The chaotic aftermath of World War I still haunts us

Picture the world of November 1918: Much of Belgium and large swatches of northern France were in ruins. Fighting continued in Russia. And a virulent strain of influenza that had already swept across Europe was poised to spread death worldwide.

When peace came to the globe at the end of World War I, it was a transitory, somewhat illusionary peace. The factors that had led to war were still at work, and the aftermath of the war would leave the globe unsettled for decades. Indeed, we're still living in the protracted aftermath of World War I.

Europe was busy reassembling itself. Russia, about to rename itself the USSR, was starting a huge political experiment that would ultimately fail. The once-dominant Austro-Hungarian Empire had evaporated. Germany experienced a series of internal revolts.

And then there was flu.

In 1918, during the final summer of combat, a horror that would consume even more lives than the war was taking shape - H1N1, a highly contagious influenza virus. Recent research suggests this strain of flu began in Kansas and was carried by an American soldier to Europe. With a mortality rate between 10 and 20 percent, it killed between 50 and 100 million globally. Tragically, it was the vigor of the body's immune response which killed - the more vigorous the response, the more likely a victim would die. Thus, this flu targeted the young and healthy.

The aftermath of World War I included the battle between 'Red Russians,” or Communists, and 'White Russians,” aided by the victorious World War I Allies. From 1918 through 1920, scattered combat in Russia continued. Appreciate the cruel irony - the first country to declare, after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, that World War I over was where fighting lingered for two extra years. In any case, the Red Russians fought with unified strength and prevailed.

The rise of the USSR coincided with a 'Red Scare” in the United States. This helped make America more insular. American isolation of the 1920s damaged the world at multiple levels - it led, for instance, to the passage of high tariff laws that deepened the Great Depression of the 1930s.

However, America in the 1920s was far happier than Germany, which entered a period of protracted economic and political crises. Bitterness over the flawed Treaty of Versailles was exacerbated when hyperinflation destroyed the value of salaries and savings. While flappers danced in America, fascists slowly gained ground in a fractious Germany.

The aftermath of World War I saw a host of other changes:

' New centers of gravity pulled at the international order. The era of Pax Britannica was gone. In the East, Japan was one of the winning Allies and expected the respect due a victorious power, but didn't get it, often for racist reasons. In the West, America could take a leading postwar global role - but backed away from it.

' Fresh political realities proved hard to handle. Communism ruled Russia. Victorious in war but disappointed in peace, Italy was soon to turn to fascism. And the U.S. had become so conservative it unsuccessfully tried to outlaw the sale of alcohol, a decision that would cause a host of other problems, such as the rise of organized crime.

' Society and culture were transformed. Jazz and flappers signaled a desperate desire to cast off old rules and enjoy life. A generation of artists rejected the prewar order and struggled to create something new. Before the war, Europe was changing - but those changes seemed rooted in 19th century traditions. After the war, culture was more chaotic, with more modern ideas.

In the uneasy interim between World War I and its cataclysmic sequel, people struggled to understand what this new era would mean. We are still struggling with that same question today.

' Joe Sheller is an associate professor of communication and an organizer of the Mount Mercy University World War I remembrance series. Comments: jsheller@mtmercy.edu.