18901938

1890 to 1938, commonly treated as a single historical span, covers the transition from late 19th‑century empires to the politically rearranged world of the interwar period. The era witnessed continued industrialization, urban growth, and the expansion of global markets, accompanied by social and political movements that challenged established hierarchies.

Politically, the period saw imperial competition among European powers, the collapse of several empires after World War I, the rise of nationalism, and the emergence of new states in Europe and the Middle East. World War I (1914–1918) redefined borders, economies, and international diplomacy, leading to treaties and the League of Nations. The 1920s and 1930s featured economic turmoil, the spread of totalitarian movements in some countries, and the consolidation of democracies elsewhere. By 1938, aggressive revisionism and expansion in Europe and Asia had set the stage for global conflict.

Technological and cultural change accelerated, with the broad adoption of electricity, the automobile, and cinema; advances in aviation and communications; and the rise of modernist arts and literature. Social change included increased urbanization, labor organization, and gradual expansions of suffrage, though progress varied by region.

Scholars use the 1890–1938 span to examine the transition from 19th‑century structures to modern political, economic, and cultural systems. Its legacies include the political borders of the post‑World War II world, the trauma of the interwar period, and ongoing debates about nationalism, democracy, and economic policy.