The world in
What happened in 1918?
42 events across 9 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- U-boat campaign
During World War I, the Imperial German Navy waged a submarine campaign against Allied trade routes, primarily in the waters around the British Isles and the Mediterranean. Germany sought to cut off Britain's overseas supplies with U-boats in response to the Royal Navy's blockade, making this a key part of the Atlantic theatre.
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- World War I
World War I was a global military conflict fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies and the Central Powers. The war was primarily waged in Europe but extended to the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, causing tens of millions of casualties and witnessing the large-scale use of new weapons. The conflict directly led to the collapse of the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
- Battle of Amiens
The Battle of Amiens began on 8 August 1918 as the opening phase of the Hundred Days Offensive, a turning point in World War I. Allied forces advanced over 11 kilometres on the first day, dealing a severe blow to German morale and leading General Ludendorff to call it 'the black day of the German Army'. The battle also marked an early large-scale use of armoured warfare.
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- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
On 3 March 1918 at Brest-Litovsk, Soviet Russia and the Central Powers signed a separate peace, known as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The treaty took Russia out of World War I.
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- German Revolution of 1918–1919
The German Revolution of 1918–1919 erupted in the final phase of World War I as workers, sailors, and soldiers rose and formed councils, toppling the German Empire and establishing a republic. Supporters of a parliamentary republic prevailed over advocates of a Soviet-style council state, clearing the way for the Weimar Republic. Key drivers were wartime burdens, the economic and psychological impact of defeat, and tensions between the populace and elite. It began in October 1918 with mutinies and council formations and coincided with the 11 November armistice.
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- Establishment of the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery was established in the Meuse department of France to bury American soldiers killed in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. It contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe.
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- Second Battle of the Marne
From 15 July to 6 August 1918, the German Army launched its last major offensive on the Western Front of World War I. An Allied counterattack led by French forces crushed the attack, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of a relentless Allied advance that led to an armistice about 100 days later.
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- Battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was a decisive battle of World War I on the Italian Front, fought from 24 October 1918. The Italian victory ended the war on the Italian Front, precipitated the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and hastened the end of World War I.
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- Polish–Ukrainian War begins
In November 1918, the Second Polish Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic began an armed conflict for control of Eastern Galicia, lasting until July 1919. The war started with a series of clashes in Lviv and ended with an informal ceasefire.
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- Hungarian–Romanian War
The Hungarian–Romanian War was a military conflict between the Hungarian Democratic Republic (later Hungarian Soviet Republic) and the Kingdom of Romania. Hostilities began in late 1918 and ended in early August 1919 with the Romanian occupation of Budapest and the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic. Subsequently, Romania occupied parts of eastern Hungary until 1920 and ultimately gained Transylvania.
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- Ukrainian–Soviet War
The Ukrainian–Soviet War broke out in 1917 as an armed conflict between the Ukrainian People's Republic and Soviet Russia. It began after the October Revolution when Lenin sent an expeditionary force into Ukraine. The Ukrainian side was led by Symon Petliura. Considered part of the Ukrainian War of Independence, the conflict ultimately ended in the failure of Ukraine's struggle for national independence.
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- Outbreak of the Lithuanian Wars of Independence
At the end of World War I, Lithuania fought to defend its independence against Bolshevik forces, Bermontians, and Poland. The first of these conflicts began in December 1918, delaying international recognition of Lithuania's restored independence and its civil institutions.
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- Lithuanian–Soviet War
In December 1918, Soviet forces invaded newly independent Lithuania as part of their westward offensive, controlling about two thirds of its territory by January 1919. In February, Lithuanian and German volunteers counterattacked, preventing the capture of the temporary capital, Kaunas. The conflict subsequently intertwined with the Polish–Soviet War.
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- Signing of the Unification Act of Ukraine
The Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic signed the Unification Act in Sophia Square, Kyiv, uniting the two entities into a single state. The agreement was signed in early 1919 and is commemorated as the Day of Unity of Ukraine.
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- Signing of the Treaty of Bucharest (1918)
On 7 May 1918, the Kingdom of Romania and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) signed the Treaty of Bucharest, by which Romania exited World War I. The treaty forced Romania to cede Dobruja to Bulgaria and parts of the Carpathians to Austria-Hungary, and to grant Germany long-term access to its oil fields; in return, Romania was permitted to unite with Bessarabia. As the war turned against the Central Powers, the treaty was in effect for only six months before being repudiated.
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- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine) Signed
On 9 February 1918, the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Central Powers signed a peace treaty at Brest-Litovsk, ending Ukraine's involvement in World War I. The treaty recognised Ukraine's sovereignty, restored the Austro-Hungarian–Ukrainian border to the 1914 line, and made provision for a joint commission to determine the border with Poland. In return, the Central Powers secured grain and other goods from Ukraine and provided military assistance against the Bolsheviks.
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- Italian Military Cemetery of Bligny Inaugurated
The Italian Military Cemetery of Bligny was inaugurated during World War I in Chambrecy, Marne, France, to bury Italian soldiers who died on the French front.
- Battle of the Frontiers begins
The Battle of the Frontiers began in August 1914 as a series of major engagements on the Western Front of World War I. French commander Joffre and German commander Moltke the Younger implemented Plan XVII and the Schlieffen-Moltke Plan respectively. Fighting occurred along the Franco-German border and southern Belgium. The French forces were eventually forced to retreat.
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- Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park established
In 1918, Spain established Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in the Pyrenees, making it one of the country's first two national parks. Located in Huesca province, it initially protected the Ordesa Valley's core area. Later enlarged to 156 square kilometres, the area became part of the Pyrénées-Mont Perdu World Heritage Site.
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- Opening of Kiyevsky (then Bryansky) railway station in Moscow
Kiyevsky railway station (originally Bryansky) opened as a Moscow terminal in the early 20th century. It is the only Moscow rail terminal with a frontage on the Moskva River. The station serves as a hub for the Moscow Metro.
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West Asia
- Armenian Genocide
Between 1915 and 1917, the Ottoman Empire's Committee of Union and Progress systematically destroyed the Armenian people, primarily through death marches and forced Islamization, resulting in approximately one million deaths.
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- Hebrew University of Jerusalem Founded
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, becoming the second-oldest university in Israel after the Technion.
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- Caucasus campaign
The Caucasus campaign was a series of armed conflicts between the Ottoman and Russian Empires in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia during World War I, part of the Middle Eastern theatre. After the Russian Revolution, other entities including Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire became involved, with fighting continuing until the armistice in 1918. Naval operations also took place in the Black Sea.
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- Arab Revolt
In June 1916, Arabs of the Hejaz, led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca, launched an armed revolt against the Ottoman Empire as part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, aiming to create a unified Arab kingdom stretching from Aleppo to Aden.
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- Battle of Baku
The Battle of Baku took place between August and September 1918. It was a conclusive part of the Caucasus Campaign of World War I, fought between Ottoman–Azerbaijani coalition forces led by Nuri Pasha and initially Bolshevik–ARF Baku Soviet forces, later succeeded by British–Armenian–White Russian forces under Lionel Dunsterville. The Ottoman–Azerbaijani side prevailed, and the battle also marked the beginning of the Armenian–Azerbaijani War.
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- Franco-Turkish War
The Franco-Turkish War (December 1918 – October 1921) was a series of armed conflicts between the Turkish Grand National Assembly forces and the French army in Cilicia and elsewhere, during the Turkish War of Independence. French claims in the region stemmed from the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and the crisis of Armenian refugees further fueled tensions. The war ended with Turkish victory and French withdrawal, consolidating the Turkish national movement's control over southern Anatolia.
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- Armenian–Azerbaijani War
The Armenian–Azerbaijani War was a conflict fought between 1918 and 1920 in the South Caucasus, involving the newly established states of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It erupted after the fall of the Russian Empire, primarily in regions with mixed Armenian and Azerbaijani populations. The fighting was largely irregular and resulted in heavy civilian casualties. The Ottoman Empire and the United Kingdom intervened on opposing sides, and the war concluded with the establishment of Soviet rule.
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- Signing of the Treaty of Batum
On 4 June 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed a peace treaty with the three Transcaucasian republics—Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia—in Batumi, ending hostilities. It was the first treaty for Armenia and Azerbaijan as independent states, containing 14 articles. The treaty drastically reduced Armenia to a small territory around Erevan, causing internal opposition; General Andranik Ozanian rejected it and proclaimed a separate republic. The treaty reflected Ottoman expansionism in the Caucasus.
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- Armeno-Georgian War
In December 1918, a short border conflict broke out between the newly independent Georgia and Armenia over control of disputed districts. Fighting lasted a few weeks with both sides gaining and losing ground. A ceasefire was arranged under British mediation, leading to the establishment of a joint civil administration in the Lori neutral zone.
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- Georgian–Ossetian Uprisings (1918–1920)
Between 1918 and 1920, a series of uprisings erupted in Ossetian-inhabited areas, first against the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic and later the Menshevik-led Democratic Republic of Georgia. The conflict claimed thousands of lives and left lasting trauma among Georgian and Ossetian communities.
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Central Asian steppe
- Outbreak of the Basmachi Movement
In 1916, an uprising by Muslim peoples of Central Asia against tsarist conscription and colonial rule broke out in Turkestan, marking the beginning of the Basmachi movement. This decentralized resistance later turned against Soviet rule and became the most protracted anti-colonial armed struggle in the region, gradually subsiding only by 1934.
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- Founding of Irkutsk State University
Irkutsk State University was established in Irkutsk, Siberia, in the early 20th century, becoming a comprehensive higher education institution covering humanities, natural sciences, technology, and applied sciences.
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- Founding of the National University of Uzbekistan
In 1918, Turkestan People's University, later known as the National University of Uzbekistan, was founded in Tashkent. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Uzbekistan and later became the country's largest university, named after the astronomer Ulugbek.
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North America
- Mexican Revolution
A prolonged armed conflict among factions in Mexico from 1910 to 1920, aiming to end dictatorship, culminating in a constitution and a constitutional republic. It caused around one million deaths and profoundly transformed Mexican culture and government.
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- 1918–1920 influenza pandemic
Between 1918 and 1920, an exceptionally deadly influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus swept the globe. About one-third of the world population (500 million people) was infected, with death estimates ranging from 20 to 50 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.
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North Africa
- Rif War begins
In 1921, armed conflict broke out between Spain and Berber tribes of the Rif region in northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, Rifian forces used guerrilla tactics and captured Western weaponry to repeatedly defeat Spanish troops. France intervened in 1925, escalating the war, which ended with the surrender of the Rifian resistance.
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- Outbreak of the French conquest of Morocco
In 1907, France began its conquest of the Sultanate of Morocco by occupying Oujda on 29 March. Subsequent military campaigns led to the Treaty of Fes in 1912, establishing the French protectorate, while pacification operations continued until 1934.
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East Asia
- Rice Riots of 1918
In 1918, a series of large-scale riots erupted in Japan due to soaring rice prices. Starting in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, the unrest spread to nearly 500 locations nationwide, involving an estimated one to two million participants. The riots were the largest popular uprising in modern Japanese history and led to the collapse of Prime Minister Terauchi Masatake's cabinet.
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- Founding of Hokkaido Imperial University
In 1918, the Japanese government elevated Sapporo Agricultural College to Hokkaido Imperial University, making it the fifth imperial university and advancing higher education and research in Hokkaido.
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Central & South America
- Banana Wars
Between 1898 and 1934, the United States carried out a series of military occupations, police actions, and interventions in Central America and the Caribbean. These operations were primarily conducted by the United States Marine Corps, which compiled the Small Wars Manual (1921) based on its experiences.
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South Asia
- Establishment of Osmania University
Osmania University was established by a firman issued by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad. It is the third oldest university in southern India and the first to be established in the former Kingdom of Hyderabad. It was the first Indian university to use Urdu as a language of instruction.
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Sub-Saharan Africa
- Outbreak of the East African Campaign in World War I
In 1914, as World War I broke out, a series of battles erupted in East Africa between the German Empire and the British, Belgian, and Portuguese Entente. The fighting began on the borders of German East Africa and later spread to Portuguese Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. German forces under Lieutenant-Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck waged a prolonged guerrilla campaign, surrendering only on 23 November 1918.
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Around 1918
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins
- Construction of the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Centre of Heaven and Earth'
- Establishment of the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
- Designation of the Maotianshan Shales member and type section