19231955

1923–1955 denotes a span of modern history that encompasses the latter part of the interwar period, the global Great Depression, World War II, and the early Cold War. Across continents, political, social, and economic upheavals during these years reshaped national borders, governance, and international relations.

The period begins with economic instability in the early 1920s, including episodes such as the Ruhr occupation and German hyperinflation in 1923. The late 1920s brought recovery efforts in some places, but the 1929 stock market crash precipitated the Great Depression, which deepened unemployment, social unrest, and policy experimentation worldwide. The 1930s saw the rise of totalitarian movements in several countries and the spread of aggressive expansionism. World War II (1939–1945) drew most of the globe into a comprehensive conflict, ending with Allied victory and laying the groundwork for a new international order. The war’s end produced sweeping political changes, displacement, and the emergence of supranational institutions.

Postwar developments established a new international framework, including the United Nations and established norms for security and cooperation. The late 1940s and early 1950s witnessed the emergence of the Cold War, with competing blocs, containment strategies, and regional conflicts that defined global diplomacy for decades. The period also saw rapid advances in science and technology, broader social change, and accelerated decolonization, as many states moved toward independence. By the mid-1950s, global politics had shifted toward bipolar geopolitics and rapid modernization, setting the course for subsequent history.