1922

1922 was a year marked by political realignments, emerging nation-states, and notable cultural developments in the aftermath of World War I. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was established on December 30, uniting four founding Soviet republics under a centralized federal state. In October, Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party seized power after the March on Rome, beginning his long rule as Italy’s prime minister.

The Irish Free State was established on December 6, 1922, as part of the settlement of the Irish question, and the Irish Civil War began later that year. The Ottoman sultanate was abolished in November 1922, signaling the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire; the Turkish Republic would be proclaimed the following year under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Egypt gained nominal independence from Britain in 1922, though British influence persisted in practice. The British Broadcasting Company was founded in October 1922, later evolving into the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

In international diplomacy, the Washington Naval Conference produced the Five-Power Treaty, which sought to limit naval armaments among the major powers. Culturally, the German silent film Nosferatu was released, contributing to the era’s cinematic innovations. In Egypt, the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in November 1922 captivated global attention and intensified interests in ancient Egypt. The Great Fire of Smyrna occurred in September 1922, during the Greco-Turkish War, becoming a major humanitarian and political flashpoint of the period.

Overall, 1922 stood as a year of transition, balancing postwar reconstruction with the rise of new political currents that would shape the interwar era.