World War
World War 1 took place around July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918. The assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand by the Serbians led to World War 1. The war was a result of human actions and decisions, with millions of men enlisting to go to war. Nations made sure they had enough supply of workforce and weapons to give them an advantage over their allies.
European countries had formed alliances before the start of the war to protect themselves. During 1914-17, they referred to it as the European war, but when America joined the war, the media called it the world war. It covered a large geographical area, 30 nations were involved. The Central forces consisted of German, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria-Hungary. Allies consisted of Italy, Russia, Great Britain, France, and the United States. As a result of the world war, millions of people were killed and wounded. World war 1 saw the launch of aircraft, tanks, machine guns, and radio communications.
America
America stayed neutral at the start of the war under the leadership of President Woodrow. This enabled them to continue trading with both the conflicting sides of the European counties. America joined the war in April 1917, after Germany sank 5 of its merchant ships, prompting them to fight (Venzon, 1996). On April 2, Woodrow announced that America was going to war to restore peace to Europe. Millions of Americans lost their lives.
The role of media during the world war
The media build support for the war by censoring all the information that could be used by their allies. This enhanced national security. America created the most posters compared to their counterparts to sway their public opinions about the war-making their government secure.
” The war to end all wars.”
Many people had hoped that the war was going to be short. After the four years of war, about 8.5 million soldiers had died from either the battle wound or disease. There was a lot of conflict between countries after the end of the war. Nations moved borders to conquer the weaker countries. The peace treaty (Treaty of Versailles) was signed on June 28, 1919, forcing Germany to pay for the damages caused by the war (Lawrence 2007). World War 1 had caused destruction, which made many believe that no one would ever go to fight again, but this was not the case. The harsh conditions brought about by the treaty only led to the Second World War. Most countries suffered severe economic hardship after the war.
References
Lawrence, M. (2007).The treaties peace, 1919-1923.Newyork: Carnegie Endowment for international peace, 1924 vol 1
Venzon, A. C. (1995).The United States in the first World War.An encyclopedia. New York: Routledge
References