Discuss the historical significance and consequences of World War I

What will be an ideal response?

Looking back, World War I, the first total war in world history, could be seen as the end of the so-called age of innocence. The weapons of advanced technology made warfare more impersonal and more devastating than ever before. World War I combatants used machine guns, heavy artillery, hand grenades, poison gas, flame throwers, armored tanks, submarines, dirigibles (airships), and airplanes. Along with monetary costs, the death toll was staggering. In all, seventy million armed men fought in World War I, and more than eight million of them died.
Although the war engendered patriotic sentiments and buoyant idealism, many people, artists included, expressed frustration and despair, questioning the rationale for so much death. Writers and painters explored these feelings in their works, using Expressionist, Dadaist, Surrealist, and Metaphysical styles. Perhaps most significantly, World War I set the stage for World War II, only eleven years later, which would prove to be a defining event for global consciousness.