Was World War I a "good war"?

In Spring of 1914 much of Europe was in peace and enjoining modern western society. Arts, science, education, etc. seemed to be at the zenith of human existence.

European nations had vast empires spanning the world, and they claimed to be uplifting the world as much as ruling it. And, in some places they brought peace, order and prosperity were such had never been seen.

The era was known as Pax Britannica, the British Peace. “The sun never set on the British empire” was the saying and it was true to a point. And where the empire didn't own, it often controlled the economy.

The Great War destroyed the era and led to a malaise in Europe, an era of disillusionment and disenchantment, a break down of morals and traditions. WWI created a new world.

The Treaty of Versailles absolved all other nations and just blamed Germany for the war. This very flawed provision enabled the rise of Hitler. While the issue of who is at fault and what factors play an important role is a good issue to address, today I want to address a different.

But was it a “good war”, a “just war”, or an “honorable” war? I just want to take this from the war itself, and not the consequences and will only say that from the consequences, it was a horrible war.

Was it a good war for America?

Let's start with whether it was a good war for America. America arrived late in the conflict and helped to end it, leading to peace in Europe. Was this a good thing?

America prolonged the war by supporting the Allied Powers. Without American supplies, the war would likely have ended earlier. Germany had tried prior to American entry to reach a peace that would adjust a few borders and move on, like most every previous war in Europe, such as the Franco-Prussian War.

Wilson also transformed the war into a ideological battle by talking of “making the world safe for democracy” and “self determination” and the rest of the 14 Points. His idealism made peace more difficult, especially his insistence of unconditional surrender. The absolutism prevented diplomatic solutions and caused unnecessary deaths.

There were no American interests at stake in the war, which freed Wilson to be more idealistic.

And the Allied Powers were not that democratic. Great Britain, France, and Russia were imperial powers with vast holdings. Great Britain wasn't really a democracy, but a mixed government. Most of the British cabinet opposed entry into the war and the king ultimately decided to enter the war by himself, in large part because he hated his cousin the Kaiser.

The so-called guarantee of Belgium neutrality was nothing of the sort, and as imaginary as the propaganda characterizing the Germans as “Huns”.

So America supported one side in the war, largely on false premises, and did so in large part because Wilson was an Anglophile.

Great Britain also violated international law in several ways, including its starvation blockade of Germany, which it kept in place even after the war ended.

And then there is the authoritarian acts Wilson did at home. He forced the media to only support the government and censor negative stories. He jailed opponents of the war like Eugene V. Debs. And he created the Creel Commission to use propaganda against the American people. There was no democracy in America during Wilson's War to Make the World Safe for Democracy. That isn't even getting into how Wilson rolled back civil rights for African Americans.

No, it wasn't a good war for America.

Was it a good war for the United Kingdom?

The British did as much as any country, if not more, to start WW1, but that is a topic for another day. Let's just look at the impact of the war on the British Empire.

At the beginning of the war, the British Empire was the largest on earth. After the war, it was even bigger. Doesn't that mean it was a good war for the British?

Not really.

The war drained the British empire of people and money. It disrupted British society. It left the colonies restless. And it cost Britain the primacy in the Western financial to America. It led to WW2 and the end of the British empire.

The war also saw the first use of modern mass propaganda technics to mobilize the country to war. It saw new weapons in use.

An entire generation of Brits died or were devastated by war. And for what? Nothing worth while.

Was it a good war for anyone?

No. Because it led to the Great Depression and WW2 and the Cold War, WW1 was good for no country.