Year by year · 20th century

1938

1938 in world history: 19 events, 12 births, 24 deaths, 2 works, 3 states founded and 3 that came to an end. 709 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 4 February

    Hitler takes personal command of the German armed forces

    After forcing out War Minister Blomberg and army chief Fritsch on trumped-up charges, Hitler abolished the War Ministry and assumed direct command. Ribbentrop became Foreign Minister the same day.

  2. 12 March

    German troops march into Austria

    The Wehrmacht crossed the border unopposed and was greeted by cheering crowds. The next day Austria was declared part of the German Reich, the Anschluss that Versailles had forbidden.

    VersaillesAustria

  3. 29 September

    Munich conference hands the Sudetenland to Germany

    Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler and Mussolini agreed at Munich that Czechoslovakia must cede the Sudetenland; the deal was signed after midnight. Czechoslovakia was not consulted.

    Czechoslovakia

  4. 30 September

    Chamberlain returns from Munich promising 'peace for our time'

    Neville Chamberlain landed at Heston waving the declaration signed with Hitler and later spoke of 'peace for our time'. Within six months Germany had seized the rest of Czechoslovakia.

    Czechoslovakia

  5. 30 October

    Orson Welles broadcasts The War of the Worlds

    CBS aired Orson Welles's radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel as a series of mock news bulletins about a Martian landing in New Jersey. Some listeners were alarmed, though newspapers exaggerated the 'panic'.

  6. 9 November

    Kristallnacht: Nazi pogroms sweep Germany and Austria

    Over two nights, Nazi mobs burned hundreds of synagogues, wrecked about 7,500 Jewish businesses and killed at least 91 people. About 30,000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps.

    Austria

  7. 10 November

    Mustafa Kemal Atatürk dies in Istanbul

    Atatürk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, died at Dolmabahçe Palace. Turks still pause at 9.05 in the morning on this day to mark the moment of his death.

    Mustafa Kemal AtatürkRepublic of TurkeyIstanbul

  8. Treaty · Crisis

    Munich Agreement

    The Munich Agreement was concluded on 29–30 September 1938 by Germany, Britain, France and Italy, without Czechoslovakia taking part.

  9. Event

    Saltsjöbaden Agreement

    The Saltsjöbaden Agreement was signed on 20 December 1938 at Saltsjöbaden near Stockholm between the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Swedish Employers' Association.

  10. Event

    Anschluss

    The Anschluss was the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in March 1938.

  11. Treaty

    First Vienna Award

    The First Vienna Award was an arbitration by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, announced in Vienna on 2 November 1938, that transferred southern Slovakia and the south of Carpathian Ruthenia from Czechoslovakia to Hungary.

ProfileState654 states with a known seat in 1938Open the atlas at 1938 →

In the profiles

  • MexicoLázaro Cárdenas expropriates foreign oil companies
  • CzechoslovakiaThe Munich Agreement forces the cession of the Sudetenland to Germany
  • Nazi GermanyGermany annexes Austria and, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland

Wars and longer events

Born in 1938 12

Died in 1938 24

Works 2

States founded 3

States that came to an end 3

All years → The 20th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1938. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1938
MLA
“1938.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1938. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1938.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1938.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1938’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1938 (Accessed: ).