The consequences of World War I

The consequences of WW I were...

1. Economic

and social

2. Human

(casualties and

injuries)

3. Ideological

4. Political

Consequences of WW I

1. Economic and social

consequences

During the war...

●The economic efforts of each country were

focused on winning the war.

● Trade unions supported the war, and

momentanously forgot their labour demands.

●As many male soldiers were on the war fronts,

women played and important rol in factories

(weapons, chemical, etc.)

After the war had ended...

● European countries (especially Great Britan and

France) were in bankrupcy due to all the

expenses of the war. That was because:

- European countries had asked for loans to theUnited States.

- The European governments had issued toomuch money, which provoked a tremendousinflation.

●The United States

became the first world

power because:

- there had not beenany fighting in theUS territory.

- European countriesowed lots of moneyto the US.

- They had abundantreserves of gold.

Consequences of WW I

2. Casualties

Approximately 9 million

soldiers died on the

fronts.

Thousands of civilians died of hunger, and theterrible flu of 1918.

Many people suffered

psychological

disturbances, and many

others were severely

wounded.

Millions of people had escaped from their

countries fearing mass murder.

1,500,000 Armenian civilians were killed by the

Turks, which is considered a horrible genocide.

3. Ideological consequences

Consequences of WW I

●Some intelectuals were persecuted in their own

countries because they did not agree with the war.

●Some socialists criticized the war because they

considered it to be a capitalist war, but others

supported it for patriotic reasons.

●Liberalism was criticised as WW I was seen as

one of its consequences.

Consequences of WW I

4. Political consequences

The peace of Paris (1919)

● The peace treaties were not negotiated, but

imposed to the losing countries by France, The

UK, The US and Italy.

●The Treaty of Versailles was the most important

peace treaty. Germany:

- was blamed for the war. Germany’s army

was limited to 100,000 soldiers.

- Germany would have to reimburse all the

war expenses to the winning nations. This was

also a way to weaken Germany, and created a

state of revenge within the country.

Germany’s territorial loses

●Alsace and Loraine

were returned to

France.

●Some territories were

given to Belgium

●Some of its territory

was ceded to Poland

(the Danzig corridor).

●Some was given to

Denmark

The treaty of Versailles

was seen as humiliating

by the Germans due to

its harsh conditions.

This would partially

allow the rise of the

nazis to power in 1933.

Territorial changes

The Austro-Hungarian

empire disappeared

New States:

●Czechoslovakia

●Hungary

●Austria

●Romania extended its

territory.

New countries

●Poland.

●Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

and Finland (previously part

of Russia).

●Yugoslavia (a multinational

country) was created.

●The Ottoman Empire

disappeared, and modern

Turkey was created.

The Wilson

fourteen points

President Wilson of theUS suggested thecreation of a new systemof diplomacy betweennations which objectiveshould be keeping worldpeace.

- It included the creationof a League of Nationswhich was theantecedent of the UnitedNations.

- However, it was a failurepartially because theUnited States did notenter the League in theend.