CAPITALISM AND WWI

• 1. What are some economic arguments made against WWI?

  • european govt didnt want to go to war at all. business and finance experts believed their govt wouldnt want a war bc it would crash their system economically
• 1. What are some reasons that capitalists might have wanted a war?

  • it would generate profits for businesses and govt since things like military weapond and supplies are highly profitable 
  • effects of imperialism + competition
• 1. This war cost more than any war in history. What measures did governments take to help cover the cost of WWI?

  • took loans from war bonds and sought out international sources of funding
  • many nations increased their income tax rates to finance the war effort
  • govt turned to private businesses to help shoulder some financial burden of the war
• 1. Who was the economic "winner" of WWI? Why did they win?

  • US bc nations purchased goods and supplies from the US during the war and this continued afterit ended
• Countries that suffered as a result of WWI

  • Germany
  • Austria-Hungary
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Russia
  • France
  • Britain
• Germany


  • Suffered from economic collapse, hyperinflation, political instability, and the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles
• Austria-Hungary


  • Dissolved into several new states, leading to political and economic turmoil
• Ottoman Empire


  • Disintegrated, leading to the loss of territories and the emergence of new states in the Middle East
• Russia


  • Experienced revolution and civil war, resulting in the collapse of the Tsarist regime and the establishment of the Soviet Union
• France and Britain


  • Although they were victorious, they suffered heavy casualties, economic strain, and social upheaval, which contributed to political instability in the interwar period
• 1. Why did it take almost 150 years from the start of Industrial Revolution for there to be a WWI?


  • gradual buildup of tensions among European powers
  • the complex system of alliances and rivalries
  • the emergence of new technologies and military strategies
  • the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
  • the Industrial Revolution facilitated the development of more efficient means of warfare and mass production of weapons, which contributed to the scale and intensity of WWI