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Europe, 1923.

Population densities in Europe, 1923.

Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum (1918–1939) is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Description of the Interbellum[link]

This period of history was marked by turmoil, as Europe struggled to recover from the devastation of the First World War. Later a period of considerable prosperity (the Roaring Twenties) followed, but this changed dramatically with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. It was during this time that the Weimar Republic in Germany gave way to two episodes of political and economic turmoil, the first culminated in the German hyperinflation of 1923 and the failed Beer Hall Putsch of that same year. The second convulsion, brought on by the worldwide depression, resulted in the rise of Nazism. In Asia, Japan became an ever more assertive power, especially with regards to China.

The interwar period was marked by a radical change in the international order, away from the balance of power that had dominated pre–World War I Europe. One main institution intended to bring stability was the League of Nations, created after the First World War with the intention of maintaining world security and peace and encouraging economic growth between member countries. The League was undermined from the start by the non-participation of the United States and the Soviet Union, and subsequently by the bellicosity of Mussolini's Italy, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan - leading many to question its legitimacy and effectiveness.

A series of international crises strained the League to its limits, the earliest being the invasion of Manchuria by Japan and the Abyssinian crisis of 1935/36 in which Italy invaded Abyssinia, one of the only free African nations at that time. The League tried to enforce economic sanctions upon Italy, but to no avail. The incident highlighted French and British weakness, exemplified by their reluctance to alienate Italy and lose her as their ally. The limited actions taken by the Western powers pushed Mussolini's Italy towards alliance with Hitler's Germany anyway. The Abyssinian war showed Hitler how weak the League was and encouraged his participation in the Spanish Civil War. He also remilitarized the Rhineland in flagrant disregard of the Treaty of Versailles. This was the first in a series of provocative acts culminating in the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the beginning of the Second World War.

Other interwar periods/events[link]

The following are sample interwar period events or issues, presented by country:

• History of Afghanistan: Third Anglo-Afghan War
• History of Albania: Vlora War, Corfu incident, and Invasion of Albania
• History of Australia: Great Depression in Australia
• History of Austria: Republic of German Austria, First Austrian Republic, Austrian Civil War, and Anschluss
• History of Belgium: Occupation of the Ruhr
• History of Bolivia: Chaco War
• History of Brazil: Revolution of 1930
• History of Bulgaria: Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923 and the Incident at Petrich
• History of Canada: Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years
• History of the Republic of China: Warlord era, Northern Expedition, Manchukuo, Mukden incident, and Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)
• History of Czechoslovakia: Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts, Munich Agreement, and German occupation of Czechoslovakia
• History of Ethiopia: Ethiopian coup d'état of 1928, Gugsa Welle's Rebellion (1930), Abyssinia Crisis and Second Italo-Abyssinian War
• History of Estonia: Estonian War of Independence, 1924 communist coup d'état attempt, Vaps Movement, Era of Silence, and Soviet Occupation
• History of Finland: Kingdom of Finland and Finnish Civil War
• History of France: Treaty of Versailles, Franco-Turkish War, Occupation of the Ruhr, French Colonial Empire, Rif War (1920), Battle of Maysalun, and Popular Front
• History of Germany: Treaty of Versailles, Spartacist uprising, Freikorps, Weimar Republic, National Socialist German Workers Party, Beer Hall Putsch, Silesian Uprisings, Polish Corridor, Enabling Act of 1933 (Ermächtigungsgesetz), Gleichschaltung, Lebensraum, Occupation of the Ruhr, Re-unification of the Saar, German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, Reichstag fire, Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Night of the Long Knives, Nuremberg Laws, Anschluss, Munich Agreement, Kristallnacht, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, and the beginnings of Nazi Germany
• History of Greece: Greco-Turkish War, the Corfu incident, the Second Hellenic Republic, and the Metaxas Regime
• History of Hungary: Treaty of Trianon, Hungarian Democratic Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919, Kingdom of Hungary, Greater Hungary, Vienna Awards, Arrow Cross, and Slovak-Hungarian War
• History of India: Indian independence movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the Government of India Act 1935
• History of Iraq: British Mandate of Mesopotamia, Iraqi revolt against the British, and Simele massacre
• History of Ireland: Irish War of Independence
• History of Italy: National Fascist Party, March on Rome, Italian Empire, Corfu incident, Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Lateran Treaty, and Invasion of Albania
• History of Japan: Empire of Japan, Korea under Japanese rule, Mukden incident, February 26 Incident (1936), Battle of Lake Khasan, Battle of Khalkhin Gol, and Sino-Japanese War, Government by assassination
• History of Korea: Korea under Japanese rule
• History of Latvia: Latvian War of Independence and Soviet Occupation of the Baltic states
• History of Lebanon: French Mandate of Lebanon, Greater Syria
• History of Lithuania: Kingdom of Lithuania, Independent Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Central Lithuania, Lithuanian Wars of Independence, 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état, 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania, and Soviet Occupation of the Baltic states
• History of Mexico: Cristero War
• History of Morocco: Rif War (1920)
• History of Ottoman Empire (see Turkey): Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
• History of Palestine: Nebi Musa riots, Jaffa riots, Hebron–Safed riots, Palestine riots, Arab revolt, British–Zionist conflict
• History of Paraguay: Chaco War
• History of Poland (1918–1939): Second Polish Republic, Polish-Lithuanian War, Polish-Soviet War, Polish-Czechoslovak border conflicts, German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, and Free City of Danzig
• History of Portugal: 28 May Revolution, Ditadura Nacional, Estado Novo
• History of Romania: Greater Romania, Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919, Iron Guard, Balkan Pact
• History of Slovakia: Slovak-Hungarian War
• History of Russia/Soviet Union: Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War, Ukrainian War of Independence, Battle of Lake Khasan, Battle of Khalkhin Gol, the Great Purge, and History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953)
• History of Spain: Rif War (1920) and Second Spanish Republic and Spanish Civil War
• History of Syria: French Mandate of Syria, Franco-Syrian War, and the Hatay State
• History of Turkey: Turkish War of Independence (Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Turkish–Armenian War, Franco-Turkish War), Balkan Pact, and the Hatay State
• History of the United Kingdom: Treaty of Versailles, Third Anglo-Afghan War, Irish War of Independence, British Colonial Empire, British Mandate of Palestine, British Mandate of Mesopotamia, Tanganyika, British Somaliland and Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ("the Mad Mullah"), Indian independence movement, Jallianwala Bagh massacre, 1926 United Kingdom general strike, British Union of Fascists, and Blueshirts
• History of the United States: History of the United States (1918–1945), Industrial Workers of the World, Great Depression, London Economic Conference, Commonwealth of the Philippines, and German American Bund
• History of Yugoslavia: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1919–1929), Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941), Balkan Pact

See also[link]

• Aftermath of World War I
• European Civil War
• League of Nations
• Causes of World War II
• Events preceding World War II in Europe
• Golden Age of Aviation
• List of treaties
• European Sexuality leading up to and during World War II

Vernon Bogdanor speaking on his book The New British Constitution in Blackwell’s bookshop, Oxford.

Vernon Bogdanor, CBE, FBA /ˈbɒɡdənɔr/ (born 1943) is Research Professor at the Institute for Contemporary History at King's College London, and a Fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He is one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts and has written extensively on political and constitutional issues. He is an advocate of constitutional reform including proportional representation, but supports the retention of the British Monarchy.

Career[link]

Educated at Bishopshalt School, Vernon Bogdanor gained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (with congratulatory First Class honours) from The Queen's College, Oxford. He has been Fellow and Tutor in Politics at Brasenose College, Oxford, since 1966, where he has been Senior Tutor (1979–85 and 1996–97), Vice-Principal, and (in 2002-03) Acting Principal. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, and an Honorary Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. In 1998 he was awarded the CBE for contributions to constitutional history, and in 2009 he was appointed Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur.^[1]

He has been a Member of Council of The Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government, Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities, Member of the Court of Essex University, Adviser (as a member of the Council of Europe and American Bar Association delegations) to the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel and Slovakia on constitutional and electoral reform, Member of the Academic Panel of Local Authority Associations, Member of The Hansard Society Commission on the Legislative Process, Member of the UK Government delegation on Democratic Institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and Conference on the Protection of Minorities, Consultant to Independent Television News (ITN) on the General Election, Member of the Economic and Social Research Council’s committee administering the 'Whitehall' programme, Special Adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee on the Public Services, Member of the Swedish Constitutional Reform Project, Member of the Advisory Group to the High Commissioner on National Minorities, Adviser to the President of Trinidad on the Constitution of Trinidad, and Member of the ESRC's committee administering the Devolution programme.

Professor Bogdanor is a frequent contributor to TV, radio and newspapers. Between 2004 and 2008 he gave public lectures as Professor of Law at Gresham College, London. He continues to give public lectures at the College, now as Visiting Professor of Political History. He has published numerous books and articles. Recently, he edited The British Constitution in the 20th Century (published by Oxford University Press to mark the centenary of the British Academy) and authored The New British Constitution (2009) which analyses constitutional changes under the Labour government since 1997.

Professor Bogdanor is not a member of any political party. He is a member of the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank based in Cambridge, which seeks to spread ideas about democratic government.

Professor Bogdanor appeared on the BBC's coverage of the 2010 election night offering thoughts and insight onto the result, and their implications, as they came in. He made a further appearance in the BBC's election night programme for the Council elections and AV referendum in May 2011.

Bogdanor recently said that the democratic deficit in England "was a price worth paying', in order to secure the continuance of the United Kingdom. ^[2]

Comments[link]

David Cameron[link]

Professor Bogdanor's most famous former student is the current Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron whom he has described as "one of the ablest" students he has taught, whose political views were "moderate and sensible Conservative".^[3] Professor Bogdanor has, however, expressed reservations about certain policies of Cameron's, notably his proposal for a British "Bill of Rights", about which Bogdanor said, "I believe it's ill thought-out and confused.... He [Cameron] may have forgotten some of the things I've taught him. I'd be happy to give him a few more tutorials on civil liberties."^[4]

Damian Green[link]

He referred to the arrest and questioning of the Conservative MP Damian Green, by police from Special Branch as "a storm in a teacup" – "The important principle is that MPs – apart from when they're speaking in the chamber and dealing with constituents' correspondence – are as subject to the same laws as the rest of us."^[5]

Books[link]

Among books written or edited by Vernon Bogdanor are:

• The Coalition and the Constitution
• Constitutions in Democratic Politics
• Devolution in the United Kingdom
• Joined-Up Government
• Multi-Party Politics and the Constitution
• The Monarchy and the Constitution
• What is Proportional Representation?
• Power and the People: Guide to Constitutional Reform
• The New British Constitution
• The Age of Affluence, 1951-1964
• The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Institutions

Noteable Former Students[link]

Bogdanor's most notable former student is David Cameron. Others include: Kate Allen, Camilla Cavendish, Peter Conradi, Diane Coyle, Guy Spier and Toby Young

See also[link]

• List of Gresham Professors of Law

References[link]

1. ^ "Cameron tutor gains French honour". 2009-10-29. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ivhrl4rM-5zA2UNJw751UFffH6OA. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
2. ^ BBC Radio 4, 20th December 2011
3. ^ "The David Cameron story". BBC News. 2005-12-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4502656.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-27. 
4. ^ Woodward, Will (2006-06-27). "Cameron's call to repeal legislation would not end deportation battles, say ministers". The Guardian (London). http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1806784,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-27. 
5. ^ "Row over Green 'grooming' claims", BBC News, 1 December 2008

External links[link]

• Power and the people, Article by Vernon Bogdanor, Ethos 2012
• Brasenose College - Professor Vernon Bogdanor
• Guardian op-ed by Bogdanor in defence of the monarchy