The world in
What happened in 1923?
21 events across 6 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.
Establishment of the Gulag systemIn 1923, the Soviet Union established its first special camp for political prisoners on the Solovetsky Islands, marking the beginning of what would later evolve into the extensive Gulag system.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Unknown author Unknown author / Public domain ↗
Treaty of LausanneSigned on 24 July 1923 at the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, the Treaty of Lausanne replaced the failed Treaty of Sèvres and formally settled the conflict dating from World War I between the Ottoman side and the Allied powers. It defined Turkey’s borders, made ongoing population transfers obligatory, and provided for unrestricted civilian, non-military passage through the Turkish Straits.
- 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 ↗
Establishment of the Saint Julien MemorialThe Saint Julien Memorial, also known as The Brooding Soldier, was established in the village of Saint-Julien, Belgium, to commemorate the Canadian First Division's participation in the Second Battle of Ypres of World War I, which included the first poison gas attacks. The memorial was designed by World War I veteran Lieutenant Frederick Chapman Clemesha, selected through a design competition organized by the Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission in 1920.
Establishment of the Portuguese Military Cemetery in RichebourgThe Portuguese Military Cemetery in Richebourg was built in the 1920s and is the only Portuguese military cemetery in France. It holds the graves of 1,831 Portuguese Expeditionary Corps soldiers who died in World War I, many of whom fell at the Battle of the Lys in April 1918.
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La Fontenelle National CemeteryLa Fontenelle National Cemetery is a French First World War military cemetery in Ban-de-Sapt, Vosges. It contains the graves of fallen soldiers and commemorates French service members who died in the war.
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.
Establishment of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in AsmaraThe Church of Our Lady of the Rosary was completed in 1923 in Asmara, then the capital of Italian Eritrea. Built in Lombard Romanesque style, it served as the principal church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Eritrea.
Creation of the Majorelle Garden beginsIn 1923, French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle began creating a botanical and landscape garden covering about one hectare in Marrakesh, Morocco. The construction spanned nearly forty years, featuring a Cubist villa designed in the 1930s.
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.
Establishment of Azerbaijan State University of Culture and ArtsIn 1923, Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts was founded on the basis of the Baku Theatrical College. It became Azerbaijan's main state-funded institution of higher education in performing arts.
North America
Freer Gallery of Art OpensIn 1923, the Freer Gallery of Art opened to the public in Washington, D.C. The museum was founded through a donation by industrialist Charles Lang Freer, whose core collection comprised over eight thousand works of Asian and American art. Its neoclassical building was constructed between 1916 and 1921. The gallery later formed, together with the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, becoming a major center for Asian art in the United States.
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Establishment of El Arenal MunicipalityThe municipality of El Arenal was established in the early 20th century in central Jalisco, Mexico. Known as the gateway to the 'blue agave' region in the Jaliscan Highlands, it is renowned for tequila production. A recent census recorded about 21,100 residents, and it covers roughly 111.8 km², with the homonymous town serving as its seat.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: José González Peña / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
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Opening of the Rose Bowl StadiumThe Rose Bowl Stadium opened in October 1922 in Pasadena, California. The outdoor athletic venue was later recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark.
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 ↗
Opening of the Copacabana PalaceThe Copacabana Palace opened on August 13, 1923, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was designed by French architect Joseph Gire and faces Copacabana beach.
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 ↗
Around 1923
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