вЂњWe had the chance to rebuild everything from scratch. German historian Markus Klauer said West Germany worked to overcome its problems after the war. The country was split into West Germany, which was controlled by the allies, and East Germany, which was controlled by the Soviet Union. World War II resulted in an even larger loss of life than in World War I and the destruction of much of GermanyвЂ™s industrial areas. It also refused to observe disarmament requirements under the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. Philpott said that when the Nazi Party came to power in Germany it stopped making payments to France. The result brought economic crisis and anger that aided the rise of Adolf Hitler. Under the peace treaties, Germany was forced to make huge payments to France, its colonies were taken away and its territory divided. Philpott notes that Europe lost ruling families of three major areas: the Romanovs in Russia, the Hapsburgs in Austria-Hungary and the Hohenzollerns in Germany. The allied powers negotiated several peace treaties after the war, yet they left Europe dangerously unbalanced. He said Germany did not receive the heavy bombing that it would face in World War II. William Philpott is a professor of military history at Kings College London. However, unlike France, German territory was not damaged in World War I. More than eight-million armed forces alone were killed. On high ground in the area, there is a burial place for German soldiers.

вЂњThe Americans would have been coming up from the other side, the 28th Division-the Pennsylvanians, would have been coming up, trying to get a foothold on this plateau.вЂќ He points to many remains that can be found in the Argonne Forest from that time. He has studied how American forces helped bring an end to the war. Randy Gaulke has researched the American military history of World War I. German soldiers dug long narrow holes there in a last effort against allied forces including Americans. The area called Le ChГЄne Tondu is deep in the Argonne Forest. They called it вЂњThe War to End All Wars.вЂќ The conflict was so large that people at the time could not imagine another war. It resulted in the collapse of three European empires and cost tens of millions of lives. That war affected almost all of Europe and many places around the world. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month will mark 100 years since the end of World War I. In villages and towns in many places in Europe, Sunday will have a special importance.

War to end all wars