History Authoritarian States Online Resources:

Germany:

https://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/menus/A_Level/Late_Modern/Germany/m
enu.htm

China:

https://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/menus/IB/china_mao/index.htm

Russia:

https://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/menus/A_Level/Late_Modern/Russia_and_
the_USSR/USSR_under_Stalin.htm

https://www.activehistory.co.uk/ib-history/IB-History-Study-Guides/ib-history-stalin.htm

Review Material Authoritarian States

Hitler's Domestic and Foreign Policy

Below you will find links to review outlines by Rubeck, an IB teacher in Sweden.

 Weimar Germany--rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.16+Weimar+Germany
 Hitler's Rise to Power and Ideology--https://rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.17+Hitler%27s+RTP%2C+ideology+and+aims
 Hitler's domestic policies--rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.18+Hitler%27s+domestic+policies%2C+1933+-+39
 Hitler's foreign policies--www.historyhome.co.uk/europe/hitfor.htm

Mussolini's Domestic and Foreign Policies

 Mussolini's economic policies rudbeck-ib-history-

revision.wikispaces.com/3.19+Mussolini%27s+economic+policies
 Mussolini's social and religious policies rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.20+Mussolini%27s+social+and+religious+policies
 Mussolini's foreign policy rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.21+Mussolini%27s+foreign+policy

Compare and Contrast Policies

  Domestic policies rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.23+Compare+and+contrast+Hitler+and+Mussolini%27s+D
P
 Foreign policies--rudbeck-ib-history-
revision.wikispaces.com/3.24+Compare+and+contrast+Hitler+and+Mussolini%27s+F
P

Castro
See chapter 2 in your authoritarian states book. You are going to have to commit to going
through this whole chapter.
Link to another teacher's review page on authoritarians
states. http://roryislandhistory.weebly.com/authoritarian-states

Background 19th Century Cuba

 During the 19th century many of Cuba's economy was based on slave-produced
goods and trade with the United States.
 US corporations owned many of the island's plantations.
 European immigrants lived largely on the western part of the island.
 The east of the island (which was separated from the west by a heavily wooded
mountain range) was not as clearly under the rule of the government of the East. It
was considered a frontier.
 As escaped slaves looked for refuge, they often went to the east.
 There were racial, ethnic, political, and economic divisions between the east and the
west. Cub
 Slavery was abolished in Cuba in 1886. Former slaves and their descendants were
forced to live in the eastern provinces further emphasizing the divide between the
eastern and western parts of the island. (These divisions would remain and we will
see that revolutionary movements in Cuba often started in the east.)

Cuba's War Against Spain (19th Century including Spanish-American War)

 Cuba was a Spanish colony. There were three wars to try and gain Cuban
independence. The US joined the war on the Cuban side. Cuba would gain its
independence from Spain in 1898. (Spanish-American War)
 See page 61 for reasons why the US joined in the war. (A number of American
businesses were concerned about the uprisings against Spanish rule and the
instability to their investments.)
 Spark leading the US intervention--USS Maine blows up. The US blamed Spain for its
destruction.
o Anti-Spanish propaganda was used in both the US and Cuba to influence
public opinion.
 When the Spanish forces were defeated there was a US occupation of Cuba.
 The US government granted Cuba its independence in 1902. The Platt Amendment
in the Cuban Constitution allowed the US the right to intervene militarily. (This won't
 always sit well. Imagine if another country claimed the legal right to intervene
militarily if the US wasn't following the policies that other country didn't like.) It's
worth keeping in mind why many Cubans would come to resent US influence in
Cuban affairs.
 US Interventions
o Occupations 1898 to 1902 and 1906-1909
o Sugar Intervention 1917-1922
 US Political Influence
o Cuban politicians who did not follow US approved policies often found it hard
to gain traction.
o Cuban governments that did survive were often corrupt.
 Cuban Revolution 1933-1934 and puppet presidents 1934-1940
o Gerardo Machado's dictatorship was overthrown in 1933.
 Protests started with students opposing repression
 Also many Cubans were very concerned about the impact of the US
stock market crash on the Cuban economy.
 Turning point was when a group of non-commissioned officers joined
the protest. Batista would be pushed forward during this
event en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
 The revolts reached the point where the United States encouraged
Machado to resign.
 Professor Ramon Grau San Martín became the leader of the
provisional government. He promised a "new Cuba" with a
democratic government, an end to social inequities, higher wages,
lower prices, and voting rights for women. The provisional
government also said the Platt Amendment was null and void.
 These changes worried the US government and US military
intervention was a real possibility.
 Grau was trying to find a line between placating the United States and
more left leaning elements in the Cuban protest movement.
 Then there were additional factions developing.
 Batista, who was Chief of the Armed Forces represented a more right
leaning set of policies.
 The US was not as happy with the idea of more left leaning
leaders. The US came to recognize that Batista was holding power
even as other puppet presidents were put in place.
 Batista would achieve his own electoral success in 1940.

Batista Presidency 1940-1944

 Batista appealed to a broad range of Cuban society. He came from a humble

background. (Batista came from a peasant family and only learned to read and write
when he entered the army.
 Batista was not white and would be the first non-white ruler.
 Batista appealed to pro-capitalist ideologies while not alienating communist
supporters.
 During WWII demands for Cuban sugar rose dramatically.
 Batista was required to step down in 1944 due to constitutional requirements.
Cuba 1944-1952

 When it became clear that Batista's chosen successor would not win, Batista
emigrated to the US with a large portion of the Cuban treasury.
 US diplomatic cables indicate that the goal was to leave Grau's presidency financially
strapped before it even started.
 Batista was elected to the Cuban senate in absentia in 1948.
 Barista was given approval to run for president again in 1952.
o Think about it. Why might some resent Batista's political influence? Why
might some resent the role of the US in Cuba.
 Even Grau began to limit his move toward reform and moved in favour of policies
advancing the goals of plantation owners and US corporations.
 Grau's government also engaged in the practices of corruption, etc.

Partido Ortodoxo--founded 1947

 This party was seen as an alternative to communism. The party leadership attracted
charismatic leaders such as Fidel and Raul Castro. In 1952 this party came in
second.

Election of 1952

 Batista came in a distant third.

 The founder of the Partido Ortodoxo announced on the radio that he suspected a
coup by Batista and shot himself on the air.
 In March 1952, Batista rallied members of the military who were loyal to him and did
launch a military coup.
 Batista claimed:
o Prio was planning on a coup and that this was a preventative measure.
o Promised to hold fair and free elections in 1954.
o Promised to address corruption.
o Batista enjoyed the support of the military, the police, and the secret police
(BRAC)
 In the context of the Cold War, Batista's pledge to protect business and capitalism
helped guarantee that he would have the backing of the United States. The US did
not intervene.

Resistance to Batista

 There were those--often white, educated, and middle class who wanted to resist and
were looking for a vehicle for resistence.
 Fidel Castro was charismatic and had great skills as an orator.
 Castro's message was rather simple. It was one of heroism and action.
 Castro had been drawn to the social reform message of the Partido Ortodoxo but not
its commitment to the parliamentary process.
 Castro was trained as a lawyer. He married a well to do woman whose family were
powerful in the Cuban government.
  Castro would spend some time in the US.
 Castro rejected the calls of the Partido Ortodoxo for passive resistance. Castro
advocated more direct action.

1953 Moncado Barracks

 Fidel and Raul Castro planned a coup against the Batista regime.
 With 160 young rebels--largely from the Ortodoxo youth movement--they attacked
the barracks near Santiago. (see page 66 for plan.) They would seize weapons and
their actions would galvanize other Cubans into action.
 It's not shocking that the plan did not work out that well for Castro's followers.
 Castro was imprisoned and was put on trial. This trial helped give Castro a national
stage. Castro did not deny his role. He justified his attempt to overthrow the
government based on Batista's illegal seizure of power.
 Castro delivered his famous "history will absolve me" speech.
 Castro used the opportunity to outline his vision for Cuba. It would be:
o free of corruption
o be a more open and fairer society.
o This platform helped Castro reach lower classes who had supported Batista.
 Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released shortly before the 1954
election. (Batista was the only one running in 1954 so it is not surprising that he
won.
 Batista was facing growing opposition on a number of fronts. He did not see Castro's
group as strong enough to be a significant threat. (He wouldn't be the first or last
leader to underestimate an opposition group.) Castro's Movimiento of 26 Julio was
underestimated.

Opposition to Castro grows

 By 1955, the Batista government.

 Fidel and Raul Castro flee to Mexico not long after their release. Che Guevara would
join the Castros in Mexico.
 Castro and some of his followers would return to Cuba in 1956 on an old yacht called
the gramma
 82 people went with Castro.
 Some opposition groups in Cuba argued that violent opposition should not work.

Castro Summary Sheet through 1960s

Castro Slides

Cold War Resources

Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe BBC
Sitewww.bbc.com/education/guides/zxprcdm/revision/2
 This resource includes a good timeline. Eastern Europe: Salami Tactics--Bringing Eastern
Europe under Soviet Control piece by piece

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Cold War LibGuide