What Happened To 11 Major Countries Between The World Wars

WWI:The Triple Alliance was the pre-war Allies. After 1915, the Allies won.

WWII:The Axis powers were defeated.

What happened in between: Before 1914, Italy joined the Triple Alliance in a somewhat noncommittal way.Triple AllianceItaly stood with Germany and Austria-Hungary. When WWI started, Italy stayed out until Britain and France offered it the Allied side.Allied sideItaly felt dismayed. Years of fighting in the mountains yielded no results. Britain and France would not keep their promises.

Postwar years featured social unrest. Fascists and socialists fought. Benito Mussolini marched on Rome toseize power in 1922Mussolini quickly strengthened fascist rule. He jailed political opponents and placed strict limits on the media.

Italy initially opposed Hitler. However, Germany recognized Italy's East African ambitions. A shared goal to back Francisco Franco in Spain joined the two nations. When Germany invaded France in 1940, Mussolini felt he had an easy victory.y and joined the Third Reich. Ultimately, the Italians became more of a problem than an asset to the Axis.WWI:

NeutralWWII:

Neutral (Axis aligned)What happened in between:

An influenza outbreak in 1918 occurred. More than 50 million people died; this was called the "Spanish Flu," but the virus did not start in Spain. The name came from the Spanish press reporting freely without the same wartime limits as other European nations.The deadly influenza outbreak in 1918 killed over 50 million people. People called it the "Spanish Flu," but the virus did not start in Spain. The name came because the Spanish press reported freely on the outbreak, unlike other European nations with wartime restrictions. Spain stayed out of WWI but fought a long colonial war in Morocco.that saw more than 50 million people perish was colloquially known as the "Spanish Flu," but the virus did not originate in Spain at all. The reason for the association is that the Spanish press wasn't under the same wartime restrictions as other European nations, so it reported freely on the outbreak, leading to the misnomer. Spain wisely stayed out of WWI entirely, but was still involved in a long colonial fight in Morocco.A 1923 coup led by Miguel de Rivera took power.

Miguel de RiveraFrancisco Francosaw Spain fall under a dictatorship until 1930. The Second Spanish Republic proved short-lived. Francisco Franco, one of de Rivera's protégés, was instrumental in a military conspiracy to overthrow the Republic in 1936., was key in a plot to overthrow the Republic in 1936. The three-yearSpanish Civil WarOctober 1940ended with Franco's forces winning in April 1939. Franco's Spain did not join the Axis Powers in WWII, even though Italy and Germany helped during the Civil War. Spain's closest approach to the conflict was a meeting between Franco and Adolf Hitler in October 1940, but the dictator's demands were too much. Franco held power until the 1970s., but the dictator's demands were too high. Franco stayed in power until the 1970s.WWI:

Not an independent nation, but much of the fighting on the eastern front occurred in PolandWWII:

Allies (defeated in 1939)What happened in between:

The historicalPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthTreaty of Versaillesceased to exist at the turn of the 19th century after Prussia, Russia, and Austria-Hungary carved it up. TheSoviet Union in 1920Treaty of Versailles resurrected Poland in 1919, but the young Second Republic struggled alone. Poland fought border fights with neighbors, including a desperate struggle against the Soviet Union in 1920Soviet Union in 1920The republic's borders settled in 1922.

Limited trade choked Poland's economic growth due to cold relations with Weimar Germany and the Soviet Union. Social unrest, fueled by tensions between Poles and minority groups, worsened Poland's troubles. A 1926 coup, led by the hero of the Soviet conflict, toppled Poland's unstable, democratically elected government.Józef Piłsudski

Piłsudski dominated interwar Poland. He officially led the country from 1918 to 1922 and served as Prime Minister from 1926 to '28. Some call Piłsudski a quasi-dictator. Later, he focused on boosting the army and easing Poland's bad geopolitical position. He secured nonaggression pacts with the USSR in 1932 and with Germany in 1934.

Poland's fate was sealed by thevon Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of 1939Caught between Germany and Russia in 1939, the country was split again. Polish pilots and soldiers fought for the Allies after Poland surrendered.

WWI:Central Powers (defeated)

WWII:Axis (absorbed by Germany in 1938, defeated)

What happened in between: The union between Austria and Hungary ended in thefinal daysWWI. The peace deal left Austria a small, landlocked republic with unfriendly neighbors. As the new nation struggled, violent clashes between left- and right-wing groups erupted. These ended in a deadly Vienna riot in 1927 when three far-right militia members escaped murder charges.

As Austria struggled in the Great Depression, the First Austrian Republic fell after a short, intense civil war.civil war.A one-party fascist state replaced the republic: theFederal State of Austriain 1934. A Nazi coup that killed the chancellor failed inJuly 1934thanks to Italy's support. Benito Mussolini threatened war with Germany if the Third Reich tried to force a union with Austria.

This only delayed the union. German and Italian relations warmed, removing the main obstacle to the Anschluss between Germany and Austria. Austria wasabsorbed into the Third Reichin 1938.

WWI:Allies (defeated in 1917)

WWII:Allies (from 1941, victorious)

What happened in between: TheRussian RevolutionRussia exited WWI at a high cost. The Russian Civil War continued until 1923, withVladimir Lenin'sRed Army winning. Lenin then established single-party rule by forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Fast industrial growth brought famine and severe silencing of dissent. The USSR was an international outcast, yet it made a deal with another outcast: Germany.

The two states patched up their differences with the Treaty of Rapallo.Treaty of Rapallo.They secretly conducted joint military exercises, breaking the Treaty of Versailles. After Lenin died in 1924, Joseph Stalin took power. Stalin shifted away from his predecessor's global view to build his own power base.

Stalin started the Great Purge, always worried about threats to his position.The Great Purge. Stalin sent rivals, real and imagined, to death or exile. The shared hatred of Poland toward Germany soured the relationship with Germany after Hitler took power in the 1930s. However, the two states' shared dislike of Poland led to a deal to split the Second Republic in 1939. That understanding did not last.The situation involved sending countless rivals, real and imagined, to death or exile. Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s soured the complex relationship between Germany and the sending states. However, shared animosity toward Poland created a deal to split the Second Republic in 1939..WWI:

Central Powers (as Ottoman Empire, defeated in 1918)Central Powers (as the Ottoman Empire, defeated in 1918)

WWII:Allies, but neutral until 1945 (victorious)

The Ottoman Empire backed the wrong horse in WWI.The Ottoman Empire backed the wrong horse in WWIin WWIThe Ottoman Empire was promptly carved up by the victorious allies. After one war, the Turks started another to fight for borders imposed on them by the Allies in 1919. Kemal Ataturk's Turkish National Movement won, establishing the Republic of Turkey with modern borders in 1923.

Turkey profited greatly by selling chrome ore to the Third Reich. The Allies bought as much Turkish delight as they could to stop the flow to Germany. Pressure forced Turkey to end ties with Germany in August 1944 and officially join the war in February 1945. Turkey did not seriously join the war.Ataturk oversaw radical reformsin law, education, politics, and social issues that made Turkey a modern, secular nation-state. Ataturk's successor, Ismet Inonu, took over in 1938 and worked to stop Turkey from getting pulled into another war. The Bosphorus's strategic value gave Turkey many international suitors as the world headed toward another world war.

Turkey signed an ultimatelyWhat happened in between: friendship pact with Britain and France in 1939, and an equally silly agreement with Germany.Germany in 1941Turkey made money by selling chrome ore to the Third Reich. To stop Turkish goods from reaching Germany, the Allies bought as much as they could from the Turks. Pressure forced the country to end ties with Germany in August 1944 and officially join the war in February 1945. Turkey did not take a serious role in the war.

Allies (victorious)WWII:

WWII:What happened in between:

What happened in between:Britain's interwar years featured major political and social changes at home. Britain managed an empire that reached its peak in 1919 and dealt with a growing European tension. Universal voting rights, expanding the welfare state, and a massive housing program helped reduce the revolutionary feeling sweeping the postwar world.massive housing programhelped dampen the revolutionary zeal sweeping across the postwar world.

The British Empire reached its greatest extent in 1919 when theTreaty of Versailleshanded over former German and Ottoman colonies in Africa and the Middle East.Ireland broke away from Britain first as a dominion in 1922; it fully cut ties in 1937.Other British dominions achieved de facto independencede facto independenceIn 1931, India's nationalist feelings grew as independence efforts picked up speed. India's goal would be met after WWII.after WWIIIndia's aim was realized.

Britain's policy toward Germany after the war was softer than France's. Britain wanted Germany to return as a strong trade partner.Disarmament treatiesThese treaties were well-intentioned. They lacked teeth. The horrors of the First World War made the British government hesitant to adopt a tough foreign policy.

The late 1930s response to Hitler's extreme demands was to appease, not confront.appease rather than confrontFuture generations criticized this policy. Neville Chamberlain's peace attempts received support from the British public then. The Danzig Crisis was the last straw.Danzig CrisisThe Danzig Crisis was the last straw.

WWI:Central Powers

WWII: Axis

What happened in between: If losing the war and accepting the terms was not enough, Germany had to accept blame for starting the conflict. After fighting the world's top powers for four years in a terrible two-front war, Germany had almost nothing left from that harsh fight.accept the blamefor starting the conflict in the first place. Germany had less than nothing after holding off the world's foremost powers for four years in a horrific two-front war.

The loss shaped the immediate postwar years, creating ground for extremist politics. The unpopular Weimar government faced extreme politics from both sides of the spectrum. A Marxist uprising occurred.Marxist uprisingThe Freikorps put down the Marxist uprising.FreikorpsMultiple far-right attempts happened in the early 1920s. The most infamous was the Beer Hall Putsch.Beer Hall Putsch(participants pictured) an Austrian WWI veteran took part in a failed coup in Munich.

After surviving the hyperinflation and seeing multiple attempts to overthrow the government, the Weimar government nearly stabilized.hyperinflationand seeing multiple attempts to overthrow the government, the Weimar government was close to finding its feet by the end of the 1920s.finding its feetBy the end of the 1920s, Germany found its feet. A worldwide recession never has a good time, but the 1929 Wall Street Crash timing was terrible for Germany. The new economic crisis saw chancellors change before President Paul von Hindenburg agreed with one of theoutgoing chancellorsconvinced that Hitler's Nazi Party could bring stability, but it could be controlled. It took over a year for Hitler to gain total power in Germany.

Starting with the reoccupation of the Rhineland in 1936, the Führer increased demands with his neighbors. Each success brought a new, more outrageous demand until Britain and France's patience was exhausted by 1939.reoccupation of the Rhinelandin 1936, the Führer continually upped the ante in his diplomatic dealings with his neighbors. With each success came a new, more outrageous demand until the patience of the British and French was exhausted by 1939.exhausted by 1939.

WWI:Allies (from 1915, victorious)

WWII: Axis Powers (defeated)

What happened in between: Japan sided with the Allies in WWI, honoring an earlier alliance with Britain. Japan gained Germany's Asian and Pacific colonies without major losses. Japan's ties with the West soured when a proposal for a racial equality clause arose.racial equality clauseThe Treaty of Versailles rejected it. Rising food prices in 1918 caused unrest and government collapse.

The early Taisho period suggested a new path for Japan: universal suffrage, personal freedoms, and less aggressive foreign policy. Progress stalled because of theThe disastrous 1923 earthquake struck.The passage of the very restrictive Peace Preservation Law followed.The Peace Preservation Law.The Great Depression's global economic problems led the military to take control. The Mukden Incident occurred.The army started the Mukden Incident in 1931 as a cover to invade Manchuria. The aggression in China drew sharp condemnation.Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 using the Mukden Incident as a pretext. China's reaction to this aggression was severe.Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in March 1933.Japan left the League of Nations in March 1933.

Japan's interwar years.Japan's interwar period ended in 1937.The full-scale invasion of China and the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War ended Japan's interwar period.

WWI:Allies (victorious)

WWII:Allies (defeated in 1940)

What happened in between: France reacted to the Treaty of Versailles with dismay. A high-ranking official stated the peace deal was only a 20-year armistice.A 20-year armistice.France found the WWI experience horrifying because much of the fighting on the Western Front happened in French territory. Avoiding that conflict became France's strategy in the interwar years.

The much-maligned Maginot LineThe Maginot Line realized this goal. The French knew Germans would try to bypass the fortifications on the French-German border; most fighting would happen in Belgium, with Allied nations taking more responsibility. France tried to build alliances in the interwar period.build alliances in the interwar period these attempts weren't very successful.

Internal disunity from massive labor strikes and violent clashes between left- and right-wing groups made a coherent French response to German rearmament hard. The French lacked the will to forcefully answer Hitler's diplomatic violations until it was too late.massive labor strikesLeft- and right-wing groups clashed violently. This made a coherent French response to German rearmament hard. France lacked the will to forcefully answer Hitler's diplomatic mistakes until it was too late.

WWI: Allies (from 1917, victorious)

WWII: Allies (from 1941, victorious)

What happened in between: The League of NationsWoodrow Wilson created the League of Nations. He saw it as the best way to keep peace after the WWI nightmare. But the US did not join the League after a Senate vote failed to meet the needed majority. The US refusal to join made the League weak.

The passage of Prohibition in 1920Prohibition in 1920 did not lessen the nation's excitement over alcohol during the Roaring Twenties.Roaring TwentiesThe postwar economic boom ended with the Great Depression when the speculative economic bubble burst at the end of the decade. The effects of the 1929 Wall Street Crash spread globally, causing the worst recession of the 20th century.1929 Wall Street Crash1929 Wall Street Crash spread across the world, plunging it into the worst recession of the 20th century.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New DealThe United States enacted key federal programs in the 1930s, such as Social Security. As war approached, the American public did not want to join another European conflict. Still, the Roosevelt administration did not remain idle when war started in1939Public support for American involvement grew only after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet, the US provided major material aid to the Allies in the fighting.