A. Royden D'souza

While the rise of fascism and the failure of Versailles dominate the political narrative, the true catalyst for global collapse was an economic heart attack that began in Vienna and Wall Street and spread like gangrene through a weakened world.

Beneath the surface of diplomatic cables lay the desperate financial interests of banking dynasties, the relentless drive for colonial resources, and an escalating arms race that had turned Europe into a loaded weapon, primed to fire by the very financiers and industrialists who stood to profit from the chaos.