Write an essay in which you explain why WWI is still referred to as "The Great War". Illustrate how cultural expressions such as poetry, architecture and paintings expressed the sense of uncertainty after WW I.
World war one was fought between 1st August 1914 and 11th November 1918. It involved the European colonies and the neighboring seas. This war is still referred to as “The Great War” because no war has been greater than it literally. It involved well over fifty nine million troops, among which, more than eight million died and twenty nine million were injured. The war had great impacts in Europe ranging from political, socio-cultural, to economic. The effects of this “Great War” were felt all over the world as every nation of the non-polar continent participated either directly or indirectly. Until then, there was no war that had worldwide impacts. World War One was the first war that affected all the major world nations. The war was the greatest in scale.
This war is considered as the turning point to modernization as it marked the start of modern age. Poetic books depict that this war wrecked the European economies as it transferred the supremacy to America. The Great Russian Empire was crushed into a socialist, Stalinist system that resulted in million deaths while the Holy Roman Empire was brought to an end. The maps were redrawn to indicate the new changes in Eastern Europe and Middle East; however, these changes still resulted in conflicts. The war marked the beginning of the end of Imperialism as Socialism erupted. The deadly effects of this war brought the desire for peace as countries tried to avoid conflicts. This prompted several nations to find solutions of their international disputes through United Nations.
Every European nation that participated in the war had a remarkable change in its society. The class system in Britain changed; France lost a great generation of men; the Eastern Europeans formed new nations; and Germany came to reality with non-imperial identity.
The cultural impacts of World War One are well expressed. Writers, poets, and other artists have greatly expressed their experiences in a way that dominates our memories. Various artists in the west represent this war with images of young men moving towards machine gun. Muddy trench images also represent the war. These images depict the entire waste associated with this war. The injuries from shell and gas, both physical and mental, which solders suffered, resulted into the creation of the imaginations in the horror movies of 1920s and 1930s.
Writers have made World war One to be a very depressing subject. Such writers argue that the manner in which this Great War ended propelled the world towards the second war. Be that as it may, various letters and documentaries give a clear picture of those who genuinely fought and strongly believed that their efforts were not in vain.
World War One is still remembered as the Greatest War, yet its effects worldwide was less than the effects of World War Two in Russia alone. We should therefore try and get the most accurate picture, rather than seeking a history which comforts.
Discuss the impact that WWI had on the development of nationalism in China. Trace the key events that led to the emergence of a novel theory of communism in China
China was a subject to various treaties imposed on it by the European powers. It entered into war on 14th August 1917. Due to lack of funds, Chinese efforts in the war were very limited at the beginning, and there couldn’t have been any notable contribution had it not been for the US decision to give loans to nations at war against Germany. The war made it possible for china to work on settling peace. The Paris Peace Conference provided a perfect ground where China presented its claims on formalizing its demands. The aim was to end China’s subservience to Japan. Amongst the claims were: tariffs revision, extraterritoriality abolition, the return of Tsingtao city and Mongolia and Tibet opening, among others.
China entered the war with hopes of becoming a check on Japans hegemony in China, and negotiates with Germany so as to regain its sovereign territory. China wanted to be free from the European concessions and the treaties that were forced upon it. Instead of China realizing its dreams, the US and Japan pronounced the position and interest of Japan in China. This meant that China could still not safeguard its sovereignty. The declaration that Japan had a right and control over Manchuria and Shantung Province paved way for World War Two.
The emergence of a novel theory of communism in China is traced way back after Qing Dynasty fell. The Chinese had no authority which exercised leadership power. Several landlords accelerated the situation to the worst. This period of warlordism lasted for eleven years between 1916 and 1927. It was regarded as China’s dark period. The principles and theory of communism was spread in China as the ideas attracted the vast majority. Those who were in the lower class greatly supported the principles, especially due to equality law. The man behind Communism in China is Mao Zedong, who was greatly influenced by Marxism philosophies.
Works Cited
Dan Todman. The Great War: Myth and Memory. London, Hambledon and London, 2005
Brian Bond. The Unquiet Western Front: Britain’s Role in Literature and History. Cambridge, CUP, 2002
Gary Sheffield. Forgotten Victory: The First World War, Myths and Realities. London, Headline, 2001
Gullace N. “Blood of Our Sons”: Men, Women and the Renegotiation of British Citizenship During the Great War. London, Palgrave, 2002
Gregory A. The Silence of Memory: Armistice Day 1919-1946. Oxford, Berg, 1994
Stephen M. The Price of Pity: Poetry, History and Myth in the Great War. London, Leo Cooper, 1996
