Learn about why the time between WWI and WWII is called the Interwar Period. Also, see an Interwar Period summary and read about events like the Great Depression.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Interwar Period | Summary & History
Table of Contents
- What was the Interwar Period?
- Defining the Interwar Years
- Interwar Period Summary and History
- Remembering the Interwar Period
- Lesson Summary
- FAQs
- Activities
Prompts About the Interwar Years:
Timeline Prompt 1:
Make a timeline that depicts the major historical events of the interwar years.
Example: It helps to provide drawings or pictures within the main events on your timeline. For example, for the Roaring Twenties, you could draw or place a picture of a flapper there.
Essay Prompt 1:
Compose an essay of at least several paragraphs in which you describe one of the main time periods/events of the interwar years (i.e., the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, or the rise of fascism). Provide examples that richly illustrate the significance of your chosen time period/event.
Example: If you choose the Great Depression, you could discuss bank runs and the damage they caused.
Essay Prompt 2:
Write an essay of least several paragraphs that explains the significance of flapper culture during the Roaring Twenties.
Example: Think about the sense of freedom that flapper culture may have given to women, and explain why that was important.
Essay Prompt 3:
In several paragraphs, write an essay that defines fascism and explains the factors that led to its rise in Europe.
Example: Think about the significance of the growing sense of nationalism.
Letter Prompt 1:
Imagine that you are living during the Great Depression. Write a letter to your Roaring Twenties' self explaining what you could have and should have done differently financially in order to avoid the Great Depression.
Example: You could write about the new car you bought on easy credit during the Roaring Twenties, and how that has turned into a major financial burden during the Great Depression.
Why is it called Interwar period?
It is called the Interwar period because it is the era between the first and second World Wars. It is usually defined as the period between 1918 and 1939.
When was the Interwar period?
The Interwar period was between 1918 and 1939. It was the period between World War I and World War II.
Table of Contents
- What was the Interwar Period?
- Defining the Interwar Years
- Interwar Period Summary and History
- Remembering the Interwar Period
- Lesson Summary
What was the Interwar period? The Interwar period is the title given to the period of time between the end of World War I in 1918 and the beginning of World War II in 1939. Many important events occurred during this period, including economic crises, political transformations, and major social changes. The Interwar years are essential to our understanding of the history of the twentieth century. These events would lead to later consequences throughout the twentieth century.
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The definition of the Interwar years can differ from historian to historian. Generally, it is defined as the time between World War I and World War II. However, some mark the end of this period with the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939. Others consider the period to end when the United States entered the war in 1941. Regardless, historians say that the period was marked by specific events. These included the end of World War I, economic expansion, the Great Depression, expansionism, as well as growing nationalism and fascism.
The Conclusion of World War I
On November 11th, 1918, an official armistice was declared, ending World War I. Nine million soldiers died in the conflict and an estimated five million civilians perished as well. These deaths were a huge shock to Europe and the United States. Many mourned the loss of their loved ones and struggled to find meaning in the many lives lost. The Treaty of Versailles was also signed, officially ending the conflict in 1919. This treaty punished Germany for the war, creating difficult economic conditions in the country. The conditions of this treaty would later contribute to the outbreak of World War II. The League of Nations was also formed after the war. This was an international organization intended to maintain world peace. Sadly, the organization would not be able to prevent the outbreak of another war.
The Start of World War II
The beginning of World War II is another major defining event of the period, though it marks the ending of the era. In the 1930s, Japan and Germany would begin policies of expansionism, trying to expand their land mass into other regions. Germany would begin spreading into Eastern Europe under the authority of Adolf Hitler. Japan would begin to take territory in Korea and China.
One of the reasons the Interwar era is defined in two different ways is because the war broke out at different times for Europe and the United States. For Europeans, the war began when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The United States remained out of the conflict until 1941, when there was a surprise attack by the Japanese on an American naval base known as Pearl Harbor.
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At the beginning of the Interwar period, there was massive economic growth in the United States and Europe. The expansion of industry for war left many factories and industries with the supplies and tools to produce other goods. These war factories were repurposed to create consumer goods. Women's rights were also beginning to shift, as women began dressing differently and earned the right to vote. The period from 1920-1929 would be marked with economic expansion and social change. However, from 1929-1939, people around the world would face economic hardships. The following sections will further elaborate on this Interwar period summary.
Economic Expansion and the Roaring Twenties
The growth of manufacturing using previous war assets led to economic expansion in the United States, Canada, and many parts of Europe. However, this expansion did not occur in Germany, since it was facing economic struggles like inflation as a result of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
Consumer culture grew to resemble what it looks like today. Industrial workers now had the funds to buy goods outside of necessities. They began purchasing goods for leisure and pleasure like they never could before. Mass production also made many products more affordable and accessible. The growth of car production in factories in Detroit, as well as marketing of cars as essential, led to increases in sales.
For centuries before World War I, women were expected to remain in the domestic sphere, taking care of the home and children. When the war broke out, many women began working outside of the home to contribute to the war effort. They helped build equipment and produce goods for the war. When men returned home from work, many women were displaced from their jobs. However, many women wanted to maintain their position in the public sphere.
Flapper culture began to rise in popularity during the Roaring Twenties. Young, unmarried women began to dress and behave in nontraditional ways. Many women danced to jazz music, which was becoming increasingly popular. They wore shorter dresses, drove cars, and drank and smoked in public. Women cut their hair shorter and wore skirts that reached their knees. These behaviors were considered scandalous previously. Conservative women at the time and many suffragists and feminists found this culture shallow. However, flapper culture helped women to express themselves in different ways, and redefined women's role in society.
The Global Great Depression
With a rise in consumerism came an economic disaster. To continue to buy the newest goods like cars or refrigerators, many people bought these goods on high interest credit. Many of these consumers could not make these payments, leaving stores at a loss. Borrowing had never occurred at such a massive scale before, so banks lent out money without considering any protections against a financial crisis. They used customer deposits to fund all of their loans.
Stock market speculation would also contribute to financial disaster. Investors made risky investments, hoping to profit in the market's short-term fluctuations. This inflated portions of the stock market. The money they invested was built up on the savings of the American middle class, which was put at risk in this market. On October 28th, 1929, the market crashed. Many lost their life savings, leading to an economic panic and the Great Depression. Banks began to call in their loans because they were running out of cash. They had given out massive loans to European countries during the war and after to help with reconstruction. This led to the collapse of the European banking system soon after. Customers ran to the banks to take out their money, but were turned away because all of their savings had been lost in investments when the market crashed. During the 1930s, many Americans and Europeans alike would face economic hardships due to their loss of funds, high debts, and unemployment.
Axis Expansionism
Before World War II broke out, the three Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) would begin expanding their empires. Germany pushed into eastern Europe, Japan pushed into China and Korea, and Italy pushed into Africa. The economic chaos of the 1930s had led to a rise of fascism in these countries. This is a political ideology which is often characterized by xenophobia and authoritarianism. Nationalism had led to the creation of states like Germany and Italy in the 19th century, with cohesive ethnic and linguistic populations. Fascism turned this nationalism increasingly violent and aggressive. In order to create an ethnically similar state, minority groups were persecuted. This would lead to policies intended to subjugate or even eliminate ethnic and religious minorities. It would lead directly to the Holocaust and the deaths of six million Jewish people.
As these countries expanded, the United States and Western Europe chose not to intervene. After the intense losses of the previous war, they did not want another conflict. Although it was clear these powers would continue to expand, they took no steps to stop this until it was too late.
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Sometimes the Interwar period is interpreted as an interregnum, or a pause between two different periods. However, it was an era in which many changes and important events occurred. It is usually broken down by historians into small periods like the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. The Interwar period of history is usually interpreted differently depending on the region of the world being studied. In Europe, Asia, and the United States, substantial changes occurred between these two wars. However, for other regions, such as Latin America and Africa, defining this era is less important because it does not coincide with as many changes and important events.
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The Interwar period is generally defined as the years between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, ranging from 1918 to 1939. The period is usually further divided into the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. The economic growth of the 1920s led to a consumer culture and more manufacturing jobs. It was also a period where women redefined their role in society. Flapper culture was on the rise as women began to be more involved in the public sphere. These women wore shorter dresses, danced, smoked, and drove cars: all behaviors previously considered scandalous for women.
The economic growth of this period was built on shaky ground. Stock market speculation was used to invest American savings in short term gains in the stock market. An increase in credit and banks failing to protect themselves against possible financial crises led to the Great Depression of 1929. Banks began running out of cash. People rushed to the banks to take out their savings, but were turned away. American banks called in the loans they gave out to European banks, which soon after caused a crash in European banks. During the 1930s, Japan, Germany, and Italy would attempt to expand their empires. This was fueled by a growth in nationalism and fascism. This fascism was characterized by authoritarianism and xenophobia.
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Video Transcript
Interwar Years
Some things, like glaciers, can take years or centuries to show significant change. Other events, like forest fires, can change in an instant. In between the 20th century's two world wars, society experienced both types of change. Some, like changes in women's fashion and public life, were the results of decades of slowly changing social customs. Others, like the Great Depression, changed the world virtually overnight. In the rest of this lesson, we will explore the major trends and events of the interwar years, which lasted from 1918-1939, the period of time between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II.
Roaring Twenties
In the United States, Canada, and Europe, the 1920s are often nicknamed the Roaring Twenties. The decade saw a period of economic progress and industrial production the likes of which had never been seen before. Western factories and industrialists stopped making instruments for war and began instead to manufacture products for the public that could be sold in peacetime. The boom in industrial production fueled urbanization as people left their countryside farms to live and work in factories in major metropolitan centers.
The goods they produced for the public fueled a consumer culture that has sustained through the present day. Leisure and pleasure became attainable goals for industrial workers after their day or week on the factory line. Furthermore, new products that made everyday life easier continued to roll out of factories and were marketed as essential products. For example, the mass production of automobiles from assembly lines in Detroit suddenly made a family car an attainable goal.
The 1920s also saw a significant shift in the public lives of women. For centuries prior to WWI, women in Western society were largely expected to remain inside the home, raising children and caring for the house and their husbands. During WWI, many women worked outside the home, providing equipment and goods for the war effort. Although women were expected to relinquish their positions as men returned home from war, many women sought to maintain their presence in the public sphere.
Many young, unmarried women began to participate in flapper culture, a style of dress and behavior that was very modern in the 1920s. Why exactly they were called flappers is still a point of debate. One theory claims flappers were named after the fashionable, unbuckled boots they wore, which flapped as they walked. Others say that it began in England as a slang term for young prostitutes.
Flappers were proud of their public presence and often drank and smoked in public alongside their male counterparts, drove cars, and engaged in casual sex. In addition, they dressed counter to conventional norms, wearing shorter hair, ankle or even knee-high skirts, and hats. Flappers were abhorred by conservative women of the period and even disliked by suffragettes and feminists who viewed flapper culture as superficial. Nonetheless, flapper culture helped women gain greater acceptance in the public sphere and radically redefined women's role in society.
Great Depression
After the appearance of new amenities, like cars and refrigerators, and greater cultural vibrancy, for men and women alike, the excitement and economic successes of the 1920s gave way to the greatest economic catastrophe of the century. Stores, which were offering their own forms of credit at high interest to consumers, were forced to take a loss when consumers began failing to make payments.
Banks lent without safeguards against financial crises. They handed out huge sums of money and used customer deposits to fund the loans. They also accepted those same customer deposits without any guarantee that customer money would be immediately available to them in the future.
Stock market speculation, the practice of engaging in risky investments to profit from short-term fluctuations, played a huge role in precipitating the economic collapse. Speculation on the market by savvy financiers artificially inflated the prices of large portions of the stock market. Moreover, much of the money being tossed around on the market was increasingly made up of the savings of the growing American middle class. The truth was that the prosperity of the 1920s had been built upon the shaky legs of risky financial practices, and these practices led to a worldwide economic downturn, now known as the Great Depression.
The economic house of cards came tumbling down on October 28, 1929, a day which was infamously nicknamed 'Black Monday.' So many stocks were sold so quickly that day that many traders were forced to work through the night to simply record all the stocks that had been traded, and by the end of the day, the Dow Jones had dropped 13%. By November, the market hit rock bottom, wiping out the life savings of many middle-class investors. The ensuing panic caused even more economic ruin, as those still with deposits in savings accounts and other bank products rushed to the bank to withdraw their money. Most banks ran out of cash on hand in hours and were forced to turn away customers, telling them their life savings had vanished in a matter of hours.
Internationally, the collapse spread outward from the United States with alarming speed. The U.S. government and U.S. banks were owed huge sums of money by European countries, who had received large loans during WWI and afterward to aid the reconstruction of the war-torn continent. When the government and banks called in many of these loans soon after the collapse, the European banking system fell with the same rapidity that the U.S. system had collapsed. The scenes that had occurred in front of bank doors in the United States were soon played out in Madrid, London, and Paris.
Rise of Fascism
This economic tumult coincided with the rise of fascism in several European states. Fascism is a radical political ideology characterized by an authoritarian and often xenophobic government. It was an outgrowth of the European nationalism of the 19th century. In fact, in the 19th century, nationalism led to the creation of states that had previously only been regions with ethnically and linguistically similar populations, such as Germany and Italy.
In the 20th century, however, this nationalism grew increasingly aggressive, especially in central Europe. In the first half of the 20th century, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, and other states around the world instituted fascist regimes, which often persecuted ethnic and religious minorities within the state. Being a foreigner in any of these countries became increasingly dangerous.
Characterized by strict authoritarian regimes and often aggressively nationalist, xenophobic, and racist attitudes, these fascist governments instituted policies meant to glorify the nation and the ethnicity, while eliminating all others. This aggressive fascism eventually led to WWII and the Holocaust, which was the systematic murder of approximately six million Jews by Adolf Hitler's fascist German government.
Lesson Summary
In the interwar years, the period between WWI and WWII, the United States and Western Europe experienced both unseen prosperity and economic ruin. The Roaring Twenties exhibited profound economic prosperity, leading to a new consumer culture. This coincided with relaxed moral codes and a greater role for women in public life, exemplified by flappers and flapper culture.
However, much of this prosperity was built upon unsound financial practices, like stock market speculation, which led to economic ruin during the Great Depression after the 1929 stock market collapse. In some Western states, racist and xenophobic political parties took advantage of the downturn to institute fascism in countries like Germany and Italy. Idealizing the nation and its ethnicity, the racism and xenophobia often practiced by these fascist regimes helped cause WWII.
Learning Outcomes
After this lesson is over, you should be able to:
- Recognize the span of time included in the interwar years
- Define 'flappers' and 'flapper culture'
- Describe the 1929 stock market crash and the rise of fascism before WWII
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Interwar Period | Summary & History
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