Hollow Victory, On the Brink of the Revolution Essay

Hollow Victory, On the Brink of the Revolution - Essay Example In addition, 13 million from among the Allied powers were wounded compared to 8.3 million from among the Central Powers. The Allied powers also reported 4 million either missing or held as prisoners of war, while the Central Powers reported 3.6 million. In total the Allied powers suffered 22 million casualties altogether compared to 15 million for the Central Powers. The total death toll for the First World War was 8.5 million, and total casualties were 37 million (History Learning Site, 2012). Human suffering during the First World War was not limited to soldiers however. According to Tucker (2005), the consequences for the First World War were â€Å"far-reaching† (p. xxix). For instance approximately 750,000 German civilians perished as â€Å"a result of the British naval blockade† (Tucker, 2005, p. xxix). World War I also marked the first case of genocide during the 20th century. This case of genocide was inflicted by the Ottoman Empire against Armenia. The Ottoman E mpire murdered 1.5 million men, women and children in Armenia (United States of America, Congressional Record, 2001). The financial consequences of the First World War were also enormous. Total war expenditures were 82 billion US Dollars which is equivalent to 209 billion US dollars today (Hardach, 1981). The high expenditure is attributed to two main reasons. First, the power struggles emerging in Europe left all European powers willing to pledge all assets in order to emerge the victors during the First World War. Secondly, the First World War represented the first major conflict of the industrialized world. Thus, technological advances offered both sides unprecedented machinery and artillery. Naturally, both sides were compelled to invest in more sophisticated weaponry and machinery if they were to have any chance of succeeding against the enemy (Oliver & Aldcroft, 2007). According to Thompson (1983) Churchill’s eventual analysis of the First World War in the aftermath of the Second World War, was that the First World War set in motion significant cost for mankind. As the first part of the two Great Wars, the First World War saw the political and financial destruction of Europe and can be credited with given birth to Communism in the Soviet Union. According to Thompson (1983), in looking back on the First World War, Churchill noted that: Events passed very largely outside the scope of conscious choice. Governments and individuals conformed to the rhythm of the tragedy, and swayed and staggered forward in helpless violence, slaughtering and squandering on ever-increasing scales, till injuries were wrought to the structure of human society which a century will not efface, and which may conceivable prove fatal to the present civilization (p. 195). Thus the cost of the First World War, from Churchill’s perspective was timeless and can be measured politically, socially and economically. Assignment 2: On the Brink of Revolution Afrikistan is a count ry in North Africa with a disproportionately large youth population. Afrikistan’s dictator has been in power for upward of thirty years. Afrikistan’s primary source of income is derived from oil reserves which are owned by the State. Increasing literacy and access to social and news media via the internet have rendered Afrikistan’s youth profoundly aware of their diminished returns and their dictator’

World history new Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

World history new - Essay Example The Atlantic revolution is an epoch that yielded numerous interrelated revolts between 1770s and 1820s. The revolutions remain crucial in the light of world history because they define present politics, traditions as well as elicited the right to stage upheavals. The American revolution of 1775-1783, which saw America swim into independence from the British colonization and the creation of a new state, the United States of America (USA), can be linked to a sequence of the Atlantic revolutions. The American revolutionary wars, under the leadership of General Washington aided with his French allies, were directed towards the autocratic British administration. The period between 1789 and 1799 was an era in which the French Revolution was a major historic phenomenon. During the period, democracies substituted absolute monarchies, which led to a stronger France. Even though historians and researchers still debate about the cause of the French Revolution, they have settled on taxation schemes as well as widespread inequality as principal factors that led to the uprising. Also, the idea of the involvement of France in America’s fight for independence is seen as a motivating factor as the French learned from the American independence war. The Napoleonic wars were the central driver of the French Revolution, which saw the collapse of major monarchies and creating a leeway for the formation of new nations. It also spearheaded successive revolutions like the Russian Revolution. Prior to the French Revolution, the French society was segregated into three major classes: the monarchy, peasants and the church clerks. However, the societal stru cture was flattened after the revolution and France was publicly proclaimed a republic. The Haitian Revolution (1790-1804) was the force behind the independence of Haiti. The Haitian Revolution remains a crucial part of world history because it is unique compared with other revolution in that it was successfully staged by slaves