Totalitarianism Before the Great Depression

IRA Revolts Against Britain On Easter 1916, Irish nationalists launched a revolt gathering power against Britain, in order to try and get Ireland self rule. Britain again failed to grant home rule in The Irish Republican Army (IRA) began to enter into tactics of Guerrila warfare. North Ireland would continue to remain under British rule, but Southern Ireland would become independent in 1922.

Britain's Political Struggles In Britian, during the 1920s the Labour Party surpassed the Liberal Party in strength. The Labour Party had promoted a general move to socialism The Liberal Party had supported middle class ideals As a result, the Conservative party grew as the Liberal Party faltered. In 1926 the Conservatives passed legislation limiting the power of workers to strike.

France France after the "Great War" built massive fortifications along its border known as the Maginot Line. France strengthened its military, and sought many alliances including with the Soviet Union. France, insisted on strict enforcement on the Treaty of Versailles in order to strengthen their country while weakening Germany for good. Britain wished to relax the treaty's harsh enforcement, fearing that the USSR or France would become to powerful

America America left the war well off, but with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, a "red scare" (Communist scare) emerged in 1919 and Foreign suspected radicals were rounded up and expelled, and laws were established limiting imigration (earlier laws already excluded or limited Chinese and Japanese immigration).

Treaties signed in Locarno, Switzerland In 1925, a series of treaties were signed in Lorcarno, Switzerland. In majority, they covered disputed borders with France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.

Kellogg- Briand Pact The Kellogg- Briand Pact, "renounced war as an instrument of national policy." This invoked a period of disarment, in which there was a reduction of armed forces and weapons. The United States, Britain, France, Japan, and other Nations signed treaties reducing their navy's size (never the army's size)

The League of Nations In 1926, Germany joined the League of Nations, and later the Soviet Union. The League had limited power over the newly formed war ban. The league had not interfered with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, due to the same lack of power to enforce.

World Economies Before the Great Depression Britain in the 1920s was in great debt, factories were out of date, and a general strike of 3 million workers lasted 9 days. France's economy recovered rapidly, due to reparations and territories gained from Germany. The United States economy was booming, and in the affluent 1920s; the American economy had prospered due to capitalism.

Events Leading up to the Great Depression Overproduction occured because the production of good had exceeded the need for them. Raw materials and agriculture prices had rised during the war, but dwindled afterwords. Due to the fact raw material producers earned less, they started to buy less.