The Great Depression Causes and Consequences

• The country which suffered the largest rise in unemployment was the USA
• The 3 countries which exported mainly agricultural products were Brazil (fruit, coffee etc.) Argentina (Beef etc.) and Cuba (tobacco etc.)
• Countries which suffered a greater decline In imports than in exports was Germany because the exports were over 25%, imports were over 50%. they were selling more but getting less.
• The countries who were suffering the most from the effects of war debts were Austria, France, Britain, Italy and Germany.
• Nation's were reluctant to use the League's most powerful weapon of economic sanctions because of the fact that they didn't want Japan to leave the League because it would affect trade on imports and exports. They didn't want to risk any trade loss

• The first and second world wars were the two global catastrophes in the 20th Century
• The chances of the League in 1933 keeping the peace through collective security were low, because most countries in the League had suffered greatly

1914-18 (War)

1920s (Economic Recovery & International Relations Improve)

1929 (Wall Street Crash)

 1929 - 34 (Depression)              

                 1. Agricultural prices fall over/ dramatic decline               

                 2. World trade falls by 70%                      

                 3. US banks recall money lent to Europe                   

                 4. Unemployment leaps 

Countries reacted in various ways to the Depression

International relations suffer

 Germany:

• Mass unemployment
• Nazis come to power
• German rearmament speeded up

With other countries worried about their problems at home, here was the chance to tear up the Treaty of Versailles and retake lost territory

Japan:

• Economic problems strengthened by the army which wanted to find new markets and raw materials by invading neighbours
• Invading China would upset the League of Nations, but what could the League do? Europe was a long way away

Italy:

• Mussolini wanted to distract attention from economic problems by enlarging the Italian empire in Africa
• Invading Abyssinia, anindependant African country would upset the League and could mean the loss of Britain and France as allies, although there was always Germany to ally with

USA:

• Retreated further into isolation
• The most powerful country in the world turned its back on international problems and concentrated on rebuilding its economy

Britain:

• Concentrated on economic problems at home
• Doesn't rearm
• Relations with other democracies suffered and this country wanted to work with its great Empire and avoid conflict which might threaten its Empire

France:

• International political problems made France delay rearmament
• Unemployment caused this country to delay rearmament, but when the threat from its neighbour increased t built a massive line of forts along its border

USSR:

• The depression had little effect on Russia which had few trade links with the rest of the world
• The collapse of world trade suggested that capitalism was wrong and communism was right, so this country was even more suspicious of capitalist countries