IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : History Of Modern Europe (Mid 18th to 20th Centuries)- LIBERAL DEMOCRACY

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History Of Modern Europe Mid 18th to Mid 20th Centuries

LIBERAL DEMOCRACY

Structure

25.0 Objectives
25.1 Introduction
25.2 Background
25.3 Versalles and After
25.4 The Weimal-.Republic and Liberal Democracy
25.5 Social Struggle and Search for Stability: Britain and France
25.5.1 Britain
25.5.2 France
25.6 The Crisis of Diplomacy
25.7 The Economic Crisis
25.8 Untlcrstanding the 1920s
25.9 Let Us Sum Up
25.10 Answcrs to Check Your Progress Exercises

25.0 OBJECTIVES

This is thc first Unit of this Block. It discusses thc spccificity of the period between the end
ol' thc first world war and the economic crisis of 1929. After reading this Unit you will
understand :

• the natusc of the new regimes in countries like Britain, France and Germany in this period;
• the nature of the crisis that gripped the wholc of Europe in this period;
• the factors that led to the economic depression 01' 1929; and
• how the developments of the 1920s shaped the political happenings in the 1930s and even later.

25.1 INTRODUCTION

If you were to study and comparc the Europe of the 19th century with that of the 1820s, you
i would I'ind l'unda~nental changes between the Iwo periods. This was s.0 because the first world
1 war ant1 the subsequent developments in thc field oi' economy and diplomatic relations
1 tl;tnsforn~cd the Europe of the 20th century beyond recognition. This Unit discusses the nature
j d changes that occu~red in Europe in the 1920s and their impact on the history of thc subsequent
i period. In particular it focuses on the nature of the liberal dc~nocratic regimes which functioned
in Britain, Francc and Germany. It also informs you ahout the crisis in economy and politics
which l'undamenlally affected the course of events in Europe.

25.2 BACKGROUND

'The historian and critic Eric Hobsbaw~n once referred to tlie period 19 14- 1945 as the Thirty
Years War. Hobsbawm was speaking of the unresolved crisis of Europe after the First World
War, thus resulting in the cataslrophe of fascism and World War II. The inter-war period may
be seen as attempt by various regimcs to overcome thc crisis, with various solutions being
poscd ranging from radical revolutions on the Lcft and fascism-on the Right.
What about liberal democracy? Liberal Democracy also emerged from World War I beset with
thc scnse of crisis. Various factors contributed to this. The brutality and savagery of the war.
ant1 the mobilizatin, privation and dislocation all over Europe had led to a considerable

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