The Consequences of World War I - Essay Example

? The Consequences of World War I Due Introduction The average of today probably know very littleabout the WWI. They know there were Germans, Americans, British, and Japanese, but very little of the sides they were on or the roles they played In fact, in is very likely that they would mix-up events that took place in WWII with many of the events that took place in World War I. Although that might not get you a very high grade on a history test, many modern scholars perceive WWII as a continuation of WWI, just after a short reprieve. The First World War is often remembered as one of the bloodiest of wars fought; bloodier than what was experienced during the American Civil War. In fact, it is fair to say that no one is Europe, Asia, and the United States, nor the rest of the world, believed that this war would be so destructive, caused so much death, or last so long (Keylor 1). The events of WWI and those that occurred directly after led to consequences that changed the societal structures, national economies, and, ultimately, led to the start of WWII 20 years later. History Prior to WWI the United States had not been involved in any wars since the turn of the century. Things in Europe were going quite differently. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of the Austrian Emperor, along with his wife while vacationing had outraged the Austrians. Serbia was held responsible. However, while waiting to be certain that they had the support and backing of Germany, gave the Serbians time to guarantee the backing and support of Russia. War was declared, approximately a month later, in July of 1914. The Central Powers included Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Turkey opposing the Allies, which included Russia, France, Serbia, Great Britain, Japan, Belgium, and later the United States (Keylor 1). Trench warfare began. However, it was not long before troops and financing began to dwindle. It was not until 1917 that the United States entered and declared war on Germany. This was a direct reaction to the German’s sinking the British Ship the Lusitania, which killed a number of American passengers, and a telegram sent by Germany offering Untied States lands to Mexico if they would join them in opposing the United States. The war would rage throughout until 1919. In total, More than 9 million sailors, soldiers, and pilots were killed, 5 million civilians were caught in the crossfire of war, and then another 7 million men returned home injured and/or permanently disabled. There were also huge costs involved in the length of the world, billions of dollars spent across the 28 different countries (Mintz 1). Discussion The consequences of WWI saw the United States begin to rise as dominate economic and political power in the world, mostly because many of the nations of Europe were so depleted. For Europeans the consequences were quite harsh. The political, economic, and social orders of European society, in some cases, came “crashing down.” It saw the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austrio-Hungary, and Russian empires (Keylor 1). New nations were emerging as borders began to change, ethnic tensions were heightening, and an inability to recover from the losses suffered due to the war. As a response many leaders sought to establish a “new international system” that would help repair damage in Europe and lead to a more productive future for all of the nations. Delegates from these nations met in Paris, France in 1919 to discuss the “Treaty of Versailles.” However, the major powers, in the treaty discussions were left to Britain, France, Italy, and the United States. It was during this time that the “league of Nations” was established which would ideally aid in preventing other armed warfare in the future. Although, Germany felt slighted by the treaty, but did not lose territory and therefore signed the treaty. Also, many felt that the Germans were responsible for the majority of WWI, and therefore cost them dearly. Ultimately, the United State did not participate in the treaty for internal political reasons and Britain and France were left to enforce the Versailles Treaty (Keylor 1).Because economic issues were never quite the same for many countries throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Germany was in a state of crumbling when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. He found means to bypass aspects of the treaty by playing on the sympathies of Britain, who felt Germany had been unfairly treated in the treaty, and by strengthening the German military (Keylor 1). Economic instability caused political changes throughout Europe. In many nations socialist dictatorships, communist ideologies, and democratic republics began to rise (Wilde 1). There may be only one truly positive outcome to occur as a result of the events that took place during World War I. It changed the gender relations and perspectives for the rest of history. As men were being called to war it was women who moved into the factories and companies, working in position previously only held by men. This provided many European and American women discovering their ability for self reliance and independence. These women were not willing to give that up easily after the war had concluded. Several nations, Britain, Germany, and the United States all soon changed their opinions of women in the workforce and in the world. It contributed to legislature that would ultimately, in all three countries, allowed the right to vote to be granted to women. Conclusion In truth World War I had a dramatic impact on society, politics, economics, and world order; it brought changes that altered the globe forever. Unfortunately, in many ways those changes were not beneficial or productive. It is fair to say that World War I set the foundations for the Second World War that was to come in their future. It inspired the need for greater armies, advancing weapons and effective poisonous gases, more lethal machine weaponry, and the research and invention of the first Weapons of Mass Destruction, the atomic and nuclear bomb. Given all of the facts, it is easy to say that World War I caused more negative side effects for the majority of the Western World than those that are positive; side effects that would be felt by the globe and remembered throughout history, and far into the future. It would appear that many of the modern scholars may be accurate in their perception of WWII was, essentially, a continuation of hostilities left over from WWI. That it was generally, the same war, with a brief reprieve which allowed countries to rejuvenate, recharge, and rebuild their armies and advantages in warfare. This perspective seems to makes sense given the influence that the issues of WWI still played at the time that World War II began. It is our responsibility in the modern world to understand what has brought people to warfare in the past so that we can learn to avoid it in the future. Work Cited Keylor, William R.. "World War I." Encarta Encyclopedia. MSN, n.d. Web. 12 Dec 2013. . Mintz, Steven. "The Global Effect of World War I." of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, n.d. Web. 12 Dec 2013. . Wilde, Robert. "Consequences of World War One." European History. About, n.d. Web. 12 Dec 2013. . Read More