World War I (1914-1918)
1. The Rise of the "-isms"
The thinkers of the Enlightenment attempted to apply unaided human reason to all areas of life to bring about a new social order. They believe that man and nature were perfectible (contrary to God's Word). The two most influential French thinkers of the Enlightenment, Voltaire and Rousseau, called for the overthrow of the old regime and for the birth of a new society. The result of their radical ideas was the bloody French Revolution, which incited in the hearts of many Europeans a spirit of revolutionary nationalism.
As modernism spread from Germany throughout Europe, it undermined the people's faith in God's word. Without the light of the Bible to guide them, they became vulnerable to deceptive philosophies like evolution. Evolution tore away the moral foundation of Europe, eroding the sanctity of human life and the value of the individual, with the result of war, tyranny and death.
Materialism and socialism are both natural results of the acceptance of evolution. Evolution denies the existence of the Creator and credits chance, time, and matter with the rise of life on the earth. It robs man of his special place in creation. Materialism takes the idea a step further and suggests that everything can be explained in terms of matter. Thus man is reduced to a complex machine. Socialism is the materialistic belief that all economic, political, and social life should be planned, controlled, and regulated by the state to insure "the greatest good for the greatest number." It emphasizes society as a whole over the individual man. Like evolution, both materialism and socialism threaten the sanctity of human life and the value of the individual made in the image of God.
What socialists seek through legislation, regulation and taxation, Communists seek through violent revolution. Both philosophies enslave the people of a nation in a system that deprives them of their freedoms and property.
Enlightenment (Rationalism, Empiricism, Skepticism, Deism)
Revolutionary nationalism
Higher criticism
Dialectic thinking (thesis and antithesis create new synthesis)
Modernism - man can figure it out without God
Darwinism-> evolution
Materialism - everything explained in terms of matter (man is a complex machine).
Socialism
Communism
2. Nation building
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany flexing the countries muscle, conquered and united the surrounding areas with little protest.
The forming of political alliances / entanglements:
Triple Alliance - Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary
Triple Entente - Great Britain, France, Russia
3. The Great War (1914-1918)
America entered WWI voluntarily in 1917, whereas the nations of Europe were drawn into the war by entangling alliances. The significance of this fact lies in our motive for going to war. The US did not enter the war merely to defend Europe; no alliance obligated the us to join the fight. We entered the conflict by choice and for the purpose of defending our own territory (threat of Zimmerman note) and economic interests (threat of submarine warfare). Of course, we sympathized with the Allies, but personal involvement in the war came only with personal interest in the war.
General John J. Pershing - commander of US forces in Europe
American troops in Europe known as "doughboys"
trench warfare, poison gas introduced in 1915 by Germans
In 1917, Russia has Communist Revolution (Marx->Lenin), makes agreement with Germany to stop fighting so they can work on their nation.
The war ends on November 11, 1918 - Called Armistice Day. The US changed it to Veterans Day.
Outcome of the war:
*Redrawing of Europe
*League of Nations - man's solution to world war was an attempt to bring world peace without God. However, the Bible says that without God, there is no peace (Isaiah 59:8)
people are turned further away from God towards humanism (the idea to live for man, that he is the meaning of life)
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