European politics and diplomacy in the 20th century were defined by total war and its consequences. World War I destroyed the balance of power, and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, created unstable conditions in which extremist ideologies emerged that challenged liberal democracy and the postwar settlement. In Russia, hardships during World War I gave rise to a revolution in 1917. The newly established, postwar democracies in central and eastern Europe were too weak to provide stability either internally or in the European state system, especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The League of Nations, established after the war to employ collective security in the interests of peace, could not manage the international tensions unleashed by World War I. The breakdown of the settlement led to World War II, a conflict even more violent than World War I.
During World War I, states increased the degree and scope of their authority over their economies, societies, and cultures. The demands of total war required the centralization of power and the regimentation of the lives of citizens. During the war, governments sought to control information and used propaganda to create stronger emotional ties to the nation and its war effort. Ironically, these measures also produced distrust of traditional authorities. At the end of the war, four empires dissolved — the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires — but the democratic nations that arose in their place lacked a tradition of democratic politics and suffered from weak economies and ethnic tensions. Even before the end of the war, Russia experienced a revolution and civil war that created not only a new state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the USSR or Soviet Union), but also a new conception of government and socioeconomic order based on communist ideals.
During World War I, states increased the degree and scope of their authority over their economies, societies, and cultures. The demands of total war required the centralization of power and the regimentation of the lives of citizens. During the war, governments sought to control information and used propaganda to create stronger emotional ties to the nation and its war effort. Ironically, these measures also produced distrust of traditional authorities. At the end of the war, four empires dissolved — the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires — but the democratic nations that arose in their place lacked a tradition of democratic politics and suffered from weak economies and ethnic tensions. Even before the end of the war, Russia experienced a revolution and civil war that created not only a new state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the USSR or Soviet Union), but also a new conception of government and socioeconomic order based on communist ideals.
Reading Schedule:
The Road to War (Pgs. 828 - 833)
Waging Total War (Pgs. 833 - 841)
The Home Front (Pgs. 841 - 846)
The Russian Revolution (Pgs. 846 - 852)
The Peace Settlement (Pgs. 852 - 863)
The Road to War (Pgs. 828 - 833)
Waging Total War (Pgs. 833 - 841)
The Home Front (Pgs. 841 - 846)
The Russian Revolution (Pgs. 846 - 852)
The Peace Settlement (Pgs. 852 - 863)
Assignments
Causes of the WarWorld War I has a good claim to be the most decisive event of the modern age, changing the world in ways not even the French Revolution could achieve. In this assignment you will analyze the reasons for the start of the war that would change everything.
"...The World is Mad"The realities of World War I shocked all those involved as the war became a fight of attrition. The technology of the 20th century created a new form of warfare "total war." In this assignment you will analyze the ways in which war changed European civilization.
|
Like the French Revolution before it, the Communist Revolution of 1917 began with high-minded ideals, but descended in to chaos quickly. In this case study you will analyze what turned the revolution into a tragedy.
A Just PeaceAt the conclusion of the war the allied powers gathered at Versailles to discuss the terms of peace. In this assignment you will analyze those terms to determine what the goal of the ally powers where and determine if they achieve them.
World War I DBQ |