Introduction

Abstract

In 1929 the world economy stumbled and then fell into an unprecedented slump with profound consequences for domestic and international politics. As politicians struggled and failed to find effective answers to mass unemployment, moderates were challenged by populists both from the left and from the right of the political spectrum. In both Europe and the United States ‘bread and butter’ issues came to dominate political life. How could farmers secure a reasonable price for their produce in a world of falling prices? How could workers in cities find enough work to buy food and pay the rent? The severity of the depression also disrupted diplomatic relations, increasingly pushing countries to protect their national interest above all else through tariff discrimination, import quotas and currency depreciation. By the end of the decade the globe was divided into protected and ‘warring’ trading blocs and the sense of national and international struggle was reflected in the widespread adoption of the metaphors of war in the planning of agrarian ‘fronts’, ‘shock’ workers and recovery’ campaigns’. It was in this atmosphere of intense economic competition between nations who sometimes shared common diplomatic and strategic interests — like Britain, France and the United States — that German National Socialism, Italian Fascism and Japanese Imperialism sought to dominate.