INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION
Janine Douglas
CHST 504
Professor Kasprzak
16 July, 2015 The First World War rocked the world into a modern era of warfare and diplomacy. The twentieth century had started with a literal bang, that scarred the world with the amount of devastation they had not known they were capable of. This would be the beginning of a few decades that would be tumultuous - to say the least - for Europe. Close on the heels of the First World War came the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and the 1930s would come to be known as an era of economic depression, fractured international relationships, appeasement, and totalitarian governments that would rise up and cause devastation that would echo into the next century. International relationships during the 1930s were greatly affected by the consequences of the First World War, as well as the economic downfall of the Great Depression. Europe following the First World War was like an injured dog , retreating with its tail between its legs to lick its wounds. The devastation of the First World War caused most European countries to isolate themselves in their own failing economies, in an attempt to rehabilitate after the destruction of the war. The 1920s saw demilitarization in Britain, France, America, Germany, and most every country. The aim, here was to forget the horror that the world had just gone through, and to ensure that it did not happen again. However, despite having signed the
. World War I had a huge impact still on many people in the 1920’s the writers and philosophers would accept question and ideas about the progress. Many people would have fear that their future would be in trouble about there traditional religious belief. Some of the writers and thinkers were exposed to the anxieties by thinking about the future and what it may hold for them. There was one major man who would be very important his name was T.S. Eliot he would be a major American poet he would live in England, he would have many writings and one of his most famous was The Western society had lost their way in spiritual values. He would be around of the post war and he would barren a “wasteland” drained of hope and the faith of them. There
In the book, America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience, Robert H. Zieger discusses the events between 1914 through 1920 forever defined the United States in the Twentieth Century. When conflict broke out in Europe in 1914, the President, Woodrow Wilson, along with the American people wished to remain neutral. In the beginning of the Twentieth Century United States politics was still based on the “isolationism” ideals of the previous century. The United States did not wish to be involved in European politics or world matters. The U.S. goal was to expand trade and commerce throughout the world and protect the borders of North America.
World War I devastated Europe and brought unprecedented human suffering. There were more than 38 million military and civilian casualties: 17 million deaths and over 20 million wounded, and a toll of $186 billion in direct costs, and an $151 billion in indirect costs. [1] The allied powers negotiated the Treaty of Versailles, which officially brought the war to end in June of 1919, with very limited participation by Germany. The provisions of the treaty primarily blamed Germany for the war, and imposed unreasonable terms that were responsible for German expansion, hyperinflation, and economic downfall, and eventually led directly to World War II. [2]
Impact of Great Depression on International Relations in the 1930s In the early 1920s the Great Depression hit. The chaos caused by the First World War was the main reason for the Great Depression. The USA had lent large amounts of money to other countries to help with their damages from the war. The loans that the USA made helped the countries to recover trade.
The journal article begins by introducing an African American couple who resided in Russellville, Kentucky. James Wright held an occupation as a corn cutter while his wife Gladys worked as a cook in a white home. The time span of their journey occurred at the beginning of the great depression all the way through World War II. Seeking better employment opportunities, James traveled to Louisville. Although, his first couple trips were in vain. His resilience and determination eventually lead to a job working for International Harvester. During an era of many trials and tribulations, James found a way to support himself and his family by migrating from a rural to an urban area. By sharing this anecdote the author establishes a mood of hardship
The 1930s were a difficult time for most Americans. Faced with colossal economic hardships—unprecedented in American history—many Americans turned inward to focus on the worsening situation at home. The United States became increasingly insensitive to the obliteration of fellow democracies at the hands of brutal fascist leaders like Hitler and Mussolini. The U.S. was determined to stay out of war at all costs—even if its allies were in trouble; Americans believed that they were immune from Europe’s problems as long as they refused to get involved. However, as the “free” countries fell, one by one, to the Nazi war machine, Americans began to realize the folly of their foolish optimism and clamored for increasing involvement in foreign
After the deaths of 37,508,686 soldiers by the end of World War I, Europe was a mess. Countries had been dissolved and rearranged, governments had fallen and been replaced, and economies were thriving then crashing, all as a result from World War I. One of the main goals at the end of World War I was to prevent another tragedy like World War I from happening again. Clearly that did not happen, as World War II still happened, causing over 50 million deaths. The repercussions of World War I caused World War II due to radical ideology, bad economic conditions, and nationalism to the point of extremity.
The fallout after the World War 1 and the Great Depression saw the emergence of a literary preoccupation with the idea of fragmentation, and a 'cubist application ' to literature as a means of representing the 20th Century 'modern ' reality. Authors, poets, artists etc saw; cubism, expressionism and fragmentation as the best vehicles to depict the incomplete, broken lives of their subjects. With both modern and post modern literature making a conscious break away from previous realism, 20thC literature employed and explored subjectivism, whereby the author turned from the typical external reality to the inner consciousness of a character or subject, to reflect a motif/ theme as a whole. Modernist literature did so by exploring fragmentation in terms of narrative, how a character was constructed, the formation of passages and chapters, and how events unfolded. This typically surmounted to the creation of a sense of a chaotic universe, metaphysically unfounded, laced with the subconscious fears of characters and notions of alienation.
The Roaring Twenties started in North America and spread to Europe as the effects of World War I diminished. In Europe, the years following the First World War (1919-1923) were marked by a deep recession. Europe spent these years in rebuilding and coming to terms with the vast human cost of the conflict. Unlike in the aftermath of World War II, the United States did little to try to rebuild Europe. Instead, it took an increasingly isolationist stance (Answers, 2006).
While other post war countries struggled, the United States was booming with prosperity in the “roaring twenties”. The unexpected economic collapse led to both financial and political repercussions. Prior to these events, the international economy was already unstable. When the stock market crashed, American businessmen pulled out of overseas investments. Sparked by the Great Depression and the sudden lack of production, world trade experienced a dramatic decline. Without supply and
Cecchetti, Stephen G. "Understanding the Great Depression: Lessons for Current Policy ." Monetary Economics (1997): 1-26.
From 1929 to 1945, two catastrophes occurred: the Great Depression and World War II. American political leaders established a cause-effect relationship between economic collapse and total war, based on these two events, which defined their policy approach in the post-war period. In the 1930s, American leadership, and most importantly, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, came to view economic decline, political radicalization, and instability as forming a vicious cycle that led to utter chaos and war. Although FDR did not know the future consequences of the economic fallout, he did know that breaking the cycle was of systemic importance. FDR’s policy platform, known as the New Deal, disregarded the historical wariness for government intervention and boldly connected economic security to freedom. Essentially, he attempted to push the American system to its limit in order to save it. Even with conservative elements constantly attempting to restrain his initiatives, FDR expanded his focus in the latter years of the 1930s to include international affairs as war broke out in Europe, Africa, and Asia. FDR and other government elites openly talked about the responsibility America had to build a new world order.
How much of an influence was the Great Depression on international peace in the period of 1929-36? The Great Depression has always been a subject of interest and criticism among historians. The aim of my Internal Assessment is to find out the extent of the impact that the Great Depression on international peace in the period of 1929-36. I will research my investigation in some of the many books published about the Great Depression, and also including various Internet sources. In B, I will describe the origins of the Great Depression, write a brief account of each involved country’s strengths and weaknesses, and note the key events that took place. I will analyze my findings in D and come to a conclusion
After the Great War (1914-1919) came the “Roaring Twenties” followed by the Great Depression (1929-1939). After World War I America experienced the greatest economic growth in its history. Its economic expansion was due to how undamaged it was after the war. It became the richest country in the world at that time. The people enjoyed life as it were back then until the US experienced the largest economic downturn in history when the Stock Market crashed on 29th October 1929. It began in the summer months of 1929 when the US economy began experiencing a small recession where consumers began spending less and unsold goods began piling up, thereby slowing down production. While this was happening stock prices continues to rise reaching levels that could not be justified by anticipated potential earnings. This occurred for a few months until October 24th 1929 when the stock market crashed and America faced the Great Depression a few days after on October 29th 1929 . So what were the contributing factors of the Great Depression? These include:
It can be argued convincingly that the United States emerged from World War I as the world superpower because of U.S intervention and President Woodrow Wilson’s diplomatic leadership. America had now become the ‘saviour of Europe.’ The United States left World War I with a major confidence boost. The war resulted in the death of empires, the birth of nations and in national boundaries being redrawn around the world. It ushered in prosperity for some countries while it brought economic depression to others. It influenced literature, changed culture and politics; social and economic climate was also impacted.