Why is WW1 still famous?

Answer 1

World War I is anything but famous, even though it really should be. In order to understand why World War II started, you must look at WWI. The Treaty of Versailles effectively blamed Germany for the cause of the war, even though they did not declare war until a few weeks in. The real causers of the war was Serbia, but I digress.

Germany was forced to pay all war debts for the victorious countries, such as Russia, France, Britain, and USA. Germany mass-produced their money to pay for it, causing hyper-inflation and the collapse of Germany's economy. This led to the Great Depression in the US, as well the collapse of Britain and France and the rise of the Soviet Union. Because Germany was in ruins, it allowed the rise of the Nazi Party and, you guessed it, WWII.

As well, WWI brought new war tactics and weapons. The Gatling Machine Gun, Tanks, Chemical Warfare, Trench Warfare, Barbed Wire, and the Big Bertha (The largest cannon ever made and used by the Germans to destroy Belgium) were all used for the first time in World War I. This revolutionized fighting and made it more brutal and less effective.

Finally, this war rearranged the face of Europe. The Ottoman Empire collapsed, and became Turkey. Austria-Hungary split and became 2 separate countries. The Soviet Union rose to power, increasing in size after the Russian Revolution. As well, boundries all across Europe were re-written, mostly in favor of the Alliance.

That is why World War I should be famous. It re-wrote history and caused everything that happened in the 20th century, including the Great Depression, the Russian Revolution, the rise of the Nazi party, World War II, and The Cold War. Not to mention most of Europe lost between 10-15% of its population, killing over 15 million people. That is why.