The interwar period (also called the interbellum) is understood within Western culture to be the period between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, specifically 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939. It was marked by turmoil in much of the world, as Europe struggled to recover from the devastation of the First World War. In North America the first half of the interwar period is often seen as one of considerable prosperity (the roaring twenties), but this changed dramatically with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. In Asia, Japan became an ever more assertive power, especially with regards to China. This period was marked by a significant change in the international order, away from the balance of power that had dominated pre-World War I Europe. One main institution that was meant to bring stability was the League of Nations; it was created at the end of the First World War with the intention of maintaining world security and peace and encouraging economic growth between member countries. This institution was hit by a number of issues that undermined its effectiveness and its legitimacy. The idea behind the creation of the League was a good idea because its primary aims still remain important in today’s society however it was badly administered.
The new League of Nations found itself increasingly discredited through a series of crises, the most important the invasion of Manchuria by Japan . This event alone is seen as the first step towards the Second World War . The second event that was a crisis to the League was The Abyssinian crisis of 1935/36 in which Italy attacked Abyssinia. The League tried to enforce economic sanctions upon Italy but to no avail. Abyssinia was successfully defeated by Italy. From this incident the league showed its weaknesses, it showed that even though sanctions were imposed upon Italy they were not able to take them further than they could have this is because neither France or Britain wanted to isolate Italy and lose her as their ally, the actual actions of Britain and France in fact pushed Mussolini and Italy further towards Hitler.From this crisis Italy felt great resentment towards the League, it withdrew in 1937 and now looked to Germany as an ally. This incident showed Hitler how weak the League was and encouraged him to take his first action in breaking the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, remilitarising the Rhineland.
Interwar period events
The following are some links to sample interwar period events or issues. The links are presented by country:
- History of Albania: Corfu incident and Invasion of Albania
- History of Austria: Anschluss
- History of Belgium: Occupation of the Ruhr
- History of Bolivia: Chaco War
- 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 Czechoslovakia: Munich Agreement, Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts, and German occupation of Czechoslovakia
- History of the Republic of China: Warlord era, Northern Expedition, Mukden incident, and Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- History of Ethiopia: Second Italo-Abyssinian War
- History of France: Occupation of the Ruhr, French Colonial Empire, Rif War (1920) and Battle of Maysalun
- History of Germany: Weimar Republic, Gleichschaltung, Lebensraum, Occupation of the Ruhr, Re-unification of the Saar, Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Anschluss, Munich Agreement, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the beginnings of Nazi Germany
- History of Greece: Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), the Corfu incident, and the incident at Petrich
- History of Hungary: Greater Hungary, Arrow Cross, and Slovak-Hungarian War
- History of India: Indian independence movement and Jallianwala Bagh massacre
- History of Ireland: Irish War of Independence
- History of Italy: March on Rome, Italian Empire, Corfu incident, Second Italo-Abyssinian War, and Invasion of Albania
- History of Japan: Empire of Japan, Korea under Japanese rule, Mukden incident, February 26 Incident (1936), and Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
- History of Korea: Korea under Japanese rule
- History of Latvia: Latvian War of Independence
- History of Lithuania: Independent interwar Lithuania (1918-1940) and Polish-Lithuanian War
- History of Morocco: Rif War (1920)
- History of Paraguay: Chaco War
- History of Poland (1918–1939): Second Polish Republic, Polish-Lithuanian War, Polish-Soviet War, and Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts
- History of Romania: Greater Romania and Iron Guard
- History of Slovakia: Slovak-Hungarian War
- History of the Soviet Union: Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War, 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: Battle of Maysalun
- History of Turkey: Turkish War of Independence and Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
- History of the United Kingdom: British Colonial Empire, Indian independence movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and Irish War of Independence
- History of the United States: History of the United States Revolutionary War(1776-1783)War of 1812 (1812-1815)1st Seminole War(1817-1832)2nd Seminole War(1835-1842)Mexican War(1846-1860) Civil War (1861-1865)Spanish American War (1898)World War I(1918-1945)
- History of Yugoslavia: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1919-1929) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929-1941)
Historical era
| Preceded by World War I |
World History 1918–1939 |
Succeeded by World War II |
