The Treaty of Versailles had disarmed the German military and replaced the kaiser with a democratic government, for which Germany had no previous model. The League of Nations lacked the ability to act decisively, for it required unanimous opinion (always hard to obtain, but particularly tough with feuding nations). In addition, when financial markets around the world collapsed, the German mark was devalued. The Russian Revolution popularized Communism and other antidemocratic philosophies. As if that weren't enough, fascism was gaining influence in many countries, but particularly in Italy.