1920s History: Key Events, Politics And Culture

Recovery after the First World War, the first Labour government, and the wireless arriving in the front room.

Below: the key events of the 1920s, the politics of the decade, the social changes that came with them, the culture people still talk about, and what ordinary life looked like.

Written for quizzes, reminiscence sessions, school projects and anyone working out what a relative lived through.

Key events of the 1920s

• The Irish War of Independence ends in the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921) and the partition of Ireland (1922).
• The BBC begins daily radio broadcasting in November 1922.
• Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun's tomb (1922) and Egypt is suddenly everywhere in design.
• The first Wembley Stadium hosts the 'White Horse' FA Cup final (1923).
• The General Strike brings the country to a halt for nine days in May 1926.
• The Wall Street Crash in October 1929 ends the decade's optimism.

Politics and government

• The Representation of the People Act 1918 had given some women the vote; the 1928 Act finally equalised it at 21.
• Ramsay MacDonald forms the first Labour government in January 1924. It lasts ten months.
• Stanley Baldwin's Conservatives dominate the middle of the decade.
• The Trades Disputes Act 1927 restricts strikes after the General Strike collapses.
• Unemployment never falls back to pre-war levels, especially in mining, shipbuilding and cotton.

Social change: rights, work and family life

• The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 opened the professions to women; the first women barristers were called in 1922.
• The Equal Franchise Act 1928 gave women the vote at 21, on the same terms as men.
• The Matrimonial Causes Act 1923 let a wife divorce for adultery alone, as a husband already could.
• Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in Holloway in 1921.
• Domestic service was still the biggest single job for women, but factory and office work was pulling girls out of it.

Culture and entertainment

• Jazz arrives from America and scandalises the people it is supposed to scandalise.
• Silent cinema peaks, then The Jazz Singer (1927) starts the end of it.
• Agatha Christie publishes her first Poirot novel in 1920.
• The Charleston, dance halls and the 'bright young things' in the papers every week.
• Football and greyhound racing become mass Saturday entertainment.

Everyday life

• Most homes still had no electricity at the start of the decade; by 1929 the National Grid was being built.
• Council house building begins in earnest under the Addison and Wheatley Acts.
• Radio licences pass two million by the end of the decade.
• Cigarettes, cinema and the pub take up most of what spare money there was.

Years covered in the 1920s

• 1920 - The first Remembrance at the Cenotaph and a country still counting its losses. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1920
• 1921 - A miners' lockout, mass unemployment and the first British Legion poppy appeal. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1921
• 1922 - The BBC's first broadcast, the Austin Seven and Tutankhamun's tomb. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1922
• 1923 - The White Horse Final at Wembley and the first Radio Times. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1923
• 1924 - The first Labour government, the Empire Exhibition and the Chariots of Fire Olympics. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1924
• 1925 - The Charleston, the return to the gold standard and a summer of dance halls. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1925
• 1926 - The General Strike, the birth of Elizabeth II and Baird's public television demonstration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1926
• 1927 - The BBC became a corporation, talking pictures arrived and the FA Cup went to Wales. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1927
• 1928 - Votes for all women, penicillin discovered and the Thames flood. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1928
• 1929 - Britain's first talkie, a second Labour government and the Wall Street Crash. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1929
• That is every 1920s year we have written up so far: 1920 to 1929.

How to use this

• Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for the prime minister.
• Reminiscence: ask where they were for one of the events above. The answers are always better than the facts.
• School project: pair this page with the decade calendar for a year-by-year timeline.
• Anyone born in 1920 turns 50 in 1970, 60 in 1980 and 70 in 1990.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Pair this with the decade calendar if you need the events in year order.
• For a reminiscence session, read one event and let the conversation go wherever it goes.
• Politics and everyday life rarely moved at the same speed. Both sections are here for that reason.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1920
• Look back to 1921
• Look back to 1922
• Look back to 1923
• Look back to 1924
• Look back to 1925
• Look back to 1926
• Look back to 1927
• Look back to 1928
• Look back to 1929
• 1920s calendar: year by year
• 1920s trivia: fun facts
• 1920s art and artists
• 1920s films and directors
• 1920s music: albums and artists
• 1920s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Traditional British party games
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What were the most important events of the 1920s?

The Irish War of Independence ends in the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921) and the partition of Ireland (1922). The full list above covers the events that defined the decade.

What was happening politically in the 1920s?

The Representation of the People Act 1918 had given some women the vote; the 1928 Act finally equalised it at 21. The politics section above covers the governments, laws and arguments of the decade.

How did society change in the 1920s?

The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 opened the professions to women; the first women barristers were called in 1922. The social change section above lists the laws, rights and shifts in work and family life that defined the decade.

What was life like in the 1920s?

Most homes still had no electricity at the start of the decade; by 1929 the National Grid was being built. The everyday life section above covers homes, money, work and shopping.

What was popular culture like in the 1920s?

Jazz arrives from America and scandalises the people it is supposed to scandalise. There are fuller guides to the decade's music, films, television and fashion linked from this page.

Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?

Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards and prints; these pages are free.