‘There arose a serious challenge to the democratic state system between the two world wars.’ Evaluate the statement.

The First World War was considered by many to be a war to end all wars. Yet the developments during the next twenty years led the world into another war, much larger in scale. This period faced many challenges. 

However, the establishment of the democratic regime was the major challenge that arose between the two wars. 

The reasons attributed to this sorry state of affairs are:

1. With the victory of the Allies in World War I, the ancient systems of monarchy, aristocracy, and oligarchy ceased to be legitimate.

2. Rise of the Totalitarian regime: Rise of Hitler to power in Germany, militant rise of fascists under 

Mussolini in Italy unleashed a reign of terror. 

3. Military Fascism in Japan: Japan had been the only country in Asia to escape colonization. 

4. Issue of Minority Rights and Ethnic Targets: Poor conceptualization of minority rights facilitated ethnic targeting of Jews and Romans and growth of imperialistic ideas.

5. Rise of ultra - nationalism and conscription  promoted militarism in international politics. 

6. Political intolerance of communism by the capitalist bloc countries led to oversight of German excesses, such as in Munich Agreement.  

7. As market economies expanded and as middle classes grew larger and more influential, popular support for such conditions increased. 

8. Appeasement is a policy of making concessions for an aggressor at the cost of weaker nations. The 1930s witnessed several acts of aggression by Italy, Germany and Japan. However, most of the western powers not only remained mute spectators to these acts but even supported some of them, thereby helping the fascists prepare the stage for war.

The inter-war period saw crisis of democratic values as we understand them today. The democratic shortcomings actively led the world to the second world war.