European States as Social and Economic Actors: Impact of the First World War

The article explores how the World War I affected the scope and contents of the social and economic functions of the European states. Basing on the idea about the interlocked development of warfare and welfare state during the twentieth century, author analyses how exactly “total war” of 1914–1918 induced the European belligerent governments to expand their impact on war economies and societies. Nevertheless, he underlines that this apparent movement to “total state” remained unfinished, and the governments continued to operate in the realities of the capitalist economic system, pluralistic polities (though the degree of this plurality, obviously, differed from country to country), and industrial warfare. During 1914–1918, the authorities of the belligerent powers were rather the mediators between the different interest groups, depending in a significant degree on their consent. The reverse was true as well, and this consent depended largely on the successful management of the “total war” by the states. Outlining the perspective of “total state”, the World War I showed its limitations too.