The First World War, also known as the Great War of 1914-1918, is not an event that manifested overnight; it was the result of ever growing tension among European nations. This conflict was brought about by factors such as, nationalism, militarism, and the Alliance system. An upheaval such as the First World War was witness to the emergence of the glorification of war, struggle, despair, destruction and immense loss of life. The First World War brought about a defining moment in the history of the modern consciousness. The modern world was born anew with a self-conscious awareness of plight and modern society. This awareness has been characterized by a profound sense of the differences between past and present. The process of modernity …show more content…
The effect the war had on both the political and economic sector was so significant that the First World War marks the commencement of the modern era. Socialist thought emerged due to revolutions in Russia, and imperialism lost its appeal. A desire to avoid further conflict also arose at the culmination of the First World War, and individuals hoped that this war would be the war to end all wars, which encouraged many nations to resolve disputes with one another. The societal structure of every European nation that participated in the war changed irreversibly. The war not only facilitated change, it played a powerful role in molding its quality and strength. This view of the war suggests its pivotal role in directing the destinies of the contemporary world – it is in this sense that the war was possibly a “turning point.” The class system in Britain was changed and lower class consciousness grew. New nations were formed in Eastern Europe, and a new identity was to be formed in Germany, an identity without imperialistic values and goals. Though, not only did European nations change, so to did warfare. The advancements of the industrial age were applied to weapons and eventually to tactics as well, changing the face of warfare perpetually. The year 1914 signaled the conclusion of a rather peaceful century on the European continent, with unparalleled invention and new scientific developments. The vision of a future filled with peace, nourished by greater than
“Freedman breaks down the Great War into key battles and issues, covering the causes of the war, the leaders, the modern weapons and technology, and the war 's consequences. Firsthand accounts of allied and German soldiers are presented as well.”(Miller). The start of the war that every country was part of. It was the War that changed everybody 's lives. The War was an outbreak to to all of the countries. “Only when the world went to war again in the 1930s and ’40s did the earlier conflict become known as the First World War. Its casualty totals were unprecedented, soaring into the millions. World War I is known for the extensive system of trenches from which men of both
Whenever the topic of World War One is raised, the issue of necessity follows immediately after. The cost of the war, both in terms of monetary loss and lives lost, was so immense that people will always talk about the reasons for those losses, and whether it was all worth it. Referred to, once idealistically, with names such as “The War to end all Wars” and “The Great War”, these names are now used both ironically and sardonically as a social commentary that revolves around the topic of the necessity of the war. But while the necessity of the war is often called into question, the actual understandings of what exactly necessity entails vary—and this is where a lot of discord is rooted. In order to determine whether the First World War
World War I was without a doubt one of the defining event of the 20th century. It turned America into an industrial power, tore down the dying empires of Europe, and led the world into the Modern Age. One would think that this war, with how destructive it was, would be conventional in its declaration, or reasons for it, but this it was, in fact, very different from how and why wars now might be declared. The aging political, economic, and governmental systems of the time acted as a very intricately set chain of dominoes, set over hundreds, maybe even thousands of years of different leaders making the system more and more complicated. The leaders had to be capable enough to be able to navigate this system effectively, as the fate of their country was in their hands. With this increasingly complicated system, leaders’ occupations were becoming more and more difficult, and it only took a few chance events combined with leaders not as capable as their predecessors and the system’s intricately set chain of dominoes to set off the defining event of the 20th century: World War I.
The First World War of 1914-1918, also known as the Great War, was the first total war in history. What began as a European struggle over the balance of power between the triple alliance of France, Britain and Russia on one side and the central powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary on the other, soon became a global conflict that involved the imperial powers of Europe, their colonies and lands such as the Ottoman Empire, Japan and the United States. Although the sheer number of countries involved in the conflict is enough to describe the First World War as a mass war, what makes it total is the fact that it was waged not only against the enemy’s armies, but also against the civilian
From 1784 to 1914 the world saw many changes, some of which would be represented in European Military. One change that can be seen in is how war changed from the soldiers being mere pawns in a king’s game of chess to fighting for reasons they believe in. The concept of war became about the people rather than the monarch. Another change in a board sense was the advancement of technology, including weaponry, railroads, and the telegraph. Finally the third major change would be the Age of Imperialism.
To comprehend the impact The Great War had on the world, four defining areas of struggle can be examined. Militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism were forever altered by the global contact. First off, militaries until that point were the sole way for a country to prove its dominance.
The Great War. World War I. The First World War. Whichever way one chooses to label the conflict between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire, France, Russia, the United States (alongside numerous other allied countries) from 1914-1918, the questions of the war’s origins, methods, and outcomes are brought are asked. How can this seemingly unnecessary, feudal war also be considered the turning point for change in the 20th century? Strachan discusses this paradox in the introduction of his book, The First World War, writing, “On the one hand it was an unnecessary war fought in a manner that defied common sense, but on the other it was the war that shaped the world in which we still live.” Strachan is not quick to label a particular country or group as the primary cause for triggering the war. All countries engaged in military action believed they were fighting for distinct ideals important to their people, each nation having their own idea of why the war was being fought. The Germans believed they were defending their borders, and subsequently their freedoms, by fighting. Not unlike the rest of Europe, Germany viewed Russia--the “anti-Europe”--as the main enemy. Prior to the war, Great Britain was satisfied with the current state of the world as they strived to maintain the status-quo. Once in the war, the British fought to uphold international law and the rights of smaller nations for which they
War, war never changes. Once upon a time, there used to be a time, nearly half of the world were drawn in a huge warfare, and this is WWII. Treaty of Versailles not only let Germany paid for the whole WWI, but also taken away parts of Germany content. The winners drop all of the responsibility on Germany, however, although the winner could write the history, the truth will never be forgotten, Four years later, the Europeans and Americans were surprised on the huge change on German, they never going to know, who brought Germany from the pieces and trashes, and how they will suffer under this genes evil: Adolf Hitler. In this paper, I will explain why Britain will forced to involved in WWII.
June 1914, no one knows the tragic death of or a successful assassination attempt has triggered the first World war. However, that one bullet is not enough to start the war. The increase in nationalism, imperialism, and militarism may play important factor of the war. Unfortunately, the Great war is not the only Global War that has happened in history. Countries' ambition toward global power continues as dramatic progression in technology and military weapon leads to World War 2. Despite the death of 60 million, countries' economy collapse, and destruction houses and buildings, the legacy that the World Wars left behind is everlasting. The byproduct of these two wars is massive, in political a new global map and some of the most powerful and
The late nineteenth century marked an era in history of serious military competition, especially within the main European powers. The approach for building a powerful military was assessed in respect to neighbors, which backfired and brought about a culture of paranoia. Thus, urgency for the pursuance of alliances was widespread. It is evident that the early twentieth century was marked by the idea that because all states may use force at any time, all states must also be prepared to do so as well. This fear manifested itself in the arms race and formation of alliances during open conflicts. An overarching belief, that war was good, swept through the European nations. Little did they know a full-blown world war would break out.
The First World War was a watershed: it deposed kings and emperors, ushered in universal suffrage and workers’ revolution, and changed people’s attitude to war forever.
The First World War’s purpose was primarily over countries fighting over colonies that they desired to acquire or territory or resources. As battles were fought during this war, new sources of warfare were introduced, such as the use of trenches, poison gas, machine guns, airplanes and tanks. So, basically the weapons that dominate wars even to these days were developed during this war, which has influenced the twentieth century.
Background info - World War 1 began in the early 20th century from the year 1914 to the year 1918. The period covered over four months with many changes which came with it besides many lives being lost. World War I began as a European conflict, only gradually did it develop into a world war. The growing tensions between the European countries were caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Also involving conflicts of the Balkan wars and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. World War 1 began in the early 20th century from the year 1914 to the year 1918. The period covered over four months with many changes which came with it besides many lives being lost. World War I began as a European conflict, only gradually did it develop into a world war (Ross, 6). The growing tensions between the European countries were caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. World War I was often referred to as "The Great War". It began in 1914 and ended in 1918. America witnessed much devastation in this time period. In these four years alone nearly 9 million people died and millions more were maimed, crippled, grief stricken, or psychologically scarred (Coetzee, 11). World War I is considered by some, the first man-made catastrophe of the twentieth century.
major powers fought against one another trying to fight against those that oppressed them and others fighting to keep oppressors from oppressing the people. World War I, World War II, and the Cold War were wars that dominated this century, though there were many other, smaller, battles that took place throughout these years. Powerful regimes that had been around for hundreds of years came crashing down with new nations rising up in their place, dozens of peace treaties were signed to appease those that had fought, and new political powers rose up and the rights of the people began to change. War drastically changed the outcome of the twentieth century with the beginning of the century care free but, at the end, many ideas and views of how life should be were shattered and war would leave a bitter memory for many.
Many historians argue that the Battle of Stalingrad was "the turning point" of WW II in Europe. During the course of war, changes in moods, thoughts, and impressions of the Germans, Romanians and Soviets were easily depicted. It documents the impact on the psychological changes of the war but justifies how it changed the history of modern warfare as we know it.