European interwar economy
The European interwar economy (the period between the First and Second World War, also known as the interbellum) began when the countries in Western Europe were struggling to recover from the devastation caused by the First World War, while also dealing with economic depression and the rise of fascism. Economic prosperity in the United States during the first half of the period was brought to an end with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929.

In 1919 a new democracy was formed in a German town known as the Weimar Republic. This new government was thought to be doomed from the start and after the hyperinflation of 1923, “money became so worthless that children could play with stacks of it.” Despite civil unrest in Germany and elsewhere in Western Europe, there was still hope that world peace could be maintained. This hope was all but lost after Adolf Hitler came to power in January 1933.

The years following consisted of a string of international crises, including: Hitler's disregard of the Treaty of Versailles by reintroducing compulsory military service in Germany and sending troops to demilitarized zones in Rhineland, Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in October, 1935, the Spanish Civil War in the summer of 1936, and Japan’s invasion of northern China in 1936. These events climaxed with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, as Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later effectively ending the interwar period.
Q362
Second World War
EVE
Q154611
interbellum
Concept
Q361
First World War
EVE
Q6223
fascism
Concept
Q30
United States
LOC
Q8698
Great Depression
Concept
Q41304
Weimar Republic
Concept
Q185565
hyperinflation
Concept
Q183
Germany
LOC
Q352
Adolf Hitler
PER
Q8736
Treaty of Versailles
MEDIA
Q152243
Rhineland
LOC
Q38
Italy
LOC
Q115
Abyssinia
LOC
Q10859
Spanish Civil War
EVE
Q17
Japan
LOC
Q148
China
LOC
Q36
Poland
LOC
Q145
Britain
LOC
Q142
France
LOC
Q48770540
European interwar economy
UNK
1929-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1929
DATE
1919-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1919
DATE
1923-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1923
DATE
1933-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
January 1933
DATE
1935-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1935
DATE
1936-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1936
DATE
1936-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1936
DATE
1939-09-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
September 1939
DATE
follows
follows
country
signatory