The Interpretation of World War One from the 1920’s to the Present
The interpretation of history has changed based on differences such as the time and place of the person who is recording it. These two similar texts being compared are separated by the date the book was written. The older book was written in 1921, by Ferdinand Schevill, and is titled "A Political History of Modern Europe from the Reformation to the Present Day”. The second book, was written in 2007 by Lynn Hunt, is titled “The making of the West: Peoples and Cultures”. In both of these textbooks the history of World War I is discussed, but the way the history is interpreted shows a large quantity of differences. When comparing these two pieces, Schevill’s book appears to
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This growth in population leads to the idea of marriage reformation. “Reformers thought that improving both the quality of children born and the conditions within marriage would solve the population problem” (Hunt 766). Since populations were becoming too large, many people believed in eugenics, defined as “a set of ideas about the importance of producing superior people through selective breeding and of preventing the disabled and others deemed inferior from polluting one’s nation or race” (Hunt 767). These reformation ideas leads to improved marriage laws throughout Europe. Countries legalized divorce, and Sweden even made men’s and women's control over property equal. Hunt’s text focuses on the social and cultural issues that lead up to 1914, when the war erupts. Schevill’s text takes a different route into the road to the start of the First World War.
In Schevill’s textbook, there is no focus on the social and cultural issues of the Europeans, but instead a focus on diplomatic issues. Schevill titled this chapter leading up to World War I “European Diplomatic Relations from 1871 to 1914”. Schevill gives a detailed look into the European treaties and alliances that would cause the outbreak of the war. One of the important topics discussed leading up to World War One in this text is the European alliances. The text refers to these as the triple and dual
The unconditional support from alliances can be blamed to cause World War I. The nature of the alliances is laid out in the alliance document. The alliances stipulated assistance and contribution of the signing parties in the event of conflict. It can extend from money or logistic sponsorship, similar to the supply of materials or weapons, to military activation and a statement about war. Partnerships might likewise contain currency components, for example, trade agreements, investment or loans. It is best known to cause World War I. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, European nations formed, abolished, or restructured their own alliances. By 1914, the Great Powers of Europe split into two opposing alliance blocs. For quite a long time Europe had been a mixture of ethnic and regional competitions, political interests, contending desires, military dangers, suspicions and disorder. France and England were antiquated foes whose competition ejected into open fighting a few times between the fourteenth and mid nineteenth hundreds of years.
Through the book ‘Europe’s Last Summer’ David Fromkin tackles the issues of pre WWI Europe, and the surrounding political, economic, social, debacles that led paranoid countries to go to arms after nearly a full century of relative peace within the European continent. While Fromkin certainly points his fingers to all the nations of Europe his primary focus lies with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Though he continues to stress throughout much of the book that Kaiser Wilhelm II and Archduke Ferdinand were fervent keepers of the peace within their nations, the fault of the war ultimately could be laid at the feet of their two nations and their constant attempts at war-mongering. He claims the war could have been avoided for the moment, had all the nations of Europe wanted peace, but the two bad eggs of Europe drew them all into an unavoidable general war.
World War I was caused by several issues between European powers, the first being militarism, or the huge emphasis placed on having large and strong armies and navies. Germany is an example of militarism in WWI because Germany began competing with the British for having the largest navy in the world, as well as developing new weapons like poison gas and submarines, the latter being a great tool in surprise attacks. Militarism was also associated with the Romanticism of war; Europeans wished to fight so that they could become heros. The constant military build ups in several European countries left countries looking for alliances with other strong countries, in the event that war was to break out. Germany, Italy, and Austria created the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente was comprised of Great Britain, France, and
Although the world seemed at peace in the early 1900’s but world’s powerful forces were pushing Europe towards war. These forces included militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism.
The political/geographic situation in Europe at the beginning of World War I was full of conflict and strife with nations already seeped in rivalry and hatred, bidding for power with military might and seeking to obtain it no matter what the cost or how much human life it would take to attain. Alliances are formed in a amalgamation of shared hatred for equal enemies and desire for power , Europe is abound with chaos. European borders seem to be ever changing like that of a snaking river. Austria-Hungary is full of minorities each vying for its own independence and country. Germany and France have an undying enmity for one another. Russia also hated by the Germans is seeking to protect its interests in the Balkans,while creating alliances with France and England. The continent is as a sleeping volcano waiting to erupt in a violent cataclysm of war and destruction with its epicenter between Serbia and Austria-hungry, pulling each of its respected allies into the First world war. It seems every country has some disposition towards another country over disputes not its own but of its allies. The great powers of Europe came to War after The Archdukes assassination in response to each of its respected allies becoming engulfed in a conflict between the Serbian people and Austrian-hungry nation. With both sides drawings in their alliances made prior to the war initial beginning like a domino effect, reigniting flames on animosity. Germany declaring war on Russia soon after, siding
In the early 1900’s, the entirety of Europe was divided into various alliances and powers, most notably the Triple Alliance (Germany, Astro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, Russia, and the United Kingdom), which ultimately fell into a hellish firestorm of mustard gas and trench warfare in 1914 that left 18 million dead and Europe’s economies and production decimated manyfold (DBQ Project, Various – Document D). The destruction of the turn-of-the-century nations and Empires that slaughtered over people stems from a chronological progression of ambitious Imperialism, extreme Nationalism, and rapid Militarism.
Chapter 28 Descent into the Abyss: World War I and the Crisis of the European Global Order
Promptly after the First World War had ended there were many debates about who or what caused the war. Historians such as Fritz Fischer argued that Germany was the to blame for the entirety of the war but there have been many more ideas of what was the cause of the war and therefore causing peace to fail. The main ideas amongst historians for the underlying causes of the war are the different balance in power due the formation of alliances, imperialism, militarism and also the July Crisis of 1914. This essay will argue that the alliances were the main cause of peace failing as with the constant conflict of interests and increasing tension it made it almost impossible to create peace in Europe in 1914.
Question #5: Because of what full-blooded Japanese were given honorary Aryan status in the German Empire?
The Home Front is often overlooked when discussing the impact of World War One (WWI), as the impact is often less glorified when compared to the bloodshed of the battlefields. This exhibition looks at life in Australia during WWI and explores the experiences of those away from the actual fighting who are at home. By extensively using primary sources and brief profiles of both notable and everyday Australians during WWI, the exhibit gives a holistic view on life in Australia during the Great War. The exhibit focuses on the themes of the initial excitement of those in Australia when the war began, technology advancements, how the public received news of the war and their reaction to it, as well as the sense of growing disillusionment that developed as the war progressed. It comprehensively looks at these experiences and emotions and describes them with clarity.
World War I, also deemed the “Great War”, was not only a defining event of the twentieth century, but a defining event in all of history. By shaking up many of the European nation, World War I laid the foundation for many of the important events that took place well into the twentieth century. Along with other unintended consequences, the war rearranged many political and economic aspects of the world which can be attributed directly to the development of World War II, and later, the Cold War. The use of technology as deadly weapons disturbed many on both sides of the court. Despite the messiness of the war and the events that happened afterwards, many great things were kick started by this particular event in history.
There has been a lot of discussion about World War I, also called ‘The Great War’ or ‘The War To End All Wars’, and what specific turning points in the progress of the war were crucial in determining the victory of the Triple Entente (“The Allies”). This reaction paper referring to Chapters 15- 26 in the book “The First World War – A Complete History” from Martin Gilbert is going to analyze the reasons of the Central Powers going from being close to triumph to complete collapse and eventual defeat.
“The conflicting fears and desires of many States and peoples did not create a European war, but they served as a set of multiple fuses waiting to ignite, should war between two States” (Gilbert 6). World War 1 was a very complex conflict that led to many long-lasting repercussions around the world. WWI erupted in July 1914 and lasted until November 1918. Many European nations became involved in this global conflict, which upset the European balance of power. The war escalated quickly for several reasons and was first sparked by the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the Black Hand. Then, many other contributing factors spurred major powers to become embroiled in the war in Europe. In the war, two important elements had
Leading up to the First World War (WWI) was a series of crises -- Serbian unification efforts, the Ten-Point Ultimatum from Austria to Serbia, the Kruger Telegram, the Dreadnought Race, the Moroccan Crises of 1905 and of 1911, the Balkan Wars, and the Bosnian Crisis -- that generated significant conflict and division among the countries of Europe, all of which seemed to lay the foundation for the start of WWI. With concern for its own power and security in a rapidly changing Europe, Germany set out to undermine the power of as well as the alliances between other European countries. In his book The Sleepwalkers: How Europe went to War in 1914, Christopher Clark points out that, while ‘not one of the great powers has escaped the
After the First World War (1914-1919), the world was faced with the questions - who was responsible and what was reason for the outbreak of the war. Ultimately it was agreed on the 28 June 1919 that “the Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage” from the First World War. However, there have been many other interpretations on whom and what was responsible for the war. On the one hand, some historians would agree with David Lloyd George’s notion of all “the nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war”, however, on the contrary, others would agree with Fischer in arguing that Germany’s aggressive foreign policy was responsible for the First World War. Whether you agree with Lloyd George or Fischer, it is important to understand some of the other possible reasons for the outbreak of the First World War – including the growth of nationalism and imperialism, the alliances within Europe and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Although this essay will argue that Germany’s aggressive foreign policy was responsible for the outbreak of the First World War, it will also illustrate why other historians have argued against that notion.