World War I shook the world. Never before had technology been put to such destructive ends. Never before had a war been so global in scope. Although the guns fell silent following the Armistice of Compiegne in November of 1918, the impact of the war continues to be felt to this day. The war resulted in the death of empires and the birth of nations, and in national boundaries being redrawn around the world. It ushered in prosperity for some countries, while it brought economic depression to others. It influenced literature. It changed culture. The impact of World War I was monumental. Let’s explore the political, economic, and social consequences of the Great War. There is a lot that can be said of the political effects of World War I, so we’ll try to focus on the highlights. This will be rather ‘rapid-fire’ in terms of content, so hang on tight. Here we go. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to make significant territorial concessions. These were primarily along its eastern and western borders. Probably the most important concession was the ceding of Alsace-Lorraine to France. This area had been the subject of dispute between France and Germany for a long time. This area bordering the two countries had been ceded to Germany following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. For decades afterwards, France wanted it back. Emerging as victorious powers in World War I, France and Great Britain jointly controlled Saarland for a period of fifteen years. Other parts of Germany were given to the newly independent country of Poland and to Denmark. Let’s look at the economic impact of World War I. Unlike in some European countries, the United States was not laid to waste by war. America’s factories and countrysides were unharmed, and performing better than ever. World War I sped up American industrial production, leading to an economic boom throughout the ‘Roaring Twenties.’ While the war was a devastating experience for France and the United Kingdom, these countries were able to recover economically without too much difficulty. It was Germany, however, that particularly suffered following the war. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to make monetary payments to the Allies, called reparations. The heavy reparations, combined with the devastated economic infrastructure throughout Germany and political tension under the Weimar Republic, led to an economic depression. World War I had important effects on society at large. Some of you may watch the television series Downton Abbey. This program does a good job of showing how World War I disrupted decades of social norms. Generally, the war brought an increase in progressive thinking. In many parts of the world, opportunities for lower and middle class people improved, while members of the aristocracy sometimes found their power waning. Of course, this was not true across the board, but the general trend following the war was toward liberalization. During the war, many women took on tasks that previously had been relegated to men. The disruption of social norms during the war aided the cause of feminism, which grew throughout the 1920s. With the war over, technological advances could now be put toward peaceful purposes. Improved means of transportation, mechanical progress, advances in communication and medicine all helped improve the quality of life for many around the world.