Effects of World War I - Essay Example

The size of the troops was restricted, and Germany was not allowed to have an air force. The treaty also held Germany solely guilty for the bloodshed and demanded economic compensation for the damages done during the war. As a result, Germany lost areas of Alsace and Lorraine. Part one of the treaty stated the creation of a universal body that would maintain universal peace and hence the League of Nations was born. League of Nations was formed to arbiter international disputes and to play an important role in preventing future wars.  The treaty of Versailles treaty created a wave of fury and unrest in entire Germany and played a major role in initiating World War II by lighting the fire of vengeance in the heart of the Germans.

The end of World War I brought an economic recession in most of the participating countries. The most visible short-term impact of the war was the inflation of prices, which affected almost every country including America. The countries had to break away from the gold policy and started issuing currency freely, taxes were increased, and the unavailability of goods became a common issue. As a result, thousands of people went bankrupt and many died at the hands of poverty. Warfare had also destroyed agricultural lands and the lack of food crops started a series of famines around the world and many suffered deaths due to starvation. The end of the war also marked the breakout of epidemics around the world. World War I also made long-term impacts on the lives of the people. The most important of these was the desire of people to have freedom of speech and expression. This can be easily deduced from the fact that before the war, there were nineteen monarchies and three republics in Europe but only a few years later, it contained thirteen monarchies, fourteen republics, and two regencies. A feeling of disappointment had encompassed the minds of the people and they had bitterly decided that the government did not work in the best interests of the people.

World War I left grim memories in the minds of those who had witnessed its horrors. The future was uncertain, and the implications of the war haunted the affected countries for many years.