Music recorded in 1923
The year 1923 was a time when the post-World War I international order was being translated from "articles" into "the realities of national borders and daily life," while at the same time economic crisis and the growth of popular media were progressing. Politics, finance, disasters, science, art, and sports were intertwined, and there were strong signs that the rhythm of the world was accelerating.
In Europe, tensions rose with the Occupation of the Ruhr (started on January 11, 1923), in which France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr region of Germany over the issue of reparations. The collapse of currency value culminated in hyperinflation in Germany, leading to the introduction of the Rentenmark in November 1923 as a form of currency reform. In the midst of this atmosphere of crisis, the Munich Putsch (Beer Hall Putsch, November 8–9, 1923) broke out, and although Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) and others failed in their attempt to seize power, political radicalism began to surface.
In the Middle East, the Treaty of Lausanne (signed on July 24, 1923) finalized the post-war settlement of the Ottoman Empire's legacy and confirmed Turkey's sovereignty internationally. On October 29, 1923, the Turkish Grand National Assembly established the state as a republic, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was elected its first president.
In the Anglo-Irish sphere, the Irish Civil War was drawing to a close, and fighting effectively ended when Frank Aiken (1898–1983) issued the order to "dump arms" on May 24, 1923.
In the United States, Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) died on August 2, 1923, and Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) was inaugurated as president on August 3. Around the same time, weekly news magazines such as Time (founded March 3, 1923), founded by Briton Hadden (1898–1929) and Henry Luce (1898–1967), established a format for reporting on world events in short, edited articles.
In East Asia, the Great Kanto Earthquake (September 1, 1923) struck the Tokyo and Yokohama areas, causing enormous human casualties and the collapse of urban functions. Reconstruction poses challenges in urban planning, architecture, and disaster prevention, while also revealing the risk that rumors during disasters can incite social violence.
In science, Frederick Grant Banting (1891–1941) and John James Rickard Macleod (1876–1935) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1923) in recognition of their discovery of insulin, which revolutionized the treatment of diabetes. The Nobel Prize in Literature went to William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), demonstrating the weight of expression at a time of social change.
At the intersection of art and technology, a large-scale exhibition was held at the Bauhaus in Weimar from August 15 to September 30, 1923, presenting everything from everyday items to architecture as "design linked to industry."In terms of systems for international cooperation, the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) was founded in Vienna in September 1923, giving form to a system for cooperation in tackling crimes that cross borders.
Popular culture and celebrations of the human body also symbolized the modernity of 1923. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, held for the first time on May 26–27, 1923, visualized the idea of endurance, pitting humans against machines in a prolonged race. Yankee Stadium opened in New York on April 18, 1923, establishing mega-stadiums as part of urban entertainment infrastructure. The launch of the British program information magazine Radio Times on September 28, 1923, signaled the start of broadcasting's entry into everyday schedules.
Looking back at the past also became popular, and in Egypt, Howard Carter (1874–1939) entered the burial chamber of the Tomb of Tutankhamun on February 16, 1923. 1923 was a year in which post-war restructuring and the eruption of crises ran parallel, while media and technology simultaneously began to connect the world.
