World war 1, also known as the great war was a global war with a central point in Europe.It began on 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918. It involved the world’s economic super powers which were in two feuding alliances. The Allies which comprised of United Kingdom,France and Russia and the Central powers which comprised of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The alliances became reorganised and expanded as more nations got involved in the war. There were several factors that led to the war which include political assassinations, nationalism, Growth of german power in central Europe that challenged the super powers (Great Britain, France and Russia), competition amongst European powers for colonies, breakdown of the European treaty system etc.

World war 1 brought about drastic cultural, political and social changes across Asia, Europe and Africa and also areas that were not directly involved in the war. Four empires went down, old countries became non existent, new ones were formed, redrawing of boundaries, establishment of international organisations, people became pre-ocupied with many ideologies, both old and new.

There was political transformation to the United Kingdom and Germany through universal suffrage turning them to electoral democracies. There was creation of a large number of small countries in Eastern Europe due to the dissolution of the Ottoman , German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires. As a result of massive redrawing of borders there were many European refugees. Revolutions came up as a result of the war from the year 1917 e.g. The Russian Revolution and the Communist Revolution in other European countries especially in Germany and Hungary. There was a socialist revolution in Germany that led to establishment of political systems in the urban parts of the country Treaties were also signed as a result. Kaiser Wilhelm IIwas abdicated and Weimar Republicwas created.There were a number of changes in the configuration of territories which included:-

• Establishment of republics such as German Austria Republic and the Hungarian Democratic Republic, hindering continuity with the empire and exile of the Habsburgfamily.

• “Borders of new independent Hungary included two-thirds of the lands of the former Kingdom of Hungary, including large areas where the ethnic Magyars were in a majority. The new republic of Austria maintained control over most of the predominantly German-controlled areas, but lost various other German majority lands in what was the Austrian Empire”.
• The new Czechoslovakia was formed by Moravia, Bohemia, Silelia, Opava and west part of Duchy of Cieszyn, Carpathian Ruthenia and Slovakia
• Galicia, the eastern part of the Duchy of Cieszyn, northern County of Orava and northern Spisz were transferred to Poland.
• Italy was granted the Southern half of the Tyrol County and Trieste
• “Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia, Slovenia, and Vojvodina were joined with Serbia to form the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later Yugoslavia.”
• “Transylvania and Bukovina became parts of Romania.”

United Kingdom funded the war and later had severe economic impact from being the world’s largest investor to one of the biggest debtors, with payment of interests adding upto 40% government expenditure. Inflation doubled and the currency value fell by 61.2%.The local industry was depressed.

References

1. Taylor, A. J. P. (1976). English History, 1914–1945. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-19-821715-3.
2. Taylor, A. J. P. (1976). English History, 1914–1945. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN 0-19-821715-3.
3. Barnett, Correlli (2002). The Collapse of British Power. London: Pan. pp. 424 and 426. ISBN 0-330-49181-4.
4. Kuhlman, Erika A., Of Little Comfort. 2012. pp. 120–121.
5. Gläser (1998). The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment After 75 Years. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 388–391. ISBN 0-521-62132-1.
6. Nicholson, Virginia (2008). Singled Out: How Two Million British Women Survived Without Men After the First World War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-537822-9.
7. Marks, Sally (1986). “1918 and After: The Postwar Era”. In Martel, Gordon. The Origins of the Second World War Reconsidered. Boston: Allen & Unwin. p. 19. ISBN 0-04-940084-3.