Interwar Period

By Adrian Harzendorf

  • World War I ends

    World War I ends
    Armistice signed between Germany and the Allies, ending World War I.

  • Treaty of Versailles/ Treaty of Saint Germain

    Treaty of Versailles/ Treaty of Saint Germain
    January: Paris Peace Conference begins, led by David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson.
    June: Treaty of Versailles signed with Germany, imposing harsh terms, reparations, and territorial losses. Creation of the League of Nations proposed by Wilson to maintain global peace (although the US would not join).
  • Period: to

    First Stage

  • More Treaties ...

    More Treaties ...
    -Treaty of Neuilly (Bulgaria)
    -Treaty of Sèvres (Ottoman Empire)
    -Treaty of Trianon (Hungary) Severe economic problems and social unrest in Europe, especially Germany. 1919–1920: Spartacist uprising in Germany crushed by Weimar Republic forces. Rise of nationalist and extremist movements across Europe.

  • Italia/Mussolini

    Italia/Mussolini
    Mussolini founds the National Fascist Party in Italy.

  • 1922

    1922
    Mussolini's "March on Rome"; King Victor Emmanuel III appoints Mussolini as Prime Minister.

  • Hitler's Starts

    Hitler's Starts
    Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich.
    While in prison, Hitler writes Mein Kampf.

  • Lenin's death

    Lenin's death
    Death of Lenin; Joseph Stalin gradually consolidates power in the USSR.
  • Period: to

    Second Stage

  • World recovery

    World recovery
    Period of economic recovery and stability in Europe and the US. The "Roaring Twenties" or "Jazz Age" sees booming consumption, culture, and social changes (e.g., women's suffrage in UK (1918) and US (1920)).

  • Great Depression

    Great Depression
    Wall Street Crash — "Black Thursday" — marking the start of the Great Depression.

  • World Crisis

    World Crisis
    Worldwide economic crisis spreads. Rise of protectionism, end of the gold standard. Increased political instability in Europe and Latin America.

  • Hitler

    Hitler
    Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg.

  • Hitler is gaining power

    Hitler is gaining power
    Reichstag Fire; Hitler granted emergency powers.

  • Hindenburg

    Hindenburg
    Death of Hindenburg; Hitler assumes title of Führer, beginning the Nazi dictatorship (Third Reich).
  • Period: to

    Third Stage

  • Spanish Civil War

    Spanish Civil War
    Spanish Civil War begins after military uprising led by General Francisco Franco.

  • Militarism

    Militarism
    Germany remilitarizes the Rhineland.

  • Alliance (Italy-Germany)

    Alliance (Italy-Germany)
    Formation of the Rome-Berlin Axis.

  • Invasion of China

    Invasion of China
    Japan escalates war in China with the full-scale invasion of China.

  • Munich Agreement

    Munich Agreement
    Munich Agreement — Britain and France allow Germany to annex Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia).

  • Anschluss

    Anschluss
    Germany annexes Austria.

  • The Pact

    The Pact
    Signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, agreeing to partition Poland.

  • Germanys occupation

    Germanys occupation
    Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia.

  • End of Spanish Civil War

    End of Spanish Civil War
    End of Spanish Civil War; Franco's dictatorship established in Spain.

  • Start of the WW2

    Start of the WW2
    Germany invades Poland, triggering the start of World War II.