World War I Consequences/Results

The world war had far reaching consequences on the subsequent history of Europe in particular and the world in general. It produced disastrous consequences in the field of politics, economy and society. The chief results of the world war are as follows:

Destruction of human life and property: The First World War caused immeasurable destruction. Nearly ten million soldiers died as a result of war – far more than had died in all the wars during the previous years. About 21 million men were wounded. No one knows how many people died of disease, starvation and other war related diseases.

Property was damaged. Armies destroyed farms and villages as they passed through them. The war resulted in destruction of factories, bridges and railroad tracks. Artillery shells, trenches and chemicals made the land barren along the western front. Wars shattered the economies of many countries.

Change in world map – The war and the subsequent peace treaties altered the political map of the world particularly Europe. The ruling dynasties perished. The end of the war saw the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the emergence of Austria Hungary as independent states, and the rise of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Poland as independent states.

End of European Supremacy and rise of USA as a superpower – After the war England and France lost their supremacy in the world. United States emerged as a great economic and military power. The success of the Bolshevik Revolution during the war period saw the rise of the Soviet Union as a major world power.

Freedom movements in Asia and Africa – The First World War encouraged the people of Asia and Africa, struggling under European imperialism. In many of the Asian countries such as India, national movements were already in progress. The participation of Asian and African soldiers in the battles helped in arousing the people of Asia and Africa to fight for their freedom.

 

Failure of peace treaties – The peace treaties contained harsh and unjust provisions, which did not help in bringing about peace, but sowed the seeds of future conflicts. The rise of Nazism in Germany can be attributed to this to a large extent. Similarly victorious countries also felt cheated because all their hopes had not been fulfilled.

Birth of League of Nations – The League of Nations was an international organization, which aimed at the preservation of peace and security, peaceful settlement of international conflicts, and bound its members ‘not to resort to war’. Though all the objectives could not be achieved, the league marked the beginning of peace movements in the twentieth century.