mid1930s

Mid-1930s is a historical shorthand for the middle years of the 1930s, roughly 1934 through 1936 (some historians extend to 1937). It was a period of continuing economic hardship from the Great Depression, alongside rising political extremism and growing international tensions that would culminate in World War II.

Economically, the world saw a gradual, uneven recovery. In the United States, New Deal programs sought to stimulate demand, reform financial markets, and support the unemployed. Europe remained economically broken in many areas, though some indicators improved as public works and currency stabilization took place; unemployment remained high in several countries and social distress persisted.

Politically, the period featured the consolidation of authoritarian regimes in Germany and Italy and ongoing expansionist policies in Asia. In Germany, the Nuremberg Laws were enacted in 1935, restricting the rights of Jews; the regime also pursued rearmament and territorial revision. In 1936, Germany remilitarized the Rhineland and joined with Italy to form the Rome–Berlin Axis. Italy conducted the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935–1936). In the same year, the Spanish Civil War began, drawing in international volunteers and creating a testing ground for modern warfare.

International responses included attempts at collective security and diplomacy, such as the Stresa Front and various arms-control efforts, but these efforts were often undermined by nationalist agendas. In Asia, rising Japanese militarism and expansion created growing regional tensions.

The mid-1930s thus served as a hinge between the economic turmoil of the early 1930s and the broader conflict of the late 1930s, setting patterns of policy, alliance, and conflict that would shape subsequent decades.