The Interwar Years, 1919-1939

The Interwar Years (1919-1939)

General Overview

• Rabindranath Tagore's Reflection (1917): Tagore highlights moral decline in the West due to the focus on efficiency, questioning the suffering brought by World War I.
• Post-War Impact: Aftermath of WWI led to disillusionment in Europe, where the war shattered faith in reason, progress, and market-based economies.
• Economic Collapse: The global economic downturn exacerbated by the Great Depression forced many individuals to rely on their governments for help.
• Shifts in Governance: Increased government intervention in economies; liberal policies in the US versus radical right-wing movements in Germany, Italy, and Japan.
• Colonized Regions' Aspirations: Colonized nations saw a chance for independence amidst European weakness; rise in nationalist movements.

The Great Depression

• Economic Consequences: The aftermath of WWI led to widespread economic hardship; defeated countries particularly struggled.
• Inflation in Germany: Postwar reparations led to hyperinflation as Germany printed more money, crippling its economy.
• Global Downturn: Factors such as overproduction and the 1929 US stock market crash led to global recession, deeply affecting Europe and the economies of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• Keynesian Economic Theory: John Maynard Keynes advocated for government intervention (deficit spending) to stimulate growth and end depressions.
  • New Deal: FDR's policies in the US were influenced by these ideas, aiming for relief, recovery, and reform but faced setbacks leading into World War II.

Effects on Trade and Economic Policy

• Global Trade Decline: International trade dropped significantly; countries resorted to tariffs, worsening economic conditions.
• Japan's Rapid Recovery: Through currency devaluation and military expansion, Japan recovered relatively quickly compared to other nations.

Rise of Right-Wing Governments

• Fascism Emergence: Fascism represented extreme nationalism, militarism, and suppression of dissent.
  • Italy Under Mussolini: Characterized by corporatism, Mussolini's regime enacted oppressive policies and imperialist ambitions, including the invasion of Abyssinia.

Rise of Nazism

• Germany's Political Shift: The Weimar Republic struggled to maintain stability; economic woes led to the rise of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis).
• Hitler's Takeover: Legal rising to power through manipulation, consolidation of power by outlawing opposition; used propaganda to promote ultra-nationalism and anti-Semitism.
  • Nuremberg Laws (1935): Institutionalized discrimination against Jews, setting the stage for severe persecution.
  • Kristallnacht (1938): State-sponsored riots against Jews, marking a significant escalation in anti-Jewish violence.

Social and Cultural Shifts

• 1936 Berlin Olympics: Used as propaganda; whitewashed the Nazi regime and showcased Aryan superiority in sports, while Jesse Owens challenged notions of racial supremacy by winning medals.

Spain's Civil War (1936-1939)

• Political Turmoil: The Spanish Civil War arose from tensions between conservative and leftist factions, leading to Franco's dictatorship.
  • Foreign Involvement: International community engaged, with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supporting Franco, while Soviet volunteers aided the Republicans.
• Guernica Bombing: Aerial bombing that aimed at civilians, highlighting the cruel reality of modern warfare; immortalized in Picasso's famous painting.

Political Revolutions in Latin America

• Brazil Under Vargas: Discontent led to Vargas's rise; while promoting industrialization, he also imposed authoritarian measures similar to European fascism.
• Political Landscape Shift: Brazil adopted a more liberal stance by siding with the Allies in WWII, despite domestic repression.

Continuing Revolution in Russia

• Bolshevik Reforms: The Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917 initiated a Communist regime aiming for collective ownership and prosperity, influencing other revolutionary movements worldwide.
  • Economic Policies: Abolition of private trade, state control over means of production as central tenets of the Soviet communist vision.