1919 Headlines
1919 news was filled with shocking, frightening and uplifting stories. What were the major events in 1919 that captured the attention of the people? The European nations involved in the war emerged economically and socially crippled, and an economic depression gripped the continent. Germany was particularly affected, as the Treaty of Versailles demanded immense costs of reparations to go to Britain and France.
The inter-war years are characterised by a politically divided atmosphere. Communism prevailed in the Soviet Union, and a period of Fascism took over Italy, Spain and Germany. It was during this year that Mussolini established the fascist party in Italy, and Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky’s names were at the centre of political power in the Soviet Union. Political conflict was often the hot topic of 1919 newspaper articles, which can provide deep insight into how this political divide was perceived by Britons. 1919 also saw the creation of Remembrance Day, The League of Nations and the Nazi Party. Compare life nowadays to life in 1919 with authentic first hand accounts written by journalists at the time. We’ve compiled a table of some of the standout events from 1919 that you might be interested to learn more about through an authentic newspaper.
More from this Decade
January 3rd 1919
US President, Herbert Hoover is put in charge of war relief in Europe.
February 23rd 1919
Italian Dictator, Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party.
March 23rd 1919
A five-member Politburo is re-established at the 8th Congress of the Russian Communist Party, becoming the centre of political power in the Soviet Union.
March 25th 1919
The League Covenant is adopted at the Paris Peace Conference, making Woodrow Wilson’s dream of a League of Nations a reality.
March 30th 1919
Pacifist and Spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, announces his resistance against the Rowlatt act.
May 22nd 1919
A major step forward in the dating of archaeological sites, A.E. Douglass, archaeologist and astronomer, dates two archaeological locations using ancient wood samples.
June 28th 1919
Established by the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles, ending WWI is signed in France.
August 31st 1919
Petlyura’s Ukrainian Army murders 35 members of a Jewish defence group.
September 12th 1919
Dictator of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler becomes a member of the German Worker’s Party, agreeing not with worker’s right but with its nationalism and antisemitism.
October 26th 1919
Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 premieres in Queen’s Hall London.
November 28th 1919
US-born, Lady Astor is elected first female member of British House of Commons.
December 21st 1919
First Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover deports Emma Goldman, a reported anarchist and feminist back to Russia.