During the interwar period, the League of Nations established by the Treaty of Versailles ultimately failed because it did not have the power to enforce its own rulings
A global depression came about as Germany struggled to pay their steep reparation requirements to the allies, United States came to dominate global production, there was rapid expansion of credit and protective taxes, and eventually the stock market crashed in 1929.
This depression led to high levels of unemployment in developed countries, banks began to fail around the world, and the Nazi party gained strength in postwar Germany as they declared Jewish citizens (initially Jewish bankers) the scapegoat for their hardships.
In the USSR, Joseph Stalin came to power. He imposed policies such as 5-year plans, collectivization of farms and industry, and his secret police force seized control of the streets. This all eventually came to a head as he intiated his “Great Purge”, a period of arbitrary killings that would come to decimate morale as well as the population in his country.
In Germany, the levels of inflation and depression hastened the weakening of their democratic government, which was established immediately following World War One. Nationalism, Nazism, and extreme anti-Semitism were rampant as Adolf Hitler quickly came to power. Germany also began their (illegal) occupation of nearby countries during this time.
Italy recognized the rise of fascism as Benito Mussolini took control, sharing his ambition to restore the “glory of Rome” to the Italian state. Italy also invaded Ethiopia during the interwar period.
Following World War One, Japan experienced rapid militarism as Hirohito and Hideki Tojo came to power. They industrialized rapidly during this period, which led to a scramble for more raw materials in their depression. Japanese forces also invaded Manchuria, the rest of China, and Korea during this time.
The United States initially flourished during the interwar period, with production and industrialization far surpassing that of the exhausted European powers. With new energy sources of oil and electricity, mass media and exciting new commodities such as the automobile, the United States enjoyed a liberal period known as the Roaring 20s. However, after the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression began, a period of economic downturn that only World War II would lift us out of.
A global depression came about as Germany struggled to pay their steep reparation requirements to the allies, United States came to dominate global production, there was rapid expansion of credit and protective taxes, and eventually the stock market crashed in 1929.
This depression led to high levels of unemployment in developed countries, banks began to fail around the world, and the Nazi party gained strength in postwar Germany as they declared Jewish citizens (initially Jewish bankers) the scapegoat for their hardships.
In the USSR, Joseph Stalin came to power. He imposed policies such as 5-year plans, collectivization of farms and industry, and his secret police force seized control of the streets. This all eventually came to a head as he intiated his “Great Purge”, a period of arbitrary killings that would come to decimate morale as well as the population in his country.
In Germany, the levels of inflation and depression hastened the weakening of their democratic government, which was established immediately following World War One. Nationalism, Nazism, and extreme anti-Semitism were rampant as Adolf Hitler quickly came to power. Germany also began their (illegal) occupation of nearby countries during this time.
Italy recognized the rise of fascism as Benito Mussolini took control, sharing his ambition to restore the “glory of Rome” to the Italian state. Italy also invaded Ethiopia during the interwar period.
Following World War One, Japan experienced rapid militarism as Hirohito and Hideki Tojo came to power. They industrialized rapidly during this period, which led to a scramble for more raw materials in their depression. Japanese forces also invaded Manchuria, the rest of China, and Korea during this time.
The United States initially flourished during the interwar period, with production and industrialization far surpassing that of the exhausted European powers. With new energy sources of oil and electricity, mass media and exciting new commodities such as the automobile, the United States enjoyed a liberal period known as the Roaring 20s. However, after the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression began, a period of economic downturn that only World War II would lift us out of.