1st Edition

Studies in the Interwar European Economy

By Derek H. Aldcroft Copyright 1997
    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    First published in 1997, this book analyses some of the key economic issues facing Europe in the interwar period, against the uncertain international, political and economic background of the time. Among the subjects discussed are the legacy of the peace settlements, inflation, trade and reconstruction, international lending, depression and recovery, the position of Eastern and Central Europe, and the progress of the peripheral nations.

    The book contends that the peace treaties raised more problems than they solved, while the policy mistakes of the Allied powers after the First World War, and their failure to devise an adequate programme of economic and financial reconstruction, weakened the already divided continent, contributing to its disintegration.

    Contents: The Legacy of the Versailles Settlement; Postwar Instability in the European Economy; Inflation, Currency Depreciation and Reconstruction in Europe; The Decline of Europe: Trade and Reconstruction in the 1920s; International Lending, Debtor Countries and the Great Depression; Europe in depression; Coping with Depression in Eastern Europe; Europe’s Third World? The Peripheral Nations in the Interwar Period; Index.

    Biography

    Derek H. Aldcroft

    ’...the book will be welcomed as a mine of information, a well-balanced summary of controversies, and a helpful guide to the vast literature on one of the decisive phases of modern world history.’ International History Review, Vol. XX, No. 4 '... this volume provides a wealth of information about the economic struggles of Europe between the two world wars... Yet the wealth of detail is combined with very readable prose, making this volume useful for post-secondary students and professionals alike. ... the author successfully integrates the essays into a strong volme that is a welcome addition to the history of interwar Europe.' Canadian Slavonic Papers