The inter-war crisis 1919-1939 / R. J. Overy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Overy, R. J.

Series:

Seminar studies in history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History, Modern--20th century.

History, Modern.

Physical Description:

x, 166 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Harlow, England ; New York : Pearson Longman, 2007.

Summary:

When the world around you is crumbling and the end of civilization seems near, where do you turn? At the end of the First World War this was the crisis facing millions in the Western worlds. In this second edition of his Seminar Studies volume, Richard Overy presents the history of a civilization scrambling to save itself from looming disaster which seemed as brutal and tragic as it was unavoidable. By 1918 an entire generation across Europe felt themselves poised at a crossroads: a choice between chaos and decline on the one hand or a whole new world political and economic order on the other. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, entire populations strove to choose order over chaos by turning to the political extremes of fascism and communism. When explanation was required, blame was laid at the doors of enfeebled democracy or communist subversion or Jewish plots.

Despite the yearning for peace, war appeared inescapable - not simply a reaction to Hitler's rise to power, war was also seen by some as a welcome way out of a bankrupt and crisis-ridden age, a violent ending that would clear the stale air of the inter-war world. Areas covered include: A new chapter exploring the Intellectual, scientific and cultural response to an age of anxiety and fear, The Russian Revolution and the Great Crash of 1929, How dictatorship came to replace democracy, The irresistable slide toward a second world war.

Contents:

1 What Kind of Crisis? 3

Part 2 Analysis 13

2 Revolution and Counter-Revolution 15

The Russian Revolution 15

Exporting the Revolution 18

The Failure of Revolution 21

3 A Crisis of Modernization 25

The Challenge of Modernity 25

The Conservative Revolt 32

4 The 'End of Civilization' 38

Decline of the West 38

Science and Civilization 39

Women, Sex and Moral Decline 42

Psychoanalysis and the Modern Malaise 44

War and Civilization 46

5 The 'Great Crash': Capitalism in Crisis 48

The Causes of the Crash 48

The Effects of the Recession 52

The Search for Recovery 56

The End of Capitalism? 60

6 Democracy and Dictatorship 63

The Decline of Democracy 63

The Appeal of Dictatorship 67

The 'New Order' in Politics 71

7 The International Crisis 76

The Unsettled Peace 76

The World Crisis 80

The Slide to War 88

Part 3 Assessment 95

8 The Challenge of Progress 97

Part 4 Documents 103

Who's Who 142

Contemporary Sources, Memoirs 147

Revolution and Counter-Revolution 147

Modernization and Crisis 148

A Crisis of Civilization 149

The Inter-War Economy 150

Democracy and Dictatorship 151

The International Crisis 152

General Books 153.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-153) and index.

ISBN:

1405824689

9781405824682

OCLC:

85829773