Hunter Goddard April 11, 2012 Cohort: Cartright

Effects of WWI on The United States and Europe WWI was an incrediablly huge war, so huge that the entire world thought it was doomsday in the process of destroying the world. But none-the-less, it was a devestating war, that mainly took a toll economiclly on the US, and took a major toll to the land and economy of europe, especially the people of both sides. WWI was a war that took place from 1914 to 1918 as a result of new idealolges, and an aprut sense of nationalism. It was the assasination of Archduke Frednared of austria that tipped the balance and sent WWI into action, now, amazingly, because of nations taking notice of the tension between other nations, decided to for traties with eachother, creating the future Allied and Central powers of WWI. But it was the treaties that caused everything, after the assasination, austria blamed bulgaria, and issued an ultimatimne, bulgaria ignored it, and austria declared a state of war, after declareing war, austria called onto germany to assist in the war because of a treaty signed with them, they also brought in turkey, then bulgaria called for assistance from france and britian and japan and the rest of the soon to be Allied powers, thus, WWI began. WWI took quite an economic toll on america, such a toll where the government asked the general puplic to follow certain days where they would not use certain things, like no fuel on monday, or wheat, and to buy war bonds which could be redeemed for a higher face vaule after the war ended. In the end the war cost america 33.5 billion dollars, about 44 million a day, at that point in time, it was the hugest amount ever spent on a war by the US. Although in the end, germany did pay war reperation, a total of 33.5 billion. So the pain of debt was not long felt. Europe on the other hand, was a totally different story, france, and germany, and basiclly everything france/west of france, lay in ruin. The land was destroyed by all the artillrey fire and treches, plus all the barbed wire left after the war that was used in the trenches, also the allies and the central powers were in massive debt, the allies before the US entered bought tons of supplies on pure credit, which they had to pay back now, and also massive debt from the rebuilding process of europe. In the end, it was still a massive toll taken on both sides, and took ages for them to recover, it took shorter for the allies seeing as how they didnt have to pay 33.5 billion in war reperations. But germany soon came around again when it was time for WWII.