- South America
- South America
Revolution of 1930
A disputed election amid the Depression brings down the Old Republic, and Getulio Vargas takes power, beginning a new era.
Era: The Old Republic
Sources: Getulio Vargas · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Brazil · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Trujillo seizes power
Rafael Trujillo, commander of the army built under the occupation, takes the presidency and establishes a personal dictatorship that lasts thirty-one years.
Era: U.S. Occupation and the Trujillo Era
Sources: Rafael Trujillo · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
The Salt March
Gandhi leads a 24-day march to the sea to make salt in defiance of the British salt monopoly, galvanising mass non-violent resistance against colonial rule.
Era: The East India Company and the British Raj
Sources: Salt March (1930) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Founding of the Indochinese Communist Party
Ho Chi Minh helps unite rival communist groups into the Indochinese Communist Party, which becomes the organizational core of the independence struggle.
Era: French Indochina
Sources: Ho Chi Minh · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vietnam · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Africa
Land Apportionment Act
Settler legislation formalised racial division of land, reserving the most productive areas for the white minority and restricting African landholding, a grievance that fuelled later nationalism.
Era: White rule, UDI and the liberation war
Sources: Zimbabwe: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Zimbabwe · Wikipedia
- North America
Hernandez Martinez seizes power
General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez takes power in a coup, beginning his dictatorship and inaugurating nearly half a century of military rule allied with the oligarchy.
Era: La Matanza and the Age of Military Rule
Sources: El Salvador: Military dictatorships · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
Dictatorship of Jorge Ubico
General Ubico rules for thirteen years, repressing labour and opposition while sustaining the coffee oligarchy and ties to United Fruit.
Era: Coffee and the Liberal Dictatorships
Sources: Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Africa
Belgians depose Mwami Musinga
The Belgian administration removes the uncooperative King Yuhi V Musinga and installs his son Mutara III Rudahigwa, tightening colonial control over the monarchy.
Era: German and Belgian Rule
Sources: Yuhi V Musinga · Wikipedia, History of Rwanda · Wikipedia
- Europe
- Asia
Universal suffrage and reform
Constitutional reforms grant universal adult suffrage in Ceylon, far ahead of most colonies, strengthening a moderate movement for self-government.
Era: British Ceylon and the Road to Independence
Sources: D. S. Senanayake · Encyclopædia Britannica, Path to Freedom: 1815 Convention and Dominion Status · Department of National Archives, Sri Lanka
- North America
Execution of Farabundo Marti
Agustin Farabundo Marti, the communist organiser of the uprising, is captured and executed by firing squad; his name is later taken by the FMLN guerrilla front.
Era: La Matanza and the Age of Military Rule
Sources: Agustin Farabundo Marti · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The far-right coup attempt fails
An attempted uprising by the extreme-right Lapua movement collapsed within days when the majority of Finns rejected it, and the parliamentary republic held firm through the interwar years.
Era: The Aland Islands Dispute and the Interwar Republic
Sources: How Finland found a road to reconciliation after the Civil War of 1918 · thisisFINLAND (Finland Promotion Board)
- Asia
Accession of Sultan Said bin Taimur
Said bin Taimur came to the throne and ruled an increasingly isolated and undeveloped Oman, leaning on British support to hold the country together.
Era: Decline, British Influence and Isolation
Sources: Said ibn Taymur, sultan of Oman · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Oman: The early period · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
Salazar and the Estado Novo
Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, prime minister from 1932, built an authoritarian corporative dictatorship, the Estado Novo, that ruled Portugal for over four decades.
Era: Republic, Dictatorship, Revolution and Europe
Sources: Antonio de Oliveira Salazar · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Estado Novo (Portuguese history) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Constitutional revolution
The People's Party stages a bloodless coup forcing King Prajadhipok to accept a constitution, ending the absolute monarchy and creating a constitutional one.
Era: Constitutional Revolution, the Name Thailand, and the World Wars
Sources: Pridi Phanomyong · Encyclopædia Britannica, Thailand · Encyclopædia Britannica
- North America
Fall of Machado
Amid depression and unrest the army forces dictator Gerardo Machado to flee, opening the era of Fulgencio Batista.
Era: The Republic: Occupation, Platt, Machado, and Batista
Sources: Cuban Revolution · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Republic of Cuba (1902-1959) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Eastern Greenland case
The Permanent Court of International Justice ruled that Denmark held sovereignty over the whole of Greenland, rejecting Norway's occupation of the eastern coast and confirming Danish title to the island.
Era: Occupation, the Welfare State and the Modern Realm
Sources: Legal Status of Eastern Greenland (Denmark v. Norway), Judgment, 5 April 1933 · Permanent Court of International Justice (worldcourts.com)
- Europe
Hitler appointed chancellor
President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor. Within months the Nazis abolished democracy and established a totalitarian one-party dictatorship.
Era: Weimar, the Third Reich and the Second World War
Sources: The Holocaust and World War II: Key Dates · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- North America
Danish sovereignty confirmed
The Permanent Court of International Justice ruled in the Eastern Greenland case that Denmark held sovereignty over the whole island, rejecting Norway's occupation of the eastern coast.
Era: Hans Egede and Two Centuries of Danish Rule
Sources: Legal Status of Eastern Greenland (Denmark v. Norway), Judgment, 5 April 1933 · Permanent Court of International Justice (worldcourts.com), A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Denmark · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- North America
Carías dictatorship
Tiburcio Carías Andino governs as authoritarian president, opening an era of military influence over Honduran politics.
Era: Military Rule and the Cold-War Frontier
Sources: Honduras: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Honduras: A Country Study · Library of Congress, Federal Research Division
- Europe
Eastern Greenland case
The Permanent Court of International Justice ruled against Norway's claim to part of eastern Greenland, upholding Danish sovereignty over the whole island; Norway abandoned its claim.
Era: Independence, Polar Sovereignty and the Second World War
Sources: Legal Status of Eastern Greenland (Denmark v. Norway), 1933 · Permanent Court of International Justice
- South America
- Europe
Boris Skossyreff, 'King Boris I'
A Russian-born adventurer briefly induced the Andorran council to proclaim him king during a period of unrest over voting rights; he was arrested and expelled within about two weeks.
Era: Reform, a Brief 'King', and the Strains of the Old Order
Sources: Andorra: History, Facts & Points of Interest · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Andorra: Countries · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- Europe
Dollfuss and the corporate state
Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss suspended parliament and established an authoritarian 'corporate state'; he was assassinated by Austrian Nazis in July 1934, deepening the First Republic's crisis.
Era: The First Republic, Saint-Germain and the Anschluss
Sources: German Annexation of Austria · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia
- Europe
The 'era of silence'
Amid depression and political instability, Konstantin Päts assumed authoritarian powers, suspending parliamentary politics in an interlude later called the 'era of silence'.
Era: Independence, the War of Independence and the First Republic
Sources: Estonia: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Ulmanis coup
Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis staged a self-coup, suspending the constitution, dissolving the Saeima and the parties, and establishing an authoritarian regime that lasted until 1940.
Era: National Awakening, Independence and the First Republic
Sources: Kārlis Ulmanis · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Latvia · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
- North America
Assassination of Sandino
Sandino is lured to Managua and murdered by National Guard officers under Anastasio Somoza García, opening the way to the Somoza dictatorship.
Era: Intervention, Sandino, and the Somoza Dynasty
Sources: César Augusto Sandino · Encyclopædia Britannica, Somoza family · Encyclopædia Britannica
- Africa
Neo-Destour founded
Habib Bourguiba and colleagues break from the Destour to form the Neo-Destour, the engine of the independence movement.
Era: French Protectorate & Independence
Sources: Neo Destour · Wikipedia, Habib Bourguiba · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Establishment of the Commonwealth
The Philippines becomes a self-governing Commonwealth under U.S. sovereignty, with Manuel L. Quezon as first president and a ten-year transition toward full independence.
Era: Cession to America, the Philippine-American War and the Commonwealth
Sources: Philippine-American War (and the Commonwealth) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Armenian SSR established
The Transcaucasian federation was dissolved and Armenia became a separate union republic of the U.S.S.R., the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Era: Soviet Armenia
Sources: Armenia — Caucasus, Soviet Union, Genocide (Modern Armenia) · Encyclopædia Britannica
- Asia
Kazakh S.S.R. becomes a union republic
Kazakhstan, an autonomous republic since 1920 and renamed the Kazak A.S.S.R. in 1925, is raised to a full constituent republic of the Soviet Union under the 1936 constitution.
Era: Soviet Kazakhstan
Sources: History of Kazakhstan · Encyclopædia Britannica, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies · Library of Congress, Federal Research Division
- Asia
The Kirghiz SSR becomes a union republic
Kyrgyzstan was elevated to the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, a full constituent republic of the Soviet Union, with its capital at Frunze (formerly Pishpek, today Bishkek).
Era: Soviet Kirghizia
Sources: Kyrgyzstan: A Country Study (in Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies) · U.S. Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Kyrgyzstan: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Africa
Founding of the Labour Party
The Mauritius Labour Party is founded, channelling demands of workers and the indentured-descended majority for rights and representation.
Era: The Road to Independence
Sources: Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900–1985) · BlackPast.org, Mauritius · Encyclopædia Britannica
- North America
Rise of the Somoza dynasty
Anastasio Somoza García seizes the presidency, founding a family dictatorship that, directly or through proxies, rules Nicaragua until 1979.
Era: Intervention, Sandino, and the Somoza Dynasty
Sources: Somoza family · Encyclopædia Britannica, Anastasio Somoza (García) · Encyclopædia Britannica
- South America
The Estado Novo
Vargas imposes a centralised dictatorship, ruling by decree, banning parties, and censoring the press until his ouster in 1945.
Era: The Vargas Era and Military Dictatorship
Sources: Getulio Vargas · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Estado Novo (Brazilian history) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Burma separated from British India
Burma is made a distinct crown colony with limited self-government, administered separately from the Indian Empire.
Era: The Anglo-Burmese Wars and British Rule
Sources: History of Myanmar: The British in Burma, 1885-1948 · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Myanmar · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Great Terror
Stalin's secret police carry out mass arrests, deportations, and executions; at least 750,000 people are shot in two years and millions more sent to the gulag, as old revolutionaries, officers, and ordinary citizens perish in the purges.
Era: The Soviet Union
Sources: Great Purge · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Soviet Union · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- North America
The 1937 labour revolution
An oilbelt strike led by Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler spread into riots across the colony, leaving at least fourteen dead and giving birth to Trinidad and Tobago's modern trade-union and nationalist movements.
Era: Indenture, oil, and one colony
Sources: Labour Day · National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Trinidad and Tobago, Locales of the 1937 Labour Revolution · National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Munich Agreement
Germany, Italy, Britain and France agreed at Munich that Czechoslovakia must cede the German-majority Sudetenland to Nazi Germany; Czechoslovakia was not a party and yielded under Anglo-French pressure.
Era: Czechoslovakia, the Munich Betrayal and Nazi Occupation
Sources: Munich Agreement · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Munich Agreement · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Europe
First Vienna Award
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy awarded Hungary parts of southern Slovakia from Czechoslovakia, the first of the revisionist gains that drew Hungary toward the Axis.
Era: Trianon and the Shrinking of Hungary
Sources: Treaty of Trianon · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
Fascist racial laws
Mussolini's government enacted antisemitic racial laws that stripped Italian Jews of rights and citizenship, foreshadowing later deportations under German occupation.
Era: Liberal Italy, Fascism, War and the Republic
Sources: Italy (Fascism, racial laws and the Second World War) · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia
- North America
Labour rebellions
Island-wide worker uprisings give rise to Bustamante's union and Manley's PNP, founding modern Jamaican party politics.
Era: Crown Colony, Morant Bay, and Garvey
Sources: Jamaica: British rule · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Jamaica: The independent country · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
A prince moves to Vaduz
Prince Franz Josef II became the first reigning prince to take up permanent residence in Liechtenstein, ending more than two centuries of rule from abroad on the eve of the Second World War.
Era: The Turn to Switzerland, Neutrality and the Beneš Decrees
Sources: The History of the Princely House of Liechtenstein · Fürstenhaus von Liechtenstein (official Princely House)
- Oceania
The welfare state
The first Labour government's Social Security Act 1938 created a comprehensive system of pensions, benefits, and public health, building a 'cradle to grave' welfare state admired around the world.
Era: Nationhood, the world wars, and the welfare state
Sources: Social security — scope of the 1938 legislation · Te Ara — The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, New Zealand (country) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
Reunification of western Belarus
Following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the German invasion of Poland, Soviet forces entered eastern Poland and western Belarus was annexed to the Byelorussian SSR, reuniting the Belarusian lands.
Era: Reunification, the Nazi Catastrophe and Soviet Belarus
Sources: Belarus: The emergence of the Belorussian S.S.R. · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Belarus · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The secret protocol of the German-Soviet pact assigned Estonia to the Soviet sphere of influence, sealing the country's fate without its knowledge or consent.
Era: Occupation, Annexation and the Long Night
Sources: Estonia in the grip of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact · Estonian World, Estonia: Independence lost (Soviet occupation, World War II) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact and its secret protocol assigned Latvia and the other Baltic states to the Soviet sphere of influence, sealing the country's fate in the coming war.
Era: Occupation, War and the Holocaust
Sources: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact · Russia's Periphery, William & Mary, About the Museum · Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
- Europe
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The German-Soviet non-aggression pact and its secret protocol divided eastern Europe into spheres of influence; an adjustment that autumn assigned Lithuania, with the other Baltic states, to the Soviet sphere.
Era: War, Soviet Occupation and the Partisan Struggle
Sources: German-Soviet Pact · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, History of Lithuania · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Europe
Proclamation of the Slovak State
As Germany dismembered Czechoslovakia, a separate Slovak State was proclaimed under the priest Jozef Tiso, a clerical-authoritarian regime that became a client and ally of Nazi Germany.
Era: Czechoslovakia, the Slovak State and the Uprising
Sources: Jozef Tiso · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Holocaust in Slovakia · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Europe
The Franco dictatorship
Franco ruled Spain as an authoritarian dictator for nearly four decades, repressing opponents and regional identities, before later decades brought economic growth and cautious opening to the West.
Era: The Franco Dictatorship and Democratic Spain
Sources: Spanish Civil War · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Spain · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Asia
Politics & Power in the 1930s
Every event in the Terralore archive tagged politics and power — dynasties, constitutions, revolutions and changes of regime, narrowed to the 1930s — 52 of them, drawn from 45 nations, running from 1930 to 1939. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.
- Events
- 52
- Nations
- 45
- Earliest
- 1930
- Latest
- 1939
- Europe
- 21
- Asia
- 11
- North America
- 11
- Africa
- 4
- South America
- 4
- Oceania
- 1
Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.