Advances in technology increased taxes on business
"The reason why Britain didn’t declare war on the Soviet Union is an
intriguing one. Unknown to the general public there was a ‘secret
protocol’ to the 1939 Anglo-Polish treaty that specifically limited the
British obligation to protect Poland to ‘aggression’ from Germany" http://www.historyextra.com/qa/why-did-britain-and-france-not-declare-war-soviet-union-when-red-army...
It literally devastated European economy so bad, that they threw out bags of money because it had no worth.
"Now I am Death, the destroyer of worlds"
They bought there freedom