After the First World War, Europe was socially, economically and politically crippled. The Great War had divided entire nations into two main sections: those who believed in the Extreme Left's ability to take control and regain national strength, prosperity and pride, and those following the Extreme Right's promise of leadership towards economic and political stability.
Throughout the inter-war period of 1919-1938, two main political movements were evident throughout Europe. Communism in the Soviet Union had been gaining strength and power under the rule of the Bolsheviks. Further West, Totalitarian ideologies were rising in the main European states, many of which had been involved in the wartime alliance. Mussolini's brand of Fascism was taking hold in Italy. The Spanish Civil war in the 1930's left Franco as dictator of the Spanish political system. Hitler's rise to power as leader of the newly formed Nazi Party in Germany, expanded fascist control in Western Europe.
The League of Nations, a covenant created during the peace talks of 1917-1920 was part of President Wilson's plan to "reaffirm the sincerity of the Western war aims", which included his `fourteen points' system, which "called for national self-determination, and the creation of a "general association of nations [to afford] mutual guarantees of political independence..."" . However, Wilson's efforts at peace were not well-received, although the Fourteen Points were used as a base for the 1918 armistice by Germany. The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 excluded the Central powers, since it was felt that there was enough tension between the victorious powers, and the addition of Russia, Germany, Austria, Turkey and Bulgaria would heighten the tension, rendering ...
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...ope which would form the Iron Curtain of the 20th century. The wars dismantled long-standing empires, creating new independent states. The First World War created the alliances which would hold throughout the Second World War, and eventually form what is now the European Union
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andreas Dorpalen, Europe in the 20th Century. A history, the Macmillan company, USA, 1968
John Keegan, The First World War, London, 1998
Microsoft Encarta Reference suite, 2000, Microsoft Corporation.
Norman Davies, Europe: a history, Pimlico, Great Britain, 1997
Mairi Maclean and Jolyon Howorth Ed, Europeans on Europe, Macmillan Academic and Professional Ltd, Hong Kong, 1992
D. F. Fleming, The Origins and Legacies of World War 1, Photolithography, Great Britain, 1968
This was definitely a tough predicament for Europe to be in. In the aftermath of World War I, literally tens of millions were mortally wounded and missing, there were devastating effects on morale and view towards war, which would make most any weakened society ...
When the peace processes were to start after the finishing of World War One, there were four people who were major components in the treaty of Paris: Clemenceau, George, Orlando, and Wilson. Clemenceau wanted revenge on the German's by punishing them through the treaties because he believed that they were at fault for the war; George was in agreement with Clemenceau although he did not feel that Germany should suffer severe punishment; Orlando who wanted the irredenta to be re-established; and President Wilson of the United States of America wanted to create a mild peace with Germany in a fair way. In view of this, Wilson created fourteen points that he wanted accomplished in full as a result of the peace treaties. His fourteen points were his plan for a world peace and included plans for the end of secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, arms reduction, the just settlement of colonial claims, the establishment of a League of Nations, and the evacuation of occupied territories and national self-determination. Many of his points were carried out in the Treaty of Versailles, although not all of them were successful or followed completely.
"Everywhere in the world was heard the sound of things breaking." Advanced European societies could not support long wars or so many thought prior to World War I. They were right in a way. The societies could not support a long war unchanged. The First World War left no aspect of European civilization untouched as pre-war governments were transformed to fight total war. The war metamorphed Europe socially, politicaly, economically, and intellectualy.
Two decades following World War I, many democratic countries in Europe were taken over by some kind of dictatorship. Russia became a Communist state. Italy and Germany became Fascist states. Of the powers in Europe, only Britain and France remained democratic. Actually the First World War brought some negative effects to Europe.
World War I caused a lot of damage to different countries and the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany harshly for starting the war. In the years following the war, Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power and gained control of Germany and its government. Also, the League of Nations was set up to help keep peace between countries.
Paxton, Robert O. Europe in the Twentieth Century. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. Print.
Discuss the merits and shortcomings of the ‘Fischer Thesis’ on the origins of the First World War.
The flash of machine guns and the blare of shells were brand new to the veterans. Both the soldiers on the front and their family at home did not realize how much WW1 would change war forever. WW1, beginning in 1914 and ending in 1918 involved two major parties. The triple alliance, including Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, and the triple entente, including France, Great Britain, and Russia fought the biggest War that the world had ever seen. We know the story, but when we read the between the pages, what were the underlying causes of the Great War that changed history? Through extensive research among primary and secondary documents, the answer has been found. The hidden causes were militarism, nationalism, and the system of alliances. Militarism led nations to jump at war prematurely. Nationalism causes other nations to become suspicious, and it also leads to a war that could easily be resolved other ways. The system of alliances was another underlying cause, as it made the war a world war by bringing all of Europe into it. WW1 began because of militarism, nationalism, and the system of alliances.
... the actual Fourteen Points as proposed. Prior to reading the points, he made mention of that there were “no confusion between the Allied powers, no uncertainty of principle and no vagueness of detail”. He further stated that “only failure to make definite statement of the objects of the war lies with Germany and her allies”. Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” yielded minimal success as it regards to post World War peace and many of the points failed because they were severely deficient in detail and succinct. The last point that spoke about the “League of Nations” was accepted. In addition the points were based exclusively on US ideals without any input from the other countries that were affected.
...own plan called the Fourteen Points. Wilson never gave up in his goal of creating the League of Nations to end future wars and maintain peace. Woodrow Wilson’s determination and success as a president has shaped our nation and its stance in international peace relations today.
In the decades before the outbreak of war in 1914, Germany had been the major instigator of tension between the European powers. Under the policy of Weltpolitik (world politics) Germany's wished to play a large part in international affairs, join in on the quest for colonial territory, and spread German influence abroad. The other European powers were all pursuing their own imperialistic policies and were all competing for the same aims as Germany. When Germany tried to bully its way into the grab for colonies the other nations responded by forming alliances isolating it. Weltpolitik accomplished very little positive effects, instead managing to sour international relations, and cause a great deal of ...
After World War I, Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States of America, created fourteen points in order to develop peace throughout the European nations. The first five points stated general peace clauses between the warring countries. He put forth the five points to ensure a tranquil environment in which the European countries can function without trouble. The last point also dealt with sense of a peace intention. It asked for a general association of the European countries to confirm national integrity (Wilson’s Fourteen Points 1).
Great War, also known as The First World War, lasted for four year (1914 to 1918). It brought a huge development of war technics and weapons. More number of countries had been involved in the Great War than any previous war. It involved the mobilization of the whole nations, not just an enormous army that turned the war into a “total war”. (Clare 6) However, historians are still arguing about the major cause of the World War I. The major cause will be one of the four long-term causes of WWI, which are Militarism, Alliance, Imperialism, and Nationalism. In my opinion, the two major causes would be Alliance and Nationalism. Alliance is an association between two or more countries for mutual benefits that formed with different treaties, while Nationalism is feeling and principles of patriotic.
World War II was a result of all the problems that were left unresolved after World War I. World War I left Europe unstable and with lot of financial and political problems."In particular, political and economic instability in Germany, and lingering resentment over the harsh terms imposed by the Versailles Treaty, fueled the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) Party." (History.com Staff).
It has been almost a century since the first Paris Peace Conference was hold, but even until now, it is a popular yet also controversial event in the history of the world. The Paris Peace Conference took place in 1919 involving more than 1,000 representatives from over 30 nations. The results of the Conference are five treaties regarding terms that, according to the Conference, shall prevent any upcoming conflicts among nations. Although World War II started only after 15 years, nonetheless, the treaties did function as a buffer between countries. Although many resolutions were discussed, the negotiation of the Conference revolves around four main topics, reparation from the previous war losses or limitations on the main Central Power, Germany, self-recognition, President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the annexation of land.