The capitalist countries thus found themselves faced with a new economic crisis before they had even recovered from the ravages of the recent one. This circumstance naturally led to an increase of unemployment. A distinguishing feature of the new crisis is that it differs in many respects from the preceding one, and, moreover, differs for the worse and not for the better. This means that the present crisis will be more severe and more difficult to cope with than the previous crisis. Further, the present crisis has broken out not in time of peace, but at a time when a imperialist war has already begun. This means that capitalism will have far less resources at its disposal for a normal way out of the present crisis than during the preceding crisis. Naturally, such an unfavourable turn of economic affairs could not but aggravate relations among the powers. The preceding crisis had already mixed the cards and intensified the struggle for markets and sources of raw materials. The new economic crisis must lead, and is actually leading, to a further sharpening of the imperialist struggle. It is no longer a question of competition in the markets, of a commercial war, of dumping. These methods of struggle have long been recognized as inadequate. It is now a question of a new redivision of the world, of spheres of influence, by military action. A new redivision of the world by means of war became imminent.

The chief endeavour of the ruling finance clans in all countries is to kill in the working people faith in their own strength, faith in the possibility and inevitability of their victory, and thus to perpetuate slavery. Clans know that if financial capitalism has not yet been overthrown and still continues to exist, it owes it not to its own merits, but to the fact that the people have still not enough faith in the possibility of their victory.

J. V. Stalin, 1939
Report on the Work of the Central Committee to the Eighteenth Congress of the C.P.S.U.(B.)
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1939/03/10.htm

See also
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1617/on-the-crisis/p1