100 years ago ended a war whose intensity and scale the planet had never before seen. A war that involved quite 60 million soldiersaround the world . the origins, eventsand consequences of war I. to know the origins of war I,we start in 1871 at the top of the Franco-German war betweenthe French Empire and therefore the Confederation of North Germany, alliedwith the German states of the south. After 6 months of fighting, France is defeatedand the victors unite to make the German Empire. Alsace and Moselle are annexed to the newempire, frustrating the French side. within the following years, Germany would greatlyadvance its industry and economy. The country also builds alliances, first withthe Austro-Hungarian Empire then with Italy, which is frustrated byFrance colonizing Tunisia.
The three form the Triplice or Triple Alliance. Growing in power and standing ,Germany begins colonizing African territories. For its part, France allies with the RussianEmpire and signs a secret pact of non-aggression with Italy, thus avoiding a second front incase of war. British Empire fears the increase of the Germanarmy, more specifically of its navy. Britain comes out of isolation, moves closerto France, then to Russia. Together, they form the Triple Entente. within the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empireannex Bosnia and Herzegovina, much to the displeasure of neighboring Serbia which dreamed of 1 day uniting the South Slav people. This project appeals to Russia, which diplomaticallyallies itself with Serbia.
On Saints Peter and Paul , 1914, a young Serbian nationalist from Bosnia murders the heir to the throne of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary accuses Serbia of getting organizedthe attack and despite Russian threats declares war the subsequent month. during a few days, the conflict spreads between the countries of the Triple Entente and therefore the Triple Alliance. Only Italy remains neutral for the instant . The German plan is to beat the Frencharmy, concentrated within the East, by planning an attack from the north. to realize this, Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium, in violation of their neutrality within the conflicts. The French, British and Belgian armies areforced to retreat. Fearing the capture of Paris, the French governmentmoves to Bordeaux. But the German army turns faraway from the cityto continue surrounding the French army. they're then attacked on the flanks by thearmy of Paris which forces them to retreat further north, marking the failure of theSchlieffen plan. The new German objective is to takeover the strategic ports of Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne to chop British supplies.
The inferior Belgian army cannot resist theGerman advance. within the plain of Yser, the selection is then madeto open lock gates to flood the polders. With the German army stopped in their tracks, the frontline is etched out with the development of 700 km of trenches, stretching from theNorth Sea to Switzerland. With the war frontlines stabilized in thewest, Germany sends its troops to the east to fight against a Russian offensive, whichputs pressure on Austria-Hungary.
After some hesitation, the Ottoman Empiredecides to support Germany within the war. This creates several new fronts: one in theCaucasus, another within the Sinai against British protectorate in Egypt with the goalof controlling the Suez Canal; and eventually a 3rd front within the British protectorate of Kuwait over the difficulty of oil resources. To weaken the Ottoman Empire , Britain supports an Arab rebellion by promising them independence in liberated lands. Finally, Italy declares war on Austria-Hungarywith the hope of gaining new territory. In Asia, Japan visited war against Germanyand seized its colonies within the Pacific and China.
In Africa, German colonies are stormed byFrench, British and Belgian forces. many of us from colonized territories areenlisted in European armies. France mobilizes nearly 800,000 people, alarge proportion of whom are sent to Europe. British Empire, for its part, enlists2.7 million men from its dominions and colonies. quite half come from British India. within the Balkans, Bulgaria goes back to waralongside the Central Empires. The country features a great territorial appetiteand wants to expand altogether directions. Serbia is attacked on two fronts and is quickly invaded. within the West, Germany continues with military innovations. It becomes the primary to arrange aerial bombardmentscarried out by zeppelin airships.
London and Paris are regularly attacked. The air force is initially used for trackingand reconnaissance, but planes are quickly fitted out with machine guns, leading to the primary aerial battles. In another first, Germany launches submarinewars in British body of water , sinking ships it encounters. Finally, within the trenches, each side use toxicgases that cause many casualties. Despite some attempts to seek out breakthroughs,the frontline of war remains fixed, at great human cost. within the trenches, soldiers who survived thefighting are forced to measure in harsh conditions. Mud, vermin, rats and therefore the smell of decayingcorpses put their nerves to the test. within the spring, the French side begins mutiniesthat would be suppressed. Germany also tires of the stalemate. The country is now focused on war on the economicfront and sends its submarines to the Atlantic to sink all types of ships, even commercialones, heading to the uk .
Exhausted by war, Russia suffers more than1.7 million military casualties. Morale is at its lowest point on the frontlinesand among the general public . Then takes place a brief revolution that bringsdown the regime of the Tsars. At an equivalent time, the us of America finds itself becoming a victim of the commercial blockade within the Atlantic. They plan to attend war alongside the Allies. In Russia, a second revolution allows theBolsheviks to return to power, who immediately sign a ceasefire with the Central Empires. With the Russian front in check , Germanyconcentrates its troops on the west. The country succeeds during a breakthrough inthe trenches and approaches Paris, which it bombards. But the German army moves too fast to the south. The French army counterattacks and disintegratesGerman defenses. In panic, German soldiers get back the north. From this moment, the Allies lead on all fronts. In Germany, mutinies and a revolutionary waveforced the emperor to abdicate and allows the signing of the Armistice, marking theend of the “Great War” that kills quite 18 million people. On June 28, 1919, a peace is signedat Versailles. German representatives aren't invited and therefore the country is forced to simply accept all demands of the victors. Germany and its allies are held solely responsiblefor war damages and must pay heavy compensation. Austria-Hungary and therefore the Ottoman empires aredismantled, making way for brand spanking new countries or colonies. Germany, meanwhile, finds itself humiliatedand indebted. Its army is disbanded and colonies sharedamong the Allies. The country cedes roughly 15 percent of its territory to France, Belgium, Denmark and Poland, which is recreated.
the sole consolation is Germany remains largelyintact thanks to no fighting on its territory, and its industry remains standing. The humiliation imposed upon Germany alreadyleaves it with a desire for revenge.
Hello, my name is Sanjib kumar biswas. I'm a 29 year old self-employed, history lover.
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