How the First World War ended. Important dates and events of the First World War

Dated August 1, 1914. The main reasons for the beginning of this bloody action can be called political and economic conflicts between states that were part of two military-political blocs: tripartite alliance, consisting of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary, and the Entente, which included Russia, France and Great Britain.

Tip 2: Why Germany failed to implement the Schlieffen Plan

Schlieffen's strategic plan, which assumed a quick victory for Germany in the First World War, was not implemented. But he still continues to excite the minds of military historians, because this plan was unusually risky and interesting.

Most military historians tend to think that if the plan of the Chief of the German General Staff Alfred von Schlieffen were implemented, the first World War could go quite the script. But back in 1906, the German strategist was removed from his post and his followers were afraid to implement Schlieffen's idea.

Lightning war plan

At the beginning of the last century, Germany began planning big war. This was due to the fact that France, defeated several decades earlier, was clearly hatching plans for military revenge. The German leadership was not particularly afraid of the French threat. But in the east, Russia, which was an ally of the Third Republic, was gaining economic and military power. For Germany there was real danger war on two fronts. Well aware of this, Kaiser Wilhelm ordered von Schlieffen to develop a plan for a victorious war under these conditions.

And Schlieffen, in a fairly short time, created such a plan. According to his idea, Germany was to start the first war against France, concentrating 90% of all its armed forces in this direction. Moreover, this war was supposed to be lightning fast. Only 39 days were allotted for the capture of Paris. For the final victory - 42.

It was assumed that Russia for such short term unable to mobilize. German troops, after the victory over France, will be transferred to the border with Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm approved the plan, while saying famous phrase: "We will have lunch in Paris, and we will have dinner in St. Petersburg."

Failure of the Schlieffen Plan

Helmuth von Moltke, who replaced Schlieffen with the Chief of the German General Staff, took the Schlieffen plan without much enthusiasm, considering it too risky. And for this reason, he subjected him to a thorough processing. In particular, he refused to concentrate the main forces of the German army on the western front and, for reasons of precaution, sent a significant part of the troops to the east.

But Schlieffen planned to cover the French army from the flanks and completely encircle it. But due to the transfer of significant forces to the east, the German group of troops on the western front simply did not have enough available funds for this. As a result, the French troops not only were not surrounded, but also managed to launch a powerful counterattack.

The calculation of the slowness of the Russian army in terms of protracted mobilization also did not justify itself. The invasion of Russian troops into East Prussia literally stunned the German command. Germany found itself in the grip of two fronts.

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Side Plans

Today no one remembers when it was World War I who fought with whom and because of what the conflict itself began. But millions of soldiers' graves throughout Europe and modern Russia do not let us forget about this bloody page in history, including our state.

Causes and inevitability of war.

The beginning of the last century was quite tense - revolutionary moods in the Russian Empire with regular demonstrations and terrorist attacks, local military conflicts in southern Europe, the fall Ottoman Empire and the rise of Germany.

All this did not happen in one day, the situation developed and escalated over decades and no one knew how to “blow off steam” and at least delay the start of hostilities.

By and large, each country had unsatisfied ambitions and claims against its neighbors, which, in the old fashioned way, they wanted to solve with the help of force of arms. They just didn’t take into account the moment that technological progress gave real “infernal machines” into human hands, the use of which led to a bloody massacre. It was with these words that veterans described many battles of that period.

The balance of power in Europe.

But in a war there are always two conflicting sides that are trying to get their way. During WWI, these were Entente and Central Powers.

In unleashing a conflict, it is customary to place all the blame on the losing side, so let's start with it. to the list of Central Powers on different stages wars included:

Germany.
Austria-Hungary.
Turkey.
Bulgaria.

There were only three states in the Entente:

Russian empire.
France.
England.

Both alliances were formed at the end of the nineteenth century, and for some time they balanced the political and military forces in Europe.

The realization of the inevitable major war on several fronts at the same time often stopped them from making hasty decisions, but the situation could not continue like this for a long time.

What started World War I?

The first state to announce the start of hostilities was Austro-Hungarian Empire. As enemy spoke Serbia, which sought to unite under its command all the Slavs in the southern region. Apparently, this policy was not particularly liked by the restless neighbor, who did not want to get a powerful confederation at his side that could jeopardize the very existence of Austria-Hungary.

Reason for declaring war was the murder of the heir to the imperial throne, who was shot dead by Serbian nationalists. Theoretically, this would have ended - this is not the first time that two countries in Europe have declared war on each other and, with varying success, carried out offensive or defensive operations. But the fact is that Austria-Hungary was only a protege of Germany, which had long wanted to reshape the world order in its favor.

The reason was failed colonial policy of the country who got involved in this fight too late. One of the advantages of having huge amount dependent states had a sales market, virtually unlimited. Industrialized Germany desperately needed such a bonus, but could not get it. It was impossible to resolve the issue peacefully, the neighbors safely received their profits and did not burn with the desire to share with someone.

But the defeat in hostilities and the signing of surrender could somewhat change the situation.

Allied Member States.

From the above lists, it can be concluded that no more than 7 countries, but why then is the war called the World War? The fact is that each of the blocks had allies who entered the war or left it at certain stages:

Italy.
Romania.
Portugal.
Greece.
Australia.
Belgium.
Japanese empire.
Montenegro.

These countries did not make a decisive contribution to the overall victory, but we must not forget their active participation in the war on the side of the Entente.

In 1917, the United States joined this list, after another attack German submarine to a passenger ship.

The results of the war for the main participants.

Russia was able to fulfill the minimum plan for this war - ensure the protection of the Slavs in Southern Europe . But the main goal was much more ambitious: control over the Black Sea straits could make our country a truly great maritime power.

But the then leadership did not succeed in dividing the Ottoman Empire and getting some of its most “tasty” fragments. And given the social tension in the country and the subsequent revolution, slightly different problems arose. The Austro-Hungarian Empire also ceased to exist - the worst economic and political consequences for the initiator.

France and England were able to gain a foothold in leading positions in Europe, thanks to impressive indemnities from Germany. But Germany was waiting for hyperinflation, the abandonment of the army, a severe crisis with the fall of several regimes. This led to the desire for revenge and the NSDAP at the head of state. But the United States was able to capitalize on this conflict, incurring minimal losses.

Do not forget about what the First World War is, who fought with whom and what horrors it brought to society. Rising tensions and conflicts of interest may again lead to such disastrous consequences.

Video about the First World War

World War I is one of the greatest tragedy in the history of the world. Millions of victims who died as a result of geopolitical games the mighty of the world this. This war has no clear winners. The political map has completely changed, four empires have collapsed, in addition, the center of influence has shifted to the American continent.

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Political situation before the conflict

Five empires existed on the world map: the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, as well as such superpowers as France, Italy, Japan, tried to take their place in world geopolitics.

To strengthen their positions, the states tried to form unions.

The most powerful were the Triple Alliance, which included the central powers - the German, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and the Entente: Russia, Great Britain, France.

Background and objectives of the First World War

Main background and goals:

Alliances. According to the treaties, if one of the countries of the union declared war, then others should take their side. Behind this stretches a chain of involvement of states in the war. This is exactly what happened when the First World War began.
Colonies. Powers that did not have colonies or did not have enough of them sought to fill this gap, and the colonies sought to free themselves.
Nationalism. Each power considered itself unique and the most powerful. many empires claimed world domination.
Arms race. Their power had to be backed up by military power, so the economies of the major powers worked for the defense industry.
Imperialism. Every empire, if not expanding, is collapsing. There were five then. Each sought to expand its borders at the expense of weaker states, satellites and colonies. Especially the young German Empire, which was formed after the Franco-Prussian war, aspired to this.
Terrorist attack. This event was the reason for the global conflict. The Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. The heir to the throne, Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia arrived in the acquired territory - Sarajevo. There was a fatal assassination attempt by a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip. Because of the assassination of the prince, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which led to a chain of conflicts.

Speaking briefly about the First World War, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson believed that it did not start for any reason, but cumulatively for all at once.

Important! Gavrilo Princip was arrested, but death penalty they could not apply to him, because he was not 20 years old. The terrorist was sentenced to twenty years in prison, but he died of tuberculosis four years later.

When did World War I start

Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to Serbia to purge all authorities and the army, eliminate persons with anti-Austrian convictions, arrest members of terrorist organizations, and also allow the Austrian police to enter Serbia for investigation.

Two days were given to fulfill the ultimatum. Serbia agreed with everything except the admission of the Austrian police.

July 28th, under the pretext of not complying with the ultimatum, Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war on Serbia. From this date officially count down the time when the First World War began.

The Russian Empire has always supported Serbia, therefore it began to mobilize. On July 31, Germany delivered an ultimatum to stop mobilization, and gave 12 hours to complete. The response announced that the mobilization was taking place exclusively against Austria-Hungary. Despite the fact that Wilhelm ruled the German Empire, a relative of Nicholas the Emperor of the Russian Empire, August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on the Russian Empire. Then Germany concludes an alliance with the Ottoman Empire.

After the German invasion of neutral Belgium, Britain did not remain neutral, declaring war on the Germans. August 6 Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary. Italy is neutral. August 12 Austria-Hungary begins to fight with Britain and France. Japan opposes Germany on August 23. Further along the chain, more and more new states are involved in the war, one after another, all over the world. The United States of America enters only on December 7, 1917.

Important! England first used tracked fighting vehicles, now known as tanks, during the First World War. The word "tank" means tank. So British intelligence tried to disguise the transfer of equipment under the guise of tanks with fuel and lubricants. Subsequently, this name was assigned to combat vehicles.

The main events of the First World War and the role of Russia in the conflict

The main battles are unfolding on the western front, in the direction of Belgium and France, as well as the East - from Russia. With the accession of the Ottoman Empire began a new round of operations in the eastern direction.

Chronology of Russia's participation in the First World War:

East Prussian operation. The Russian army crossed the border of East Prussia towards Königsberg. 1st Army from the east, 2nd - from the west of the Masurian Lakes. The Russians won the first battles, but misjudged the situation, which led to a further defeat. Big number soldiers became prisoners, many died, so had to fight back.
Galician operation. Huge scale battle. Five armies were involved here. The front line was oriented towards Lvov, it was 500 km. Later, the front broke up into separate positional battles. Then began the rapid offensive of the Russian army against Austria-Hungary, its troops were pushed back.
Warsaw show. After a series of successful operations from different sides, the front line became crooked. There were many forces thrown to her alignment. The city of Lodz was alternately occupied by one or the other side. Germany launched an attack on Warsaw, but it was unsuccessful. Although the Germans failed to capture Warsaw and Lodz, the Russian offensive was thwarted. Russia's actions forced Germany to fight on two fronts, thanks to which a large-scale offensive against France was thwarted.
The entry of Japan to the side of the Entente. Japan demanded that Germany withdraw its troops from China, after the refusal it announced the start of hostilities, taking the side of the Entente countries. it significant event for Russia, since now there was no need to worry about the threat from Asia, besides, the Japanese helped with provisions.
The accession of the Ottoman Empire to the side of the Triple Alliance. The Ottoman Empire hesitated for a long time, but nevertheless took the side of the Triple Alliance. The first act of her aggression was the attacks on Odessa, Sevastopol, Feodosia. After that, on November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey.
August operation. It took place in the winter of 1915, and received its name from the city of Augustow. Here the Russians could not resist, they had to retreat to new positions.
Carpathian operation. There were attempts on both sides to cross the Carpathian mountains, but the Russians failed to do so.
Gorlitsky breakthrough. The army of Germans and Austrians concentrated their forces near Gorlitsa, in the direction of Lvov. On May 2, an offensive was carried out, as a result of which Germany was able to occupy Gorlitsa, Kielce and Radom provinces, Brody, Ternopil, Bukovina. The second wave of the Germans managed to recapture Warsaw, Grodno, Brest-Litovsk. In addition, it was possible to occupy Mitava and Courland. But off the coast of Riga, the Germans were defeated. To the south, the offensive of the Austro-German troops continued, Lutsk, Vladimir-Volynsky, Kovel, Pinsk were occupied there. By the end of 1915 the front line has stabilized. Germany threw the main forces in the direction of Serbia and Italy. As a result of great failures at the front, the heads of the army commanders "flew". Emperor Nicholas II, took over not only the management of Russia, but also the direct command of the army.
Brusilovsky breakthrough. The operation is named after the commander A.A. Brusilov, who won this fight. As a result of a breakthrough (May 22, 1916) the Germans were defeated they had to retreat with huge losses, leaving Bukovina and Galicia.
Internal conflict. The Central Powers began to become significantly exhausted from waging war. The Entente with the allies looked more profitable. Russia at that time was on the winning side. She invested a lot of effort and human lives for this, but she could not become a winner because of an internal conflict. It happened in the country, because of which Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The Provisional Government came to power, then the Bolsheviks. To stay in power, they took Russia out of the theater of operations by making peace with the central states. This act is known as Brest Treaty.
Internal conflict of the German Empire. On November 9, 1918, a revolution took place, which resulted in the abdication of the throne by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Weimar Republic was also formed.
Treaty of Versailles. Between the winning countries and Germany On January 10, 1920, the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Officially the first world war ended.
The League of nations. The first assembly of the League of Nations was held on November 15, 1919.

Attention! The field postman wore a lush mustache, but during the gas attack, the mustache prevented him from wearing a gas mask tightly, because of this the postman was severely poisoned. I had to make a small antennae so as not to interfere with wearing a gas mask. The postman was called.

Consequences and results of the First World War for Russia

The results of the war for Russia:

For a step away from victory, the country made peace, stripped of all privileges like a winner.
The Russian Empire ceased to exist.
The country voluntarily gave up large territories.
Undertook to pay an indemnity in gold and products.
It was not possible to establish a state machine for a long time due to an internal conflict.

Global consequences of the conflict

Irreversible consequences occurred on the world stage, the cause of which was the First World War:

Territory. 34 out of 59 states were involved in the theater of operations. This is more than 90% of the Earth's territory.
human sacrifice. Every minute 4 soldiers were killed and 9 were injured. In total, about 10 million soldiers; 5 million civilians, 6 million died from epidemics that flared up after the conflict. Russia in World War I lost 1.7 million soldiers.
Destruction. A significant part of the territories where fighting, were destroyed.
Cardinal changes in the political situation.
Economy. Europe lost a third of its gold and foreign exchange reserves, which led to a difficult economic situation in almost all countries except Japan and the United States.

The results of the armed conflict:

The Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German empires ceased to exist.
The European powers lost their colonies.
Such states as Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Austria, Hungary appeared on the world map.
The United States of America became the leader of the world economy.
Communism has spread in many countries.

The role of Russia in the 1st world war

Results of the First World War for Russia

Conclusion

Russia in the First World War 1914-1918 had victories and defeats. When the First World War ended, she received the main defeat not from an external enemy, from herself, an internal conflict that put an end to the empire. Who won the conflict is unclear. Although the Entente with its allies is considered the winner, but their economic condition was deplorable. They did not have time to recover, even before the start of the next conflict.

To maintain peace and consensus among all states, the League of Nations was organized. She played the role of an international parliament. Interestingly, the United States initiated its creation, but they themselves refused membership in the organization. As history has shown, it became a continuation of the first, as well as a revenge of the powers offended by the results of the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations here proved to be an absolutely ineffective and useless body.

The last century brought to mankind two of the most terrible conflicts - the First and Second World Wars, which captured the whole world. And if the echoes of the Patriotic War are still heard, then the clashes of 1914-1918 have already been forgotten, despite their cruelty. Who fought with whom, what were the reasons for the confrontation, and in what year did the First World War begin?

A military conflict does not start suddenly, there are a number of prerequisites that directly or indirectly eventually become the causes of an open clash of armies. Differences between the main participants in the conflict, the powerful powers, began to grow long before the start of open battles.

The German Empire began its existence, which was the natural end of the Franco-Prussian battles of 1870-1871. At the same time, the government of the empire argued that the state had no aspirations regarding the seizure of power and domination on the territory of Europe.

After the devastating internal conflicts of the German monarchy, it took time to recuperate and build military power, this requires peaceful times. In addition, European states are willing to cooperate with it and refrain from creating an opposing coalition.

Developing peacefully, by the mid-1880s, the Germans were getting stronger enough in the military and economic spheres and were changing their foreign policy priorities, starting to fight for dominance in Europe. At the same time, a course was taken for the expansion of the southern lands, since the country did not have overseas colonies.

The colonial division of the world allowed the two strongest states - Great Britain and France to seize economically attractive lands around the world. In order to get overseas markets, the Germans needed to defeat these states and seize their colonies.

But in addition to the neighbors, the Germans had to defeat the Russian state, since in 1891 it entered into a defensive alliance, which was called the “Cardial Accord”, or Entente, with France and England (joined in 1907).

Austria-Hungary, in turn, tried to hold on to the annexed territories (Herzegovina and Bosnia) and at the same time tried to resist Russia, which set itself the goal of protecting and uniting the Slavic peoples in Europe and could start a confrontation. Russia's ally, Serbia, also posed a danger to Austria-Hungary.

The same tense situation was in the Middle East: it was there that foreign policy interests clashed European states who wanted to gain new territories and gain more from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Here Russia claimed its rights, claiming the shores of two straits: the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In addition, Emperor Nicholas II wanted to gain control over Anatolia, since this territory allowed access to the Middle East by land.

The Russians did not want to allow the withdrawal of these territories of Greece and Bulgaria. Therefore, European clashes were beneficial to them, since they made it possible to seize the desired lands in the East.

So, two alliances were created, the interests and opposition of which became the fundamental basis of the First World War:

Entente - it included Russia, France and Great Britain.
The Triple Alliance - it included the empires of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians, as well as the Italians.

It's important to know! Later, the Ottomans and Bulgarians joined the Triple Alliance, and the name was changed to the Quadruple Alliance.

The main reasons for the start of the war were:

The desire of the Germans to own large territories and occupy a dominant position in the world.
France's desire to take a leading position in Europe.
The desire of Great Britain to weaken the European countries that posed a danger.
Russia's attempt to seize new territories and protect the Slavic peoples from aggression.
Confrontations between European and Asian states for spheres of influence.

The crisis of the economy and the discrepancy between the interests of the leading powers of Europe, and after that of other states, led to the beginning of an open military conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

German goals

Who started the battles? Germany is considered the main aggressor and the country that actually started the First World War. But at the same time, it is a mistake to believe that she alone wanted a conflict, despite the active preparation of the Germans and the provocation, which became the official cause of open clashes.

All European countries had their own interests, the achievement of which required victory over their neighbors.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the empire was developing rapidly and was well prepared from a military point of view: it had good army, modern weapons and a powerful economy. Due to the constant strife between the German lands, until the middle of the 19th century, Europe did not consider the Germans as a serious adversary and competitor. But after the unification of the lands of the empire and the restoration of the domestic economy, the Germans not only became an important character in the European arena, but also began to think about seizing colonial lands.

The division of the world into colonies brought England and France not only an expanded market and cheap hired labor, but also an abundance of food. The German economy began to move from intensive development to stagnation due to market glut, and population growth and limited territories led to food shortages.

The country's leadership decided to completely change foreign policy, and instead of peaceful participation in European unions, they chose illusory domination through the military seizure of territories. The First World War began immediately after the assassination of the Austrian Franz Ferdinand, which was rigged by the Germans.

Participants in the conflict

Who fought with whom throughout the battles? The main participants concentrate in two camps:

Triple and then Quadruple Union;
Entente.

The first camp included Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Italians. This alliance was created back in the 1880s, its main goal was to oppose France.

At the beginning of the First World War, the Italians took up neutrality, thereby violating the plans of the allies, and later completely betrayed them, in 1915 going over to the side of England and France and taking an opposing position. Instead, the Germans had new allies: the Turks and Bulgarians, who had their own clashes with members of the Entente.

In the First World War, briefly listing, in addition to the Germans, Russians, French and British participated, who acted within the framework of one military bloc "Consent" (this is how the word Entente is translated). It was created in 1893-1907 in order to protect the Allied countries from the ever-growing military power of the Germans and to strengthen the Triple Alliance. The allies were also supported by other states that did not want to strengthen the Germans, among them Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Serbia.

It's important to know! Russia's allies in the conflict were also outside Europe, among them China, Japan, and the United States.

Russia in the First World War fought not only with Germany, but with a number of smaller states, for example, Albania. Only two main fronts unfolded: in the West and in the East. In addition to them, battles took place in the Transcaucasus and in the Middle Eastern and African colonies.

Interests of the parties

The main interest of all battles was the land, due to various circumstances, each side sought to conquer additional territories. All states had their own interest:

The Russian Empire wanted to get an open access to the seas.
Great Britain sought to weaken Turkey and Germany.
France - to return their lands.
Germany - expand the territory by capturing neighboring European states, as well as get a number of colonies.
Austria-Hungary - control the sea routes and hold the annexed territories.
Italy - to gain dominance in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The approaching collapse of the Ottoman Empire made the states also think about seizing its lands. The map of hostilities shows the main fronts and advances of the opponents.

It's important to know! In addition to maritime interests, Russia wanted to unite all the Slavic lands under itself, while the Balkans were especially interested in the government.

Each country had clear plans to seize territories and was determined to win. Most of the countries of Europe participated in the conflict, while their military capabilities were approximately the same, which led to a protracted and passive war.

Results

When did World War I end? Its end came in November 1918 - it was then that Germany capitulated, concluding in June next year treaty at Versailles, thereby showing who won the First World War - the French and the British.

The Russians were the losers on the winning side as they withdrew from the battles as early as March 1918 due to serious internal political divisions. In addition to Versailles, 4 more were signed peace treaties with the main opposing sides.

For four empires, the First World War ended with their collapse: the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, the Ottomans were overthrown in Turkey, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians also became republicans.

There were also changes in the territories, in particular the capture of: Western Thrace by Greece, Tanzania by England, Romania took possession of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia, and the French - Alsace-Lorraine and Lebanon. The Russian Empire lost a number of territories that declared independence, among them: Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

The French occupied the German region of Saar, and Serbia annexed a number of lands (including Slovenia and Croatia) and subsequently created the state of Yugoslavia. Russia's battles in the First World War were costly: in addition to heavy losses on the fronts, the already aggravated a difficult situation in economics.

The internal situation was tense long before the start of the campaign, and when, after an intense first year of fighting, the country switched to positional struggle, the suffering people actively supported the revolution and overthrew the objectionable tsar.

This confrontation showed that from now on all armed conflicts will be total in nature, and the entire population and all available resources of the state will be involved.

It's important to know! For the first time in history, adversaries used chemical weapons.

Both military blocs, entering into a confrontation, had approximately the same firepower, which led to protracted battles. Equal forces at the beginning of the campaign led to the fact that after its end, each country was actively engaged in building up firepower and actively developing modern and powerful weapons.

The scale and passive nature of the battles led to a complete restructuring of the economy and production of countries in the direction of militarization, which in turn significantly influenced the development of the European economy in 1915–1939. Characteristic for this period were:

strengthening state influence and control in the economic sphere;
creation of military complexes;
rapid development of energy systems;
the growth of defense products.

Wikipedia says that in that historical period the First World War was the bloodiest - it claimed only about 32 million lives, including the military and civilians who died from hunger and disease or from bombing. But even those soldiers who survived were psychologically traumatized by the war and could not lead a normal life. In addition, many of them were poisoned by chemical weapons used at the front.

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Summing up

Germany, which was sure of its victory in 1914, ceased to be a monarchy in 1918, lost a number of its lands and was severely weakened economically not only by military losses, but also by mandatory payments of reparations. The difficult conditions and general humiliation of the nation that the Germans experienced after being defeated by the Allies gave rise to and fueled nationalist sentiments that subsequently led to the conflict of 1939-1945.

The First World War began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and lasted until 1918. In the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire (Central Powers) fought Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States (Allied Powers).

Thanks to new military technology and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I was unprecedented in terms of bloodshed and destruction. By the time the war ended and the victory of the Allied Powers, more than 16 million people, both soldiers and civilians, were dead.

The beginning of the first world war

Tension hung over Europe, especially in the problematic Balkan region and southeastern Europe, long before the actual start of the First World War. Some alliances, including European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other powers, had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (notably Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.

The spark that ignited the First World War originated in Sarajevo (Bosnia), where Archduke Franz Ferdinand - heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire - was shot dead along with his wife Sofia by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other nationalists were fed up with Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly spreading chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many other countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident to settle the issue of Serbian nationalism once and for all under the pretense of restoring justice.

But because of Russia's support for Serbia, Austria-Hungary delayed declaring war until their leaders received confirmation from the German ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm II, that Germany would support their cause. Austria-Hungary was afraid that the Russian intervention would also attract Russia's allies - France, and possibly Great Britain.

On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary the so-called carte blanche to take action and the assurance that Germany would be on their side in case of war. The dualistic Monarchy of Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia with conditions so harsh that they could not be accepted.

Convinced that Austria-Hungary is preparing for war, the Serbian government orders the mobilization of the army and asks for help from Russia. July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and the fragile peace between the greatest European powers collapses. For a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia oppose Austria-Hungary and Germany. Thus began the First World War.

Western Front

In an aggressive military strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan (named for the Chief of the German General Staff, General Alfred von Schlieffen), Germany began fighting World War I on two fronts, invading France through neutral Belgium in the west and confronting powerful Russia in the east. .

On August 4, 1914, German troops crossed the Belgian border. In the first battle of the First World War, the Germans laid siege to the well-fortified city of Liege. They used the most powerful weapon in their arsenal, heavy artillery pieces, and captured the city by 15 August. Leaving death and destruction in their wake, including the execution of civilians and the execution of a Belgian priest who was suspected of organizing civil resistance, the Germans advanced through Belgium towards France.

In the first battle of the Marne, which took place on September 6-9, French and British troops entered the battle with the German army, which had penetrated deep into French territory from the northeast and was already 50 kilometers from Paris. Allied forces halted the German advance and launched a successful counterattack, driving the Germans back north of the Ein River.

The defeat meant the end of the German plans for a quick victory over France. Both sides dug in trenches, and the western front turned into a hellish war of extermination that lasted more than three years.

Particularly long and major battles of the campaign took place at Verdun (February-December 1916) and on the Somme (July-November 1916). The combined losses of the German and French armies amount to about a million casualties in the Battle of Verdun alone.

The bloodshed on the battlefields of the western front and the hardships faced by the soldiers over the years inspired such works as: "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque and "In the Fields of Flanders" by Canadian doctor Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

Eastern front

On the eastern front First World War Russian troops invaded the German-controlled regions of Eastern and Poland, but were stopped by German and Austrian forces at the Battle of Tannenberg in late August 1914.

Despite this victory, the Russian attack forced Germany to transfer 2 corps from the western to the eastern front, which ultimately had an impact on the German defeat at the Battle of the Marne.
Violent allied resistance in France, coupled with the ability to quickly mobilize Russia's huge war machine, led to a longer and more exhausting military confrontation than the quick victory plan that Germany had hoped for under the Schlieffen plan.

Revolution in Russia

From 1914 to 1916, the Russian army launched several attacks on the eastern front, but the Russian Army was unable to break through the German defensive lines.

The defeats on the battlefields, coupled with economic instability and a shortage of food and basic necessities, led to growing discontent among the bulk of the Russian population, especially among the poor workers and peasants. The increased hostility was directed against the monarchical regime of Emperor Nicholas II and his extremely unpopular German-born wife.

Russian instability exceeded the boiling point, which resulted in the Russian Revolution of 1917, led by and. The revolution ended monarchical rule and led to the end of Russia's participation in the First World War. Russia reached an agreement to cease hostilities with the Central Powers in early December 1917, freeing German troops to fight the remaining Allies on the western front.

USA enters World War I

At the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, the United States preferred to remain on the sidelines, adhering to President Woodrow Wilson's policy of neutrality. At the same time, they supported commercial relations and trade with European countries on both sides of the conflict.

Neutrality, however, became more difficult to maintain as German submarines became aggressive against neutral ships, even those carrying only passengers. In 1915, Germany declared the waters around the British Isles a war zone and the German submarines sank several commercial and passenger ships, including US ships.

Widespread public outcry was caused by the sinking of the British transatlantic liner Lusitania by a German submarine en route from New York to Liverpool. Hundreds of Americans were on board, which in May 1915 caused a shift in American public opinion against Germany. In February 1917, the US Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriation bill to enable the US to prepare for war.

Germany sank 4 more US merchant ships in the same month, and on April 2, President Woodrow Wilson appeared before Congress calling for a declaration of war on Germany.

Dardanelles operation and the battle of the Isonzo

When World War I put Europe in a stalemate, the Allies attempted to defeat the Ottoman Empire, which had entered the war on the side of the Central Powers in late 1914.

After a failed attack on the Dardanelles (the strait connecting the Seas of Marmara and the Aegean), British-led Allied troops landed a large force on the Gallipoli peninsula in April 1915.

The invasion turned out to be a crushing defeat and in January 1916 the Allied forces were forced to make a full retreat from the coast of the peninsula, having suffered losses of 250,000 people.
Young, First Lord of the Admiralty of Great Britain resigned as commander after the lost Gallipoli campaign in 1916, accepting appointment as commander of an infantry battalion in France.

British-led forces also fought in Egypt and Mesopotamia. At the same time, in northern Italy, Austrian and Italian troops met in a series of 12 battles on the banks of the Isonzo River, located on the border of the two states.

The first Battle of the Isonzo took place in the late spring of 1915, shortly after Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies. At the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, also known as the Battle of Caporetto (October 1917), German reinforcements helped Austria-Hungary win a landslide victory.

After Caporetto, the allies of Italy got involved in the confrontation to provide support to Italy. British and French, and then American troops landed in the region, and Allied troops began to retake their lost positions on the Italian front.

World War I at sea

In the years leading up to the First World War, the superiority of the British Royal Navy was undeniable, but the German Imperial Navy made significant progress in closing the gap between the forces of the two fleets. The strength of the German fleet in open waters was supported by deadly submarines.

After the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, in which Britain launched a surprise attack on German ships in the North Sea, the German Navy chose not to engage the mighty British Royal Navy in major battles throughout the year, preferring to pursue a strategy of hidden strikes by submarines.

largest naval battle World War I - Battle of Jutland in the North Sea (May 1916). The battle confirmed British naval superiority, and Germany made no further attempts to lift the Allied naval blockade until the end of the war.

Towards a truce

Germany was able to strengthen its position on the western front after the armistice with Russia, which forced the Allied forces to do their best to contain the German advance until the arrival of the reinforcements promised by the United States.

On July 15, 1918, German troops launched what would become the last attack of the war on French troops, joined by 85,000 American soldiers and the British Expeditionary Force, in the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies successfully repulsed the German offensive and launched their own counterattack after only 3 days.

Having suffered significant losses, German forces were forced to abandon their plan to advance north into Flanders, a region stretching between France and Belgium. The region seemed particularly important to Germany's prospects for victory.

The Second Battle of the Marne turned the balance of power in favor of the Allies, who were able to take control of large parts of France and Belgium in the following months. By the autumn of 1918, the Central Powers were losing on all fronts. Despite the Turkish victory at Gallipoli, subsequent defeats and the Arab revolt devastated the Ottoman economy and devastated their lands. The Turks were forced to sign a settlement agreement with the Allies at the end of October 1918.

Austria-Hungary, eroded from within by the growing nationalist movement, concluded an armistice on 4 November. german army was cut off from supplies from the rear and faced with a decrease in resources for combat operations due to the encirclement of allied troops. This forced Germany to seek an armistice, which she concluded on November 11, 1918, ending the First World War.

Treaty of Versailles

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Allied leaders expressed their desire to build a post-war world capable of protecting itself from future destructive conflicts.

Some hopeful conference attendees even called World War I "The War to End All Other Wars." But the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, did not achieve its goals.

Years later, the hatred of the Germans for the Treaty of Versailles and its authors will be considered one of the main reasons that provoked the Second World War.

Results of the First World War

The First World War claimed the lives of more than 9 million soldiers and more than 21 million were wounded. Losses among the civilian population amounted to about 10 million. Germany and France suffered the most significant losses, sending about 80 percent of their male population between the ages of 15 and 49 to the war.

Decay political alliances, which accompanied the First World War, led to the displacement of 4 monarchical dynasties: German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Turkish.

The First World War led to a massive shift in social strata, as millions of women were forced to go into working professions to support the men fighting at the front and replace those who never returned from the battlefields.

The first, such a large-scale war, also caused the spread of one of the world's largest epidemics of the Spanish flu, or "Spanish flu", which claimed the lives of 20 to 50 million people.

The First World War is also called the "first modern war", as it was the first to use the latest military developments at that time, such as machine guns, tanks, aircraft and radio transmissions.

The grave consequences caused by the use of chemical weapons such as mustard gas and phosgene against soldiers and civilians have intensified public opinion towards prohibiting their further use as weapons.

Signed in 1925, it banned the use of chemical and biological weapons in armed conflicts to this day.