19231953

1923–1953 denotes a thirty-year span in world history that witnessed dramatic political upheaval, economic turmoil, and the emergence of new geopolitical alignments. The early 1920s saw attempts to stabilize postwar economies in Europe, but the decade deepened into the Great Depression after 1929, bringing mass unemployment and social unrest. In the 1930s, authoritarian movements rose in several countries, notably Germany, Italy, and Japan, with aggressive expansion that culminated in World War II.

From 1939 to 1945, global conflict reshaped borders and societies, culminating in the defeat of the Axis powers. The war produced extensive humanitarian crises and set the stage for the United Nations and a new international order. The war's end also accelerated decolonization and the emergence of new nation-states in Asia and Africa.

After 1945, the world entered the early Cold War. Western and Soviet spheres of influence hardened, leading to institutions and arrangements such as the United Nations, the Bretton Woods system, the Marshall Plan, and NATO, while the Soviet Union established control over Eastern Europe. The period also saw significant changes in Asia, including the 1949 establishment of the People's Republic of China and ongoing decolonization elsewhere. The late period included the Korean War (1950–1953) and rising political tension between the superpowers. In 1953, the death of Joseph Stalin marked a leadership transition in the Soviet Union and a shift in its domestic and foreign policy.