After the First World War,many nations faced

grave difficulties. TheGreat Depression or

time of severe economic contractiononly worsened these

problems.

The Great Depression began withthe sudden and complete collapseof the New York Stock Exchange onOctober 29, 1929.

Economic troubles increasedas people around the worldlost jobs. Unemployment rates were high. Hunger and poverty increased.

In desperate times, people lookeddesperately for solutions.

But prices kept rising. Inflation was out of control. The unemployedcouldn’t afford even higher prices.

Poverty was everywhere!

Unpopular governments were blamed for the suffering of thepeople.

Germany’s Weimar Republic wasblamed for the Treaty of Versailles.

New leaders emerged in Germanyand Italy. They promised the peoplean end to their suffering and humiliation.

Fascism, a new political system,

developed. Fascist leaders

weretotalitarian

rulers. They exercised

absolute controlover the peopleand the state.

In a Fascist nation, the state hadsupreme power and the individualserved the state.

Criticism of Fascist governmentswas violently repressed.

Freedom of speech and press ceased

to exist. The Fascist

governmentcontrolled all

media outlets.

But Fascist governments promisedbetter days. Through military strength,a nation could be transformed.

Yes, hard times had fallen. But the solutions offeredby Fascistspromised glory. Yet in the end, only war and more suffering weregiven!