In the summer of 1914 what was the mood of the generation of europeans that would go and fight the war?

Answer 1

Generally, the war was seen as a great adventure. When war was declared a huge crowd gathered outside of the Palace in England to cheer.

Many rushed to join because they didn't want to miss out on "the fun". There was an overwhelming belief it would be all over by Christmas. Entire classes would join up together, "pal brigades" were formed (groups of men from the same village or town who joined up together so they could serve together), there was a whirlwind of activity as men rushed to join up on both sides.

Answer 2

Q1) Why did so many in Europe look forward to war by summer of 1914, and what had they done to bring it about?

European leaders saw war as a solution. It had its utility and instrument of policy. It was not considered a problem to be avoided at all cost. In previous wars, they had been short and decisive, thus nothing to be alarmed about. But by 1914, the military-industrial complex had become powerful and had built or planning to build larger and more expensive navies and armies. This goal was helped by a fear of foreign invasion which helped sell newspapers which in turned fueled and generated support for a stonger army and navy. Countries had become arrogant because of the power and perceived invinsibility due to diplomacy became which created an alliance systems, with Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Italy (the Central Powers) vs. France, Russia, and Britain (the Allies). This undercurrent was compound by the Propaganda of European print media which depicted war romantically. The media and culture then fostered a national pride, or nationalism. Warfare became a matter of nationalistic pride. Each country trying to flex its muscles. But each country was judged by Another Country as weak, inferior and worthy of scorn and ridicule. Since Europeans were indifferent and uniformed about the world around them, the general public was easily swayed to go to war for the good of their country.

Q2) How and why did the Great War differ so much from the expectations of both the generals and the majority of Europeans? The Great War was engaged in under the presumption that it would be swift. But as the saying goes in the best laid plans- the diplomatic and military plans failed. Germany's military failure to achieve a quick victory over France which encouraged the British to enter into the war. Government leaders and generals failed to realize how rapidly nations could now mobilize. Though a nation could mobilize quickly with the railway, the infantry offences had come to a standstill due to trench warfare. Essentially causing a stalemate on the western front. This war also prolong due to new technologies such as the tank, barbed wire, toxic gases, machine guns, airplanes, U-boats. Nobody predicted the extensiveness of the war

Q3) What is total war and what made World War I the first such war in history? The total war included the centralization of powers within the government and its total control over the economy. The entire nation was mobilized for victory, not just armies of professional soldiers for the state, This national army included conscription or draft of soldiers into a national army. The media or press was used as a tool for recruitment extolling the benefits of war while exercising censorship of the horrors of war. The government leaders, both politicians and generals alike, demanded total victory, with enemy to surrender without conditions, and those leaders had full support of their people. And those that did not back the war effort were subject to public derision. Not only was the population as a whole diverted to the war but the entire economy was consumed by the war effort in order to achieve total victory. The nation at war would utilize all facets of the economy-agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. It wnet as far as changing the social dynamics on the home front, where woman became involved in the workforce including taking positions that were formerly held by men. Enormous sums of money was spent of the war. The financial system to pay for the war went global. Britain gave or loaned money to the allies, while the US loaned to Britain.

Q4) How was peace achieved, and what were the terms of peace? After the Zimmerman note and the US entering the war it tipped the scales decidedly in the Allies favor. This turn of events lead Germany to make one last bold offensive known as the Ludendorff offensive which failed. The Germany hierarchy at this point had become weak and indecisive and succumbed to both internal and external pressures to end the war whicj it did on November 11th 1918. The Treaty of Versailles included the disintergration of the Austrian Empire, while creating the Chzeckoslovakian Republic, and consolidating Croatia, Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovinia into Yugoslavia. Hungary and Poland became independent nations. Greece got lands of Bulgaria. Great Britain had a mandate of Palestine, Mesopotamia and Transjordan. There was reparation to be paid by Germany which included 5 Billion dollars with a future amount of 32 billon. Plus the treaty limited the size of Germany's army.

Q5) In what ways did the Great War contribute to revolution in Russia? The war hastened problems and tensions that had been percolating since Russia was defeated by Japan back in 1905. !905 was also the year when the Tsar's men fired on peaceful demonstrators in St. Petersburg this became known as Bloody Sunday. The majority of the population was peasants and they wanted land while workers wanted wages, but were ignored by the Tsarist autocracy .and the Russian Orthodox leadership

The home front had all demonstrations and worker's unions banned, with peasant women expected to fulfill farm quotas or work for little in factories, keeping families together as men were all sucked into the war effort forced to work for little money and experienced shortages Horrible conditions at home rather than defeat in the field precipitated the revolution. In March, 1917, violent protests in St. Petersburg spread to Moscow and beyond, with Tsar abdicating and the duma appointing a Provisional Government in Petrograd (the capital's name changed); vast numbers of soldiers deserted, with Army Ordinance #1 making matters worse by telling soldiers they did not have to obey their officers, yet Russia stayed in the war. In November, 1917, the Bolshevik Socialists led by Lenin, whom the Germans had helped return to Russia and who promised "peace, bread, and land", seized power in Petrograd with the help of worker's soviets and a cadre of Bolshevik revolutionaries . In January, 1918, there was an election, which the Bolsheviks lost and then ignored, retaining power undemocratically as they signed the humiliating peace treaty with Germany at Brest-Litovsk, giving up vast Russian imperial territories

Answer 3

Widespread enthusiasm for war