The Effects of World War I on European Society Essay Example
The Effects of World War I on European Society
Persia, The Ottoman Empire, Serbia, Montenegro, Spanish Morroco, these are names of countries that are no longer with us today, but were major European countries before the outbreak of World War I. With the new inventions of the theatre and automobiles, Europe was on an upswing. That all ended on June 18, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne.
Gavrilo Princip, a student, shot and killed the Archduke. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a group that wanted the unification of the South Slavs, and independence from Austria-Hungary. On July 23, 1914, Serbia was sent a list of ultimatums, some so extreme that the Serbs rejected the sixth demand. The Serbians, relying on support from Russia, removed acceptance of the sixth key demand (the draft reply had accepted it), and the Serb nation mobilized its troops. In response to this, Austria-Hungary issued a declaration of war on July 28. Initially, Russia ordered partial mobilization, directed at the Austrian front. On July 31, after the Russian General Staff informed the Czar that partial mobilization was impossible, a full mobilization was ordered. The Schlieffen Plan, which relied on a quick strike against France, could not afford to allow the Russians to mobilize without launching an attack. The Germans declared war against Russia on August 1st and on France two days later. Germany then violated Belgium's neutrality when the Germans advance through Belgium on the way to Paris, and this brought the British Empire into the war. With this, five of the six European powers were now involved in the largest continental European conflict since the Napoleonic Wars.
Fast forward four years and 40 million deaths later, an armistice was signed in November of 1918 which ceased the bloodshed. Eventually the Treaty of Versailles would be signed and the war would officially be over. But this was just the beginning of
Persia, The Ottoman Empire, Serbia, Montenegro, Spanish Morroco, these are names of countries that are no longer with us today, but were major European countries before the outbreak of World War I. With the new inventions of the theatre and automobiles, Europe was on an upswing. That all ended on June 18, 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne.
Gavrilo Princip, a student, shot and killed the Archduke. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a group that wanted the unification of the South Slavs, and independence from Austria-Hungary. On July 23, 1914, Serbia was sent a list of ultimatums, some so extreme that the Serbs rejected the sixth demand. The Serbians, relying on support from Russia, removed acceptance of the sixth key demand (the draft reply had accepted it), and the Serb nation mobilized its troops. In response to this, Austria-Hungary issued a declaration of war on July 28. Initially, Russia ordered partial mobilization, directed at the Austrian front. On July 31, after the Russian General Staff informed the Czar that partial mobilization was impossible, a full mobilization was ordered. The Schlieffen Plan, which relied on a quick strike against France, could not afford to allow the Russians to mobilize without launching an attack. The Germans declared war against Russia on August 1st and on France two days later. Germany then violated Belgium's neutrality when the Germans advance through Belgium on the way to Paris, and this brought the British Empire into the war. With this, five of the six European powers were now involved in the largest continental European conflict since the Napoleonic Wars.
Fast forward four years and 40 million deaths later, an armistice was signed in November of 1918 which ceased the bloodshed. Eventually the Treaty of Versailles would be signed and the war would officially be over. But this was just the beginning of