Post-World War I Recovery: Crash Course European History #36

In which John Green looks at Europe's attempts to recover from the devastation of World War I and forge a lasting peace. The peace did not last. Today we're talking about the economic cultural recovery of the 1920s, and the economic depression of the 1930s, and the fragile state of Europe after the Great War. We'll also look at the rise of fascism via the auspices of populist leaders like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and we'll set the stage for the war to come.

Sources
-Smith, Bonnie G. Europe in the Contemporary World since 1900, 2nd ed. London: Bloomsbury, 2020.

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[Zakiriel]

Mussolini looks like he just realized that was not just a fart...

[iammrbeat]

A four-day work week platform is what I am running on when I run for office some day.

[GrassesOn]

“... but this isn’t crash course on the history of sports... yet....”

That, my children, is what we call in the industry: foreshadowing

[ruelarila]

"Outsiders are not the problem. The urge to create outsiders is the problem."

Oof. Tell me why that sounds ominous.

[Theturtleowl]

My great-grandfather was a veteran of WWI on the German side. He had a lot of things that are talked about in this video, he (most likely) had shell shock, which drove him to alcoholism. He was not always a good father, beating his children, especially his sons, with a belt. He had a bullet stuck in his leg from WWI, so he could never use that leg again. He did have a job however, being a tram driver.
But, as my grandmother and her sisters have told me, he hated Hitler. He had seen war and hated everything to do with it. It became normal to have a picture of Hitler in your household, but he is supposed to have said: 'That man will not enter this house! Not even if he'd stop by himself!' I just want to say with this, that there were also veterans who were tired of war and tired of Hitler.

[sarahkendle]

My great grandfather survived the entire duration of the war and had experienced so much on the many battlefields he fought on (he served in Mesopotamia, Egypt and France), he caught malaria, got torpedoed and then lost a lung due to mustard gas in the trenches. Yet when he returned back home to Croydon, England the world he had left was not the same to the one he returned to and for the majority of the 1920s and 1930s he worked in so many random jobs just so that he could support his family. I think a big misconception about the 1920s is that it was roaring, but for the normal person on the street, especially in Europe, it wasn't - they didn't have time to party much as they had nations and lives to rebuild.

[Pfhorrest]

As someone who has for most of my life defined my identity in part by being "not into sports", I'm surprisingly excited about the idea of a Crash Course History of Sports, especially if it's more stuff along the lines of that relationship between sports and war.

[KatyVaughanArt]

Studying the politics and economic struggles of the Weimar Republic and how that was reflected in cultural output was my favourite part of my PhD. Also the use of technology in opera was pretty cool!

[boreasreal]

It's terrifying how many of the circumstances that lead to the rise of extremist powers in the early 20th century are still an issue today. Especially the last 3rd of the episode made me realize this.

[Filip_emo_music]

When you’ve only seen the US history series and John looks a lot older

[luisguillermojg]

About sports (soccer, really): There's a quote that goes something like "football was the invention that allowed Europeans to keeping waging war without destroying each other". I think about that a lot.

And I forgot who said it but I'm damn sure they were European.

[no_more_free_nicks]

This series taught me more about my history than all those years in school.

[RhymesWithSpark]

A LOT of this sounds like I could be hearing it on tonight's news... 🤔

[margaqrt]

Quite a spanning overview into the interwar years. A great blending of social, cultural narrative with context of big developments and big leaders.

Thank you Mr. Green, I enjoyed this.

[jooleebilly]

3:53 John says “y’all” and I love that so much.

[ZetaFuzzMachine]

You really bring the right thing into focus, it makes me feel smart relating yesteryear with right now

[trevinbeattie]

John, I'm not into spectator sports myself, but I really admire your dedication and support for AFC Wimbledon and I enjoy hearing your reports on it in Dear Hank & John.

[beoweasel]

@4:27 "One thing you may not know this about me: I sponsor a third-tier English soccer team, AFC Wimbledon"
Unless, of course, you listen to his Dear Hank and John Podcast (or as he prefers, Dear John and Hank), in which that's generally the first words out of his mouth. :D

[nerdmouth]

I watch u all the time In school you are so helpful and you have made my life so much easier. Thank you

[cryptan]

9:44 I walked past that statue of Bismarck in the Tiergarten last year. Amazing how different it looks without the trees surrounding the area, but it HAS been a hundred years.