Look at me now
The West in the 20th Century Introduction The three decades after World War I were a time of prolonged political, economic, and cultural crisis for Western civilization. After 1945, new sources of dynamism produced a new West. Despite economic challenges from Asia and the end of colonialism, the West's position in the twentieth century has slipped only relatively. The Disarray in the West, 1914-1945 Introduction The economic and demographic devastation of World War I unsettled Western Europe. Central Europe lost its traditional structure with the collapse of the German and Austrian empires. The Roaring 20's A period of apparent peace reduced internal political tensions in Europe during the early 1920s. Extremist groups on the right and left, which had appeared in the aftermath of World War I, seemed to lose popularity by the middle years of the decade. Industrialization boomed on the back of growing consumer demand. Cultural creativity during the 1920s resulted in new artistic styles and the growing popularity of the moving picture. Women across Europe and in the United States gained the right to vote and other social liberties. The Impact of the Depression With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, the buoyant optimism of the 1920s disappeared. Western governments raised tariffs, which weakened trade and dampened the economy further. Political radicalism once again became a popular solution to government inadequacy in dealing with depression. In Scandinavia and the United States, governments chose to intervene more actively in the economy with generally positive results. The price was a more powerful national government. In most cases, however, parliamentary forms of government were weakened. In France, a Popular Front government dominated by socialist groups won the election in 1936. Opposed by more conservative groups, the Popular Front was unable to enact effective policy. The Challenge of Fascism In Germany, the depression was a contributing factor to the rise of a fascist regime. Fascists offered solutions to political weakness and economic dislocation through a strongly centralized state with a vigorous foreign policy. They attacked socialist groups, including labor. The first fascist government took power in Italy in 1922. The rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany made fascism a major force. Middle- class and conservative groups were drawn to Hitler's assault on the left and accepted his condemnation of the Jews. The promise of conquest gave Hitler the largest electoral vote in 1932 and led to his legal accession to power in 1933. Once in power, Hitler dismantled parliamentary government and established a totalitarian state. The government invaded all aspects of the economy and culture. Hitler's extreme nationalism was combined with his genocidal hatred of the Jews. After 1940, Hitler's policies created the Holocaust, in which six million Jews died. Hitler's constitutional revisions were intended to create the necessary war machine that would catapult Germany into control of Europe. His war effort began in 1939. After World War II: International Setting for the West Introduction World War II devastated Europe in the same fashion as World War I. With the creation of a bipolar world divided between the United States and the Soviet Union, Europe seemed to diminish in power. Despite its decline, Europe was able to recover significantly in the decades after the war. Europe and Its Colonies It became obvious to European powers after World War II that colonies could only be maintained at great expense.