The First World War, sometimes called the Great War, was one to affect many major nations across the globe. The beginning of the 20th century, allowed the emergence of a war that drastically changed the world’s perception of unity, death, and innocence for centuries to come. The Great War was responsible for the deaths of over 16 million soldiers and citizens. It involved 28 countries, more than in any other war known. The war was costly, costing about 2.1 billion dollars. It severely crippled European economies, and toppled major European monarchies ( Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey). The question lies in the understanding of the causes of the First World War, taking into consideration the varied nations involved, along with the …show more content…
The First World War began at different times for different countries, for different reasons. Most historians agree that the initial event that started World War I was the assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary, Frans Ferdinand, by a Serbian nationalist. Although this is not fully true, it did play a big part in what is called “the Balkan spark to the fire.” All wars start with a breakdown in peaceful relations between the eventual belligerents and World War I is no exception. The Serbian nationalists would feel like they could expand their territory at the expense of the empire. If Serbia can get bigger, then all of the other places will think they can have nations too. Soon enough, you don’t have an empire. The Austrians certainly thought there was broader involvement which is why the whole thing ended up becoming a war. Austria issued a final demand to Serbia. And Austria intentionally made the demands so harsh that the Serbians would inevitably have to reject them which later led to war. Austria was afraid that if they attack Serbia, Russia would then attack Austria- Hungary, so the Austrians spent time talking to their ally, Germany to make sure the Germans would …show more content…
World War I made the national government much more powerful than it had ever been. The government also commandeered control of much of the money of the economy to get the country ready to fight, creating new agencies to regulate industry, transportation, labor relations, and agriculture. Some regulations sometimes brought about some of the progressives’ goals. Like the Labor Board, for instance, pushed for a minimum wage, eight hour work days and the right of workers to form unions. Wages rose substantially in the era, working conditions improved and union membership skyrocketed. But then so did taxes, and the wealthiest Americans ended up on the hook for 60% of their income. Also, in World War I, people have not seen the government used its shape public opinion. The U.S created a wave of propaganda to get Americans to support the war by printing pamphlets, and making posters. The best known strategies were the speeches. Men took the time to deliver messages of support for the war in many public areas. The key concepts in the propaganda effort were democracy and freedom. Believed that the war would accelerate movement towards solving the “age old problems of poverty, inequality, oppression, and unhappiness.” because , war is