Before the First World War, enthusiasm for a borderless world—with unrestricted global travel, migration, and trade, and burgeoning international movements for women’s rights and world peace—reached its height. Yet an undercurrent of reaction was also growing.
Nationalism captured public enthusiasm around the world. Millions from all points on the political spectrum sought refuge from the threats of the global economy in homegrown and local foods, domestically produced goods, and back-to-the-land communities. The “Spanish flu” heightened anxieties about migration, and the Great Depression intensified demands for economic autonomy. Seeking shelter from these concerns, states multiplied immigration restrictions and punitive tariffs—but also expanded social protections, fought against colonialism, and tried to make the global economy more equitable. This popular revolt against globalization took hold in democracies and dictatorships alike, from Gandhi’s India to America’s New Deal and Hitler’s Third Reich. It ultimately became a force behind the drive for expanding empires. Rich with astonishing detail gleaned from Tara Zahra’s archival research in five languages, Against the World is essential history for every reader who wants to understand the anti-global currents of the twentieth century.
- ISBN10 0393651967
- ISBN13 9780393651966
- Publish Date 10 March 2023
- Publish Status Forthcoming
- Publish Country US
- Imprint WW Norton & Co
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 400
- Language English