What Happened Next focusses on the outcome of the War.
At 11 o'clock on Monday 11th November 1918, the armistice came into effect and the fighting which had lasted for over four years finally ceased. But what were the consequences of the war? What had changed and what was to come about because of the conflict? This quiz is about how the post-war world differed from the one before it. What was the world now like after the bloodiest war it had ever seen?
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The blockade was there in case there was a resumption of hostilities, but also to hurry Germany into signing a peace treaty. It is estimated that as many as 750,000 German civilians died from either starvation or disease in the months following the armistice
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The treaty, signed by Germany, France, Italy and Britain, had Germany accept responsibility for the war and to pay reparations. In addition German's army was limited to 100,000 and it was forbidden from having tanks, warships and submarines. The Treaty of Versailles contained a total of 440 articles
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The main reason for the League's existence was to settle disagreements between countries via negotiation. It also aimed to improve workers' rights, to stop the trafficking of humans, drugs and arms, to improve global health, and to protect prisoners of war and ethnic minorities. The League failed in its main task and after World War II it was replaced by the United Nations, which still exists today
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The largest amount of territory lost by Germany went to make the western part of the new nation of Poland. This separated the state of East Prussia from the rest of Germany and caused outrage among many Germans. This was one of the factors which led to World War II
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All three states were proclaimed Soviet Republics in 1922. Russia also lost land to Finland and to the newly-created states of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
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The lands were split between the new nations of Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Poland. Some territories were also ceded to Romania and Italy
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The Irish War of Independence began in 1919 after the wartime Easter Rising against British conscription. Britain was economically crippled by the war, with the value of the pound falling by almost two thirds and inflation more than doubling. The victory had cost Britain dearly
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America's war effort had seen higher taxes and the growth of its national debt. However, the rebuilding of a Europe ravaged by war brought profits for American companies and the nation enjoyed prosperity during the 'Roaring Twenties'. This lasted until the stock market crash of 1929 which brought about the 'Great Depression', a factor in the build up to World War Two
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Foch believed that Germany would want revenge on the Allies and when he saw that Germany had been left mostly unbroken by the Treaty of Versailles, he predicted a second war twenty years into the future. His prediction was astonishingly accurate. The Second World War began on 1st September 1939, 20 years, 2 months and 2 days after the treaty was signed
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Japan was an ally during the war and had taken several territories from the Germans. China was also an ally and its mistreatment by the other Allied powers brought about the rise of Chinese Nationalism
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