The Meaning of the First World War Author:Rene Albrecht-Carrie World War 1 snapped the social and political bonds that held together the prewar world of the nineteenth century. Like the Reformation and the French Revolution, the war unleashed dynamic forces of change whose repercussions are still shaping the world of our time. — The meaning of the first world war provides a concise narrative of the war itsel... more »f and of the era it brought to a close.Reviewing the aftermath of the conflict,the author argues that the war upset the delicate equilibrium of European power and tore the fabric of European society with such force that no treaty,however equitable,could by itself have averted the crises that followed.
With a masterful grasp of the issues underlying the war,the author skillfully unravels the tangle of political alliances and military battles to reveal in what ways World War 1 laid the ground work for our century of tension and transition.« less