WWII: A Short History, 5th Ed. By Michael J. Lyons

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World War I: The Great Turning Point

World War I dragged on for four years and resulted in political and economical upheaval in Europe, and to some extent the world.

Throughout the 1920's and 1930's governments and peoples tried to solve the many problems created by the conflict. Most of the efforts failed and the failure contributed significantly to the outbreak of WWII

WWI erupted directly from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the dual monarchy of Austria Hungary. The assassination was completed by a Bosnian Serb terrorist on June 28, 1914. About a month later war broke out between Austria Hungary and Serbia. Soon the great powers of Europe as well as Japan were thrown into war, later the US was brought in.

Although the assassination was the crisis that sparked war, there were many other factors that lead to WWI. The war was the inevitable result of the factors and the crisis interacting together.

Among the factors that contributed to WWI was the growth of nationalism throughout the 19th century. Early 20th century nationalism tended to be selfish and narrow. Enthusiastic nationalists saw their country as superior and looked at other countries as lesser than them. Not everyone was extreme but many did take pride in their country and their accomplishments. Nations were willing to go to the brink of war to defend their countries honor and dignity.

Other factors included: the growth of large scale industrialization, growth of population, changes in society from rural to urban. These changes contributed to the erosion of traditional values such as religion; to some, nationalism was a secular replacement for religion.

the shift of the population, the development of better communication, as well as popular press caused nationalistic propaganda to spread more easily.

The 19th and early 20th century saw a growth

Chapter 1 - wwi