Abstract
The First World War was the game changer in the global hegemonic order of the time. It is the reason why the United States came to dominate the global economy, eclipsing Britain as the world’s principal creditor nation. Many factors contributed to the First World War. After Prussia’s victory in the Napoleonic Wars, which continued from 1799 to 1815 before Napoleon was finally defeated in the Battle of Waterloo, Prussia slowly emerged as a potent economic and political power on the continent. On January 1, 1834, the formation of the Zollverein, or the German Customs Union, with the individual independent German states consolidated its economic power.1 Its victory in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 was a reflection of its political might. By 1871, the individual German states and Prussia had unified into the German Empire (or the Second Reich, with the Holy Roman Empire counting as the First Reich and Nazi Germany as the Third Reich) under Otto van Bismarck. The Treaty of Frankfurt, the agreement ending the Franco-Prussian War, had compelled France to cede the possession of the Alsace and Lorraine regions in the east to Germany. This served as a constant reminder of French defeat and kept tensions high between the two continental powers.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.