query: United Kingdom has the ninth-largest economy by economic theory that states that the exchange rate between two currencies equal the ratio of the currencies' respective purchasing power called purchasing power parity.

pos: United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland.Although Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state , two of its Overseas Territories also share land borders with other sovereign countries . Gibraltar shares a border with Spain , while the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia share borders with the Republic of Cyprus , the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the UN buffer zone separating the two Cypriot polities . Apart from this land border , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-south-west , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of 242500 km2 , the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe . It is also the 21st-most populous country , with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union ( EU ) .   The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance . The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 6 February 1952 . The capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million , the fourth-largest in Europe and second-largest in the European Union . Other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the conurbations centred on Birmingham , Leeds , Glasgow , Liverpool and Manchester . The United Kingdom consists of four countries -- England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . The last three have devolved administrations , each with varying powers , based in their capitals , Edinburgh , Cardiff and Belfast , respectively . The nearby Isle of Man , Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom , being Crown dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation .   The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time . Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain , which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 , leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 to resolve the Irish War of Independence . When it took effect one year later , it established the Irish Free State as a separate dominion within the Commonwealth . The UK 's current name was adopted to reflect the change . There are fourteen British Overseas Territories . These are the remnants of the British Empire which , at its height in the 1920s , encompassed almost a quarter of the world 's land mass and was the largest empire in history . British influence can be observed in the language , culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies .   The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world 's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest economy by purchasing power parity . The UK is considered to have a high-income economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index , ranking 16th in the world . It was the world 's first industrialised country and the world 's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries . The UK remains a great power with considerable economic , cultural , military , scientific and political influence internationally . It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and is seventh in military expenditure in the world . The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 . It has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor , the European Economic Community ( EEC ) , since 1973 . However , on 23 June 2016 , a national referendum on the UK 's membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave , and its exit from the EU is currently being negotiated . The UK is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Council of Europe , the G7 finance ministers , the G7 forum , the G20 , NATO , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) .

pos: Purchasing power parity Purchasing power parity ( PPP ) is an economic theory that states that the exchange rate between two currencies equal the ratio of the currencies ' respective purchasing power . Theories that invoke purchasing power parity assume that in some circumstances ( for example , as a long-run tendency ) it would cost exactly the same number of , for example , US dollars to buy euros and then to use the proceeds to buy a market basket of goods as it would cost to use those dollars directly in purchasing the market basket of goods . A fall in either currency 's purchasing power would lead to a proportional decrease in that currency 's valuation on the foreign exchange market .   The concept of purchasing power parity allows one to estimate what the exchange rate between two currencies would have to be in order for the exchange to be at par with the purchasing power of the two countries ' currencies . Using that PPP rate for hypothetical currency conversions , a given amount of one currency thus has the same purchasing power whether used directly to purchase a market basket of goods or used to convert at the PPP rate to the other currency and then purchase the market basket using that currency . Observed deviations of the exchange rate from purchasing power parity are measured by deviations of the real exchange rate from its PPP value of 1 .   PPP exchange rates help costing but exclude profits . So , it is reckoned as more efficient methodology than the use of market exchange rates . For example , suppose that two countries produce the same physical amounts of goods as each other in each of two different years . Since market exchange rates fluctuate substantially , when the GDP of one country measured in its own currency is converted to the other country 's currency using market exchange rates , one country might be inferred to have higher real GDP than the other country in one year but lower in the other ; both of these inferences would fail to reflect the reality of their relative levels of production . But if one country 's GDP is converted into the other country 's currency using PPP exchange rates instead of observed market exchange rates , the false inference will not occur . Essentially GDP PPP controls for the different costs of living and price levels , usually relative to the United States Dollar , thus enabling a more accurate depiction of a given nation 's level of production .

neg: Unionism in England In England , Unionism is a political ideology which favours the continuation of some form of political union between England and the other countries of the United Kingdom ( Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland ) . It is part of the wider British unionist movement and is closely linked to the notion of Britishness . Unionism in England is characterised by both opposition to England 's independence as a separate state and the belief that Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland should continue to be constituent countries of the Union .

neg: Inflation In economics , inflation is a sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time .  When the price level rises , each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services ; consequently , inflation reflects a reduction in the purchasing power per unit of money a loss of real value in the medium of exchange and unit of account within the economy . A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate , the annualized percentage change in a general price index , usually the consumer price index , over time . The opposite of inflation is deflation .   Inflation affects economies in various positive and negative ways . The negative effects of inflation include an increase in the opportunity cost of holding money , uncertainty over future inflation which may discourage investment and savings , and if inflation were rapid enough , shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding out of concern that prices will increase in the future . Positive effects include reducing the real burden of public and private debt , keeping nominal interest rates above zero so that central banks can adjust interest rates to stabilize the economy , and reducing unemployment due to nominal wage rigidity .   Economists generally believe that high rates of inflation and hyperinflation are caused by an excessive growth of the money supply . Views on which factors determine low to moderate rates of inflation are more varied . Low or moderate inflation may be attributed to fluctuations in real demand for goods and services , or changes in available supplies such as during scarcities . However , the consensus view is that a long sustained period of inflation is caused by money supply growing faster than the rate of economic growth .   Today , most economists favor a low and steady rate of inflation . Low ( as opposed to zero or negative ) inflation reduces the severity of economic recessions by enabling the labor market to adjust more quickly in a downturn , and reduces the risk that a liquidity trap prevents monetary policy from stabilizing the economy . The task of keeping the rate of inflation low and stable is usually given to monetary authorities . Generally , these monetary authorities are the central banks that control monetary policy through the setting of interest rates , through open market operations , and through the setting of banking reserve requirements .

neg: Eurosystem The Eurosystem is the monetary authority of the eurozone , the collective of European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their sole official currency . The ECB has , under Article 16 of its Statute , the exclusive right to authorise the issuance of euro banknotes . Member states can issue euro coins , but the amount must be authorised by the ECB beforehand .   The Eurosystem consists of the European Central Bank and the national central banks ( NCB ) of the 19 member states that are part of the eurozone . The national central banks apply the monetary policy of the ECB . The primary objective of the Eurosystem is price stability . Secondary objectives are financial stability and financial integration . The mission statement of the Eurosystem says that the ECB and the national central banks jointly contribute to achieving the objectives .   The Eurosystem is independent . When performing Eurosystem-related tasks , neither the ECB , nor an NCB , nor any member of their decision-making bodies may seek or take instructions from any external body . The Community institutions and bodies and the governments of the member states may not seek to influence the members of the decision-making bodies of the ECB or of the NCBs in the performance of their tasks .   The Eurosystem is distinct from the European System of Central Banks ( ESCB ) , which comprises the ECB and the central banks of all European Union member states , including those that are not part of the eurozone .

neg: 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Economic Conference The 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers ' Economic Conference was an emergency Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations . It was called by the British government of Sir Winston Churchill and held in the United Kingdom in December 1952 as a follow-up to a Commonwealth Finance Minister 's conference held in January 1952 . The conference was held in the context of British economic and military decline and the United States ' surging role in the world .   The principal topic of the conference was the convertibility and liquidity of Pound sterling into American dollars and British concerns that non-sterling Commonwealth countries were building up sterling balances for the purpose of conversion into American dollars , the future of the Pound sterling area , and the alleviation of Commonwealth trade restrictions and imperial preference , particularly in the light of the surging American economy and the desire of Commonwealth countries such as Australia for American investment in order for economic development to occur against British concerns that American economic dominance threatened Britain 's economic position . This discussion was necessary as the Commonwealth , with the exception of Canada , had a common pool of gold and dollar reserves . Little was accomplished in the economic discussion with the final communique being described as an `` agreement in platitudes '' .   British concerns at being excluded from the ANZUS military treaty between Australia , New Zealand and the United States were also a topic and were addressed by a communique issued by the prime ministers supporting Britain 's demand for a voice in ANZUS .   In addition , Commonwealth prime ministers , after months of discussion on whether the newly ascended Queen Elizabeth II should have a uniform Royal Styles and Titles throughout the Commonwealth or whether realms should adopt their own styles and titles , it was agreed that each member of the Commonwealth `` should use for its own purposes a form of the Royal Style and Titles which suits its own particular circumstances but retains a substantial element which is common to all '' and agreed to pass appropriate legislation in their respective parliaments . The prime ministers also agreed to proclaim the new Queen , Elizabeth II , Head of the Commonwealth in succession of her late father , George VI .

neg: Kingdom of Great Britain The United Kingdom of Great Britain , officially Great Britain , was a sovereign state in western Europe from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800 . The state came into being following the Treaty of Union in 1706 , ratified by the Acts of Union 1707 , which united the kingdoms of England and Scotland to form a single kingdom encompassing the whole island of Great Britain and its outlying islands . It did not include Ireland , which remained a separate realm . The unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster . The former kingdoms had been in personal union since James VI , King of Scots , became King of England and King of Ireland in 1603 following the death of Queen Elizabeth I , bringing about a `` Union of the Crowns '' . Also after the accession of George I to the throne of Great Britain in 1714 , the kingdom was in a personal union with the Electorate of Hanover .   The early years of the unified kingdom were marked by Jacobite risings which ended in defeat for the Stuart cause at Culloden in 1746 . Later on in 1763 , victory in the Seven Years ' War led to the dominance of the British Empire , which was to become the foremost global power for over a century and later grew to become the largest empire in history .   On 1 January 1801 , the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland were merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . In 1922 , five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom and the state was renamed the `` United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland '' -- a title it has retained to date .

neg: History of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom The history of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom covers British foreign policy from about 1600 to 2000 . For the current situation since 2000 see Foreign relations of the United Kingdom .   Britain from 1750 to the 1910s took pride in an unmatched economic base comprising industry , finance , shipping and trade that largely dominated the globe . Foreign policy based on free trade ( after 1840 ) kept the economy flourishing . The overseas Empire recovered after the loss of America in 1776 and reached its zenith about 1920 , and foreign policy made sure it was never seriously threatened .   After expending enormous energy on the defeat of France and Napoleon ( 1793-1815 ) , British policy focused on achieving a conservative balance of power within Europe , with no one country achieving dominance over the affairs of the continent . This had been the basic reason behind the British wars against Napoleon , and the British commitment in the First and Second World Wars . The chief enemy down to 1815 was France , with its much larger population base and its powerful army . The British were generally successful in their many wars , with the notable exception of the American War of Independence ( 1775 -- 1783 ) . In that war Britain , without any major allies , was defeated by the colonials who had the support of France and the Netherlands , and France had support from Spain .   A favoured diplomatic strategy was subsidising the armies of continental allies , such as Prussia , thereby turning London 's enormous financial power to military advantage . Britain relied heavily on its Royal Navy for security , seeking to keep it the most powerful fleet afloat with a full complement of bases across the globe . British dominance of the seas was vital to the formation of the British Empire , which was achieved through the maintenance of a Navy larger than the next two largest Navies combined for the majority of the 19th and early 20th centuries , prior to the entry of the United States into the Second World War . The British controlled the oceans . So powerful was the Royal Navy , it needed to do little actual fighting from 1812 to 1914 . Although all of the other major Powers fought with their neighbours , the British army had only one relatively limited war ( the Crimean War against Russia in 1854-56 ) . The Army mostly handled garrison duty , and did have to deal with localized insurrections and colonial conflicts in Asia and Africa .

neg: Banknotes of the British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces issued their own banknotes between 1946 and 1972 .  Since 2003 , they have issued their own small change tokens nicknamed pogs by the Squaddies , after the children 's game popular in the early 1990s .   At the end of the war in Europe in 1945 , France , Britain , United States and Russia agreed at the Potsdam Conference to split Germany into four occupation zones . The British area was occupied by the 21st Army Group that was collectively known as the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ) . The Allies ' job was challenging . They had to disband and disarm the German fighting machine , reassemble the country 's basic infrastructure , and cope with population on the brink of starvation . To this end the BAOR operated as a country within a country , requiring a monetary system that functioned to serve the needs of the occupying forces . However , a problem soon emerged ; goods intended for the troops were being sold to a thriving black market among the local population at highly inflated prices . Millions of pounds sterling were being lost by the taxpayers of Britain . A series of stopgap measures slowed , but did not stop the problem . It was decided in March 1946 that special military voucher system was needed .   Historically , soldiers serving overseas had been paid in local currency rather than in their `` home '' currency , most cash drawn by soldiers would go directly into the local economy , and in a damaged economy the effects of a hard currency such as the # circulating freely alongside weaker local currencies could be severely problematic , risking severe inflation . There were other problems as well ; once # were circulating in a combat region , the opposing side could freely use its own stocks of # as currency , or acquire stocks for use elsewhere to support their war effort . The high purchasing power of the # and its easy transference back to Britain also posed a significant incentive to the black marketers .   However , whilst the use of local currencies was effective where they were provided in cooperation with the local authorities , it was impractical in combat zones where the government might be either hostile , deliberately ambivalent , or simply non-existent . In these cases , the military authorities issued special `` military currency '' , which was paid out to soldiers at a fixed rate of exchange and simply declared legal tender in occupied areas by local commanders .   After a remarkably brief period of preparation , the first series of 52,400,000 British Armed Forces Special Vouchers ( BAFSV ) , valued at just over 10 million pounds sterling were printed by Thomas De La Rue and officially issued on August 1 , 1946 . In due course the ingenuity of the local population and the troops largely circumvented the intention of the first issue BAFSV 's to slow black market activities .  By mid 1947 it was decided , under a cloak of secrecy , to prepare a new issue to replace the first , then immediately demonetize the first to limit the conversion of illicitly-gained first series vouchers . This scheme was carried out on January 6 , 1948 , when the second issue was released .   The third series was printed in 1948 by J. Waddington Ltd , but were not issued until 1956 for use during the Suez Canal Crisis . This situation was quickly resolved over a two-month period and those notes withdrawn .   The fourth issue was originally discussed in 1952 but were not ordered until the heating up of the cold war and the lack of a backup series prompted the British War Office in 1962 to design not only a fourth , but also a fifth series .   A new printer , Bradbury Wilkinson , was chosen for the job of producing these next two series : The fourth series was printed , but never issued , and according to all records , the fifth series was never printed . The sixth series , together with the 1 and 5 pound notes of the second series , were used in Berlin up to December 31 , 1979 , when they were finally withdrawn . On February 14 , 1991 , The Ministry of Defence auctioned off their stock of 17 million uncirculated vouchers from the 2nd , 3rd , 4th and 6th series to a consortium of dealers .

neg: Cambridge equation The Cambridge equation formally represents the Cambridge cash-balance theory , an alternative approach to the classical quantity theory of money . Both quantity theories , Cambridge and classical , attempt to express a relationship among the amount of goods produced , the price level , amounts of money , and how money moves . The Cambridge equation focuses on money demand instead of money supply . The theories also differ in explaining the movement of money : In the classical version , associated with Irving Fisher , money moves at a fixed rate and serves only as a medium of exchange while in the Cambridge approach money acts as a store of value and its movement depends on the desirability of holding cash .   Economists associated with Cambridge University , including Alfred Marshall , A.C. Pigou , and John Maynard Keynes ( before he developed his own , eponymous school of thought ) contributed to a quantity theory of money that paid more attention to money demand than the supply-oriented classical version . The Cambridge economists argued that a certain portion of the money supply will not be used for transactions ; instead , it will be held for the convenience and security of having cash on hand . This portion of cash is commonly represented as k , a portion of nominal income ( the product of the price level and real income ) , ) . The Cambridge economists also thought wealth would play a role , but wealth is often omitted from the equation for simplicity . The Cambridge equation is thus :   Assuming that the economy is at equilibrium , is exogenous , and k is fixed in the short run , the Cambridge equation is equivalent to the equation of exchange with velocity equal to the inverse of k :

neg: Reverse Laffer In economics , the Reverse Laffer curve is a representation of the relationship between rates of purchasing power provided to purchasers through increased corporate taxation and redistribution leading to levels of increased profit for those corporations . Proponents of the Reverse Laffer curve claim that it illustrates the concept of profit elasticity -- i.e. , profit will change in response to changes in the rate of taxation .   The Reverse Laffer curve postulates that minimal profit will be possible at the extremely low rates of taxation due to the very low distribution of purchasing power . The ideal rate of corporate taxation and income redistribution is somewhere between 0 % and 100 % and that there must be at least one rate which maximizes corporate profitability . The Reverse Laffer curve is typically represented as a graph which starts at 0 % tax with zero profit , rises to a maximum rate of profit at an intermediate rate of taxation , and then falls again to zero profit at a 100 % tax rate . The shape of the curve is uncertain and disputed .   One implication of the Reverse Laffer curve is that decreasing tax rates beyond a certain point will be counter-productive for raising further profit . A hypothetical Reverse Laffer curve for any given economy can only be estimated and such estimates are controversial . The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics reports that estimates of profit-maximizing tax and income redistribution rates have varied widely , with a mid-range of around 70 % . Note however , that in macroeconomics , a profit efficient economy is one in which the cost of profit is minimised .   Economist Arthur Laffer does not claim to have invented the Reverse Laffer curve concept .

neg: Economy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation The economy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) combines the economies of 57 member states . 49 are predominantly Muslim states . The other 8 have large Muslim minorities . Those 57 countries have a combined GDP ( at Purchasing power parity ; PPP ) of USD 18,600 billion . The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita at PPP is United Arab Emirates . On basis of per capita GDP , Qatar is richest country with incomes exceeding US$ 108,000 per capita . According to a report by Salam Standard , the GDP impact of the world 's Muslim tourism sector exceeded $ 138 billion in 2015 , generating 4.3 million jobs and contributing more than $ 18 billion in tax revenue .

neg: Economy of Finland Finland has a highly industrialised , mixed economy with a per capita output equal to that of other western economies such as France , Germany , Sweden or the United Kingdom . The largest sector of the economy is services at 72.7 percent , followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent . Primary production is 2.9 percent .   With respect to foreign trade , the key economic sector is manufacturing . The largest industries are electronics ( 21.6 percent ) , machinery , vehicles and other engineered metal products ( 21.1 percent ) , forest industry ( 13.1 percent ) , and chemicals ( 10.9 percent ) . Finland has timber and several mineral and freshwater resources . Forestry , paper factories , and the agricultural sector ( on which taxpayers spend around 2 billion euro annually ) are politically sensitive to rural residents . The Greater Helsinki area generates around a third of GDP .   In a 2004 OECD comparison , high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland . Knowledge-intensive services have also ranked the smallest and slow-growth sectors -- especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing -- second largest after Ireland . Investment was below expected . Overall short-term outlook was good and GDP growth has been above many EU peers . Finland has the 4th largest knowledge economy in Europe , behind Sweden , Denmark and the UK . The economy of Finland tops the ranking of Global Information Technology 2014 report by the World Economic Forum for concerted output between business sector , scholarly production and the governmental assistance on Information and communications technology .   Finland is highly integrated in the global economy , and international trade is a third of GDP . The European Union makes 60 percent of the total trade . The largest trade flows are with Germany , Russia , Sweden , the United Kingdom , the United States , Netherlands and China . Trade policy is managed by the European Union , where Finland has traditionally been among the free trade supporters , except for agriculture . Finland is the only Nordic country to have joined the Eurozone ; Denmark and Sweden have retained their traditional currencies , whereas Iceland and Norway are not members of the EU at all .

neg: Financial ratio A financial ratio or accounting ratio is a relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprise 's financial statements . Often used in accounting , there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall financial condition of a corporation or other organization . Financial ratios may be used by managers within a firm , by current and potential shareholders ( owners ) of a firm , and by a firm 's creditors . Financial analysts use financial ratios to compare the strengths and weaknesses in various companies . If shares in a company are traded in a financial market , the market price of the shares is used in certain financial ratios .   Ratios can be expressed as a decimal value , such as 0.10 , or given as an equivalent percent value , such as 10 % . Some ratios are usually quoted as percentages , especially ratios that are usually or always less than 1 , such as earnings yield , while others are usually quoted as decimal numbers , especially ratios that are usually more than 1 , such as P/E ratio ; these latter are also called multiples . Given any ratio , one can take its reciprocal ; if the ratio was above 1 , the reciprocal will be below 1 , and conversely . The reciprocal expresses the same information , but may be more understandable : for instance , the earnings yield can be compared with bond yields , while the P/E ratio can not be : for example , a P/E ratio of 20 corresponds to an earnings yield of 5 % .

neg: Modern Monetary Theory Modern Monetary Theory ( MMT or Modern Money Theory , also known as Neo-Chartalism ) is a macroeconomic theory which describes and analyses modern economies in which the national currency is fiat money , established and created by the government . The key insight of MMT is that `` monetarily sovereign government is the monopoly supplier of its currency and can issue currency of any denomination in physical or non-physical forms . As such the government has an unlimited capacity to pay for the things it wishes to purchase and to fulfill promised future payments , and has an unlimited ability to provide funds to the other sectors . Thus , insolvency and bankruptcy of this government is not possible . It can always pay '' .   In sovereign financial systems , banks can create money but these `` horizontal '' transactions do not increase net financial assets as assets are offset by liabilities . `` The balance sheet of the government does not include any domestic monetary instrument on its asset side ; it owns no money . All monetary instruments issued by the government are on its liability side and are created and destroyed with spending and taxing/bond offerings , respectively . '' In addition to deficit spending , valuation effects e.g. growth in stock price can increase net financial assets . In MMT , `` vertical '' money ( see below ) enters circulation through government spending . Taxation and its legal tender power to discharge debt establish the fiat money as currency , giving it value by creating demand for it in the form of a private tax obligation that must be met . In addition , fines , fees and licenses create demand for the currency . This can be a currency issued by the government , or a foreign currency such as the euro . An ongoing tax obligation , in concert with private confidence and acceptance of the currency , maintains its value . Because the government can issue its own currency at will , MMT maintains that the level of taxation relative to government spending ( the government 's deficit spending or budget surplus ) is in reality a policy tool that regulates inflation and unemployment , and not a means of funding the government 's activities by itself .

neg: Economy of the African Union The combined states of the African Union ( AU ) constitute the world 's 7th largest economy with a nominal gross domestic product ( GDP ) of US$ 2263 billion . By measuring GDP by purchasing power parity ( PPP ) , the African Union 's economy totals US$ 1.515 billion , ranking it 11th after Russia . At the same time , they have a combined total debt of US$ 200 billion .   The AU has only 2 % of the world 's international trade . Because over 90 % of international trade consists of currency futures , Africa 's 2 % , however , actually makes up the bulk of real commodity traded worldwide , including about 70 % of the world 's strategic minerals , including gold and aluminium . Africa is also a large market for European , American and Chinese industry .   The AU future confederation 's goals include the creation of a free trade area , a customs union , a single market , a central bank , and a common currency , thereby establishing economic and monetary union . The current plan is to establish an African Economic Community with a single currency by 2023 .

neg: RPIX RPIX is a measure of inflation in the United Kingdom , equivalent to the all items Retail Price Index ( RPI ) excluding mortgage interest payments .

neg: Culture of the United Kingdom The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK 's history as a developed island country , a liberal democracy and a major power ; its predominantly Christian religious life ; and its composition of four countries -- England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland -- each of which has distinct customs , cultures and symbolism . The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture , and Humanism , Protestantism and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture .   British literature , music , cinema , art , theatre , comedy , media , television , philosophy , architecture and education are important aspects of British culture . The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology , producing world-leading scientists ( e.g. Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin ) and inventions . Sport is an important part of British culture ; numerous sports originated in the country , including football . The UK has been described as a `` cultural superpower '' , and London has been described as a world cultural capital .   The Industrial Revolution , which started in the UK , had a profound effect on the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the world . As a result of the British Empire , significant British influence can be observed in the language , law , culture and institutions of a geographically wide assortment of countries , including Australia , Canada , India , the Republic of Ireland , New Zealand , Nigeria , Pakistan , South Africa , the United States and English speaking Caribbean nations . These states are sometimes collectively known as the Anglosphere , and are among Britain 's closest allies . In turn the empire also influenced British culture , particularly British cuisine .   The cultures of England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness .

neg: List of country groupings This is a list of groupings of countries or of intergovernmental organisations , formal or informal , organisational or economic category .   African Union ( AU ) is a continental union consisting of all fifty-five countries on the African continent  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region  Arab League , a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa , the Horn of Africa and Arabia , Algeria , Bahrain , Comoros , Djibouti , Egypt , Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Mauritania , Morocco , Oman , Palestine , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Somalia , Sudan , Syria , Tunisia , United Arab Emirates , Yemen , to draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them , to safeguard their independence and sovereignty , and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries  ASEAN , The Association of Southeast Asian Nations , a regional organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian states  BASIC countries , four large newly industrialized countries , Brazil , South Africa , India , China , to act jointly on climate change and emissions reduction  Benelux Union is a politico-economic union of three neighbouring states in western Europe : Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg .  BRIC , Brazil , Russia , India and China , which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development  BRICS , Brazil , Russia , India , China and South Africa , leading developing or newly industrialized countries , and are distinguished by their large , sometimes fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional affairs  CIVETS , six emerging markets countries , Colombia , Indonesia , Vietnam , Egypt , Turkey and South Africa , a diverse and dynamic economy and a young , growing population  Commonwealth of Nations , fifty-two member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire  Development Assistance Committee ( DAC ) , to discuss issues surrounding aid , development and poverty reduction in developing countries , the world 's major donor countries , Australia , European Union , Iceland , New Zealand , South Korea , Austria , Finland , Ireland , Norway , Spain , Belgium , France , Italy , Poland , Sweden , Canada , Germany , Japan , Portugal , Switzerland , Czech Republic , Greece , Luxembourg , Slovakia , United Kingdom , Denmark , Hungary , Netherlands , Slovenia , United States  Economic Cooperation Organisation ( ECO ) , Afghanistan , Azerbaijan , Iran , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyz , Pakistan , Tajikistan , Turkey , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , a political and economic organization , a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade and investment opportunities , the objective is to establish a single market for goods and services  EAEU , Eurasian Economic Union , an economic union of Belarus , Kazakhstan , Russia , Armenia , Kyrgyzstan  EU , The European Union , a political and economic union of twenty-eight member states that are located primarily in Europe  Four Asian Tigers , economies of Hong Kong , Singapore , South Korea , Taiwan , underwent rapid industrialization and maintained exceptionally high growth rates , now developed into advanced and high-income economies  G4 nations , Brazil , Germany , India , and Japan , four countries which support each other 's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council  Group of Eight ( G8 ) , Canada , France , Germany , Italy , Japan , the United Kingdom , the United States , and Russia , the world 's major highly industrialized economies in countries that view themselves as democracies  G8 +5 , the G8 nations , plus the five leading emerging economies ( Brazil , China , India , Mexico , and South Africa )  G20 , or Group of Twenty , twenty major economies , Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canada , China , European Union , France , Germany , India , Indonesia , Italy , Japan , South Korea , Mexico , Russia , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States , for studying , reviewing , and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability  Group of 7 ( G7 ) , Canada , France , Germany , Italy , Japan , the United Kingdom , and the United States , the seven major advanced economies as reported by the International Monetary Fund  Group of 77 ( G77 ) , a loose coalition of developing nations , designed to promote its members ' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations  Gulf Cooperation Council , Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the UAE . A regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf , except for Iraq .  IBSA Dialogue Forum , India , Brazil , South Africa , an international tripartite grouping for promoting international cooperation among these countries  Mercosur ( Southern Common Market ) , Argentina , Brazil , Paraguay , Uruguay , Venezuela , Bolivia , Chile , Peru , Colombia , Ecuador , Suriname , to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods , people , and currency  MIKTA , an informal partnership between Mexico , Indonesia , Republic of Korea , Turkey , Australia , to support effective global governance  MINT , the economies of Mexico , Indonesia , Nigeria , and Turkey  NACAr , Norway , Australia , Canada , Argentina , countries characterized by middle to high income per capita , a low population density and a concentration of exports in natural resources  North American Free Trade Agreement , NAFTA is an agreement signed by Canada , Mexico , and the United States , creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America  Next Eleven ( Nll ) , Bangladesh , Egypt , Indonesia , Iran , Mexico , Nigeria , Pakistan , the Philippines , Turkey , South Korea and Vietnam -- identified as having a high potential of becoming , along with the BRICS countries , among the world 's largest economies in the 21st century  OECD , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , to stimulate economic progress and world trade , countries committed to democracy and the market economy , most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index ( HDI ) and are regarded as developed countries  OPEC , Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries , thirteen countries accounting for an estimated 42 percent of global oil production and 73 percent of the world 's proven oil reserves  P5 , permanent members of the United Nations Security Council , China , France , Russia , the United Kingdom , the United States  PIGS , the economies of the countries of Portugal , Italy and or Ireland , Greece , and Spain  United Nations ( UN ) , an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation , 193 member states .  VISTA ( Vietnam , Indonesia , South Africa , Turkey , Argentina ) is an emerging markets grouping proposed in 2006 by BRICs Economic Research Institute of Japan .

neg: KFC Index The KFC Index is an informal guide to measure Purchasing Power Parity ( PPP ) comparing exchange rates in African countries . Similar to and inspired by the Big Mac Index , the key difference between the two indices is the KFC Index is focused solely on Africa , where the Big Mac Index coverage is limited in Africa as there is little presence of McDonald 's in Africa , as opposed to KFC chains which operate in almost 20 countries across the continent .

neg: List of countries by past and projected GDP (nominal) per capita This is an alphabetical list of countries by past and future gross domestic product per capita , based on official exchange rates , not on the purchasing power parity ( PPP ) methodology . Values are given in USDs and have not been adjusted for inflation . These figures have been taken from the International Monetary Fund 's World Economic Outlook ( WEO ) database , April 2017 edition , World Bank , or various sources .

neg: Grenadian dollar The history of currency in the British colony of Grenada closely follows that of the British Eastern Caribbean territories in general . Even though Queen Anne 's proclamation of 1704 brought the gold standard to the West Indies , silver pieces of eight ( Spanish dollars and later Mexican dollars ) continued to form a major portion of the circulating currency right into the latter half of the nineteenth century .   Britain adopted the gold standard in 1821 and an imperial order-in-council of 1838 resulted in Grenada formally adopting the sterling currency in the year 1840 . However , despite the circulation of British coins in Grenada , the silver pieces of eight continued to circulate alongside them and the private sector continued to use dollar accounts for reckoning . The international silver crisis of 1873 signalled the end of the silver dollar era in the West Indies and silver dollars were demonetized in Grenada in 1878 . This left a state of affairs , in which the British coinage circulated , being reckoned in dollar accounts at an automatic conversion rate of 1 dollar = 4 shillings 2 pence .   From 1949 , with the introduction of the British West Indies dollar , the currency of Grenada became officially tied up with that of the British Eastern Caribbean territories in general . The British sterling coinage was eventually replaced by a new decimal coinage in 1955 , with the new cent being equal to one half of the old penny .


query: WWI has never been known as the Great War.

pos: World War I World War I ( WWI or WW1 ) , also known as the First World War , the Great War , or the War to End All Wars , was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 . More than 70 million military personnel , including 60 million Europeans , were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history . Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war ( including the victims of a number of genocides ) , a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents ' technological and industrial sophistication , and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare . It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history , and paved the way for major political changes , including revolutions in many of the nations involved and to WWII twenty-one years later .   The war drew in all the world 's economic great powers , assembled in two opposing alliances : the Allies ( based on the Triple Entente of the Russian Empire , the French Third Republic , and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ) versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary . Although Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary , it did not join the Central Powers , as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive against the terms of the alliance . These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war : Italy , Japan and the United States joined the Allies , while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers .   The trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary , by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 . This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , and entangled international alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked . Within weeks , the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world .   On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July , the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia . Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise , and when this was refused , declared war on Russia on 1 August . Being outnumbered on the eastern front , Russia urged its Triple Entente ally France to open up a second front in the west . Back in 1870 , the Franco-Prussian war had ended the Second French Empire and ceded the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to a unified Germany . Bitterness over their defeat and the determinance to retake Alsace-Lorraine made the acceptance of Russia 's plea for help an easy choice so France began full mobilisation on 1 August and on 3 August , Germany declared war on France . The border between France and Germany was heavily fortified on both sides so according to the Schlieffen Plan , Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France from the north , leading the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany on 4 August due to their violation of Belgian neutrality . After the German march on Paris was halted in the Battle of the Marne , what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition , with a trench line that changed little until 1917 . On the Eastern Front , the Russian army led a successful campaign against the Austro-Hungarians , but the Germans stopped its invasion of East Prussia in the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes . In November 1914 , the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers , opening fronts in the Caucasus , Mesopotamia and the Sinai . In 1915 , Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers ; Romania joined the Allies in 1916 , as did the United States in 1917 .   The Russian government collapsed in March 1917 , and a revolution in November followed by a further military defeat brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest Litovsk , which granted the Germans a significant victory . After a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918 , the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives . On 4 November 1918 , the Austro-Hungarian empire agreed to an armistice , and Germany , which had its own trouble with revolutionaries , agreed to an armistice on 11 November 1918 , ending the war in victory for the Allies .   By the end of the war or soon after , the German Empire , Russian Empire , Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist . National borders were redrawn , with several independent nations restored or created , and Germany 's colonies were parceled out among the victors . During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 , the Big Four ( Britain , France , the United States and Italy ) imposed their terms in a series of treaties . The League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict . This effort failed , and economic depression , renewed nationalism , weakened successor states , and feelings of humiliation ( particularly in Germany ) eventually contributed to the start of World War II .

neg: Never at War Never at War : Why Democracies Will Not Fight One Another is a book by the historian and physicist Spencer R. Weart published by Yale University Press in 1998 . It examines political and military conflicts throughout human history and finds no exception to one of the claims made by the controversial democratic peace theory : well-established liberal democracies have never made war on one another . In addition to the democratic peace , Weart argues that there is also an oligarchic peace and provides a new explanation for both the democratic and oligarchic peace . The book is often mentioned in the academic debate and has received both praise and criticism .

neg: On being asked for a War Poem thumb | right | Photograph of William Butler Yeats taken by Charles Beresford in 1911  `` On being asked for a War Poem '' is a poem by William Butler Yeats written on February 6 , 1915 in response to a request by Henry James that Yeats compose a political poem about World War I. Yeats changed the poem 's title from `` To a friend who has asked me to sign his manifesto to the neutral nations '' to `` A Reason for Keeping Silent '' before sending it in a letter to James , which Yeats wrote at Coole Park on August 20 , 1915 . The poem was prefaced with a note stating : `` It is the only thing I have written of the war or will write , so I hope it may not seem unfitting . '' The poem was first published in Edith Wharton 's The Book of the Homeless in 1916 as `` A Reason for Keeping Silent '' . When it was later reprinted in The Wild Swans at Coole , the title was changed to `` On being asked for a War Poem '' .

neg: Schrecklichkeit Schrecklichkeit ( German `` terror '' or `` frightfulness '' ) is a word used by English speakers to describe an assumed military policy of the German Army towards civilians in World War I.  It was the basis of German actions during their march through Belgium in 1914 . Similar policies were followed later in France , the Russian-held area of Poland , and in Russia .   Under the traditional `` laws of war '' in Europe , military activity was to be confined to the regular , uniformed armies of each side . Civilians were to take no part in fighting , neither attacking or being attacked . Thus , when the uniformed army troops in a nation or region were all defeated , resistance was supposed to end . In practice , informal resistance by `` partisans '' , `` guerrillas '' , or `` francs-tireurs '' often continued after the `` regular '' troops had given up or withdrawn . These fighters , never officially enrolled in an army , and not wearing uniforms to identify them as combatants , attacked occupying troops by ambushes , surprises , and sniping . Conducting such operations out of uniform was considered perfidy , and those involved could be executed .   Occupying armies sometimes responded to such attacks by reprisals against the local population : execution of local inhabitants , whether known to be guerrillas or not , or destruction ( usually by burning ) of homes and other structures .   German army doctrine in force at the time called for such reprisals to be performed immediately and severely in any case of civilian resistance . It was argued that such schrecklichkeit would end resistance quickly with relatively little bloodshed , whereas restraint would encourage resistance , leading to greater destruction and death .   When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914 , the German high command expected to sweep through the country with negligible opposition . The German army was many times larger and stronger than the Belgian army , and the Germans therefore thought that any resistance by Belgium would be futile . German leaders had even suggested to the Belgian government that in the event of war , the Belgians should just line up along the roads and watch the Germans march through . Belgium 's refusal to accept these German presumptions and its resistance to the German advance came as a surprise , and disrupted the German timetable for advancing into France .   This frustration was communicated to the German troops in Belgium . Anything which delayed the German advance was to be crushed mercilessly . The Belgians were viewed as irrational and even treacherous for their opposition .   This led to exaggerated suspicions among German commanders of Belgian civilian resistance . It is possible that some Belgian civilians engaged in resistance , though none is documented . It is certain that on several occasions , German commanders declared ( probably in unconscious error ) that such acts had occurred when they had not .   The Germans responded to these perceived acts of resistance with harsh measures . In several villages and towns , hundreds of civilians were executed . Many buildings were put to the torch . Priests thought guilty of encouraging the resistance were killed . Violence by German soldiers against Belgians , such as rape , was ignored or not seriously punished . The Belgian city of Leuven was largely destroyed . One German officer later wrote about the town , `` We shall wipe it out ... Not one stone will stand upon another . We will teach them to respect Germany . For generations people will come here and see what we have done '' .   These actions , taken in a period of near-panic as the German forces desperately tried to carry out their flanking march before Allied forces could respond , proved to be a propaganda disaster for Germany . The reports of them caused a wave of indignation which aided the Allied cause .

neg: British intelligence agencies The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within several different government departments . The agencies are responsible for collecting and producing foreign and domestic intelligence , providing military intelligence , performing espionage and counter-espionage . Their intelligence assessments contribute to the conduct of the foreign relations of the United Kingdom , maintaining the national security of the United Kingdom , military planning and law enforcement in the United Kingdom . The three main agencies are the Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) , the Security Service ( MI5 ) , and the Government Communications Headquarters .   The history of the organisations goes back to the 19th century . The decryption of the Zimmermann Telegram in 1917 was described as the most significant intelligence triumph for Britain during World War I , and one of the earliest occasions on which a piece of signals intelligence influenced world events . During the Second World War and afterwards , many observers regarded Ultra as immensely valuable to the Allies of World War II . In the post-war period , intelligence cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States became the cornerstone of Western intelligence gathering and the `` Special Relationship '' between the UK and the USA .

neg: Pax Britannica Pax Britannica ( Latin for `` British Peace '' , modelled after Pax Romana ) was the period of relative peace in Europe ( 1815 -- 1914 ) during which the British Empire became the global hegemonic power and adopted the role of a global police force .   Between 1815 and 1914 , a period referred to as Britain 's `` imperial century , '' around 10,000,000 sqmi of territory and roughly 400 million people were added to the British Empire . Victory over Napoleonic France left the British without any serious international rival , other than perhaps Russia in central Asia . When Russia tried expanding its influence in the Balkans , the British and French defeated it in the Crimean War ( 1854 -- 56 ) , thereby protecting the by-then feeble Ottoman Empire .   Britain 's Royal Navy controlled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyed unchallenged sea power . Alongside the formal control it exerted over its own colonies , Britain 's dominant position in world trade meant that it effectively controlled access to many regions , such as Asia and Latin America . British merchants , shippers and bankers had such an overwhelming advantage over everyone else that in addition to its colonies it had an `` informal empire '' .

neg: Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War The Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War was a three volume set of books , based on the wartime work of the Historical Section of the General Staff . The Canadian Army had a dedicated set of officers in the Second World War who studied and recorded various facets of wartime history for posterity .   During the war , Colonel C.P. Stacey headed the overseas effort of chronicling the history of the army , and produced a large number of reports . These reports , known as `` CMHQ Reports '' are largely available in electronic form from the Directorate of History and Heritage .   Some historical information was also compiled in book form during the war , and some introductory volumes were released soon after the war .   Canada 's Battle In Normandy was released in 1946 . Authored by Colonel Stacey , the book was a 159-page look at Canada 's experiences in the Battle of Normandy from the perspective of the Canadian Army .   In 1948 , The Canadian Army 1939-1945 : A Historical Summary was published . The book was described in Stacey 's own words in his autobiography , A Date With History :   The first of the three volume Official History did not appear in print until 1955 at the earliest . This was not unusual , in as an Official History of the First World War had also been many years in coming . Though the first of a projected eight volumes by Colonel Duguid first saw print in 1938 , 20 years after the Armistice , the remaining 7 volumes were never completed . G.W.L. Nicholson published a one-volume Official History in 1964 . The Royal Canadian Air Force 's official Second World War history was not published until the 1990s . In Stacey 's words :

neg: 1917 State of the Union Address The 1917 State of the Union Address was given by Woodrow Wilson , the 28th President of the United States on December 4 , 1917 , during his turbulent second term . He spoke in the United States House of Representatives , in the United States Capitol . He said , `` I shall not go back to debate the causes of the war . The intolerable wrongs done and planned against us by the sinister masters of Germany have long since become too grossly obvious and odious to every true American to need to be rehearsed . '' He addressed the 65th United States Congress , and spoke of World War I . He ended with , `` A supreme moment of history has come . The eyes of the people have been opened and they see . The hand of God is laid upon the nations . He will show them favor , I devoutly believe , only if they rise to the clear heights of His own justice and mercy . '' In the middle of the speech , he said this about the German Empire , `` The worst that can happen to the detriment the German people is this , that if they should still , after the war is over , continue to be obliged to live under ambitious and intriguing masters interested to disturb the peace of the world , men or classes of men whom the other peoples of the world could not trust , it might be impossible to admit them to the partnership of nations which must henceforth guarantee the world 's peace . '' He is saying that empires ' do not promote world peace . A year after he gave this speech , on December 4 , 1918 , the United States military would swallow Germany in victory , and the saying that is written would come true , `` Death has been swallowed up in victory . ''

neg: Race to the Sea The Race to the Sea took place from about 1914 , after the Battle of the Frontiers ( 7 August -- 13 September ) and the German advance into France , which had been stopped at the First Battle of the Marne and was followed by the First Battle of the Aisne a Franco-British counter-offensive . The term described reciprocal attempts by the Franco-British and German armies to envelop the northern flank of the opposing army through Picardy , Artois and Flanders , rather than an attempt to advance northwards to the sea . The `` race '' ended on the North Sea coast of Belgium around 19 October , when the last open area from Dixmude to the North Sea was occupied by Belgian troops , who had been withdrawn from the Siege of Antwerp ( 28 September -- 10 October ) . The outflanking attempts had resulted in a number of encounter battles but neither side was able to gain a decisive victory .   After the opposing forces had reached the North Sea , both tried to conduct offensives , leading to the mutually costly and indecisive Battle of the Yser ( 16 October -- 2 November ) and the First Battle of Ypres ( 19 October -- 22 November ) . After mid-November , local operations were carried out by both sides and preparations were made to take the offensive in the spring of 1915 . Erich von Falkenhayn , Chief of the German General Staff ( Oberste Heeresleitung ) since 14 September , concluded that a decisive victory could not be achieved on the Western Front and that it was equally unlikely in the east . Falkenhayn abandoned Vernichtunsstrategie ( strategy of annihilation ) and attempted to create the conditions for peace with one of Germany 's enemies , by Ermattungsstrategie ( strategy of exhaustion ) , to enable Germany to concentrate its resources decisively to defeat the remaining opponents .   Over the winter lull , the French army established the theoretical basis of offensive trench warfare , originating many of the methods which became standard for the rest of the war . Infiltration tactics were developed , in which dispersed formations of infantry were followed by nettoyeurs de tranchée ( trench cleaners ) , to capture strong-points that had been by-passed . Artillery observation from aircraft and creeping barrages , were first used systematically in the Second Battle of Artois Falkenhayn issued memoranda on 1915 , to govern defensive battle on the Western Front , in which the existing front line was to be fortified and to be held indefinitely with small numbers of troops , to enable more divisions to be sent to the Eastern Front . New defences were to be built behind the front line to contain a breakthrough until the position was restored by counter-attacks . The Westheer began the huge task of building field fortifications , which were not complete until the autumn of 1915 .

neg: D-Day Dodgers The D-Day Dodgers is a term for those Allied servicemen who fought in Italy during the Second World War , which also inspired a popular wartime soldier 's song ( Roud Folk Song Index no. 10499 ) .   A rumour spread during the war that the term was publicized by Viscountess Astor , a Member of the British Parliament , who supposedly used the expression in public after a disillusioned serviceman in Italy signed a letter to her as being from a `` D-Day Dodger . '' However , there is no record that she actually said this , in or out of Parliament , and she herself denied ever saying it .   Reference to a `` D-Day Dodger '' was bitingly sarcastic , given the steady stream of allied service personnel who were being killed or wounded in combat on the Italian front . A `` Dodger '' is someone who avoids something ; the soldiers in Italy felt that their sacrifices were being ignored after the invasion of Normandy , and a `` D-Day Dodger '' a reference to someone who was supposedly avoiding real combat by serving in Italy , whereas the reality was anything but .

neg: Art and World War II War is a common theme in art and has inspired great works of art . Throughout history , most representations of war depict military achievements and often show significant battle scenes . However , in the 19th century a `` turn '' in the visual representation of war became noticeable . Artists started to show the disastrous aspects of war instead of its glorified events and protagonists . Such a perspective is best exemplified by Goya 's series , The Disasters of War ( 1810-1820 , first published in 1863 ) , and Otto Dix 's portfolio , Der Krieg ( published in 1924 ) . During World War II , both traditions are present . For instance , Paul Nash 's Battle of Britain ( 1941 ) represents a scene of aerial combat between British and German fighters over the English Channel . On the other hand , André Fougeron 's Street of Paris ( 1943 ) focuses on the impact of war and occupation on civilians .   In connection to World War II , the relations between art and war can be articulated around two main issues . First , art ( and , more generally , culture ) found itself at the centre of an ideological war . Second , during World War II , many artists found themselves in the most difficult conditions ( in an occupied country , in internment camps , in death camps ) and their works are a testimony to a powerful `` urge to create '' . Such creative impulse can be interpreted as the expression of self-preservation , a survival instinct in critical times .

neg: Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums ( IWM ) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England , three of which are in London . Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917 , the museum was intended to record the civil and military war effort and sacrifice of Britain and its Empire during the First World War . The museum 's remit has since expanded to include all conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces have been involved since 1914 . As of 2012 , the museum aims `` to provide for , and to encourage , the study and understanding of the history of modern war and ` wartime experience ' '' .   Originally housed in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham Hill , the museum opened to the public in 1920 . In 1924 , the museum moved to space in the Imperial Institute in South Kensington , and finally in 1936 , the museum acquired a permanent home that was previously the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Southwark . The outbreak of the Second World War saw the museum expand both its collections and its terms of reference , but in the post-war period , the museum entered a period of decline . The 1960s saw the museum redevelop its Southwark building , now referred to as Imperial War Museum London , which serves as the organisation 's corporate headquarters . During the 1970s , the museum began to expand onto other sites . The first , in 1976 , was a historic airfield in Cambridgeshire now referred to as IWM Duxford . In 1978 , the Royal Navy cruiser became a branch of the museum , having previously been preserved for the nation by a private trust . In 1984 , the Cabinet War Rooms , an underground wartime command centre , was opened to the public . From the 1980s onwards , the museum 's Bethlem building underwent a series of multimillion-pound redevelopments , completed in 2000 . Finally , 2002 saw the opening of IWM North in Trafford , Greater Manchester , the fifth branch of the museum and the first in the north of England . In 2011 , the museum rebranded itself as IWM , standing for `` Imperial War Museums '' .   The museum 's collections include archives of personal and official documents , photographs , film and video material , and oral history recordings , an extensive library , a large art collection , and examples of military vehicles and aircraft , equipment , and other artefacts .   The museum is funded by government grants , charitable donations , and revenue generation through commercial activity such as retailing , licensing , and publishing . General admission is free to IWM London ( although specific exhibitions require the purchase of a ticket ) and IWM North , but an admission fee is levied at the other branches . The museum is an exempt charity under the Charities Act 1993 and a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture , Media and Sport . As of January 2012 , the Chairman of the Trustees is Sir Francis Richards . Since October 2008 , the museum 's Director General has been Diane Lees .

neg: 1910s The 1910s ( pronounced `` nineteen-tens '' , also abbreviated as the `` teens '' ) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1 , 1910 , and ended on December 31 , 1919 . The 1910s represented the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th century . The conservative lifestyles during the first half of the decade , as well as the legacy of military alliances , was forever changed by the assassination , on June 28 , 1914 , of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne . The murder triggered a chain of events in which , within 33 days , World War I broke out in Europe on August 1 , 1914 . The conflict dragged on until a truce was declared on November 11 , 1918 , leading to the controversial , one-sided Treaty of Versailles , which was signed on June 28 , 1919 .   The war 's end triggered the abdication of various monarchies and the collapse of five of the last modern empires of Russia , Germany , China , Ottoman Turkey and Austria-Hungary , with the latter splintered into Austria , Hungary , southern Poland ( who acquired most of their land in a war with Soviet Russia ) , Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia , as well as the unification of Romania with Transylvania and Moldavia . However , each of these states ( with the possible exception of Yugoslavia ) had large German and Hungarian minorities , there creating some unexpected problems that would be brought to light in the next two decades . ( See Dissolution of Austro-Hungarian Empire : Successor States for better description of composition of names of successor countries/states following the splinter . )   The decade was also a period of revolution in a number of countries . The Mexican Revolution spearheaded the trend in November 1910 , which led to the ousting of dictator Porfirio Diaz , developing into a violent civil war that dragged on until mid-1920 , not long after a new Mexican Constitution was signed and ratified . Russia also had a similar fate , since World War I led to a collapse in morale as well as to economic chaos . This atmosphere encouraged the establishment of Bolshevism , which was later renamed as communism . Like the Mexican Revolution , the Russian Revolution of 1917 , known as the October Revolution , immediately turned to Russian Civil War that dragged until approximately late 1922 .   Much of the music in these years was ballroom-themed . Many of the fashionable restaurants were equipped with dance floors . Prohibition in the United States began January 16 , 1919 , with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution .

neg: Airpower Airpower or air power comprises the application of military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare . Airpower began with the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century . Airpower represents a `` complex operating environment that has been subjected to considerable debate '' . British doctrine defines airpower as `` the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events . ''   Airpower is a function of air supremacy and numbers . Roughly speaking , a combatant side that has 100 % or near 100 % control of the skies has air supremacy ; an advantage of some 70 -- 90 % would indicate air superiority . A 50/50 split is air parity ; lower than this , one side may be said to be air denied or air incapable . Because aeroplanes generally take off from designed airfields on missions typically involving some hours of cruising , the precise state of air superiority is fluid and less defined vis-a-vis land or sea warfare . For example , a contested airspace directly above a battlespace bristling with anti-aircraft weapons may be denied to the air forces of both sides . Further , the completely different situations of a technologically advanced airforce with one flight of high-tech planes ( air supremacy but low capacity ) or a low-tech force of massive numbers of low-tech planes ( e.g. , An-2 ) resulting in high capacity but low long-term survivability demonstrate that ` air power ' is multi-faceted and complex .   Significant contributors to theorizing about air power have been Giulio Douhet , Billy Mitchell , John Boyd and John A. Warden III .   At the start of World War I , opinions differed on the national air forces and the value of airships .  Some early strategists/visionaries after World War I imagined that airpower alone would suffice to bring nations to their knees . The Bombing of Guernica was an early trial that revealed both capabilities and limitations . But yet another maxim , `` no war was ever won solely by airpower '' was challenged by the NATO victory in Kosovo . Airpower has been used to conduct lightning strategic strikes , to complement land offensives , to instill fear and lower morale similarly to a fleet in being , and to create broad-based destruction behind enemy lines . With airpower , supplies can be transported by cargo planes , providing a decisive edge in mobility .   Military and civilian aircraft interact in a number of complex ways , including shootdowns of civilian planes , whether mistaken or not ; military escorts of civilian planes ; civilian planes being used for military transport , espionage , or other purposes ; and/or no-fly zones being enforced to punish or sanction a target nation . Airpower also relates to space power , although militarization of space remains regulated by international treaty .   Developed nations have enjoyed a consistent advantage in airpower since the beginning of mechanized flight . Airpower has been wielded mostly decisively in the last hundred years by Nazi Germany , the United Kingdom , the United States , the Soviet Union , Japan , Italy , and France , with many client nations using aircraft developed by one or more of these nations . A mass technological base is considered necessary for the development of airpower .

neg: National Service League The National Service League was a British pressure group founded in February 1902 to alert the country to the inadequacy of the British Army to fight a major war and to propose the solution of national service .   The League argued for four years of compulsory military training for home defence for men aged between eighteen and thirty . Compulsory military service , conscription , was not popular and `` aroused the long-standing antipathy toward standing armies and smacked of continental-style militarism '' . By October 1904 , it had only 1,725 members and 2,000 in 1905 but membership grew to 21,500 in December 1908 and it claimed a further 30,000 `` adherents '' . The circulation of the League 's journal , The Nation in Arms , grew to 17,500 . By 1910 the League had 60,000 members . The NSL Annual Report of 1913 stated that the ` total of subscribers ' , which included members and associates , was 96,526 and the ` number of adherents ' was 163,746 . The Annual Reports of 1908 and 1913 commented that the number of local NSL branches in the country were 33 and 45 respectively .  Fear of Germany and a possible German invasion of Britain , coupled with the belief that the Army and not the Navy could stop an invasion underlaid many of the League 's proposals .   Although Churchill and Lloyd George ( both Liberal Cabinet Ministers ) sometimes expressed private support for conscription , the movement to introduce it was largely a right-wing one . It was thought that it would encourage national regeneration in spite of the election of Labour MPs from 1906 , industrial unrest , agitation for women 's suffrage , and the Liberal Government 's removal of the Lords ' veto of legislation .   Its first president was Lord Raglan ; in 1905 , he offered the presidency to Lord Roberts , who accepted .

neg: North West Europe Campaign The North West Europe Campaign was the name given by the British Commonwealth armed forces to the two land campaigns they fought on the Western Front during World War II .   In Commonwealth military history , `` North-West Europe '' refers to land , air and sea campaigns and operations in , over or near Belgium , Denmark , France , Germany , Luxembourg , Netherlands , Norway and the United Kingdom during World War II . It includes many more specific campaigns and/or battle honours .   The North-West Europe Campaign of 1940 , was part of the Battle of France , and was restricted to the Belgium and the French Channel ports . During this campaign , the French Army was responsible for the rest of the Western Front from Luxembourg to Switzerland , much of which was defended by the Maginot Line . The first campaign ended for the British forces with the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force ( BEF ) and its evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk .   Between 1940 and 1944 , the Allied armies conducted coastal raids in German-Occupied Europe , the largest of which was the Dieppe raid of 1942 .   British Commonwealth air force units who served over Occupied Europe , between the fall of France and D-Day were awarded the battle honour `` Fortress Europe 1940 -- 1944 . ''   The North-West Europe Campaign of 1944 -- 1945 , was fought by the British Second Army and First Canadian Army  as elements of the British 21st Army Group . The campaign started with the landings in Normandy and ended on 4 May 1945 with Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery taking the German military surrender of all German forces in the Netherlands , north west Germany and Denmark on Lüneburg Heath , ( situated between the cities of Hamburg , Hanover and Bremen ) . As with the first campaign the British Commonwealth forces were on the northern flank of the Western Front . The Twelfth United States Army Group , was to their immediate south , further south still was the Sixth United States Army Group , ( that was also known as the Southern Group of Armies as the French First Army was a constituent part )

neg: The war to end war `` The war to end war '' ( sometimes called `` The war to end all wars '' ) was a term for the First World War of 1914 -- 1918 . Originally idealistic , it is now used mainly sardonically .

neg: List of Victoria Cross recipients (A–F) The Victoria Cross ( VC ) is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system . It is awarded for gallantry `` in the face of the enemy '' to members of the British armed forces . It may be awarded posthumously . It was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries , most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours . It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command although no civilian has received the award since 1879 . Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857 , two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch . These investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace .   The first citations of the VC , particularly those in the initial gazette of 24 February 1857 , varied in the details of each action ; some specify date ranges while some specify a single date . The original Royal Warrant did not contain a specific clause regarding posthumous awards , although official policy was not to award the VC posthumously . Between 1897 and 1901 , several notices were issued in the London Gazette regarding soldiers who would have been awarded the VC had they survived . In a partial reversal of policy in 1902 , six of the soldiers mentioned were granted the VC , but not `` officially '' awarded the medal . In 1907 , the posthumous policy was completely reversed and medals were sent to the next of kin of the six soldiers . The Victoria Cross warrant was not officially amended to explicitly allow posthumous awards until 1920 , but one quarter of all awards for the First World War were posthumous . Three people have been awarded the VC and Bar , which is a medal for two actions ; Noel Chavasse , Arthur Martin-Leake and Charles Upham . Chavasse received both medals for actions in the First World War , while Martin-Leake was awarded his first VC for actions in the Second Boer War , and his second for actions during the First World War . Charles Upham received both VCs for actions during the Second World War .   The Victoria Cross has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients . The largest number of recipients for one campaign is the First World War , for which 628 medals were awarded to 627 recipients . The largest number awarded for actions on a single day was 24 on 16 November 1857 , at the Second Relief of Lucknow , during the Indian Mutiny . The largest number awarded for a single action was 18 , for the assault on Sikandar Bagh , during the Second Relief of Lucknow . The largest number awarded to one unit during a single action was seven , to the 2nd/24th Foot , for the defence of Rorke 's Drift ( 22 -- 23 January 1879 ) , during the Zulu War . Since 1991 , Australia , Canada and New Zealand have created their own separate Victoria Crosses : the Victoria Cross for Australia , the Victoria Cross for Canada , and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand . Five of these separate medals have been awarded , all for actions in the War in Afghanistan ; Willie Apiata received the Victoria Cross for New Zealand on 26 July 2007 ; Mark Donaldson received the Victoria Cross for Australia on 16 January 2009 ; and Ben Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia on 23 January 2011 . Corporal Daniel Keighran VC and Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird VC MG have also been awarded the medal for their actions in Afghanistan . As these are separate medals , they are not included in this list .   The youngest recipient of the VC was Andrew Fitzgibbon who was fifteen at the time of the action that earned him the VC . By comparison , the oldest recipient was William Raynor at 61 at the time of his action in 1857 . There have been several VCs awarded to close relatives . Four pairs of brothers and three fathers and sons have been awarded the VC . In his book Victoria Cross Heroes , Lord Ashcroft notes the story of the Gough family as possibly the `` bravest family . '' Major Charles Gough was awarded the VC in 1857 for saving his brother , Lieutenant Hugh Gough who then went on to win a VC himself in the same year , after he charged enemy guns . Charles ' son , John Gough , then went on to win the family 's third VC in 1903 .

neg: Origins of the War of 1812 The War of 1812 , a war between the United States , Great Britain , and Britain 's Indian allies , lasted from 1812 to 1815 . The U.S. declared war and historians have long debated the multiple factors behind that decision .   There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S. declaration of war : First , a series of trade restrictions introduced by Britain to impede American trade with France , a country with which Britain was at war ( the U.S. contested these restrictions as illegal under international law ) ; second , the impressment ( forced recruitment ) of U.S. seamen into the Royal Navy ; third , the British military support for American Indians who were offering armed resistance to the expansion of the American frontier to the Northwest ; fourth , a possible desire on the part of the United States to annex Canada . An implicit but powerful motivation for the Americans was the desire to uphold national honor in the face of what they considered to be British insults ( such as the Chesapeake affair ) .   American expansion into the Northwest ( Ohio , Indiana , Michigan , Illinois and Wisconsin ) was impeded by Indian raids . Some Canadian historians in the early 20th century maintained that Americans had wanted to seize parts of Canada , a view that many Canadians still share , while others argue that inducing the fear of such a seizure had merely been a U.S. tactic designed to obtain a bargaining chip . Some members of the British Parliament at the time and dissident American politicians such as John Randolph of Roanoke claimed that land hunger rather than maritime disputes was the main motivation for the American declaration . However , some historians , both Canadian and American , retain the view that desire to annex all or part of Canada was an American goal . Although the British made some concessions before the war on neutral trade , they insisted on the right to reclaim their deserting sailors . The British also had the long-standing goal of creating a large `` neutral '' Indian state that would cover much of Ohio , Indiana and Michigan . They made the demand as late as 1814 at the peace conference , but lost battles that would have validated their claims .   The war was fought in four theatres : on the oceans , where the warships and privateers of both sides preyed on each other 's merchant shipping ; along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. , which was blockaded with increasing severity by the British , who also mounted large-scale raids in the later stages of the war ; on the long frontier , running along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River , which separated the U.S. from Upper and Lower Canada ( Ontario and Quebec ) ; and finally along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico . During the course of the war , both the Americans and British launched invasions of each other 's territory , all of which were unsuccessful or gained only temporary success . At the end of the war , the British held parts of Maine and some outposts in the sparsely populated West while the Americans held Canadian territory near Detroit , but these occupied territories were restored at the end of the war .   In the United States , battles such as New Orleans and the earlier successful defence of Baltimore ( which inspired the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem , The Star-Spangled Banner ) produced a sense of euphoria over a `` second war of independence '' against Britain . It ushered in an `` Era of Good Feelings , '' in which the partisan animosity that had once verged on treason practically vanished . Canada also emerged from the war with a heightened sense of national feeling and solidarity . Britain , which had regarded the war as a sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars raging in Europe , was less affected by the fighting ; its government and people subsequently welcomed an era of peaceful relations with the United States .

neg: Great Retreat The Great Retreat , also known as the Retreat from Mons , is the name given to the long withdrawal to the River Marne , in August and September 1914 , by the British Expeditionary Force ( BEF ) and the French Fifth Army , Allied forces on the Western Front in World War I , after their defeat by the Imperial German armies at the Battle of Charleroi ( 21 August ) and the Battle of Mons ( 23 August ) . A counter-offensive by the Fifth Army , with some assistance from the BEF at the First Battle of Guise ( Battle of St. Quentin failed to end the German advance and the Franco-British retreat continued to and beyond the Marne . From the First Battle of the Marne ended the Allied retreat and forced the German armies to retire towards the Aisne river and fight the First Battle of the Aisne Reciprocal attempts to outflank the opposing armies to the north followed , known as the Race to the Sea

neg: Front (military) A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces . It can be a local or tactical front , or it can range to a theater . A typical front was the Western Front in France and Belgium in World War I.   The term `` home front '' has been used to denote conditions in the civilian sector of a country at war , including those involved in the production of matériel .  Both the Soviet and Polish Armies used the term `` front '' to mean an army group during the Polish-Soviet War and World War II . The equivalent of the term established in the header was the `` Theater of military operations '' .  The term `` front line city '' was used by the Germans during their long retreat from Moscow/Stalingrad to refer to metropolitan centres that had become disputed by the two combatants . Designation of a city as such resulted in administrative changes ( largely the imposition of martial law ) . In the film Downfall , the term was briefly referenced .  The term `` transferred to the front '' is often used by soldiers or personnel when their position has been changed from other activities .