Abstract
The collapse of the international system (the concert of Europe) that managed competing European imperial interests ushered in an era of uncertainty and extremely violent imperial conflicts. This had catastrophic consequences for both elites and non-elites in Europe and the rest of the world. This chapter is broadly divided into three parts. The first part deals with the period leading up to World War I. This is followed by a discussion of the Bolshevik Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union. Finally, the chapter ends with the audit of the World War II history (which is effectively a continuation of World War I). Key military and political events leading up to World War II are analysed. The toxic ethno-nationalist ideology of German exceptionalism as promoted by the National Socialists is examined. Key economic events such as the great depression and the role of the financial elites are also discussed in this context.
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Bhattacharyya, S. (2020). Expansionism, Russian Revolution, and the Two World Wars. In: A History of Global Capitalism. Frontiers in Economic History. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58736-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58736-9_7
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