Modern World History
Exam
Question: Why and how did revolutionary political conditions exercise such a powerful influence over world history in the period from roughly World War I until the early 1970s?
Throughout history, revolutions have shaped countries into their present forms. As the world became more interconnected, these changes have affected all countries not just those that were changed through rebellion. Revolution is a very powerful political maneuver; it is a complete change in many aspects of a country, including the economy, political alliances, and the society as a whole. The fact that a revolution in one country will affect the whole world makes a revolution even more powerful, as a tool for shaping a country in ways that may change the world.
The first major revolution that started to reshape the world was the Bolshevik Revolution. The Bolsheviks converted Russia from an obsolete tsarist regime to a more modern communist organization.
Mussolini (left) and Hitler sent their armies to N...
English: Adolf Hitler as a soldier during the Firs...
Adolf Hitler portrait, bust, 3/4 facing right.Communism was a major change from the original way of life in Russia. The monarchs were done away with, the tsar and his children were killed. The agrarian system of economy was changed to rapid industrialization in order to compete with the very industrialized countries of Western Europe. Due to political and economic reasons, Russia signed a non-aggression treaty with Germany and left World War I. Russia's change to communism had a large affect on the world, especially due to the fact that it was during the later years of World War I. Germany no longer had to fight a two front war; they could concentrate all of their power on the eastern front. This was a tremendous relief for Germany. On the eastern front, their soldiers were dieing quickly and supplies were running low. However, now they could replenish their forces, supplies, and morale. This gave...