After World War I, western nations worked to restore prosperity and ensure peace. At the same time, political and economic turmoil challenged democratic traditions and gave rise to powerful dictators whose seemingly simple solutions offered an escape from despair.
Western culture experienced great changes in the years following World War I.
Following World War I, the leading democratic powers moved to ensure peace but faced difficult political and economic challenges.
Angered by political and economic problems, many Italians turned to fascism for solutions.
Following Lenin's death, Stalin and the communists ruled the Soviet Union as a totalitarian state.
Under Adolf Hitler, the Nazi government used terror, repression, and one-party rule to establish a totalitarian state.