What were the most important political and economic consequences of the war often called the "Great War?" At the end of the war, large areas of Europe were in ruins, economies of countries were collapsed, and almost an entire generation of young men from France, Germany, and other countries were wiped out. More than 21 million combatants were wounded, and more than 9 million were killed in action.
A young soldier writes a letter telling of the fighting conditions in World War I. Censors would read and excerpt portions of letters. This letter was dated France 8 Oct. 1917
"Our boys did very well taking almost a quarter of the prisoners. That left 7 divisions to get the other half. The A's & one of our brigades had fairly hard fighting as it happened that Fritz was just going to counter attack himself when our barrage caught him. The casualties on Fritz's side were high & on a 1000 yd front the A's counted 1000 dead.
Since the 4th the weather has been bad and they are issuing our winter clothes as soon as possible & have started on the rum."
As if this was not enough, an influenza, commonly known as the flu, epidemic spread throughout the world in 1918–1919, killing millions more. Europe faced the monumental task of getting back on its feet.
The borders of Europe were radically altered. Many of the changes came as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. What changes occurred in Europe at war's end? Four different empires—the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Russian, and German empires—came to an end. Replacing them were three new republics and a new Communist state. From these former empires also came the new countries of Finland, Hungary, Austria, Latvia, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, and Lithuania. These new nation-states satisfied the hopes of many people. However, the increased number of new European countries also produced greater tensions, and many national groups still felt they had not been treated fairly. This would become a factor for future conflicts.
Nationalism surged in the colonial empires. The European powers justified their colonial control by pointing to their political and cultural superiority over Asians and Africans. This idea of superiority wore off as these same colonial powers set out to destroy one another in a devastating global conflict. The colonial countries of Africa and Asia, many of which participated on one side or the other in the war, gained enough confidence to resist European colonial control.
Tensions between western and central Europe did not cease despite the huge cost of the war in property and lives. The peace failed to achieve stable political relations between Germany and neighboring countries. Germany was forced to accept blame for the war as part of the Treaty of Versailles. This left a bitter taste in the mouths of most German soldiers. Many of the soldiers had not been recalled from the front lines at the time of the treaty signing. They did not see the full extent of Germany's losses, and they felt they had been betrayed and had not lost the war.
Although one of the factors that led to the war was German militarism, Germany was not solely to blame for the war lasting so long. Regardless, Germany was forced to pay for starting the war. In Germany, these provisions caused deep bitterness and resentment, paving the way for Hitler and his Nazi party. Twenty years after the Great War or "War to End All Wars," World War II broke out. The second war was in a real way a continuation of the first.
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