The Interwar World

Description

The Interwar World collects an international group of over 50 contributors to discuss, analyze, and interpret this crucial period in twentieth-century history. A comprehensive understanding of the interwar era has been limited by Euro-American approaches and strict adherence to the temporal limits of the world wars. The volume’s contributors challenge the era’s accepted temporal and geographic framings by privileging global processes and interactions. Each contribution takes a global, thematic approach, integrating world regions into a shared narrative. Three central questions frame the chapters. First, when was the interwar? Viewed globally, the years 1918 and 1939 are arbitrary limits, and the volume explicitly engages with the artificiality of the temporal framework while closely examining the specific dynamics of the 1920s and 1930s. Second, where was the interwar? Contributors use global history methodologies and training in varied world regions to decenter Euro-American frameworks, engaging directly with the usefulness of the interwar as both an era and an analytical category. Third, how global was the interwar? Authors trace accelerating connections in areas such as public health and mass culture counterbalanced by processes of economic protectionism, exclusive nationalism, and limits to migration. By approaching the era thematically, the volume disaggregates and interrogates the meaning of the ‘global’ in this era. As a comprehensive guide, this volume offers overviews of key themes of the interwar period for undergraduates, while offering up-to-date historiographical insights for postgraduates and scholars interested in this pivotal period in global history. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Graphs List of Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Structures 1 Environment 2 Population and Demographics 3 Energy 4 Technology and Infrastructure 5 Health 6 Mass Culture Part II: Institutions 7 War and Revolution 8 Violence and Genocide 9 The State 10 Political Regimes 11 International Relations and Diplomacy 12 Global Institutions 13 Nongovernmental Organizations and Philanthropies Part III: Identity and Ways of Life 14 Gender and Sexuality 15 Race and Ethnicity 16 The Middle Classes 17 Religion and Spirituality 18 The Urban 19 The Rural Part IV: Knowledge and Information 20 Communications and Media 21 Humanities 22 Social Sciences 23 International Law 24 Architecture 25 Natural Sciences Part V: Ideologies and Practices 26 Capitalism 27 Communism 28 Fascism 29 Nationalism 30 Pan-Movements 31 Imperialism 32 Anticolonialism and Anti-Imperialism 33 Women’s Rights and Feminism Part VI: Trade and Production 34 Economic Plans 35 Global Trade and Protectionism 36 Industry 37 Agriculture 38 The Great Depression Epilogue Index