III. 1. New relations after the First World War and the Russian Revolution

III. From one war to another (1914–1939)

1. World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the upheaval of Europe

→ The First World War

World War I

The characteristics of World War I
—world war (interlocking alliances, from Europe to the world)
—total war (mobilizes all human and economic means, and all societies)
—brutalization (through new techniques, trench systems, moral brutalization process)

The stages of the 1st World War
—the first offensives (first attacks, stalemate), 1915–1916
—conflicts on the periphery (in the Middle East, in the colonies)
—towards victory (military concerns, year 1917, United States, political crisis, social crisis, victory)

→ Europe’s upheavals with the Russian Revolution

Assessment of the war:
—human toll (demographics, veterans)
—economy (quantifying the damage, finances)
—moral (decadence of society commemorates, pacifism vs. brutalization)

The transformed Europe:
—treaties (Treaty of Versailles, other treaties, diplomacy)
—new European map (fate of Germany, reshuffling, criticism of the division)

World upheavals:
—decline of Europe (the loss of prestige of Europe, new powers)
—Russia (Russian revolutions, consequences of revolutions, Europe transformed after the revolutions)

Russian Revolution of 1917

→ New relations

The new diplomacy:

Meeting at the Society of Nations in 1928

—the spirit of Geneva (League of Nations, pacifism, war and alliances)
—The isolationist temptation of the United States (ruptures and continuities after the First World War, foreign policy)

The issues at stake in the aftermath of the war:
—the question of consequences (Versailles, occupation of the Ruhr)
– French-German relationship (Briand-Stresemann couple, normalization of relations)
—sensitive issues (inter-allied debts, territorial disagreements, concerns about the USSR)

→ The world from the 19th century to the present day