The first World War in so many ways shaped the 20th century and

O children of the future, listen well to the words of Adam Hochschild, who speaks of a world scarred by war and suffering. He said, "The first World War in so many ways shaped the 20th century and really remade our world for the worse." These words carry the weight of a history that shaped not just the lives of the men who fought, but the very fabric of the world itself. The First World War, a cataclysm that engulfed nations, did not only bring death and destruction—it changed the course of history, often for the worse, leaving in its wake a world unrecognizable from the one that had existed before.

The First World War was a war like no other. It was a conflict that engulfed much of the globe, one that tore apart empires, shattered families, and cost the lives of millions. It began as a struggle between European powers, yet it quickly spiraled out of control, drawing in nations from around the world. The war introduced modern technologies of destruction, from machine guns to poison gas, which turned battlefields into slaughterhouses. The trench warfare that characterized the conflict was a brutal reminder of the cost of war: endless, grinding suffering with little gain. Soldiers lived in mud and misery, fighting over inches of land at the cost of their bodies, their spirits, and their very humanity.

Consider, O children, the story of Wilfred Owen, a poet of the war, who described the horrors of the battlefield in his verses. In his poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", Owen paints a vivid and horrifying picture of soldiers suffering under the effects of poison gas, and he ends with a bitter condemnation of the lie that it is sweet and right to die for one's country. Owen’s words echo the truth that was not fully realized until the war ended: the glory of war is but an illusion, a deception that leads only to death and despair. The First World War shattered the myth of heroic sacrifice that had been built by earlier generations, revealing the true cost of conflict—futility and senselessness.

Hochschild’s reflection on the war as something that “remade our world for the worse” is a recognition that the impact of this conflict did not end with the signing of the Armistice in 1918. No, the seeds of future wars were planted in the soil of Europe during this brutal conflict. The Treaty of Versailles, which sought to bring peace, instead sowed the seeds of resentment and fury. The harsh terms imposed on Germany crippled the nation, creating a fertile ground for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazism that would lead to the outbreak of the Second World War just two decades later. The Great War, in this way, did not mark the end of conflict, but only the beginning of a more devastating chapter in human history.

Let us also consider the fall of empires as a direct result of the war. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire all crumbled under the weight of war. The map of Europe was redrawn, and new nations emerged, many born from ethnic and religious divisions that would plague them for decades to come. The war gave birth to new ideologies, to the rise of fascism and communism, which would shape the 20th century in profound and often destructive ways. What was meant to be a war for national pride or defense became, in many ways, a war of ideological transformation, with the consequences of that transformation being felt for generations.

In the wake of the war, as new powers rose and old ones fell, humanity stood at a crossroads. The world that emerged from the ashes of the First World War was one marked by instability. Nations, now wary of the cost of war, turned to diplomacy and alliances, but the wounds left by the war were deep, and they would take many decades to heal. The promise of a better world that had been made at the beginning of the war was replaced by a cold realpolitik, a world of arms races and military alliances that set the stage for even greater conflict.

The lesson, O children, is this: the First World War did not just change the landscape of nations; it changed the very nature of war itself. It taught us the truth that war is not a glorious adventure, but a force that devours and destroys all that it touches. It reshaped the world in ways that cannot be undone, and its legacy continues to influence the world we live in today. But from this, we must learn. We must learn that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of understanding, cooperation, and wisdom. Let us vow to be the generation that learns from the mistakes of the past, that seeks to build a world not through the barrel of a gun, but through the strength of dialogue and compassion.

Therefore, O children, in your lives, let the lessons of the First World War guide you. Seek not the glory of battle, for it is a mirage. Strive instead for the glory of peace, for peace is the true path to strength and prosperity. Let wisdom guide you in the choices you make, and let your actions be a testament to the lessons learned from the horrors of the past. Only by remembering and learning from the past can we hope to avoid the mistakes of those who came before us. And in this, we can begin to shape a world that is better than the one that was remade in the fires of war.