Music recorded in 1932
The prolonged Great Depression of 1932 weakened society's fundamental strength, simultaneously destabilizing politics, the economy, and culture. In the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) won the November presidential election, making the prospect of more active state intervention in the face of the crisis more realistic. Meanwhile, in Germany, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) emerged as the largest party in the July parliamentary elections, accelerating the process by which the pressure of populist politics led by Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) began to suffocate the parliamentary system. Economic anxiety manifested itself in the details of daily life as unemployment and financial instability, and the state's rhetoric of "order" and "relief" became inseparable from its propaganda to garner support.
The international order, despite the existence of institutions, was characterized by a lack of decision-making capacity, which exacerbated tensions. The Geneva Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, which advocated disarmament, revealed conflicting national security views. Regarding the European debt crisis, the Lausanne Conference (1932) sought to resolve the reparations issue, but the collapse of the global economy easily offset any "achievements of cooperation." In East Asia, Manchukuo (Manchukuo) was established, with Puyi (1906–1967) as its symbol. However, the League of Nations' investigation and report (the so-called Lytton Report) only served to solidify conflicts over recognition. In Japan, the assassination of Inukai Tsuyoshi (1855–1932) in the May 15 Incident dealt a serious blow to party politics. The Chaco War broke out in South America, intensifying the regional conflicts linked to resources, borders, and national prestige. In the Middle East, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established, and national unification was declared an institution under Abdulaziz Ibn Saud (1875–1953).
Science and technology also advanced at a different pace in 1932. James Chadwick (1891–1974) discovered the neutron, redefining our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Carl D. Anderson (1905–1991) discovered the positron, confirming its theoretical existence as an observed fact. John Cockcroft (1897–1967) and Ernest Walton (1903–1995) demonstrated artificial nuclear transmutation using an accelerator, paving the way for physics to move toward "producing, measuring, and controlling high energy." In the skies, Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) completed a solo transatlantic flight, symbolizing the atmosphere of the 1930s, when aviation technology was a heroic tale while also being linked to industry, the press, and popular fame.
In popular culture and media, while the Depression shrunk purchasing power, the "copy-and-share" of sound and images became commonplace. In the United States, the Bonus Expeditionary Force (commonly known as the Bonus Army) rallied in the nation's capital, and reports of the crisis directly linked politics to the streets were published. The Lindbergh kidnapping became a classic example of the modern intertwining of celebrities, media, investigations, and public opinion. In the UK, the BBC Empire Service was launched, and cross-border synchronicity via shortwave broadcasting became an institutionalized system. In music, Duke Ellington's (1899–1974) "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" was widely distributed, and the sensation that would later be called "swing" was shared between music, broadcasts, and performances. The 1932 Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles demonstrated that international events could take place even during a global depression, and radio and newsreels strengthened the circuitry for experiencing distant events at the same time. 1932 was a year of political turmoil and the international order was shaken, but it was also a year in which broadcasting, recordings, and images consolidated the experiences of the masses, making a world in which the same songs and news reached everyone at the same time a reality.
