Why the First World War was the seminal catastrophe of modern Europe
In short: The Great War did more than redraw borders; it shattered the very foundations of global order. By placing unprecedented strain on every social and economic system, it acted as a catalyst for the collapse of empires and the rise of radical ideologies that would define the twentieth century.
To understand why World War I was such a transformative catastrophe, one must look at the systemic pressures it exerted. The conflict placed unprecedented strains on the economic, social, and political structures of every combatant nation. This instability created a vacuum filled by radical new ideologies—most notably fascism and communism—which emerged just one year after the war's conclusion to disturb the postwar world.
The lecture contextualizes this through the lens of political theory, specifically Carl von Clausewitz’s famous dictum that 'war is the continuation of politics by other means.' This suggests that conflict is an instrument of policy designed for specific aims. A prime historical example is Otto von Bismarck in the 1860s, who used calculated wars to achieve German unification under Prussian leadership while carefully avoiding unnecessary enemies.
Bismarck’s statesmanship was defined by 'the art of the possible.' For instance, after the Battle of Königgrätz in 1866, he famously restrained his generals from advancing on Vienna to avoid making Austria a permanent enemy. In contrast, his successor Wilhelm II abandoned this cautious realism. By building a massive navy to challenge Britain and pursuing colonial expansion without a rational strategy, Wilhelm II upset the European status quo, leading directly to war with Britain just over a quarter of a century later.
Ultimately, the transition from Bismarckian restraint to Wilhelmine ambition illustrates how policy objectives can become obscured in what Clausewitz called the 'fog of war.' The First World War serves as the ultimate case study of what happens when political goals are pursued without a clear strategy for operation, resulting in a radical restructuring of the global political landscape.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Politics and the First World War - Professor Sir Richard Evans
- Also: Politics and the First World War
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