Part II

The Years of the Great Dictators: 1919–45

In this part . . .

After the disaster of the Great War, the world looked round desperately for security. Some people thought the brave new League of Nations would save the world; others put their trust in the economic strength of America. But the League failed and America’s bubble burst. The world slid into the Great Depression.

Some turned to communism. The Russians had set up the world’s first communist state, but Lenin’s promises of land, bread, and freedom were soon forgotten as Stalin established his terrible dictatorship: A workers’ paradise run by the secret police. Fascism proved just as bad. Mussolini and Hitler promised a future of strength and joy, but they ruled through jack-booted racist thugs. Worse: Dictatorship spread – through Europe, Asia, and South America. Was democracy doomed?

It certainly seemed so when the Second World War broke out and the Germans and Japanese swept everything before them. Hitler’s power was only broken when he invaded Russia. When the war ended, the Western Allies liked to think that democracy had triumphed, in truth though they’d only won thanks to the Russians. And the Russians weren’t planning on going home again. A new stand-off between democracy and dictatorship was about to begin.

One thing, though. When this period started soldiers were still riding horses. When it ended, they had nuclear weapons. The century was getting very dangerous.