Social consequences - World War I brought enormous changes in society. The death of so many young men affected France more than other countries. During the 1920's, France's population dropped because of a low birth rate. Millions of people were uprooted by the war. Some fled war-torn areas and later found their houses, farms, or villages destroyed. Others became refugees as a result of changes in governments and national borders, especially in central and eastern Europe.

Many people chose not to resume their old way of life after World War I. Urban areas grew as peasants settled in cities instead of returning to farms. Women filled jobs in offices and factories after men went to war, and they were reluctant to give up their new independence. Many countries granted women the vote after the war.

The distinction between social classes began to blur as a result of World War I, and society became more democratic. The upper classes, which had traditionally governed, lost some of their power and privilege after having led the world into an agonizing war. Men of all classes had faced the same danger and horror in the trenches. Those who had bled and suffered for their country came to demand a say in running it.

Finally, World War I transformed attitudes. Middle- and upper-class Europeans lost the confidence and optimism they had felt before the war. Many people began to question long-held ideas. For example, few Europeans before the war had doubted their right to force European culture on the rest of the world. But the destruction and bloodshed of the war shattered the belief in the superiority of European civilization.

Excerpt from the "World War I" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999