Why should student study the effects of WW I? WW I had a direct and indirect impact on WW II and future World conflicts. I've always been fascinated and disappointed with the way WW I has been taught in schools. It's as if it gets a paragraph or two before we transition into the great depression and everyone's favorite, WW II. If history is taught in order to further students knowledge on analyzing cause and effect and reasons for change, then I feel WW I is an important component to understand how the current world works. I feel this is some what relevant today and especially since we are living in a post 9/11 world. Along with religious differences, many of the Middle Eastern problems of today can be traced back to the division of the Ottoman Empire imposed through the conference in Versailles. In addition, the victors of WW I acted with great vengeance on its enemy, more notably Germany, that resulted in German desperation. President Woodrow Wilson drafted his Fourteen Points as a framework for the treaty. The leaders of the conference ignored his ideas and continued the course to benefit their own desires. In times of crisis we learn people look for inspiration, whether good or bad, and by not following Truman's belief in being kind towards your enemy, Hitler's regime changed the course of history. We also saw the rise of new political systems as fascism and communism made their emergence. In order to regulate future problems, conflicts, and war, A league of Nations was created, although somewhat ineffective. However, it became the starting point for our current United Nations. America grew resentful towards Europe and feared being dragged into another "European War." As a result, The U.S. negotiated their own peace treaty with Germany and rejected entrance to the League of Nations. Many historians believe WW I and WW II are actually one war, with a 20 year intermission. I don't feel WW I gets its due justice. Whether because its not as romantic as WW II or because its simply not an American war. Never-the-less its as important as anything American. We can learn a lot about the world today through the failures of WW I. The Great War was suppose to be the war to end all wars, and what we learn was that it became the starting point for future world conflicts. Students can use WW I as a means to assess evidence that resulted in a domino effect that we all can still see today. History is suppose to teach us about societies and human actions, so students can study the actions of WW I leaders, that led to their decisions at Versailles, which further escalated tension in Europe to be seen 20 years later. To fully appreciate WW II, the Cold War, the conflict in the Middle East, etc., the effects of WW I should get more attention.