
In 1918 the war itself was over, but the implications were not. The melancholy of the era was intensified by the inconceivable death toll of the Spanish Flu. Countries imposed restrictions on trade, capital flow, and immigration. People became suspicious of foreigners, causing protectionism. Russia installed communism, which alienated the largest country in the world from the flow of free-market capitalism. Germany, France, and England had lost 80% of its male (working) population between 18 and 46. Countries suspended the gold standard to pay for the war but suffered from hyperinflation. These circumstances set the stage for the Great Depression.
Watch Topic Page World War I 6 excellent documentaries to cover World War I