19211944

1921–1944 describes the period that covers the interwar era and most of World War II. It was a time of political upheaval, economic turmoil, and rapid militarization that reshaped international relations and state sovereignty.

In the 1920s and 1930s, economic distress and political radicalization spread. In 1921 the Chinese Communist Party was founded; the Great Depression after 1929 worsened unemployment and social unrest and helped fuel radical ideologies in several countries. Democratic governments faced pressure from both left- and right-wing movements, while many states pursued aggressive nationalist policies.

Europe saw the rise of totalitarian regimes: Nazi Germany consolidated power in 1933, while Fascist Italy and militarist Japan pursued expansion. These actions culminated in the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the outbreak of World War II, followed by rapid military campaigns across Europe and Asia.

The war produced defining campaigns and turning points: Allied victories in 1942–1943, the Soviet Union turning back the Axis on the Eastern Front, and the Pacific battles at Midway and Guadalcanal. The Allied landings in Western Europe began in 1944 with the invasion of Normandy, marking a new phase in the conflict. The period also includes the Holocaust, the systematic persecution and genocide of Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany.

Toward the end of this period, wartime planning and economic coordination shaped a new international framework. The Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 laid foundations for postwar financial institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, and signaled a push toward a formal global economic order.

By the close of 1944 the war would continue into 1945, but the events of 1921–1944 set the stage for the postwar order, decolonization pressures, and ongoing global realignments that defined the second half of the 20th century.