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> When England and France and Germany etc fought, they were huge colonial powers (or wannabe powers), controlling large parts of the world. So they were in comp
by ocschwar 10y ago
> When England and France and Germany etc fought, they were huge colonial powers (or wannabe powers), controlling large parts of the world. So they were in competition, and there were great stakes from the outcomes of such battles.
More importantly, Germany and Italy both came late to the colonial acquisition game, and both were trying to industrialize at a time when their access for raw materials like natural rubber could only be obtained by gaining colonies at the expense of other powers.
In 1945, the US imposed on France and Britain a new regime: they had to start letting go of their colonies, but in return, the US imposed peace would allow any country to complete for raw materials by price rather than by power.
- jonwachob91 10y ago>In 1945, the US imposed on France and Britain a new regime: they had to start letting go of their colonies, but in return, the US imposed peace would allow any country to complete for raw materials by price rather than by power. I've never heard this before... Can you share reading materials?
- ocschwar 10y agoHaving trouble googling the articles I read on this years ago. But here's a start: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/bretton-woods https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/bretton-woods In that article, the United Kingdom agreed that in return for U.S. lend-lease assistance, it would cooperate with the United States in devising measures to expand “production, employment, and the exchange and consumption of goods,” to eliminate “all forms of discriminatory treatment in international commerce,” to reduce barriers to trade, and generally to achieve the goals laid out in the Atlantic Charter. [...] That describes the Lend Lease Act, which was expanded in effect into Bretton Woods