Chap 20

Daniel Guerrero

Professor Patricia Andrews, MA

03/18/19

Chapter 20

Collapse at the Center: World War, Depression and

 the rebalancing of Global Power (1914-1970s)

The last veterans of WW1 have died and World War 1 was a massive disappointment because it 

wasn't the "war to end all wars." Now the European states have ended centuries of hostility which 

were all leading up to World War. The "Great War," which World War 1 is known as, in 1914 and 

1918 launched a completely new phase of world history. Between 1914 the end of World War Two 

Western Europe self destructed. Europe though recovered quickly surprisingly in the last half of the 

twentieth century. Europe did it without the position of the core of Western Civilization. Italy and 

Germany unified around the year 1870. By the 1900 the balance of power in Europe was shaped by 

two rival alliances. Triple Alliance which were Germany, Austria, and Italy. Triple Entente were 

Russia, France, and Britain. These Alliances created an incident that turned into an assassination into 

to become know was a World War. That was June 28, 1914 as a Serbian Nationalist assassinated 

Archduke Franz Ferdinand his name was Gavrilo Princip. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to 

he Austro-Hungarian throne. Because of this war broke out on August 1914. Most expected that 

WW1 was going to be a quick war but unfortunately four long nasty years. Germany was finally 

defeated in November of 1918 which was a trench warfare. The trench warfare became war of 

weakening. Propaganda was happening everywhere. Women replaced men in factories and labor 

unions even had to accept sacrifices. Increase of new technology on weapons and different ways to 

kill men changed a countries population. Women also got the right to vote during this time.