Consequences of WWI: Unresolved Issues That Still Afflict the World

The Great War (1914-1918) was one of the most consequential conflicts in the history of humankind. Though less destructive in terms of material and human costs than the subsequent Second World War (1939-1945), its consequences were far greater, more damaging, and far more enduring. It destroyed a stable world order and ushered in a century of enormous violence, death, and destruction as well as political, economic, and social instability. We are still suffering from its ill effects even today. This two-part lecture examines the pre-1914 world, the conduct of the Great War itself, the Paris Peace Conference that attempted to put the world back together, and, more importantly, its immediate and long-term consequences, especially those that still afflict humankind today.

Richard Callas is a retired, 30-year career naval officer and former executive director of the Navy’s Surface Warfare Schools Command as a government civil servant, responsible for the training of 80,000 service members annually. He has an undergraduate degree from Boston College in Political Science and a master’s degree from Salve Regina University in International Relations. During his time in the Navy, he commanded two ships, USS AUSTIN (LPD-4) and USS IWO JIMA (LHD-7). In retirement, as an amateur historian, he has been researching and authoring a study in 16^th century geopolitics.