Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum (1918–1939) is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe.
Description of the Interbellum
This period of history was marked by turmoil, as Europe struggled to recover from the devastation of the First World War. Later a period of considerable prosperity (the Roaring Twenties) followed, but this changed dramatically with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. It was during this time that the Weimar Republic in Germany gave way to two episodes of political and economic turmoil, the first culminated in the German hyperinflation of 1923 and the failed Beer Hall Putsch of that same year. The second convulsion, brought on by the worldwide depression, resulted in the rise of Nazism. In Asia, Japan became an ever more assertive power, especially with regards to China.
The interwar period was marked by a radical change in the international order, away from the balance of power that had dominated pre–World War I Europe. One main institution intended to bring stability was the League of Nations, created after the First World War with the intention of maintaining world security and peace and encouraging economic growth between member countries. The League was undermined from the start by the non-participation of the United States and the Soviet Union, and subsequently by the bellicosity of Mussolini's Italy, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan - leading many to question its legitimacy and effectiveness.
A series of international crises strained the League to its limits, the earliest being the invasion of Manchuria by Japan and the Abyssinian crisis of 1935/36 in which Italy invaded Abyssinia, one of the only free African nations at that time. The League tried to enforce economic sanctions upon Italy, but to no avail. The incident highlighted French and British weakness, exemplified by their reluctance to alienate Italy and lose her as their ally. The limited actions taken by the Western powers pushed Mussolini's Italy towards alliance with Hitler's Germany anyway. The Abyssinian war showed Hitler how weak the League was and encouraged his participation in the Spanish Civil War. He also remilitarized the Rhineland in flagrant disregard of the Treaty of Versailles. This was the first in a series of provocative acts culminating in the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the beginning of the Second World War.
Other interwar periods/events
The following are sample interwar period events or issues, presented by country:
- History of Afghanistan: Third Anglo-Afghan War
- History of Albania: Vlora War, Corfu incident, and Invasion of Albania
- History of Australia: Great Depression in Australia
- History of Austria: Republic of German Austria, First Austrian Republic, Austrian Civil War, and Anschluss
- History of Belgium: Occupation of the Ruhr
- History of Bolivia: Chaco War
- History of Brazil: Revolution of 1930
- History of Bulgaria: Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923 and the Incident at Petrich
- History of Canada: Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years
- History of the Republic of China: Warlord era, Northern Expedition, Manchukuo, Mukden incident, and Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)
- History of Czechoslovakia: Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts, Munich Agreement, and German occupation of Czechoslovakia
- History of Ethiopia: Ethiopian coup d'état of 1928, Gugsa Welle's Rebellion (1930), Abyssinia Crisis and Second Italo-Abyssinian War
- History of Estonia: Estonian War of Independence, 1924 communist coup d'état attempt, Vaps Movement, Era of Silence, and Soviet Occupation
- History of Finland: Kingdom of Finland and Finnish Civil War
- History of France: Treaty of Versailles, Franco-Turkish War, Occupation of the Ruhr, French Colonial Empire, Rif War (1920), Battle of Maysalun, and Popular Front
- History of Germany: Treaty of Versailles, Spartacist uprising, Freikorps, Weimar Republic, National Socialist German Workers Party, Beer Hall Putsch, Silesian Uprisings, Polish Corridor, Enabling Act of 1933 (Ermächtigungsgesetz), Gleichschaltung, Lebensraum, Occupation of the Ruhr, Re-unification of the Saar, German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, Reichstag fire, Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Night of the Long Knives, Nuremberg Laws, Anschluss, Munich Agreement, Kristallnacht, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, and the beginnings of Nazi Germany
- History of Greece: Greco-Turkish War, the Corfu incident, the Second Hellenic Republic, and the Metaxas Regime
- History of Hungary: Treaty of Trianon, Hungarian Democratic Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919, Kingdom of Hungary, Greater Hungary, Vienna Awards, Arrow Cross, and Slovak-Hungarian War
- History of India: Indian independence movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the Government of India Act 1935
- History of Iraq: British Mandate of Mesopotamia, Iraqi revolt against the British, and Simele massacre
- History of Ireland: Irish War of Independence
- History of Italy: National Fascist Party, March on Rome, Italian Empire, Corfu incident, Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Lateran Treaty, and Invasion of Albania
- History of Japan: Empire of Japan, Korea under Japanese rule, Mukden incident, February 26 Incident (1936), Battle of Lake Khasan, Battle of Khalkhin Gol, and Sino-Japanese War, Government by assassination
- History of Korea: Korea under Japanese rule
- History of Latvia: Latvian War of Independence and Soviet Occupation of the Baltic states
- History of Lebanon: French Mandate of Lebanon, Greater Syria
- History of Lithuania: Kingdom of Lithuania, Independent Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Central Lithuania, Lithuanian Wars of Independence, 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état, 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, and Soviet Occupation of the Baltic states
- History of Mexico: Cristero War
- History of Morocco: Rif War (1920)
- History of Ottoman Empire (see Turkey): Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
- History of Palestine: Nebi Musa riots, Jaffa riots, Hebron–Safed riots, Palestine riots, Arab revolt, British–Zionist conflict
- History of Paraguay: Chaco War
- History of Poland (1918–1939): Second Polish Republic, Polish-Lithuanian War, Polish-Soviet War, Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts, German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, and Free City of Danzig
- History of Portugal: 28 May Revolution, Ditadura Nacional, Estado Novo
- History of Romania: Greater Romania, Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919, Iron Guard, Balkan Pact
- History of Slovakia: Slovak-Hungarian War
- History of Russia/Soviet Union: Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War, Ukrainian War of Independence, Battle of Lake Khasan, Battle of Khalkhin Gol, the Great Purge, and History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953)
- History of Spain: Rif War (1920) and Second Spanish Republic and Spanish Civil War
- History of Syria: French Mandate of Syria, Franco-Syrian War, and the Hatay State
- History of Turkey: Turkish War of Independence (Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Turkish–Armenian War, Franco-Turkish War), Balkan Pact, and the Hatay State
- History of the United Kingdom: Treaty of Versailles, Third Anglo-Afghan War, Irish War of Independence, British Colonial Empire, British Mandate of Palestine, British Mandate of Mesopotamia, Tanganyika, British Somaliland and Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ("the Mad Mullah"), Indian independence movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, 1926 United Kingdom general strike, British Union of Fascists, and Blueshirts
- History of the United States: History of the United States (1918–1945), Industrial Workers of the World, Great Depression, London Economic Conference, Commonwealth of the Philippines, and German American Bund
- History of Yugoslavia: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1919–1929), Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941), Balkan Pact
See also