Wealth and War

This chapter begins with a look at the major events in the late nineteenth century, when France was the most powerful country in Continental Europe, and Germany was France’s main rival. The Franco-German War of 1870–1871 altered the balance of power after Germany surprisingly defeated France, leading to the rise of the German Empire and what followed over the next 75 years until Nazi Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. In this chapter, Tripathi examines the rise of Germany to become the dominant European power, the events leading up to the First World War (1914–1918), and the defeat of Germany along with the other Central Powers. The chapter also looks at the Russian Revolution that overthrew the Tsarist autocracy and the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in 1917. Tripathi ends the chapter with an analysis of the consequences of the First World War, the defeat of the German and Ottoman empires, and the global consequences.