The Global Wave of Unrest That Redrew the Map After World War I

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Between 1917 and 1923, a seismic revolutionary wave swept the globe, fueled by the Russian Revolution and the chaos of the Great War. From socialist uprisings in Europe to anti-colonial movements in the Middle East and Asia, this period dismantled empires and birthed new nations, forever altering the political landscape.

The revolutions of 1917–1923 were a diverse, global phenomenon. While the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia served as a primary catalyst, the movement was not monolithic. It encompassed socialist revolts, anti-colonial struggles, and nationalist uprisings. In Europe, the collapse of the German Empire and the dissolution of the Habsburg monarchy in Austria-Hungary were direct results of this turmoil. Soldiers mutinied, workers struck, and monarchs abdicated as the old order buckled under the strain of total war.

The Bolsheviks initially sought to export their revolution, hoping for a global communist uprising. However, most Comintern-inspired revolts—such as the Bavarian Soviet Republic or the Biennio Rosso in Italy—failed to establish lasting states. By 1921, facing internal exhaustion, famine, and the failure of international revolution, the Bolsheviks pivoted toward 'socialism in one country.' This shift included the introduction of the New Economic Policy, which permitted limited private enterprise, and the official creation of the USSR in 1922.

Beyond the communist sphere, the period was defined by anti-colonialism and the quest for national sovereignty. In Egypt, a 1919 revolution against British occupation eventually forced the recognition of independence in 1922. Similarly, the Iraqi Revolt of 1920, while militarily suppressed by the British, secured political concessions and the installation of Faisal I as king. Meanwhile, Turkey’s war of independence led to the abolition of the 623-year-old Ottoman sultanate and the declaration of a republic in 1923. These movements, alongside the partition of Ireland and the formation of the Irish Free State, demonstrated that the era's revolutionary energy was as much about national self-determination as it was about class struggle.

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