A Low, Dishonest Decade: The Great Powers, Eastern Europe and the Economic Origins of World War IIAlmost all written histories of the period leading up to World War II stress political, diplomatic, and ideological conflicts. Arguing that previous historians have confused effect for cause and have considered these conflicts without reference to the systemic problems that provoked them. Paul Hehn focuses on the fierce rivalries among the Great Powers in the relentless search for markets during the world depression of the 1930s. These rivalries were exacerbated particularly in southeastern Europe where Germany dominated the economies and trade arenas of its neighbors in a semi-colonial manner. In A Low Dishonest Decade, Hehn surveys the five Major Powers and all the Eastern European countries from the Baltic to Turkey. But he primarily canvases the economic situations in strategic locations like Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. > |
Contents
Italy the Powers and Eastern Europe 19181939 Mussolini | 42 |
French or German | 62 |
Nazi Germanys Imperialist | 99 |
Grossraumwirtschaft Lebensraum | 118 |
Trade Rivalries in the 1930s The Foreign Office Debate | 158 |
German Moderates | 180 |
On the Eve German Raw Material Shortages No Butter | 204 |
Germany Seeks New Markets and Some Old Ones | 248 |
Keeping the Pot Boiling in Eastern Europe AngloRomanian | 325 |
The Period of Retarded German Hegemony in Southeastern | 341 |
Prince Paul the Man in the Cage with the Tiger | 368 |
Conclusion | 394 |
A Postscript | 405 |
Bibliography | 465 |
| 486 | |
List of Tables | 494 |
The Second Phase of Nazi Attempts to Dominate Eastern Europe | 269 |
The Great Power Struggle for Hegemony in Southeastern Europe | 288 |
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Common terms and phrases
agreement alliance Ambassador American Anschluss Appeasement armaments attack Austria Axis Balkan Balkan Pact Bank Beck Belgrade believed Berlin Britain British British and French British Foreign Bulgaria cabinet Campbell capital Chamberlain Ciano colonies concessions countries crisis Croatian Croats currency Cvetković Czech Czechoslovakia demands DGFP diplomatic East Eastern Europe fascist feared forces Foreign Minister Foreign Office Foreign Policy France German German exports German Foreign German trade Germany's Göring Greece Halifax Heeren hegemony historians Hitler Hungarian Hungary I. G. Farben Ibid imperialist imports increased industry interests investment Italian Italy January leaders Leith-Ross Little Entente loans London Maček March military million Rm Munich Mussolini National Nazi negotiations Pact Pilsudski Poland Polish political position Prince Paul problem production raw materials rearmament region Reich Ribbentrop Romania Roosevelt Salonika Schacht Second World Southeast Southeastern Europe Southeastern European Soviet Union Stojadinović territory told Turkey UGFOD Western Powers Yugoslav Yugoslavia