ABSTRACT
The Great War had been unique, both in scale and in the changes it brought about. The slaughter had been unprecedented, 1 the economics of siege warfare had been imposed on whole nations, capital resources had been used up more quickly than ever before, social and political certainties had been swept away in all countries. Three great dynasties had fallen; three great powers had been reduced to nullity by defeat or disintegration. Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany had been the pillars of order in eastern and central Europe; now, the forces released by the Russian revolution and Allied propaganda threw the area into turmoil. No one could be certain what would emerge from the uproar. Even Germany's existence seemed put in doubt by revolution.
