Conclusion

The Great war was the the culmination of tensions and alliances coming together to turn Europe into a powder keg, and was lit by the spark that was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The War to end all wars left 20 million dead, and even more wounded. It ended in nothing. But what was the result of all that destruction? The war placed a great strain on many countries’ social and economic structures. This meant that in the wake of The Great War many extremist groups were able to rise to power in the aftermath, and many of these groups' influence on history can be felt today. The Great War also brought many technological and medicinal advancements, and influenced the way that warfare is fought so much so that it is widely considered to be the birth of modern warfare. The war pioneered modern killing technologies in a fight between the most powerful and advanced empires of its time and left scars on Earth that can be seen to this day. Technology has advanced greatly since The Great War, but there has not been a conflict on its scale since the development of nuclear weapons and the MAD doctrine. One can only wonder if a war like the Great War will ever be fought again, a war where untested technologies are used to terrifying effect.