How did World War I effect the world? Please focus on the most important changes/developments/effects of the war.

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Effects of World War I
According to Barber (11), World War I is one of the most severe conflicts of the 20th century. It is estimated that over nine million soldiers succumbed to the war while many more civilians were collateral of waring allies. Russia and Germany are among the leading countries to have the highest number of casualties and life loss while countries such as Belgium and France suffered destruction of large tracts of farm and residential lands. The war zones became unusable for many years due to the hazard of the chemicals that were used during the war. Additionally, some of the grounds were riddled with unexploded bomb shells and bullets. The war played a significant role in molding the politics, economy, social and modern warfare of the 21st century.
The war had extensive consequences on the economy of the participating countries and the rest of the world. However, the economic impact was gravely felt by the participating countries. Then war was expensive for countries such as Britain and Germany spent an estimated sixty percent of the wealth that they had accumulated at the time of the war. The economic toll was however not limited to the two countries since other participating countries resulted in borrowing money from their citizens and other states. In addition to borrowing money, some printed more money to purchase the much need equipment for war (Gatrell 133). The lending business was profitable to countries such as the United States.

The increased debt and money printing led to effects such as inflation and the great depression. On the other hand, the activities of the war led to the repatriation of Germany under the treaty of Versailles. The repatriation impacted the economy of Germany since the country had to pay for the damages of the war.
The war led to many political changes. One of the most notable changes is the end and fall of the previously stable monarchies. These monarchies include the Ottoman Empire, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm and the Austrian emperor Charles. The fall of these political powers led to the rise of newer empires and countries. For instance, Germany and Russia provided land to Poland and remnants of the Ottoman Empire formed turkey while other countries in the Middle East were placed under the control of France and Britain. Also, it was during this period when the ideology of communism was postulated leading to the Russian revolution and emergence of the Soviet Union (Anievas 174).
Socially, the World War I had a huge impact. During and after the way, many women were absorbed as workers in factories and other positions that were previously deemed for men. The acceptance of women as capable workers changed the entire paradigm. Not only did women gain their positions as employed citizens, but also many rights movements also mushroomed to push for women rights such as the right to vote. Due to the high number of men dying at war, birth rates decreased while many civilians moved from war zones to other countries. The ending of the way led to social activism that persuaded countries to solve their conflicts amicably to stop the deaths as witnessed in the peak of the world war I. withal, the most significant effect of World War I is the role it played in the starting of World War II.

Works cited
Anievas, Alexander. Cataclysm 1914. BRILL, 2015.
Barber, Nicola. World War I. London, Raintree, 2013.
Gatrell, Peter. Russia’s First World War. Hoboken, Taylor and Francis, 2014.