To Hell and Back Book Analysis: Part Two: World War One

World War II was an important turning point for America and for the rest of the world. It increased America’s power; it also created the circumstances that led America to found many of the modern-day world organizations. Other impacts include creating a Communist versus Democracy axis and, finally, creating the state of Israel. America became a world power after WW2 because it got America out of the Great Depression, because it increased America’s manufacturing capabilities, and because it caused a mass migration of highly qualified people to America that gave it a technological advantage.

World War I was a key moment in world history. It was responsible for the Russian Revolution, the emergence of Nazi Germany, and the making of the United States as a World Power. Russia had a peasant revolution against the Russian kings and the Russian ruling class. World War I caused 22 million deaths. Nazi Germany was directly created by the Treaty of Versailles, which was an important lesson in World History. The United States increased its military and manufacturing capabilities during World War I, which enabled it to become a top-five world power after the war. The First World War changed the modern world order and caused the Second World War.

World War I was the deadliest war in all of history. World War One left endless dead bodies that were sent home to their families. [1] World War One had 41.2 million soldiers fighting in the war. [2] The total number of causalities in WW1 included: 22.06 million soldiers died in World War One. [3] WW1 was started by the Assassination of King Ferdinand, which caused Austria to join the war, afterward they brought in Germany. 1.7 million Russians died in World War I. [4] Judaism was impacted by the changing military and social dynamics that were held throughout 1914-1944. [5] Russia faced a massive revolution in 1905. Russia’s ruling class in 1905 faced a massive revolution and was completely replaced… and destroyed. The Russian peasantry was extremely poor and weak, which contributed to a massive rebellion. [6]

The Russian Revolution was very important for the development of WW1, WW2, and modern Europe. Modern Europe was changed forever because the Russian Revolution changed Russia from a poor oligarchy to an authoritarian communist state. Germany's Weimar Republic became a fascist state when Hitler overthrew Germany. However, Hitler was not the only reason that Germany became fascist. The German workers were already pursuing work strikes against the Germans. The Weimar Republic was held up by the standout hero WW1 I. Hitler was a paper running boy for Germany. There is a ton of historical context for Germany's hate of France during WW1. Germany had been attacked by France 80 times in the past 200 years. Patriarchy was a key factor that started to change during the First World War. It included things like giving the right to vote to women, more rights for African Americans and Asians, and more Labor rights for workers.

Women’s contribution to the military and economic effort in World War I was a factor in President Woodrow Wilson’s support for women to be given the right to vote in 1920. [7] The fight for women to vote had been going on for ~70 years, with women participating in massive protests, since the mid-19th century.  Other minority groups were given the right to vote after women were given the right to vote. African Americans were given the right to vote in the mid-20th century. Minority women were not given the right to vote until much later, due to discriminatory state voting rights laws.

            World War I was one of the most impactful wars in history. World War I made the United States more powerful by increasing its manufacturing and military base. The Treaty of Versailles, after World War I, burdened Europe to the point that it made Germany bankrupt and caused massive resentment among the French. The Weimar Republic took this out on the Jews and Socialists. A major point of World War I was that it advanced women’s rights. However, minority group women were still not given the right to vote in some states. World War I changed the world’s dynamics, created Nazi Germany, gave women the right to vote, made the United States a world power, and finally, killed 22 million people.

Chicago Citation

Kershaw, Ian. To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914–1949. Narrated by John Curless. Unabridged audiobook. New York: Recorded Books, 2015.

Snyder, Timothy. Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. New York: Basic Books, 2010.

Hett, Benjamin Carter. The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2018.

Showalter, Dennis E., and John Graham Royde‑Smith. “Killed, Wounded, and Missing.” In World War I. Encyclopædia Britannica. Last updated October 13, 2025. Accessed October 18, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/World‑War‑I/Killed‑wounded‑and‑missing

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. “19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote (1920).” Milestone Documents. Washington, DC: National Archives, accessed October 18, 2025. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/19th-amendment

[1][1] Ian Kershaw, To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914–1949, narrated by John Curless (New York: Recorded Books, 2015), Chapter Five[5:00].

[2] Dennis E. Showalter and John Graham Royde‑Smith, “Killed, Wounded, and Missing,” in World War I, Encyclopædia Britannica, last updated October 13, 2025, accessed October 18, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/World‑War‑I/Killed‑wounded‑and‑missing

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ian Kershaw, To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914–1949, narrated by John Curless (New York: Recorded Books, 2015), Chapter Six[12:15].

[6] Ibid Chapter Six [15:15}

[7] U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, “19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote (1920),” Milestone Documents, National Archives, accessed October 18, 2025, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/19th-amendment