World War I was definitely a greater contributor to the course if European civilization than the French revolution. WWI dissolved empires and shaped a generation of men, Where as the French Revolution primarily affected France and didn’t even abolish the monarchy. WWI brought things like the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, this dissolved Germany as a power, but also brought forth mass retaliation in the form of Nazi movement. Because of this Czechoslovakia emerges as independent. WWI also started the League of Nations, which was brought out internationalized thinking.
And in reference to the dissolved empires I’m speaking of primarily the Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Where in Germany we saw the fall of Wilhelm II. During the war there was footage of the battle of Somme released by the British government, which altered the way, we viewed war at that time. This brought forth the end to the “gentlemen’s war” and brought forth trench warfare and gassing. This also coined the term shell-shocked as 7 million men were permanently wounded and had things such as deafness, blindness, stutters, and hallucinations. Junge r wrote, “a battle such as the world had never seen.” He called it a scientific war, and pointed out the machine-made destruction.
He wrote, “Chivalry took a final farewell.” John Reed in the 10 days of war wrote about the Russian revolution where they revolted against “strong and rich nation dividing.” Where as the French Revolution affected mostly themselves and it really didn’t even do what it started out to do, end the Monarchy and the Old regime. Sieyes wanted a citizenship based on usefulness not birth. Plus at the end of the revolution we see the restoration of the monarchy and the old regime. We see the rise in the bourgeoisie over the proletariat all for money. The proletariat is in constant competition with each other. Still has the effect of the oppressor / oppressed .
All human nature boils down to where you stand on the economic ladder. The French changed birth as a hierarchy placement with money.