1. The West and the World after the Great War
   Economic problems, criticism of colonialism, and widespread political change altered but did not eliminate Europe's international presence.
   1. The Erosion of European Power
      Anticolonial, nationalist movements in Asia and Africa borrowed from both Western and indigenous ideas and values.
   2. Enforcing the Versailles Settlement
      France dominated continental politics at Germany's expense, while Britain adopted a policy of noninvolvement.
2. Communism, Fascism, and the New Political Spectrum
   The strongly contrasting new regimes in Russia and Italy led to intense competition.
   1. Changing Priorities in Communist Russia, 1918-1921
      The Leninist Communist regime's ideologies and policies faced spirited resistance from royalists and regionalists as well as some parts of the international socialist community.
   2. From Lenin to Stalin, 1921-1929
      Stalin's political mastery enabled him to seize power and force through programs of rapid industrialization and increased social control.
   3. The Crisis of Liberal Italy and the Creation of Fascism, 1919-1925
      Italy's disappointments with the Paris Peace Conference led to political disputes and ended in the victory of Mussolini's Fascists.
   4. Innovations and Compromise in Fascist Italy, 1925-1930
      Corporativism replaced socialist institutions in Fascist culture, emphasizing nationalism and attacking democracy.
3. Toward Mass Society
   Popular culture and mass media trumpeted values of democracy and egalitarianism but politics and the economy failed to mirror these ideals.
   1. Economic Readjustment and the New Prosperity
      Retooling the wartime economy revealed Britain's ailing industrial infrastructure while it led to catastrophic inflation in Germany and, to a lesser extent, in France.
   2. Work, Leisure, and the New Popular Culture
      War's end saw women achieve greater political, economic, and social freedom while an explosion of consumer goods and new media reflected the interests of a mass market.
   3. Society and Politics in the Victorious Democracies
      Cautious economic and social policies in France and Britain heightened political tensions.
4. Weimar Germany and the Trials of the New Democracies
   Traditionalism thwarted democratic innovations in east central Europe, while the German republic, undermined by the war's legacy, struggled to find support at home.
   1. Democracy Aborted in East-Central Europe
      Traditions of absolutism and agrarian life ran counter to the industrial and democratic innovations imposed upon east central Europe.
   2. Germany's Cautious Revolution, 1919-1920
      Paramilitary volunteers routed radical socialists, but the new republic failed to secure widespread acceptance for its democratic institutions and innovations.
   3. Gustav Stresemann and the Scope for Gradual Consolidation, 1920-1929
      As chancellor and foreign minister, Stresemann's conservatism restored normal international relations with the victors at the price of increased domestic criticism.
   4. An Uncertain Balance Sheet
      Prosperity and international cooperation allowed the Weimar republic to survive, but a weak political consensus and fragmented, unstable political situation left it vulnerable.
5. The Search for Meaning in a Disordered World
   Urbanization and modernization increased stress on many, even as social changes liberated artists and individuals.
   1. Anxiety, Alienation, and Disillusionment
      Spengler, Ortega, and Kafka expressed the era's pessimism regarding progress, materialism, and democratic politics.
   2. Recasting the Tradition
      Theologian Karl Barth and composer Igor Stravinsky were among many who mined prewar culture for guidance and enlightenment.
   3. The Search for a New Tradition
      Feminists, surrealists, and modernists pioneered exciting new directions for or against industrial culture.