When I was in Kansas City this summer, I visited the National WW I Museum and Memorial.
The complex is a stunning structure with a massive obelisk, “Liberty Tower,” rising above a partially underground building that houses the museum. I have visited WW I battlefields in Europe, each of which has its own museums, memorials and, tragically, cemeteries. What struck me about America’s national memorial was how closely it matched in design to those along the Western Front. Even the primary material, limestone, is the same.
Like many war museums, Kansas City’s is thorough, taking the visitor on a journey from the causes of the war all the way through to its aftermath, primarily the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The story is told through video, informational placards and seemingly endless artifacts.
WW I was eclipsed by WW II, but WW I set the stage for that second conflict, and indeed for most of the 20th century, even the global issues we grapple with today. One of the hallmarks of WW I was the introduction of modern warfare — gas, tanks, planes — due to technological revolutions.
A theme raised by the museum is that disruption caused by technology revolutions often leads to social upheaval and, ultimately, violence and war.
There is no doubt this is true about the immediate pre-WW I period, and technology as warfare as introduced in that conflict saw its ultimate evil manifestation in the Nazi Holocaust of WW II.
What about now? We are also undoubtedly living through a major technology revolution that is causing massive disruption. Will violence follow? Is it already underway?
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News
