History Majors Unite!!

I have to have an educational post today. As many of you know, today is Veterans' Day. The reason for this is on this day in 1918 at 11:11 AM in a train car in Versailles, the armstice was signed ending what is now known as World War I. In order to understand the international developments of the 20th century in the western world, one must understand the signifigance of this static, horrific conflict. By the time the Treaty of Versailles was signed, 3 empires had disintigrated: Russia, Ottoman and Austria-Hungary. Shortly thereafter, Kaiser Wilhelm fled his native country of Germany and the French and Flemish were to reconstruct the countrysides left in tatters. No one could answer the question "what did this war accomplish?" One has to understand the Treaty of Versailles and its repercussions in order to understand the rise of the Hitler movement in Germany and the outbreak of World War II; it is one of the main factors in the rise of Fascism in 3 European countries. World War I's shadows still influence our politics and international relations today. It is no coincidence today is the day we as Americans honor our veterans; the scars run very deep from this bleary day in 1918 when the leaders of the Western World signed a treaty that silenced the guns and ended the war that was supposed to end all wars.