The 1930’s: A new Imperial age?
Crowds meet German forces after the annexation of Austria, 15 March 1938.
The 1930s were a decade of heightened tensions as the world moved inexorably towards a Second World War. Much of the tension stemmed from the nations that would make up the Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan – as they began building empires to rival those of Britain and France.
The global financial crisis of 1929-32 opened the door these nations, as Britain and France fell into economic isolation and the United States withdrew from the global economy. The ultra-nationalist leadership of Germany, Italy and Japan realised the West did not have the resources or the will to intervene, and each began to expand their living space, what the Germans called Lebensraum.
Professor Richard Overy examines the rise of Germany, Italy and Japan’s empires and looks at how, by the end of the Second World War, the ideals of global empire had been shattered.
To read Richard’s article, you can purchase your copy of Wartime 100 here: