Causes, practices and effect of wars- WWI

US Women The more than 25,000 US women who served in Europe in World War I did so on an entrepreneurial basis, especially before They helped nurse the wounded, provide food and other supplies to the military, serve as telephone operators (the “Hello Girls”), entertain troops, and work as journalists. In World War I, 13,000 women enlisted in the US Navy, mostly doing clerical work.

United States mobilized substantial numbers of women into war-related industries, and into the workplace generally to make male workers available for military use

Britain The World Wars shook up gender relations, but only temporarily. Individual British women in the World Wars found new freedoms and opportunities in wartime. In World War I Britain, about 1 million mostly lower- class women worked in munitions jobs

Russia During World War I, some Russian women took part in combat even during the Czarist period. These women, motivated by a combination of patriotism and a desire to escape a drab existence, mostly joined up dressed as men.

In the end… Both wars put conventional views about gender roles under strain,” but no permanent change occurred in hostility to women in male-dominated jobs, the devaluation of female labor, and the female-only responsibility for home life.

The Economic Impact of World War I Ruined Europe’s 19 th century economic development “The war literally and metaphorically blew up the achievements of a century of economic advance.” (Niall Ferguson) Loss of trade Loss of foreign investments Subsequent losses due to economic instability

Cost of World War I Country Country Financial cost (1918) Great Britain 33,334,012,000 France24,265,583,000 Germany33,775,000,000 Italy12,413,998,000 Russia22,293,950,000 USA22,625,253,000

Germany Value of German trade with USA fell from 68 million to 10 million in one year Agricultural production fell about 50-70% Industrial output fell 40% from Following the war, reparations repayments devalued the German economy Many people had saved marks during the war and afterwards billions of dollars reentered the economy This situation led to hyperinflation January 1918$1 US = 5.21 German Marks December 1923$1 US = 4,200,000,000,000 Value of German currency fell

Great Britain and the United States Previous to World War I, Great Britain dominated as the world’s creditor During the war Britain became heavily indebted to the US United States emerged from the war as a rival to Britain as a financial superpower (Niall Ferguson) World’s financial center shifted from London to New York US no longer was a debtor and became a creditor nation The war stimulated the US economy Increased employment and wages Brought great profit to industry