The World War I was one of the greatest wars in the world. It began on 28 July 1914 and proceeded until November 1918. It was a global war which was mainly centered in Europe and one of the deadliest wars in history. In fact, the war involved more than nine million war men, and approximately seven million civilians were killed during the war. This deadliest conflict, however, paved way for major political amendments and changes that led to revolutions and reformation in many nations involved in the war. The war involved the world’s economic superpowers which fought in two opposing alliances. On one hand, the Allies included France, the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom. They formed specifically on the basis of the Triple Entente of 1907. On the other hand, the Central Powers of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Ottoman Empire joined hands. Italy, who was a member of the Triple Alliance, did not join the Central Powers because of the offensive and opposing views against the terms of the Triple Alliance of 1882. The Triple Alliance in the beginning included Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy, who had come together for defensive reasons.
As more nations entered the war, the Alliance expanded and became more reorganized. As time went, Bulgaria joined the Central Powers while United States and Japan supported the Allies. The Great War was prompted by the assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in the year 1914. Franz Ferdinand was the inheritor to the throne of Austria-Hungary. These caused a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary declared war against the Kingdom of Serbia. A subsequent invasion of Serbia by Austria-Hungary was conducted on 28 July 1914, but Russia intervened by mobilizing support for Serbia. In response to Russians support for Serbia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium before heading towards France. These prompted Britain to declare war against Germany. Continued mobilization and commitment by Russia to protect Serbia made prompted Germany to send an ultimatum for Russia to withdraw support for Serbia and another to France to stop supporting Russians. The response of Russian on August 1, made Germany declare war against Russia. Germany issued demands for France to remain neutral and modified the Schlieffen Plan to deploy more army to the West and less to the East.
Following France mixed message in ordering mobilization of her reserves, Germany responded by organizing her reserves and implementing the Aufmarsch II West. In addition, Germany attached Luxembourg and declared war on France on August 3, 1914. They also declared war against Belgium when it refused to allow troops from Germany to cross its borders to France. As a result, Britain declared war against Germany for not keeping Belgium neutral as agreed. Military tactics had failed to take root with advances in technology, but it began to produce gas warfare and the tank. After the battle of the Marne Entente and Germany attempted maneuvering to outflank each other but the efforts failed. German forces utilized trenches. The second battle of Ypres on April 1915 saw German forces use Chlorine gas in violation of the Hague Convention. The war proceeded towards the Eastern Front in East Europe by Russia’s invasion of Austrian Galicia. In May 1915, the Central Powers made a breakthrough, captured Warsaw and forced Russians to withdraw. After a long period of war and series of killings, the Germans made negotiations for peace with the Allies.
After much deliberation and in response to an offer of peacemaking by then the president of United States Woodrow Wilson, they sought restoration. Furthermore, the allies sought remedies that would prevent and limit future wars. These led to the appreciation of the principles of nationalities and reparation for France.
In conclusion, the Allies and the Central Powers had been trapped in the war just like men blundered into a swamp. They had invested heavily, and they could turn back the way they had come. In reality, none of the parties achieved the illusive victory.
Bibliography
Collins, Ross. World War I: primary documents on events from 1914 to 1919. Westport (Conn.): Greenwood Press, 2008
Dowling, Timothy. Personal perspectives. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2006
Lowndes, Chris. Ordinary men, extraordinary service: the World War 1 experience of the 9th battalion (Queensland) AIF & reflections on the Gallipoli campaign. Moorooka, Qld: Boolarong Press, 2011
