18911950

1891–1950 is a historical span covering the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. It encompasses rapid industrialization, scientific advances, and the growth of global politics, culminating in two world wars and the emergence of new international institutions and power structures.

The period saw imperial competition, social reforms, and upheaval across continents. World War I (1914–1918) redefined borders and political authority, while the Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the creation of the Soviet state. The interwar years were marked by economic volatility, the rise of mass politics, and cultural ferment. The Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s exposed vulnerabilities in economies and governance. The outbreak of World War II (1939–1945) reshaped global power and led to the Holocaust and massive human displacement. In the aftermath, the United Nations was established in 1945, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, and the early Cold War order began to take shape with institutions like NATO founded in 1949. The late 1940s also witnessed decolonization movements and the emergence of new nation-states in Asia and Africa.

Technological and scientific progress during this period accelerated urbanization and modern communications. Advances in aviation, electricity, and mass production transformed daily life, while medicine benefited from breakthroughs such as penicillin. In culture, modernist movements in art, literature, and cinema reflected rapid social change.

Overall, 1891–1950 marks a transitional era that bridged traditional empires and agrarian societies with modern, interconnected nation-states and global institutions, laying groundwork for geopolitics, science, and culture in the second half of the 20th century.