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Intro: Added section detailing the military advancements and debates of the Interwar Period. Included (bare) citations #article-section-source-editor Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit iOS app edit |
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[[File:BlankMap-World-1921.png|alt=|thumb|296x296px|Boundaries in 1920]]
In the [[history of the 20th century]], the '''interwar period''' (or '''interbellum''') lasted from 11{{spaces}}November 1918 to 1{{spaces}}September 1939 (20{{spaces}}years, 9{{spaces}}months, 21{{spaces}}days) – from the end of [[World War I]] (WWI) to the beginning of [[World War II]] (WWII). It was relatively short, yet featured many social, political, military, and economic changes throughout the world. Petroleum-based energy production and associated mechanisation led to the prosperous [[Roaring Twenties]], a time of [[social mobility|social]] and [[economic mobility]] for the [[middle class]]. [[Automobile]]s, electric lighting, [[radio]], and more became common among populations in the [[developed world|first world]]. The era's indulgences were followed by the [[Great Depression]], an unprecedented worldwide economic downturn that severely damaged many of the world's largest economies.
Politically, the era coincided with the rise of [[communism]], starting in Russia with the [[October Revolution]] and [[Russian Civil War]], at the end of World War I, and ended with the rise of [[fascism]], particularly in Germany and Italy. China was in the midst of a half-century of instability and the [[Chinese Civil War]] between the [[Kuomintang]] and the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. The empires of [[British Empire|Britain]], [[French colonial empire|France]], and others faced challenges as [[imperialism]] was increasingly viewed negatively and independence movements emerged in many colonies; in Europe, after protracted low-level fighting [[Irish War of Independence|most of Ireland became independent.]]
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In Russia, the [[Bolsheviks]] managed to regain control of Belarus and Ukraine, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, forming the [[Soviet Union]]. In the [[Near East]], [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] and [[Kingdom of Iraq|Iraq]] gained independence. During the [[Great Depression]], countries in [[Latin America]] nationalised many foreign companies (most of which belonged to the [[United States]]) in a bid to strengthen their own economies. The territorial ambitions of the Soviets, Japanese, Italians, and Germans led to the expansion of their domains.
Militarily, the period would see a marked advance in technology which, alongside lessons learned from WWI, would catalyze new strategic and tactical innovations. While the period would largely see a continuation of the development of the technologies pioneered in WWI, debates emerged as to the most effective use of these advancements. On land, discussions focused on how [[armoured warfare|armoured]], [[mechanized infantry|mechanized]], and [[motorized infantry|motorized]] forces should be employed, particularly in-relation to the 'traditional' branches of the [[infantry|regular infantry]], [[horse cavalry]], and [[artillery]].<ref>https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/military-innovation-in-the-interwar-period/armored-warfare-the-british-french-and-german-experiences/03DE45DCEB84DDD97B199F782B94A04C</ref><ref>https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/33688/64634986-MIT.pdf?sequence=2</ref> In the air, the question of allocating [[air forces]] to [[strategic bombing]] versus dedicating such forces to frontline [[close air support]] was the primary contention, with some arguing that [[air interceptor|interceptor]] development was outpacing [[bombers]], and others maintaining that "[[The bomber will always get through|the bomber will always get through]]." In the [[navy|naval]] sphere, the primary question was whether [[battleships]] would maintain their dominance of the seas or be rendered virtually obsolete by [[naval aviation]].<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/december/incubate-innovation-aviation-lessons-interwar-period</ref><ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1998/february/innovation-interwar-years</ref> Such questions and debates would largely be answered and settled during WWII.
== Turmoil in Europe ==
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