"The Great War" as it was known at the time, in my opinion could be remembered as The Stepping Stone War, The Ripple Effect War, or maybe even the Second Greatest War. I believe all of these names describe this historical event. It was a war that was inevitable, sparked by a single event that led to the death of millions that continues to affect the world we currently live in. It was just a "stepping stone" for many wars to follow. It has caused a "ripple effect" setting the standard for wars from the early 1900's to current day wars. It has gone down in the books as the second deadliest conflict in history. Its cause, course and effects are still impacting our society today.
Many different things led to World War I. Imperialistic expansion had caused great tension among nations but the war was jump-started by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. He was assassinated on June 28, 1914, and the war started on July 28, 1914, exactly one month later. Austria's ally Germany supported and even encouraged them to declare war. On July 28, 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia. The rest of the world followed because of the military alliances. In my opinion, having such a tight-knit alliance could in some ways be a downfall because if something happened to one country, all of them were affected.
World War I involved all the world's major powers. The powers were split into two sides. The Allies were made up of France, Britain, Russia, Italy, the United States, Romania, Greece, Serbia, and Japan. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. It seems to me that the Central Powers were a little outnumbered. Italy was formerly part of the Central Powers but decided not to aid Germany and Austria because they thought Austria was pushing for war. The war lasted four years and the Allies came out on top. Bulgaria surrendered on September 30, 1918, Turkey on October 30, 1918, and Austria-Hungary on November 4, 1918. Over nine million combatants died in World War I, over 20 million more were wounded, and over 15 million deaths in all were estimated. The reason for so many deaths was due to technological advances in firepower and weapons. Trench warfare was also first used in this war. World War I has gone down in history as being the second deadliest conflict in history; the first being World War II with an estimated loss of human life of seventy-two million.
There were many different effects of World War I. The world's financial center went from being in England to the United States of America. It was in London before the war and afterwards it was located in New York. But that is not the only way the world was affected. Politics were affected as well as public opinion, and economics. I think Germany was mainly responsible for starting the war. Although many countries were affected in negative ways, the United States was affected in a few positive ways. The economy was shifted, the employment rate rose and industries made great profits. When the war was over the United States arose as the greatest power in the world. The reason the United States was not affected as much as other countries is because they entered the war late and they were separated from the war by an ocean. World War I started a ripple effect and it will continue to affect us far into the future. This war began as a small ordeal but other countries got involved and it turned into the whole world going to war. In my opinion, World War I set the standard for all future wars. From this war to present day wars, it is the same concept; small ordeals turn into wars because other countries get involved. Everyone wants to be the top dog and run the show, each country wants to be in control and have all the power.
According to Dwight D Eisenhower, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron." [1] World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but it actually was a stepping stone for many wars to come. It was a war that was a long time in the making which was fueled by an assassination. It was a very bloody and drawn out war. It changed the world drastically then and continues to change it every day. World War I set the pace for World War II, which was twice as bloody and devastating. Many men and women, dedicated to their country's beliefs and convictions, lost their lives in these horrendous battles, as well as many innocent civilians.
Coffman, Edward M. The War to End All Wars (1968)
Eisenhower, Dwight D., speech, American Society of Newspaper Editors, 16 April 1953
Ellis, John and Michael Cox. The World War I Databook: The Essential Facts and Figures for All the Combatants (2002)
Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. Researching World War I: A Handbook (2003)
March, Francis Andrew and Richard Joseph Beamish History of the World War: An Authentic Narrative of the World's Greatest War (2006)
