The Global 1920s : Politics, economics and society

The Global 1920s examines the critical changes and conditions that prevailed from roughly 1919 to 1930. In the course of a single decade, Western powers went from a position of largely unprecedented prosperity and power to the deepest economic depression. This boom-and-bust cycle played out only years after the conclusion of a catastrophic world war that redrew the map for hundreds of millions of people across the world.

By considering the political, economic, social and cultural developments of the 1920s on a truly global scale, this exciting new resource for students of the interwar period asks new questions about the global connections that were so significant across the 1920s.

The 1920s is often recognised as a decade of fascism, flappers and film. Covering the political, economic and social developments of the 1920s throughout the world, The Global 1920s takes an international and cross-cultural perspective on the critical changes and conditions that prevailed from roughly 1919 to 1930.

With twelve chapters on themes including international diplomacy and the imperial powers, film and music, art and literature, women and society, democracy, fascism, and science and technology, this book explores both the ‘big’ questions of capitalism, class and communism on the one hand and the everyday experience of citizens around the globe on the other. Utilising archival sources throughout, it concludes with an extensive discussion of the circumstances surrounding the 1929 stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression, the effects of which were felt worldwide.

Covering topics from the oil boom in South America to the start of civil war in China, employment advances and setbacks for women across the globe, and the advent of radio and air travel, the authors provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of this turbulent decade. Containing illustrations and a selection of discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book is valuable reading for students of the 1920s in global history.