Europe, 1914 – 1930: Upheaval And Change

12 Pages 3037 Words

e war were filled with feelings of hopeful exuberance. These feelings faded to sorrow, drudgery, and near despair as tens of thousands of families and fiancées were told their beloved soldier was not coming home. The economy faltered and the British Empire was nearly broke. She relied heavily on U.S. loans to continue to finance the war effort. The latest technology, spurred by the demands of the war machine, came at a premium price.4
Social structure underwent wartime changes as well as the economy. Prior to the war, the relatively new middle class factory owners and business professionals were viewed as intelligent or lucky peasants by the upper class and quasi-tyrants by the working classes. They struggled to find or carve-out their own niche in society. The wartime economy brought their contributions to society into focus. Victory was impossible without the cooperation of the factory owners and workers. The upper class granted the new middle class a new level of respect as the distinction between old, pedigree money and new, mar...