Affair, a military scandal that involved the French army falsely accusing a Jewish captain of espionage. As a product of the Realism movement, "J'Accuse" is a criticism of the way in which the French military dealt with the affair. Though Zola is generous in his criticism, his main concern is to aware people of the injustices being committed at the highest levels of government.

Source:
Mc. Kay et al., "Sources for Western Society," Vol. 2., pg. 383

A poem written by Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden" has many implications. First, the poem glorifies imperialism by shedding a positive light on white, colonizing men. Second, Kipling frames imperialism in the context of a moral obligation. If the white men did not continue imperialism, then those were less fortunate would never be able to experience the benefits of the white man's advanced civilization.

Source:
John McKay et al, A History of Western Society, 11th Ed, Vol. 2., pg. 818-819.

Freud's publication pulled from current events to prove that despite prevailing Enlightenment thinking, people continued to act in ways that were irrational. Thus, Freud argues that by studying dreams, one could explore the complex relationship between the unconscious mind and the conscious mind. According to Freud, thoroughly interpreting one's dream would allow he or she to fulfill their suppressed desires.

Source:
Mc. Kay et al., "Sources for Western Society," Vol. 2., pg. 421