1910s

The 1910s was a decade of profound global transformation. It began on January 1, 1910, and concluded on December 31, 1919. This era marked the climax of European militarism, a trend that had grown since the late 19th century. The decade moved from conservative lifestyles toward a period of intense political and social upheaval. It saw the collapse of ancient empires and the birth of new nations. The world population grew from 1.75 billion to 1.87 billion people during these ten years. This growth included approximately 640 million births and 500 million deaths.

A single event fundamentally altered the course of history in 1914. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo. He was the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. This murder triggered a rapid chain of diplomatic and military events. Within only 33 days, World War I broke out in Europe on August 1, 1914. The conflict continued until a truce was declared on November 11, 1918. Later, on June 28, 1919, the controversial Treaty of Versailles was signed.

The aftermath of the Great War caused massive territorial shifts. Four major modern empires collapsed: the Russian, German, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires. The Austro-Hungarian Empire splintered into several new states. These included Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and parts of Poland. Romania also unified with Transylvania and Bessarabia. However, many of these new states faced internal tension. Most contained large German or Hungarian minority populations. This created unexpected political problems for the next two decades.

Revolutionary movements reshaped governments across several continents. In Portugal, the 5 October 1910 revolution ended an eight-century-long monarchy. The Mexican Revolution began in November 1910 and ousted dictator Porfirio Díaz. This struggle evolved into a violent civil war that lasted until mid-1920. China also experienced a massive shift during the Xinhai Revolution. This event ended 2,000 years of imperial rule and established the Republic of China. However, the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916 led to the unstable Warlord Era.

Russia underwent a particularly intense period of political change. Participation in World War I caused a social and economic collapse. This made the Tsarist autocracy unsustainable and led to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Known as the October Revolution, it saw the rise of the Bolshevik Party. Under the direction of Vladimir Lenin, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was established. This was the world's first self-proclaimed socialist state. The subsequent Russian Civil War continued until approximately late 1922.

Tragedy and natural disasters also defined the decade's timeline. On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic. This massive British ocean liner struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. The disaster resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people. In 1917, the Halifax Explosion killed 2,000 people. The decade was also marked by the Spanish flu, which killed between 17.4 and 100 million people globally. Other losses included the sinking of the RMS Lusitania and the RMS Empress of Ireland.

Technological and social advancements occurred alongside these conflicts. The Model T Ford dominated the automobile market by 1914. In 1913, the Haber process was first used on an industrial scale. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914, changing global maritime travel. In the United States, the Eighteenth Amendment began Prohibition on January 16, 1919. Meanwhile, the world saw the rediscovery of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911. These developments helped connect the old imperial world to the modern era.