post war europe

The Duality of Local and Regional Factors in the Rise of Dictators in Post-War Europe After World War I, a majority of Europe was left in utter shambles. The physical and economic structures of a once industrial area had been reduced rubble. The people of the nations cried out for help, but to little avail. What was needed in these war torn areas was a strong government that could meet the needs of the people, …

…toppled by Lenin and his Bolsheviks. Lenin's first order of business was to take Russia out of the war. He surrendered to the Germans in the Treaty of Bresk-Litvosk, which left Russia in worse condition than the Germans of the treaty of Versailles. Most of their heavy industry had been ceded to the Germans along with "one quarter of its vast territory, one half of its population, and three-quarters of its coal and iron resources."