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The 1930s: 1930–1939
1930–1939 · worldwide, all places
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The 1929 crash froze credit worldwide, and by 1932 a quarter of American workers were jobless while Soviet peasants starved in a state-made famine. Hitler took power in Germany in 1933, and Japan seized Manchuria the same decade with barely a protest from the League of Nations.
The Depression and the Nazi takeover gave the decade its two defining backdrops. Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel sets its lobby intrigue in a fictional 1930s Mitteleuropa, and Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden moves a con plot through Japanese-occupied Korea. Open the 1930s on the StoryTerra map and explore its stories by place.
10 famous stories set in the 1930s
Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-05). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 748 books, 1,215 movies, 14 TV shows and 28 games set in the 1930s (1930–1939).
The Green Mile
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard Paul Edgecomb recognizes Coffey's…
Raiders of the Lost Ark
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant he finds himself up against the entire Nazi…
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of…
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
In 1938 an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it and the missing man is his…
The Handmaiden
In 1930s Korea a swindler and a young woman pose as a Japanese count and a handmaiden to seduce a Japanese heiress and steal her fortune.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
After arriving in India Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.
Modern Times
The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.
The King's Speech
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and…
Porco Rosso
In Italy in the 1930s sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso a former World War I flying ace…
The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 2,005 in the catalogue for this entry. For the live 1930–1939 catalogue, use the button above — or browse the whole 20th century. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
Relevant picks from this decade
Spanish Civil War: 1936–1939 — The fierce and tragic Spanish Civil War engulfed the entire country — from Barcelona and Madrid to Andalusia and Aragón — inspiring novels, poems,… Explore Spanish Civil War: 1936–1939
Depression-Era New York: 1929–1939 — NYC during the economic collapse — a time of hardship, resilience, and stories of both crime and hope captured in films and books. The button below… Explore Depression-Era New York: 1929–1939
Nazi Berlin: 1933–1945 — The capital during Hitler's rise and WWII — a setting of dark historical dramas, resistance tales, and the regime's collapse. The button below opens… Explore Nazi Berlin: 1933–1945
Prohibition Chicago: 1920–1939 — The wild era of bootlegging, gangsters, and jazz clubs — famously depicted in movies like The Untouchables. The button below opens StoryTerra with… Explore Prohibition Chicago: 1920–1939
Interwar Shanghai: 1920–1941 — Enter the 'Paris of the East' — a cosmopolitan city of glamour, vice, and espionage where immense wealth and extreme poverty coexisted on the brink… Explore Interwar Shanghai: 1920–1941
Golden Age Hollywood: 1930–1959 — The roaring studios era where cinema legends rose — glamour mixed with scandal, and film noir stories shaped the city's mythos. The button below… Explore Golden Age Hollywood: 1930–1959
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1920s · 20th century · Time hub · All places · 1940s