HISTORY 357

                                         FIRST MID-TERM EXAM

                                             STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Why is the immediate post-Great War period called the "Age of Anxiety" in the West? Describe and discuss the main legacies of the Great War, the rise of relativism in the West, and the impact of the "Roaring '20s" on Western society and culture.

2. Why were democracy and nationalism in conflict in Weimar Germany? Why was democracy unable to earn the allegiance of large segments of the German population? What serious challenges undermined Germany's political stability?

3. Why did fascism develop and gain power in Italy in the early 1920s? How did Mussolini respond to the wishes of the Italian people? What were his achievements and failures as a leader?

4. How and why did nationalism become important in Turkey and the Arab world after 1919? How did Turkish nationalism differ from nationalism in other Islamic countries?

5. Compare and contrast India's national liberation movement with those of Indochina and Indonesia. Explain how each of these movements was shaped by the character and ideals of its leaders. Why did each of these leaders adopt the strategy they pursued?

6. Describe and discuss the social, economic, cultural, religious, and political aspects of the "Experimental 20's" in Soviet Russia. What factors, tactics, and issues led to Stalin's rise to power during this decade?

7. In what sense was the Great Depression a consequence of the Great War? How did the Depression break out in the United States, and why was its impact so severe and persistent? How and why did the U.S. and German governments differ in their response to the Depression?

8. Why and how did Stalin transform the USSR between 1929 and 1938? What were the main causes and consequences of the first two Five-Year Plans and the Great Purges? How does Robert Conquest assess these policies and Stalin's motives for pursuing them?

9. What were the origins of European racism? How did racist ideology and "racial science" provide the foundation for Hitler's beliefs? In what ways were his beliefs consistent or inconsistent with those of earlier racial thinkers such as Herder, de Gobineau, and Galton?

10. How did Hitler come to power in Germany? How did National Socialism reshape German society? Did Hitler respond effectively to the wishes of the German people?