The European Economy Between the Wars

Book excerpt: The European Economy Between the Wars provides a full and up-to-date economic history of Europe in the inter-war period. The authors place the Great Depression of 1929-33 and the associated financial crisis at the centre of the narrative, and present these as both the culmination of the economic consequences of the First World War, the post-war peace treaties, and the policies and practices of the 1920s, and as a powerful influence on the subsequent economic history of the 1930s. Indescribing and explaining these developments, the authors show that errors in international economic policy, especially the commitment to the gold standard, were a principal cause of both the deep crisis and the partial recovery. The overall theme is illustrated at every point by a discussion of similarities and contrasts in the economic history and policies of individual countries, large and small. The basic approach is chronological, the style is clear and straightforward, and the book is accessible to students in a range of disciplines. The work takes full account of recent research, and there is an annotated guide to further reading with a substantial bibliography.