The world in
What happened in 1922?
24 events across 9 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
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Rise of Fascism as a Political IdeologyFascism emerged as a far-right political ideology and movement in Europe during the 1920s and early 1930s, notably in Italy and Germany. Its core features included veneration of a dictatorial leader, ultranationalism, violent suppression of opposition, and strict regimentation of society and economy. Opposed to communism, democracy, and liberalism, its rise was closely tied to post-World War I economic and social crises.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unidentified photographer / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
- Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic experienced hyperinflation primarily between 1921 and 1923, peaking in 1923. The German government financed World War I through borrowing and later faced reparations, leading to massive printing of money. This caused a sharp devaluation of the Papiermark, domestic political turmoil, and foreign occupation of the Ruhr. Stability was restored through new currencies like the Rentenmark, and the episode deeply shaped Germany's subsequent fiscal conservatism.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Treaty of RapalloOn 16 April 1922, Weimar Germany and Soviet Russia signed the Treaty of Rapallo in Rapallo, Italy. The parties renounced territorial and financial claims against each other and opened friendly diplomatic relations. The agreement was concluded in the context of the 1922 Genoa negotiations.
Inauguration of the Haute-Chevauchée OssuaryThe Haute-Chevauchée ossuary was completed in the Meuse department, France, to house the remains of soldiers fallen in World War I. It serves as both an ossuary and a commemorative monument, located in the commune of Lachalade, west of Verdun.
Inauguration of Sarrebourg National Prisoners of War CemeteryThe Sarrebourg National Prisoners of War Cemetery is a French military cemetery located in Sarrebourg, Moselle, housing prisoners of war who died during World War I. It was inaugurated in 1922 to commemorate the fallen prisoners.
SourcesWikipedia (FR) ↗Image: Aimelaime~commonswiki / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Establishment of the Hartmannswillerkopf National MonumentThe Hartmannswillerkopf National Monument was established in the Haut-Rhin as a national memorial site of World War I.
SourcesWikipedia (FR) ↗Image: Serge Nueffer at French Wikipedia / Public domain ↗
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Completion of Las Ventas BullringLas Ventas bullring was completed in 1929 in Madrid's Salamanca district and inaugurated in 1931. It is the largest bullring in Spain, with a seating capacity of about 24,000, and one of the largest in the world.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Luis García ( Zaqarbal ) / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Completion of the Shukhov TowerThe Shukhov Tower, a 160-metre steel radio tower in Moscow designed by Vladimir Shukhov, was completed in 1922, commemorating the October Revolution.
West Asia
Armenian GenocideBetween 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.
Outbreak of the Turkish War of IndependenceIn 1919, the Turkish War of Independence broke out in Anatolia, primarily pitting the Turkish National Movement against the Entente powers and their allies. The war stemmed from the occupation and partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. After about four years of conflict, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the sultanate and caliphate were abolished, and the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923.
Greco-Turkish WarThe Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) pitted Greece against the Turkish National Movement amid the partition of the Ottoman Empire and formed part of the Turkish War of Independence. Fought from 15 May 1919 to 14 October 1922, it ended with a Turkish victory that nullified the Treaty of Sèvres. Under the Treaty of Lausanne, Greece abandoned its 1920 territorial gains and retained only the Aegean islands; the compulsory population exchange between the two states was carried out under a separate convention concluded at the Lausanne conference.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗
Foundation of the Al-Aqsa LibraryThe Al-Aqsa Library was established within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, housing a large collection of books. The library consists of two parts: the main library west of the mosque and the al-Khutniyya library to the south. As an important Islamic knowledge center, it provides religious and scholarly resources for researchers and worshippers.
North Africa
Rif War beginsIn 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: José Moreno Carbonero / Public domain ↗
Outbreak of the French conquest of MoroccoIn 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.
Central & South America
Banana WarsBetween 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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: A. R. Harrison, United States Marine Corps / Public domain ↗
Creation of the National Historical Museum of BrazilIn 1922, the National Historical Museum of Brazil was established in Rio de Janeiro. It was inaugurated within an architectural complex initiated as St. James of Mercy Fort in 1603, with foundations dating to 1567. The museum holds over 287,000 items, including Latin America's largest numismatic collection, and a library exceeding 57,000 volumes.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Carlos Luis M C da Cruz / Public domain ↗
South Asia
University of Delhi foundedIn 1922, the University of Delhi was founded by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly, establishing a major central university in India.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Seek1 at en.wikipedia / Public domain ↗
Founding of the Prince of Wales Museum (now CSMVS)A museum was founded in Mumbai in the 1920s, initially called the Prince of Wales Museum, to document the history of India from prehistoric to modern times. It was later renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and became a major cultural institution in the city.
North America
Dedication of the Lincoln MemorialIn 1922, the national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, was dedicated on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The neoclassical temple-like structure was designed by architect Henry Bacon. It houses a large marble statue of Lincoln designed by Daniel Chester French and carved by the Piccirilli brothers. Since opening, it has become a major tourist attraction and occasional symbolic center for race relations and civil rights.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg : Carol M. Highsmith derivative work: upstate NYer / Public domain ↗
Establishment of Wood Buffalo National ParkIn 1922, Canada established Wood Buffalo National Park in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories to protect the world's largest herd of wood bison. Spanning over 44,000 square kilometers, it became the largest national park in Canada and the second-largest in the world.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: No machine-readable author provided. Ansgar Walk assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
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.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
Establishment of the Selous Game ReserveIn 1922, the Selous Game Reserve was formally established in southern Tanzania, commemorating the British hunter Frederick Selous who died there during WWI; it would later become one of the largest game reserves in the world.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Panii at German Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Oceania
Protection Begins for Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair AreaAround the early 20th century, a wilderness area in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, Australia, was officially protected, later becoming Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park. Located about 165 km northwest of Hobart, it is renowned for natural features like Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair, and forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Around 1922
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.
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- 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