Between the wars: Europe in 1920 and 1938
Between 1920 and 1938, 5 states appear on the map of Europe and 10 disappear. Among those that vanish: Ukraine, Morocco, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. New on the map: Turkey, Morocco (France), United Kingdom. Italy loses the most territory.
Open 1938 in the interactive map
States that disappeared
| State | Area in 1920 |
|---|---|
| Ukraine | 430,000 km² |
| Morocco | 410,000 km² |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | 300,000 km² |
| Ottoman Sultanate | 250,000 km² |
| White Russia | 130,000 km² |
| Azerbaijan | 130,000 km² |
| Iceland | 100,000 km² |
| Austria | 80,000 km² |
| Georgia | 70,000 km² |
| South Russia | 20,000 km² |
New states on the map
| State | Area in 1938 |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 500,000 km² |
| Morocco (France) | 410,000 km² |
| United Kingdom | 230,000 km² |
| Ireland | 70,000 km² |
| Israel | 30,000 km² |
States that grew or shrank
| State | Change in area |
|---|---|
| Italy | −200,000 km² |
| Germany | +130,000 km² |
| Czechoslovakia | −50,000 km² |
What happened in between
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Soviet Union founded | Moscow |
| 1923 | Republic of Turkey proclaimed | Ankara |
| 1938 | Anschluss; Munich Agreement |
People of the period
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1856 – 1939 | Sigmund Freud | Founder of psychoanalysis |
| 1867 – 1934 | Marie Curie | Physicist and chemist |
| 1870 – 1924 | Vladimir Lenin | Bolshevik leader |
| 1874 – 1965 | Winston Churchill | British prime minister |
| 1878 – 1953 | Joseph Stalin | Soviet leader |
| 1879 – 1955 | Albert Einstein | Physicist |
| 1881 – 1938 | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | Founder of the Republic of Turkey |
| 1883 – 1924 | Franz Kafka | Writer |
| 1890 – 1970 | Charles de Gaulle | President of France |
| 1918 – 1970 | Gamal Abdel Nasser | President of Egypt |
Questions
How did the map of Europe change between 1920 and 1938?
Between 1920 and 1938, 5 states appear on the map of Europe and 10 disappear. Among those that vanish: Ukraine, Morocco, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. New on the map: Turkey, Morocco (France), United Kingdom. Italy loses the most territory.
Which states disappeared from the map of Europe between 1920 and 1938?
Ukraine, Morocco, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Ottoman Sultanate, White Russia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Austria, Georgia, South Russia.
Which new states appeared between 1920 and 1938?
Turkey, Morocco (France), United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel.
Borders are drawn from the nearest available maps and are approximate.
Last updated 10 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.