Nibble
Get started

Lesson 3 of 12

1920s: Aftershocks of war

Step into a decade shaped by the fall of empires and the rise of new powers — where shifting borders, strong leaders, and fragile peace quietly rewrote the rules of the world.
Start learning

The world entering the 1920s

As the 1920s began, nations scrambled to recover from the devastation of war. However, while some countries reveled in peace and prosperity, others simmered with unrest. The world had survived "the war to end all wars," but its aftershocks were only beginning.

Continue reading 1920s: Aftershocks of war with Nibble App

Nibble is an interactive microlearning app. Pick a topic, spend from 3 to 10 minutes, then move on whenever your curiosity does. There are 670+ content pieces across 36 topics, available on iOS, Android, and the web.

Continue reading

More on 20th Century Timeline

  1. Lesson 1 of 12

    1900s: A new century, a new world

  2. Lesson 2 of 12

    1910s: The chaos of global war

  3. Lesson 3 of 12

    1920s: Aftershocks of war

  4. Lesson 4 of 12

    1930s: The world holding its breath

  5. Lesson 5 of 12

    1940s: The world in flames

  6. Lesson 6 of 12 • Quiz

    What was first: 1900-1949

  7. Lesson 7 of 12

    1950s: Between fear and affluence

  8. Lesson 8 of 12

    1960s: Breaking chains, making change

  9. Lesson 9 of 12

    1970s: Finding new directions

  10. Lesson 10 of 12

    1980s: Between Chornobyl and Berlin

  11. Lesson 11 of 12

    1990s: Pass into the new millennium

  12. Lesson 12 of 12 • Quiz

    What was first: 1950-1999

Start learning

Common questions

Because the decade brought fast economic growth and social change after World War I. Cars, radio, and film spread quickly, jazz set the sound of the era, and younger people broke with older rules. That mix of money and rebellion gave the decade its loud, restless reputation.

The prosperity skipped large parts of the country. Farmers struggled with falling crop prices for most of the decade, factory wages lagged behind soaring profits, and Black Americans and immigrants faced rising violence and hostility, including a revived Ku Klux Klan and tight new limits on immigration.

American women gained the right to vote nationally and stepped into public life in new ways. More took paid jobs, and younger women known as flappers cut their hair, wore shorter dresses, and pushed back on rules about how women were supposed to behave. These shifts reached cities far more than rural areas, though.

Because banning alcohol didn't end the demand for it. When the sale of liquor became illegal, a huge black market opened up, and criminal gangs moved in to supply speakeasies and smuggle drink across borders. The profits were enormous, which let those gangs grow powerful, well-armed, and hard for police to stop.

Start learning