WWWI and its place in European history.

World War I did not mark a break between two eras because the historical reality is that in Europe, the period from the 1880 until 1945 could be considered one single era. While World War I definitely could be a delineating point in the era, the social and political forces that were at work before the war continue on after the armistice, and were in fact greatly responsible for World War II. In the late 1880s Europe …

…of social and economic practices that ebbed and flowed with the changing political climate, but was always present. In fact, the atmosphere that lead to the first world war, instead of being dissipated after the armistice, was actually reinforced, making the second world war almost a certainty from the moment the first one ended. If anything, World War II is the conclusion to the World War I, a second act rather than a different play.