Paradigm Shift Paper Outline

I. Introduction

In the renown movie The Sound of Music, Georg von Trapp, a retired Austrian Navy Captain, is recruited by Nazi German officials to join the Fuhrer’s navy. This conflicted man is torn between his pride in his Austrian homeland, the safety of his family, and the fear of disobeying the occupying Nazis. Von Trapp’s strong distrust of the Germans leads him and his family to flee the country to the United States. Georg von Trapp upholds the traditions of Austria and refuses to promote the rise of Fascism, which contradicts many of his values. His struggle represents the old society of Europe and its incapacity to fend of the rising tide of evil. Many had lost faith in the continent’s established order several decades earlier and allowed for institutions to be fully consumed by tyranny. Figureheads of nations such as Kaiser Wilhelm II, Franz Joseph, and Tsar Nicholas II were replaced by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Josef Stalin. This shift resulted in millions of deaths and a divided Europe for the remainder of the century. The Great War had brought an end to these monarchs’ dynasties, and the void left after it changed history. Society may define World War II as the most horrific of human conflicts, but they often overlook the war that directly led to it. World War I brought about changes in the rules of warfare and the hierarchy of Europe that allowed for dictators to rise and rip apart the continent.

II. Body Paragraphs

A. “Literature review” or a review of the shift

1. 1. Definitions (if necessary)
   2. a. Define Europe under the old world order
   3. b. Establish context about the royal houses affect by the War: (Romanov: Russia, Habsburg-Lorraine: Austria, Hohenzollern and minor thrones: Germany, Saxe-Coburg Gotha: United Kingdom).
   4. c. Establish context on the former rules, traditions, and strategies of warfare: the use of cavalry, single shot rifles, sabers, open-battlefield warfare, decorative uniforms.
   5. d. Outline the industrialization of Europe during the late 1800s and the products of this new production: machine guns, U-Boats, airplanes, tanks.
   6. 2. Establish the before/after of the shift — make observations from primary texts i.e. speeches, popular culture, ads, TV shows, magazines, political discourse–debates, highbrow magazine articles (New Yorker, Harpers, Atlantic, etc.)
   7. a. Demonstrate the rise of nationalism in Europe.
   8. b. Use English satire and propaganda pieces to show the country’s resistance to Germany’s rise in influence.
   9. c. Explain the changes that occurred in Russia in 1905, and the tension that nearly caused the Tsar to give up the throne.
   10. d. Show how the rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia led to the Red Scare in the United States and other countries.
   11. e. Address how the foreign policy of the United changed as a result of the war.
   12. f. Show how the League of Nations and other groups put tight restrictions on Germany, which led to the rise of Nazism.
   13. g. Show how technology and strategies developed in the Great War led to changes in World War II and future conflicts: (Unrestricted submarine warfare, trenches, tanks, aerial bombardment, gas attacks, automatic weapons, etc.).

 

B. Analysis of Causes

1. 1. What reasons do scholars give for the shift?: Scholars cite technological advancements for leading to the new methods of warfare in World War I. a. Expand on events such as the Sinking of the Lusitania.
   2. Expand on context established through definitions in previous paragraphs. Countries needed a scapegoat for the losses of war. Absolute monarchs and other figureheads served as the primary leader to punish. These leaders who had established stability were replaced with radicals who reshaped the institutions of their respective countries.
   3. What evidence exists to support analysis of the causes?: Research newspapers, political documents, and war strategy to give the reader insight.

 

C. Critique of the shift: What are scholars saying about the consequences/implications of the shift?

1. 1. Possible questions to explore: Is there a consensus or disagreement about the implications of the shift?  What are points of contention? What do these points of contention indicate? How might points of contention be resolved?
   2. – Should monarchies have been upheld after the war?
   3. – Did war strategy already change before the war?
   4. – Could World War II have been prevented if different measures were taken after World War I?
   5. – Is Europe in need of monarchies today
   6. Use historical texts and interpretations to analyze these questions and their answers.
   7. Possible questions to explore, continued: What is the greater significance of the shift? Why does this shift ultimately matter?
   8. World War I not only killed millions of individuals, but also led to millions of further deaths in World War II and the conflicts surrounding the Cold War.
   9. Europe was thrown into disarray for eight decades because of this conflict, but eventually came to peaceful terms.
   10. Centuries of European history were torn down through eliminating country’s monarchies, as well as the physical damage that would occur in countries in both World Wars with the adoption of total war.

III. Conclusion

The war to end all wars brought about major technological changes and shifts in political systems that would lead to further conflict in the following decades. It is difficult to see what the world would be like if World War I had never occurred. If the driver chauffeuring Archduke Ferdinand had not taken a wrong turn in the streets of Sarajevo, the life of the Austrian heir would have been saved and the conflict may have been averted. However dramatic these events and changes were for Europe, the continent should still seek to uphold its established traditions. Monarchies are ultimately meant to unite the population of a country around common figures and values. When Europeans threw away their long-held identities, they were overtaken by sinister forces, who preyed on their insecurities. World War I led to dramatic changes in the fabric of Europe and proved that deconstruction is not the best method to reform a country with. Europe has shifted towards peace since, the fall of the iron curtain, but its society is still plagued by the decisions that came about from this mentality.