18881918

1888–1918 is a historical span used to describe the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period marked by rapid industrialization, imperial competition, and dramatic political change across Europe and the wider world. It begins in the 1880s, when many nations consolidated centralized states and expanded global empires, and ends with the end of World War I in 1918 and the resulting upheavals that reshaped politics, borders, and society.

International relations and diplomacy dominated the era. Rivalries among major powers, colonial expansion, and military modernization produced complex alliance systems and an arms race. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 brought unprecedented military conflict to Europe and beyond, driven by nationalist tensions, imperial ambitions, and strategic calculations. The war ended with an armistice in November 1918 and led to significant territorial losses, regime changes, and the dissolution of several empires.

Social, political, and economic life also transformed. Urbanization and industrial labor movements grew in influence, while reform efforts expanded in some countries to address health, education, and welfare. Nationalist movements and calls for self-determination gained ground, contributing to the collapse of long-standing monarchies in Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire by 1918. The decade also saw scientific and cultural advances, including innovations in technology, communications, and the arts, alongside the devastation of war.

The period’s legacy shaped the postwar order, contributing to redrawn borders, new states, and the political tensions that would influence the interwar era and beyond.