The Legacy of the Industrial Revolution; The Lead up to WWI

The industrial Revolution saw an unprecedented rise in technology throughout the 18^th and 19^th century and put immense strain on the mining and natural resources sectors that were unprepared for such a rise in demand. Although the Industrial Revolution saw the rise of the middle class, better working conditions and wages, it also slowly revealed an uneasiness between the developing industrial powers in Europe and the world.

Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz

In Germany industrial and economic power had grown greatly after 1870 and from the mid-1890s on, the government of Wilhelm II used this period of excessive growth as a base to devote significant economic resources to building up the Imperial German Navy established by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, in a bid to rivalry the British Royal Navy for world naval supremacy.

As a result, both nations strove to out-build each other in terms of capital ships. With the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, the British Empire expanded on its significant advantage over its German rivals. The arms race between Britain and Germany eventually extended to the rest of Europe, with all the major powers devoting their industrial base to the production of the equipment and weapons necessary for a pan-European conflict. Between 1908 and 1913, the military spending of the European powers increased by 50 percent.

WWI began during the summer of 1914 and was to continue for four years, finally coming to an end at the end of 1918.  By this time over 38 million men and women had perished from the years of war the raved Europe. For many this new idea of warfare that began during the the WWI, a process that continued throughout and after the end of hostilities was the first time the world saw the devastation that could be reaped with modern weaponry. 

League of Nations Logo

The war saw the founding of a new global watchdog, the League of Nations; established during the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920, it was the precursor to the United Nations. 

At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The League's primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing war through collective security,disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other goals in this and related treaties included labor conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, trafficking in persons and drugs, arms trade, global health,prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe. Many of these ideas are still goals of the United Nations today.

To view the United Nations Charter and compare it to the League of Nations Charter click here:       
- <UN Charter>  <League of Nations>

United Nations

League of Nations

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Citations:

1. Wikipedia 2010, Industrial Revolution (2010), U.S., viewed 7th of October, 2010  
 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution>

2. Wikipedia 2010, World War I (2010), U.S., viewed 7th of October, 2010  
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWI#Aftermath>


3.  Wikipedia 2010, United Nations (2010), U.S., viewed 7th of October, 2010  

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations>