The First World War is a pivotal moment in modern global history. It affected virtually every country in the world, set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the Great Influenza, the collapse of the Ottoman, German, and Austria-Hungarian empires, the turbulent 1920s, the rise of fascism, colonial liberation movements across the global south, and World War Two. This course explores the world before 1914, the lead up to the outbreak of war, the years of fighting, and an analysis of major outcomes. The course introduces students to global history through the lens of war, showing how this conflict reflected the culture, politics and economics of a Europe-dominated world, and then reshaped that world, paving the way for dramatic changes and even worse conflicts to come.
