Was the Liberal Rejection in the German Reich Justified?
German Reich
After the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War One the German people turned to other ideologies as a reaction to the economic difficulties pushed onto them. Through the reparations and removal of land and resources the treaty crippled the production and economic growth under the instituted liberal democracy. The turn to fascism was a response to a leader and group that promised to bring Germany back to the economic powerhouse that it was during the first World War. As such to the German people it made far more sense to embrace fascism then to continue suffering under the forced government.
Western Democracies and the Soviet Union
For western democracies the turn to fascism in Germany was unjustified as they perceived Germany to be at complete fault for the actions of World War One. The punishment in the form of reparations and annexing land was seen as justified and as such this reactionary turn was unjustified in the face of the instituted government.
Was it Justified?
I believe it was justified as the terms of the treaty created a mix of factors that lead to an unstable economy that did not let Germany have the economic freedom that liberal democracies stood for. Alongside Woodrow Wilson it should have been seen that these crippling terms would lead to such reactionary events as opposed to a country that would not retaliate to such terms.
To what extent did the economic crash in 1930 justify a rejection of classic liberalism?
Friedman Economics
The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy. -Milton FriedmanThis quote from Friedman shows the feelings towards the cause of the Great Depression from the perspective of a Friedman economist. | From the perspective of a Friedman economist the Great Depression came from too much government involvement in the economy and the greater involvement after the issue. Herbert Hoover's response was the correct one as he tried to place the economy back on its feet through decreasing the financial pressure of government on the general populace. Franklin D. Roosevelt's solution is seen as a negative effect to the economy through greater government involvement that restricts the freedom of most people. |
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian economists saw the heavy involvement of government to solve the depression as the perfect solution as it created jobs through government spending and created sustainability. Many see the economic crash as a natural flow of the economic boom of the decade prior in which government involvement was at an all time minimum with virtually non-existent interest that lead to rapid growth. This rapid rise and fall can be curbed by government involvement to mitigate the extremes of a recession and through involvement could have prevented the Great Depression. As such the prospect of Laissez Faire economics and the classical liberalism associated with it did not work to prevent this contemporary issue and required a new modern form of government involvement in the economics.
Does contemporary issues require a renewal of economic ideologies?
I believe that we require government involvement for developing issues such as changing economic foreign policies as private businesses do not have the leverage to construct business on a level playing field. The control it provides is also crucial to ensure the economic security and as such requires the classic economic liberalism to be mediated by government involvement even at the cost of economic freedom.
To what extent did the conflict between the Soviet Union and America find its source in the rejection of Liberalism?
Soviet Union
During World War One Russian forces were treated inhumanely and felt violated in the fact that they were treated during the war under the czar. They then turned towards communism as a way of ridding themselves of the powerful factory owners that were controlling the proletariat. The fight against the classical liberal system in place for economics came from an oppressed people who required greater economic cooperation among all people, thus leading to the establishment of the Soviet Union. These people then saw the threat of the capitalist Americans as returning them to these roots that threatened their initial conflict. | We shall pay any price, bear any burden, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. |
America
America is a capitalist society that has created an economic powerhouse through guaranteeing the economic freedom of its people. The development of a communist society threatened their economic foundation by removing the economic freedom of the people within its borders and spread this ideology which could cause the collapse of its strong economy. Because of the ideological differences there as already conflict between the two countries but they were directed towards a common enemy during World War Two that allowed them to work as allies.
The Rejection of Liberalism in the Soviet Union lead to the conflict of the Cold War.
Because of the rejection of liberalism and the embracing of communism in the Soviet Union directly lead to the Cold War as both nations fought to spread their ideologies among the other nations of the world.