World War One

Introduction

The World War One (WW1) was the first modern war which is considered to be the most brutal war in the modern history. With the combination of mass armies and modern lethal weapons, it's effect on both the civilian population and the militaries were devastating. By the end of the war there were million of casualties, millions were injured and wounded, spread of infectious diseases and destruction of infrastructures and cities and towns. It is important to learn lessons from the WW1 so we don't find ourselves sleep walking into world war three. In this blog I will share with you why is WW1 called 'the world war'? What were some of the events which led to the WW1? What new technology was used in WW1? What ended the WW1 and what were some of the setting events which led to World War two? As well as some of the significant events which took place after the WW1.

Why Is It Called WW1?

There are different reasons and explanations why WW1 is called WW1. The first explanation is that when there is a international conflict which globally involves different countries than it is a world war even if all the countries don't fight the war because they can still feel its affect on them. The first world war in particular wasn't popular by its name 'world war'. The British and the Russians called it the great war. It was called the great war because it was the biggest war that countries involved had ever fought even larger than the Napoleonic wars. In the United States it was called the European war until Untied States also became part of it and then the term was switched to world war. It is also said that the term world war was originated in Germany because it was a war to control the world. Whoever won the war was going to become the dominant power in the world.

What Were Some Of The Events Which Led To WW1?

• The political instability in the Balkans region of Europe existed for years before the world war 1 broke out.

• In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia started the war. He was the heir presumptive to Austria-Hungarian Empire. The purpose of his assassination was to bring an end to Austria-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Like many other countries Austria-Hungry also blamed the Serbian government for his murder but since Serbia was supported by Russia, the Austria-Hungry waited to receive assurance from Germany that it will support the war before declaring the war on Serbia.

• Serbia turned to Russia for assistance within a week Russia, Belgium, France, Britain and Serbia were lined up against Austria-Hungry and Germany starting the WW1. Later involving Germany, Austria-Hungry, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire fought against Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the United States.

The New Technology Used In WW1

WW1 was the first modern war because by the end of the war there were million of casualties due to the usage of new technology of that time. The destruction that WW1 caused was unprecedented. More than 9 millions soldier died, 21 millions were wounded and there were approximately 10 million civilian casualties. France and Germany were most affected by the war as these two countries sent 80% of their male population between the ages of 15 to 49 to the war.

The new technology used in the first world war were machine guns, tanks, aerial combats, and radio communication. The WW1 was also the first larger scale conflict that involved the usage of planes. Aviation was relatively new field in the beginning of the WW1. Planes were initially used for reconnaissance mission. Information from the pilots were used by the allies to find out Germany's weak points and eventually pushing Germany out from France.

The first machine gun on a plane was used by United States in 1912 which was initially imperfect because it required to shot the bullet at correct time otherwise if shot at incorrect time the bullet could destroy the propeller of the plane it came from. Machine guns were later improved and different countries provided different solutions to this issue.

By the end of WW1 many countries were producing aircraft five times more than the Germans. By 1918 the British created its first air force which was an independent branch from army and navy.

The first two-engine bomber aircraft was debuted in 1915.

Treaty Of Versailles: End Of WW1 & Some Of The Setting Events Of WW2

In 1919, at the Paris peace Conference, countries showed interest in building a post war world that can prevent future conflicts. The treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 bringing an end to the WW1. Some people hoped this treaty will end all the wars but unfortunately it didn't as the treaty did not achieve all of its goals and there were political tensions left unresolved.

The key point was that Germany signed the treaty by agreeing to pay financial reparations, disarm and give up all of its overseas colonies. The heavy payment for the war and not being part of the League of Nations which was created to maintain world peace, Germany felt tricked in signing the treaty which decades later will become one of the causes for world war two. Along with the economic and political instability, the resentment of the treaty contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Some Of The Significant Events Which Took Place After WW1

• When the soldiers returned from the war, they brought many diseases to their home countries which resulted in creating horrific conditions. Diseases such as influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever were the most common ones. But the Spanish flu was the first global pandemic that the world experienced. The Spanish flu killed approximately 20 to 50 million people.

• The chemical weapons used in WW1 resulted in death of civilians and soldiers on a larger scale as well as thousands of them suffered sever illness. The Geneva convention agreement was signed in 1925; it prohibited the usage of chemical weapons because of the sever effects that chemical weapons such as mustard gas and phosgene had on soldiers and the civilians.

• Women In Workforce: Million of women were employed during the WW1 to replace the work of the men who were sent to the war. After the war, the labor shortage, poverty and war effects all contributed to women to keep entering in workforce. However many were laid off when the soldiers returned back from the war and the jobs were given back to them. Once the economy became stable many more women were forced to leave the work place as the jobs belonged to men which  resulted in women going back to their domestic services but one thing which became clear was that their work was important. Women proved they can do the job and within decades after the war sighting a woman at work force was a common thing.