1910s

Last updated
From left, clockwise: The Ford Model T is introduced and becomes widespread; The sinking of the RMS Titanic causes the deaths of nearly 1,500 people and attracts global and historical attention; Title bar: All the events below are part of World War I (1914-1918); French Army lookout at his observation post in 1917; Russian troops awaiting a German attack; A ration party of the Royal Irish Rifles in a communication trench during the Battle of the Somme; Vladimir Lenin addresses a crowd in the midst of the Russian Revolution, beginning in 1917; The Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 kills tens of millions worldwide. 1910s montage.pngSinking of the Titanic
From left, clockwise: The Ford Model T is introduced and becomes widespread; The sinking of the RMS Titanic causes the deaths of nearly 1,500 people and attracts global and historical attention; Title bar: All the events below are part of World War I (1914–1918); French Army lookout at his observation post in 1917; Russian troops awaiting a German attack; A ration party of the Royal Irish Rifles in a communication trench during the Battle of the Somme ; Vladimir Lenin addresses a crowd in the midst of the Russian Revolution , beginning in 1917; The Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 kills tens of millions worldwide.

The 1910s (pronounced "nineteen-tens") was the decade that began on January 1, 1910, and ended on December 31, 1919.

Contents

The 1910s represented the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th century. The conservative lifestyles during the first half of the decade, as well as the legacy of military alliances, were forever changed by the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The archduke's murder triggered a chain of events in which, within 33 days, World War I broke out in Europe on August 1, 1914. The conflict dragged on until a truce was declared on November 11, 1918, leading to the controversial and one-sided Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919.

The war's end triggered the abdication of various monarchies and the collapse of four of the last modern empires of Russia, Germany, Ottoman Turkey, and Austria-Hungary, with the latter splintered into Austria, Hungary, southern Poland (who acquired most of their land in a war with Soviet Russia), Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as the unification of Romania with Transylvania and Bessarabia. [lower-alpha 1] However, each of these states (with the possible exception of Yugoslavia) had large German and Hungarian minorities, creating some unexpected problems that would be brought to light in the next two decades.

The decade was also a period of revolution in many countries. The Portuguese 5 October 1910 revolution, which ended the eight-century long monarchy, spearheaded the trend, followed by the Mexican Revolution in November 1910, which led to the ousting of dictator Porfirio Díaz, developing into a violent civil war that dragged on until mid-1920, not long after a new Mexican Constitution was signed and ratified. The Russian Empire had a similar fate, since its participation in World War I led it to a social, political and economical collapse which made the tsarist autocracy unsustainable and, succeeding the events of 1905, culminated in the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, under the direction of the Bolshevik Party, later renamed as the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Russian Revolution of 1918, known as the October Revolution, was followed by the Russian Civil War, which dragged on until approximately late 1922. China saw 2,000 years of imperial rule end with the Xinhai Revolution, becoming a nominal republic until Yuan Shikai's failed attempt to restore the monarchy and his death started the Warlord Era in 1916.

Treaty of Versailles Treaty of Versailles, English version.jpg
Treaty of Versailles

Much of the music in these years was ballroom-themed. Many of the fashionable restaurants were equipped with dance floors. Prohibition in the United States began January 16, 1919, with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Best-selling books of this decade include The Inside of the Cup , Seventeen , Mr. Britling Sees It Through , and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

During the 1910s, the world population increased from 1.75 to 1.87 billion, with approximately 640 million births and 500 million deaths in total.

Politics and wars

World map where is all empires and colonies in 1914, just before the First World War. World 1914 empires colonies territory.PNG
World map where is all empires and colonies in 1914, just before the First World War.

Wars

Internal conflicts

Major political change

Vladimir Lenin, Leader of the Bolshevik Party during the Russian Revolution Lenin.gif
Vladimir Lenin, Leader of the Bolshevik Party during the Russian Revolution

Decolonization and independence

Assassinations

Prominent assassinations include:

Disasters

Sinking of the Titanic. Stower Titanic (colorized).jpg
Sinking of the Titanic .
Halifax Explosion Halifax Explosion blast cloud.jpg
Halifax Explosion

Other significant international events

Science and technology

Technology

British World War I Mark V tank British Mark V-star Tank.jpg
British World War I Mark V tank

Science

Economics

Sports

Literature and arts

Below are the best-selling books in the United States of each year, as determined by The Bookman, a New York-based literary journal (1910–1912) and Publishers Weekly (1913 and beyond). [17]

Visual Arts

The 1913 Armory Show in New York City was a seminal event in the history of Modern Art. Innovative contemporaneous artists from Europe and the United States exhibited together in a massive group exhibition in New York City, and Chicago.

Art movements

Other movements and techniques

Influential artists

People

Business

Henry Ford Henry ford 1919.jpg
Henry Ford

Inventors

Politics

Authors

Entertainers

Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin with doll.jpg
Charlie Chaplin
Lillian Gish Lillian Gish-edit1.jpg
Lillian Gish
Mary Pickford Mary Pickford cph.3c17995u.jpg
Mary Pickford

Sports figures

Baseball

Babe Ruth, 1915 Babe Ruth by Paul Thompson, 1915.jpg
Babe Ruth, 1915

Olympics

Boxing

See also

Timeline

The following articles contain brief timelines which list the most prominent events of the decade:

1910191119121913191419151916191719181919

Notes

  1. See Dissolution of Austria-Hungary § Successor states for better description of composition of names of successor countries following the splinter.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austria-Hungary</span> 1867–1918 empire in Central Europe

Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. Austria-Hungary was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states with a single monarch who was titled both emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Austria-Hungary constituted the last phase in the constitutional evolution of the Habsburg monarchy: it was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War and was dissolved shortly after Hungary terminated the union with Austria on 31 October 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balkan Wars</span> Series of wars fought in the Balkans from 1912-1913

The Balkan Wars were a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defeated it, in the process stripping the Ottomans of their European provinces, leaving only Eastern Thrace under the Ottoman Empire's control. In the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria fought against the other four original combatants of the first war. It also faced an attack from Romania from the north. The Ottoman Empire lost the bulk of its territory in Europe. Although not involved as a combatant, Austria-Hungary became relatively weaker as a much enlarged Serbia pushed for union of the South Slavic peoples. The war set the stage for the July crisis of 1914 and thus served as a prelude to the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Powers</span> Military coalition in World War I

The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires, were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria; this was also known as the Quadruple Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf</span> Field marshal of Austria

Franz Xaver Josef Conrad von Hötzendorf, sometimes anglicised as Hoetzendorf, was an Austrian general who played a central role in World War I. He served as K.u.k. Feldmarschall and Chief of the General Staff of the military of the Austro-Hungarian Army and Navy from 1906 to 1917. He was in charge during the July Crisis of 1914 that caused World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archduke Joseph August of Austria</span> Archduke of Austria

Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia was a Feldmarschall of the Austro-Hungarian Army and for a short period head of state of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the eldest son of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (1833–1905) and his wife Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1846–1927). Joseph August's grandfather had been Palatine Joseph of Hungary (1776–1847), Palatine and Viceroy of Hungary, a younger son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Causes of World War I</span> Explanations, hypotheses and claims for how the war started

The identification of the causes of World War I remains a debated issue. World War I began in the Balkans on July 28, 1914, and hostilities ended on November 11, 1918, leaving 17 million dead and 25 million wounded. Moreover, the Russian Civil War can in many ways be considered a continuation of World War I, as can various other conflicts in the direct aftermath of 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottokar Czernin</span> Czech diplomat and politician (1872–1932)

Ottokar Theobald Otto Maria Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat and politician during the time of World War I, notably serving as Foreign Minister from 1916 to 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allies of World War I</span> Opposing side to the Central Powers

The Allies, or the Entente Powers, were an international military coalition of countries led by France, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Japan against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria in World War I (1914–1918).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Serbia</span> 1882–1918 country in Southeast Europe

The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynasty. The Principality, under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire, de facto achieved full independence when the last Ottoman troops left Belgrade in 1867. The Congress of Berlin in 1878 recognized the formal independence of the Principality of Serbia, and in its composition Nišava, Pirot, Toplica and Vranje districts entered the South part of Serbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire</span> 1908–1922 breakup, occupation and replacement of the Ottoman Empire

The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire (1908–1922) was a period of history of the Ottoman Empire beginning with the Young Turk Revolution and ultimately ending with the empire's dissolution and the founding of the modern state of Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Montenegro</span> State in southeast Europe from 1910 to 1922

The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Officially it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice. On 28 November 1918, following the end of World War I, with the Montenegrin government still in exile, the Podgorica Assembly proclaimed unification with the Kingdom of Serbia, which itself was merged into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes three days later, on 1 December 1918. This unification with Serbia lasted, through various successor states, for almost 88 years, ending in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial empire</span> Overseas possessions of a nation-state

A colonial empire is a collective of territories, either contiguous with the imperial center or located overseas, settled by the population of a certain state and governed by that state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World War I</span> 1914–1918 global conflict

World War I or the First World War was a global conflict fought between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Fighting took place throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. One of the deadliest wars in history, it resulted in an estimated 9 million soldiers dead and 23 million wounded, plus another 5 million civilian deaths from various causes. Millions more died as a result of genocide, and the war was a major factor in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to World War I:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hungary in World War I</span> Overview of the position of Hungary during World War I

At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Hungary was part of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Although there are no significant battles specifically connected to Hungarian regiments, the troops suffered high losses throughout the war as the Empire suffered defeat after defeat. The result was the breakup of the Empire and eventually, Hungary suffered severe territorial losses by the closing Trianon Peace Treaty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolutions of 1917–1923</span> Wave of political unrest and mass revolts in Europe in the aftermath of World War I

The Revolutions of 1917–1923 were a revolutionary wave that included political unrest and armed revolts around the world inspired by the success of the Russian Revolution and the disorder created by the aftermath of World War I. The uprisings were mainly socialist or anti-colonial in nature. Some socialist revolts failed to create lasting socialist states. The revolutions had lasting effects in shaping the future European political landscape, with for example the collapse of the German Empire and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaders of the Central Powers of World War I</span>

The leaders of the Central Powers of World War I were the political or military figures who commanded or supported the Central Powers.

The diplomatic history of World War I covers the non-military interactions among the major players during World War I. For the domestic histories of participants see home front during World War I. For a longer-term perspective see international relations (1814–1919) and causes of World War I. For the following (post-war) era see international relations (1919–1939). The major "Allies" grouping included Great Britain and its empire, France, Russia, Italy and the United States. Opposing the Allies, the major Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and Bulgaria. Other countries also joined the Allies. For a detailed chronology see timeline of World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of Austria-Hungary</span>

During its time of its existence Austria-Hungary did not have a common flag. However, the black-gold flag of the ruling Habsburg Dynasty was sometimes used as a de facto national flag and a common civil ensign was introduced in 1869 for civilian vessels. Until 1918, the k.u.k. War Fleet continued to carry the Austrian ensign it had used since 1786; and the regiments of the k.u.k. Army carried the double-eagle banners they had used before 1867, as they had a long history in many cases. New ensigns created in 1915 were not implemented due to the ongoing war. At state functions, the Austrian black-yellow and the Hungarian red-white-green tricolor were used.

References

  1. Dictionary of Genocide, by Samuel Totten, Paul Robert Bartrop, Steven L. Jacobs, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008, ISBN   0-313-34642-9, p. 19
  2. Intolerance: a general survey, by Lise Noël, Arnold Bennett, 1994, ISBN   0773511873, p. 101
  3. Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society, by Richard T. Schaefer, 2008, p. 90
  4. “The Mcmahon Correspondence of 1915-16.” Bulletin of International News, vol. 16, no. 5, 1939, pp. 6–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25642429. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.
  5. Sole, Kent M. “THE ARABS, A PEOPLE BETRAYED.” Journal of Third World Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 1985, pp. 59–62. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45197139. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.
  6. Barnett, David (2022-10-30). "Revealed: TE Lawrence felt 'bitter shame' over UK's false promises of Arab self rule". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  7. Wilson, Samuel Graham (1916). Modern Movements Among Moslems. United States: Fleming H. Revell Company. pp. 49–50.
  8. Friedel, Robert D (1996). Zipper : an Exploration in Novelty. New York: Norton. p. 94. ISBN   0393313654. OCLC   757885297.
  9. "A Non-Rusting Steel: Sheffield Invention Especially Good for Table Cutlery" (PDF). The New York Times. 1914-01-31. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  10. "Bread-toaster" (Patent #1,387,670 application filed May 29, 1919, granted August 16, 1921). Google Patents. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  11. Brinkley, Douglas (2004). Wheels for the world : Henry Ford, his company, and a century of progress, 1903-2003. Penguin Books. ISBN   9780142004395. OCLC   796971541.
  12. Watson, Greig (2014-02-24). "World War One: The tank's secret Lincoln origins". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  13. MBTA (2010). "About the MBTA-The "El"". MBTA. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  14. O'Conner, J.J.; Robertson, E.F. (May 1996). "General relativity". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. University of St. Andrews. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  15. "Gerade auf LeMO gesehen: LeMO Bestand: Biografie". www.dhm.de (in German). Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum. 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  16. Demhardt, Imre (2012) [1912]. "Alfred Wegeners Hypothesis on Continental Drift and its Discussion in Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen" (PDF). Polarforschung. 75: 29–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-04.
  17. "Annual Bestsellers, 1910-1919". 2006. Archived from the original on 2011-10-16.

Further reading