Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War I: Crash Course World History #36

In which John Green teaches you about the war that was supposed to end all wars. Instead, it solved nothing and set the stage for the world to be back at war just a couple of decades later. As an added bonus, World War I changed the way people look at the world, and normalized cynicism and irony. John will teach you how the assassination of an Austrian Archduke kicked off a new kind of war that involved more nations and more people than any war that came before. New technology like machine guns, airplanes, tanks, and poison gas made killing more efficient than ever. Trench warfare and modern weapons led to battles in which tens of thousands of soldiers were killed in a day, with no ground gained for either side. World War I washed away the last vestiges of 19th-century Romanticism and paved the way for the 20th-century modernism that we all know and find to be cold and off-putting. While there may not be much upside to WWI, at least it inspired George M. Cohan to write the awesome song, "Over There."

Chapters:
Introduction: The Great War 00:00
Causes of World War I 0:45
Who is to blame for starting WWI? 2:17
Trench Warfare 3:11
Combatants From Around the World 3:42
Casualties of World War I 4:05
Soldiers' Sentiments During the WWI 5:35
An Open Letter to Alcohol 7:37
Outcomes of WWI 8:24
Credits 11:07

Resources:

Interested in learning more? Check out these other Crash Course videos about WWI:

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[FishFreaks]

Our homework is to watch this and answer questions, our teacher has a crush on John Green. And in Biology our teacher has us watch Hank Green. My school is obsessed with the Greens.

[dragonmark]

One of my favorite stories in history comes from World War I. The Christmas Truce, an unofficial ceasefire on Christmas, where soldiers from each side came out of the trenches and sang songs, exchanged gifts, and even played soccer. 

[vcist]

One of the biggest outcomes of WW1 was, like you briefly mentioned, the fall of the Ottoman empire and the re-shaping of middle east and its new borders by the British/French. This was monumental when you consider that a lot of the turmoil in the 20th and 21st century middle east can be traced back to this event. I feel you really glossed over this and it should have deserved a mention.

[spencerabdo]

"Then declared war on France because, you know, France!" Perfect.

[joeyneumann]

Canada just was happy to be invited lol

[matthewthomas]

You left out the major contributions of Australia in WW1. The highest paid troops, the highest casualties %, the only volunteer army, shot down the Red Baron. Australia also gained its first and only colony after WW1.
I love the work your team does here, it's a great service to the people of our time. Thank you so much for all of the episodes your team has made.

[salliehogan]

Ahaha who’s here rn due to the corona virus so your history teacher sent you these videos to watch as your assignment for the week.

[nogravity]

"what is heroism when you are sitting in a trench waiting to be blown up" my thoughts exactly on modern wars!

[ownser]

Don't mind me, just brushing up on my WW1 History for Battlefield 1

[Cwitch]

Love the open letter to alcohol: "if you need to get drunk to do a thing, you probably shouldn't do that thing."

[jaridkeen]

I would argue that the killing of the prince is not what lead to war since.
1) They didnt declare war until a month later
2) his uncle didnt like him and it also cemented his rule and benefited him.

Instead i would argue the Austrians were looking to just start a fight and found this excuse valid.

[Touchgoldoden]

To John Green, I adore your novels and the fact that you give your time to help knowledge people about history on YouTube. You are a great inspiration!

[samrevlej]

1:43 "... and then declared war on France because, you know... France!"
Franco-German relations 1756-1945 summed up.

[thingsthatgobomb]

who here is some student that got bored and wanted to look at the comments?

[dmrrider]

"...Because... You know... France..."

Love it. keep up up the good work guys

[macciato]

Thank you for bringing Hemingway into this! I'm an English Lit major and I've been watching ALL of crashcourse world history to brush up on my knowledge in other fields, but it made me so happy that you mentioned him and the Lost Generation. I actually wrote my BA thesis on them so this just made my day. Yay literature!

[qverlord]

honestly I'm from Canada and I'm watching these to study for my history exam which is all about how Canada was "really involved in the war and won the battle of vimy ridge and had so much to do with the RCAF" but honestly "just happy to be invited" pretty much sums it up. Good job Mr. Green.

[NoPress]

I just have to say thank you really quick for making these videos, I used quite a few of the world history videos to study for my history midterm and final, and I think that it helped me understand history in a more in-depth and interesting way that other students in class couldn't based on the solely the lecture. Thank you so much for encouraging knowledge and proving that it is really interesting, and for helping me earn an A, that too.

[dawncast]

Speaking of literature changing the noble outlook on war:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow... Between the crosses, row on row. They mark our place, and in the skies the larks still bravely singing, fly. We are the dead. Short
Days ago we lived, saw dawn, felt sunsets glow...

For all men who lay below those crosses.

[roberttobias]

World War 1 interestingly enough sparked the nationalist movements of Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand all in the same place.

As the British tried to invade the Ottaman empire through the Dardanelles' in an attempt to reach Istanbul by sea the Ottoman forces (led by Ataturk) held back the allied forces.

While the British mostly hung out in the back of the action, they sent waves of Aussie and Kiwi soldiers. So, people with no history of animosity were told to kill each other, and after the war all 3 were able to say "no more of that!"