Continuing Conflict: Europe after the First World War

Imperial War Museum ^

[BenLurkin]

In many parts of Europe and beyond, the end of the First World War did not mean an end to the fighting.

>Russian Civil War 1917-1923

...

>Finnish Civil War 1918

Finland was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire when the First World War broke out.

The Russian Revolution in 1917 left a power vacuum in Finland and a struggle ensued between the conservative Whites who wanted independence from Soviet Russia and the socialist Reds who opposed the separation.

>German Revolution 1918-1919

...

>Estonian-Soviet 1918-1920

Estonia was part of the Russian Empire when the First World War began. It was occupied by Germany in the final year of the war.

Estonia became an independent state following the Russian Revolution and the defeat of Germany.

Soviet Russia attacked Estonia...

>Latvian-Soviet War 1918-1920

Like Estonia, Latvia gained independence from Russia shortly after the First World War. It too was quickly invaded by Soviet Russia.

>Polish-Soviet War 1919-1921

Poland re-established itself as an independent state at the end the First World War, encompassing parts of the former German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires.

>Polish-Ukrainian War 1918-1919

Soon after the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed in October 1918, the Ukrainian population, wanting independence, proclaimed the West Ukrainian People’s Republic.

Some of the territory that they claimed was also claimed by Poland and a border war began.

>Polish–Lithuanian War 1920

Part of the Russian Empire before the First World War, Lithuania was occupied by Germany from 1915.

It became an independent state following the Russian Revolution...

>Greco-Turkish War 1919-1922

The Allies promised Greece that it would receive territory when the defeated Ottoman Empire was broken up after the First World War.

Greek forces duly landed in Smyrna (Izmir), in May 1919 and seized parts of Anatolia.

>Egyptian Revolution 1919

>Irish War of Independence 1919-1921

[Bayard]

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.” George Washington, President of the United States.

[Fledermaus]

I think WW1 was the beginning of the hell the last 100 years have become.

Carving up the Middle East has been a mess ever since.

The Crusades never seem to end.

[Verginius Rufus]

The Greek invasion of Anatolia turned into a disaster, leading to large numbers of Greek Orthodox residents having to flee to Greece. Some of them were Turkish speakers but if they were Greek Orthodox by religion they were Greeks. I think only the Greeks in Constantinople were allowed to remain in Turkey.

[chajin]

Lenin promised Germany all those lands if thesewsy let him return to Moscow and overthrow the regime, and the Kaiser agreed because that way he would only have a one front war, which he thought he could win before the Americans troops were ready for battle.

Which led to the “stab in the back,” Hitler, and WWII. Also Japan joining the other side because of the embarrassment at Versailles.

[AZJeep]

By no means full list!
The Europe after WWI was very unstable, there were many communists uprisings and, since the borders were in flux, several local border conflicts.
There were several Polish-German wars and uprisings in Great Polonia and Silesia. (1919-1922)

Hungarian communist coup resulted in Romanian and Czechoslovakian forces fighting and eventually defeating Hungarian Communists (1919).

There was even short, but bloody Czech-Polish war!

Italy was in constant civil unrest, which culminated in Fascist Mussolini coup 1922.

French and Belgian forces were in small scale conflict with Germany since the end of WWI. The most notable was when they invaded and occupied Ruhr land 1923-1925.

Communists (under the Soviet influence) attempted coups pretty much in all European countries, strikes and street fights were common, and even the Bavarian, Hungarian and Slovak Soviet states were proclaimed, but quickly defeated.