Europe between Wars essays

Europe between Wars essays In this compelling account of Europe between the wars, Martin Kitchen outlines the intensifying crisis by looking at the peace settlement, followed by the economic and social troubles of the interwar period. Many of Martins books relate to the wars fought in the twentieth century, from World War I to the origins of the cold war. Europe between the wars starts off with a solid background of how the peace movements took place in the early 1900s followed by Martins profound discussions of the economic repercussions. Later in the book, he discusses the situation in France and Eastern Europe and concludes his book with a chapter on the origins of the Second World War. President Woodrow Wilsons peace movements were seen as sparkling to some while others, including Martin, referred to his fourteen points as vague, impractical and largely unacceptable to his allies. But later in the book he suggests that Wilsons fourteen points were not properly studied and his views and speeches were ignored by the majority. The author then points out the Sykes-Picot Agreement, in which Syria was to go to France and Palestine to Britain. The situation was further complicated by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which accepted the Zionist demand for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Even though the book was written in 1988, there was much tension going on in the Israeli occupied areas at that time. Martin does not discuss the background and the eventuality of the treaties in full as these conflicts in the West Bank are key concerns in todays politics. The most absorbing and enthralling chapter of the book is the one that discusses the post war economic situation in Europe. Martin has elaborated the situation by giving facts and statistical figures that include almost every economic aspect and terms used in the modern world. From unemployment to inflation, exchange ...