Democracy, Dictatorship and Public Opinion : Some Economic Aspects of Foreign Policy

A feature of the inter-war period was the increased importance of financial questions in international relations. Co-operation between France, Great Britain and the United States was made difficult by differences over reparations and war debts — differences which reflected, and were reinforced by, public opinion. Public opinion in liberal democracies also made it difficult to raise taxes to match German rearmament, while financial opinion could cause flights of capital — which further limited Anglo-French defensive preparations. The dictatorships, which were not so restricted, were thus placed at a significant advantage.Peden George C. Democracy, Dictatorship and Public Opinion : Some Economic Aspects of Foreign Policy. In: Opinion publique et politique extérieure en Europe. II. 1915-1940. Actes du Colloque de Rome (16-20 février 1981) Rome : École Française de Rome, 1984. pp. 353-361. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 54-2