World War I Aftermath and Impact


Figure 1.--Enormous physical damage resulted from World War I. Much of it in the West was limited to northern France and Belgium. Damage in the East was more widespread. Perhaps even more devesting was the human lossess. Some 8.5 million men were killed and even more were crippled in body and soul--far too mamy irretrievably. And each of those casualties left behind many family and friends, their lives forever altered. These two French boys are two of the millions of children who lost their fathers or had their fathers terribly wounded. Notice their father's medals. I am not sure why the boys are wearing smocks, presumably school smocks. It is such experiences why so many Europeans and Ameicans became so opposed to war and militart spending. And were thus unprepared a decade later when Hitler began his massive military armaments program. Pacifist and isolationist felling in France, Britain, and America agave Hitler the opportunity to rebuild Germany's military might while the Allies resisted not only confronting him, but making adequate military preparations.

World War I was a turning point in European history. It was with the War that Europe lost the innocense with which it entered the 20th century. The international system was shattered by the War. It its place appeared the League of Nations and the principle of Collective security. Europe itself was transformed. The major countries that went to war were imperial powers. Thus the war became a world war. The destruction of many of those empires, both in and beyond Europe, had profound consequences for the 20th century. Europe's primacy in world affairs was undermined, although this was not immediately apparent. The empires were broken up into small states that were not really capable of self defence and with mutual grevences. And ominously were located on the perifery of the new Soviet Union and Germany, states which did not accepthe new European system. Many of the countries involved have never fully recovered. The casulaties sustanined by the major combatants, except for Russia, were substantially greater than in World War II. It is difficult for Americans to understand this as our experience in the War was much different. America entered the War in 1917, 3 years after the War began and American forced were not heavily commited until 1918. While substantial, American losses did not approach the level of the other major combatant countries. There were single battles in World War I where the losses exceeded entire wars that had been fought previously. Americans visiting Britain should stop a moment at virtually any village church they chance upon. Inside they will find a large opened book. The books is a list of the fallen of World War I. When one stops to think of similar books throughout Britain, one begins to comprehaend the enormity of World War I losses. The huge losses were comparable throughout Europe.

International System

World War I was a turning point in European history. It was with the War that Europe lost the innocense with which it entered the 20th century. The international system was shattered by the War. It its place appeared the League of Nations and the principle of Collective security. Europe itself was transformed. The major countries that went to war were imperial powers. Thus the war became a world war. The destruction of many of those empires, both in and beyond Europe, had profound consequences for the 20th century. Europe's primacy in world affairs was undermined, although this was not immediately apparent. The empires were broken up into small states that were not really capable of self defence and with mutual grevences. And ominously were located on the perifery of the new Soviet Union and Germany, states which did not accepthe new European system.

Political Consequences

The people of the combatatant nations made huge sacrifices to support their country's war efforts. The sacrifices in the trenches was beyond belief and te war casualties were staggering. People on the homefront also sacrified. The consequences of the War varied significantly from country to country. The British people were promissed, "A land fit for heroes" after the War. The experienced of the War radicalized politics and made the Labour Party into a political force that continues to this day. The cost of the War affectd post-War conditions which did not improve like many had expectd. TheGerman people were shocked in 1918. They had knocked Russia out of the War in 1917 and thought that they were about to win the War. Rationing had reached very severe levels, but the collapse of the Western Front surprised many. This commbined with the inflation of the 1920s and Depression of the 1930s radicalized German politics, paving the way for the NAZIs to seize power. Another major political impact was the rise of the Soviet Union on the corpse of the Tsarist Empire. The rise of totalitarian regimes would play a major role in the 20th century.

Economic Consequences

There were profound economic consequences to World War I. All Belgerant countries were damaged, both human and monetary capital was lost or impaited. Millions were killed or wounded. Mullions of children were left wuthout a family breadwinner. The most obvious impact was destruction of infrastructure on the contient, except in Germany. All of this varied from country to country. The most notable economic impact was in the two potential superpowers--the United States and Russia. The United States unlike the Europeans countries were not badly damged by the War. The United States has emerged as an industrial giant even before the War. An American acendancy just grew during the War as Europe was laid waste. The agricultural economy declined as European agriculture recovered, but the industrial ecionomy just coontinued to grow leading to the Roaring Twenties. The Russian Empire went through catertrophic transformations. First the shick of the War and then the rise of the totalitarian Soviet Union. The Soviets asdoped an ineffcent economic system which would eventually lead to its imposion. But the Soviets reported industrual gains, not larger than reported during the Tsarist regime had been report, but still impressive on the surface. What was not recoignized at the time was the inefficency of the Sioviet system. Agriucultural production actually declined, especially after Stalin's collectivization program. Britain and France were seriously weakened by War These rich countres were left debtor nations. Unlike America, there was only limited industrial expansion. Germany is often seen as being economic crippled by the War and post-War settlement. We see assessments like, "While the war was a devastating experience for France and the United Kingdom, these countries were able to recover economically without too much difficulty. It was Germany, however, that particularly suffered following the war. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to make monetary payments to the Allies, called reparations. The heavy reparations, combined with the devastated economic infrastructure throughout Germany and political tension under the Weimar Republic, led to an economic depression." [Study.com] Nothing could be further from the truth. France and the U.K. did not recover 'easily'. Germany was required to make substanbtial reparations, but actually paid very little to the Allies. Nost of the payments made was funds borrowed from American banks. In fact, Germany was not siugnificantly hurt by the Versailles Peace Treaty. Alsacep-Loraine regained from France was a loss, but the aeas transferred to Poland were not major economic losses. Germany remained the economic center of Europe with an economy only somewhat smaller than Britain and France combined. German infrastructure was not damaged by the War which was fought almost entirely in the territory of other countries. It was French infrastructure that was danaged by the War. And the Depression when it came had nothing to do with the German economy, but rather a poorly managed economic downturn in the United States which it exported overseas. A major development throughout Europe was the rise of socialism which variously affected the European economies making it even more difficult to compete with American industry.

Countries

Many of the countries involved in Worlkd War I have never fully recovered and most were permanently changed. The casulaties sustanined by the major combatants, except for Russia, were substantially greater than in World War II. It is difficult for Americans to understand this as our experience in the War was much different. America entered the War in 1917, 3 years after the War began and American forced were not heavily commited until 1918. While substantial, American losses did not approach the level of the other major combatant countries. There were single battles in World War I where the losses exceeded entire wars that had been fought previously. Americans visiting Britain should stop a moment at virtually any village church they chance upon. Inside they will find a large opened book. The books is a list of the fallen of World War I. When one stops to think of similar books throughout Britain, one begins to comprehend the enormity of World War I losses. The huge losses were comparable throughout Europe in a variety of ways, most importantly causing European to question liberal democracy. This led to the rise of totalitarian solutions. The Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, establishing a Communist police state based on Marxism which develped a Lennist overlay. And in the West, many turned to Fascism, first in Italy and then in Germany. Communist and Fascism parties gained strebgth in maby other countries as well. Here the Depression was a factor, byt far from the only driving force. Too often the Communism and Fascism are seen as opposite ends of the political sprectrum. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is true that Fascism and Commuinsm competed with each other and had some differences, but basically they were very similar. They both grew out of the Socialist movement. They both instituted police states and restricted citizen participation in government. They both free thought and the rule of law. And they both murdered in the millions. The Fascists killed mostly foreigners, the Communists both their own people as well as foreigners. And both were committed to war as a major tool of national polict. In the democeacies the aftermath was fundamentally different because citizens could make their opinions known. The huge losses fundamentally affected European thinking. It promoted pacifist thinking in the West which eaised preventing another war to the major goal of national policy leding to Appeasement. This mean that during the inter-War era, the totalitarian powers would gain the dominant military position on the World stage. The result would be killing on a farlarger scale than World War I--this tome targetting civilians.

War Memorials

World War I ocured after about a century of relative peace and enormous material in Europe. This made the terriblke killing nd dstruction all the more terrible. World War I or the Great war as it was called at the time shattered European society and an entire generaton. It was apparent even before the War had ended thst Europe would be chnged for ever. People in the victotious Allied countries began referring to the war as “The War to end All Wars”. After 4 years of bloody warfare, loss, amd privations, there was a unversal desire in all the beligerant contries to honor the fallen and those who made such sacrifices. Few families were unaffected by the War in someway and many had a family member killed or seriously wonded. There was also enormous property damage Citieswere badly damages in the fishing or combaing. Whole village was simply erased. Communities, churcges, schools, and veterans associations wanted to honor the fallen. The question was just how to do that. As a result war meorials began appearing in cities and towns during the 1920s. There were both public and private memorials. They vatied greatly in style and construction. Many included the mames of the fallen from the cities or towns, schools, churches, factories, sports clubs, railway stations, and other locations. These were commonly memorial rolls of honor. Some of the city public momunments were grandiose. I found espcially moving the churches across Britain that maintain a book of the fallen and change the page every day. Church windows were designed and dedicated to military units or individuals. Memorial buildings in schools abd cities were dedicated as living memorials. Garadually memorials arose on some of the major battlefields of the War, usually round the millitary cenetaries. Such was the carnage. Large numbers of the fallen could not be identified. Veterans grops placed memorials on the battlefields rember their units, units such as divisions, regiments and battalions. The battlefield monuments are most in Allied countries because the War began when Gernany invaded Belgium abd France abd the major vattles were fought there. It addition to brick and mortar, other ideas surfaced. We see memorial plaques and commemorative peace medals. Especially important was medical and convalesent care for veterans. Here both public and state funds were involved. One of the most important traditions is the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy. The British still wear poppies as November 11 appraches.

Sources

Keegan, John.

Study.com. "History 102: Western Civilization II".








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Created: 2:26 AM 3/5/2011
Last updated: 3:12 AM 8/27/2018