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Main Causes :
-Franco-Prussian War:
France received a humiliating lost, losing Alsace and Lorraine and was forced to pay
a huge indemnity to Prussia. Also it resulted in the formation of the German Empire.
Wilhelm II came in control over the German Empire , dismissing Otto Von Bismarck
and refused to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia that maintained the peace
between Russia and Austria-Hungary and kept France isolated. This lead to an
alliance between France and Russia(1892) which will later be the basis of the Triple
Alliance.
-Balkan Wars:
In 1912 , Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria formed the Balkan League, a
military alliance against the Ottoman Empire. Within a few months, the Balkan allies
stripped the Ottoman Empire of its possessions in the Balkans and divided the
territory among themselves. In June, Bulgaria turned against its allies of Serbia and
Greece due to a dispute over partition of Macedonia. But the Bulgarians were
defeated within a month and forced to give up their claims in Macedonia.
-July Ultimatum:
On July 23, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia. Vienna, however,
intentionally imposed impossible demands to Serbia in order to be able to declare
war on its neighbor for orchestrating the assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand of Austria. A few days later, the Austro-Hungarian troops invaded Serbia
and started the devastating World War I.
Other Causes :
-
Colonial Problems
Nationalism
Balkan crisis
External tensions
Main Battles :
1916
A major military engagement of World War I, the Battle of Verdun was a ten month
long ordeal between the French and German armies. The battle was part of an
unsuccessful German campaign to take the offensive on the western front. Both the
French and German armies suffered incredibly with an estimated 540,000 French
and 430,000 German casualties and no strategic advantages were gained for either
side. The Battle of Verdun is considered to be one of the most brutal events of World
War I, and the site itself is remembered as the "battlefield with the highest density
of dead per square yard."
1914 1918
On September 4, 1914, the rapid advances of the German army through Belgium
and northern France caused panic in the French army and troops were rushed from
Paris in taxis to halt the advance. Combined with the BEF (British Expeditionary
Force) the Germans were eventually halted and the War settled into the familiar
defensive series of entrenchment's.
Ironically, by the end of May, 1918, the Germans had again reached the Marne after
the enormous successes of Ludendorff's offensives of that year. The intervening four
years had cost hundreds of thousands of lives and the armies were still, literally,
exactly where they had started.
1914
1915
1917
There were in fact three battles fought around the Ypres salient during the War. The
first, in 1914 was an attempt by the BEF to halt the rapid advances made by the
Germans. The second, in 1915, was notable for the first use of poison gas by the
Germans. However, it is the long-planned offensive of July 31, 1917, that holds the
most significance. Here, a combination of over-ambitious aims, appalling weather
conditions, and misguided persistence by Haig led to horrific losses. By the time the
offensive was called off total casualties for both sides had been approximately
250,000. The horrors of the battle, in which men drowned in liquid mud has become
synonymous with the images of the War. One of the central objectives, the village of
Passchendale (eventually taken on November 6 by the Canadians), lent its name to
the whole conflict.
1916
At 0730 hours on the 1st July, 1916, after a weeklong artillery bombardment
launched the now infamous "Big Push" attack across the river Somme. With the
French Army being hard-pressed to the south at Verdun the British intended to
breakthrough the German defences in a matter of hours. After the first day, with a
gain of only 1.5km, the British had suffered 57,470 casualties. Despite this, Haig
pressed on with the attack until November 19th of the same year. For the meagre
achievements, total losses on the British and Imperial side numbered 419,654 with
German casualties between 450,000 and 680,000. When the offensive was
eventually called off the British were still 3 miles short of Bapaume and Serre, part
of their first-day objectives.
1917
On November 20, 1917, the British launched the first full-scale offensive that was
designed exclusively to accommodate the British secret weapon, the tank (so-called
because when the first shipment came from England they were described as water
tanks to maintain secrecy). A surprise artillery barrage started the offensive and
476 tanks, packed tightly for a mass attack moved against the German lines.
Supported by infantry the gains were dramatic, breaching the almost impregnable
Hindenberg line to depths of 4-5 miles in some places. However, these gains
seemed to surprise British High Command equally as much as the Germans, and the
following cavalry failed to take advantage. Nevertheless, Cambrai demonstrated
how a well-thought out attack, combining tanks en masse with surprise, could be
used to break the trench deadlock.
-Russian Revolution
1917
Hindenburg line (was a German defensive position of World War I, built during the
winter of 19161917 on the Western Front, from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on
the Aisne)
Personalities :
German
Manfred von Richthofen The Red Baron ( died on 1918) Sir Douglas Haig British
Erich Ludendorff German
Aftermath :
The number of men mobilized by both sides during the was totaled over 65
million
Historians estimate that up to 10 million men died on the battlefield and
around 20 million were wounded
The Big Three : George Clemenceau from France said that Germany should be
harshly punished
Woodrow Wilson from USA believed In peaceful cooperation among
nations
David Lloyd George from UK said that Germany should be punished but
not harshly to .
prevent a new war.
Peace Treaties of the First World War : Treaty of Saint Germain 1919 Austria
Treaty of Neuilly 1919 Bulgaria
Treaty of Trianon 1919 Hungary
Treaty of Sevres 1920 Turkey
Treaty of Lausanne 1923 Turkey
Treaty of Versailles 1919 Germany
to France
Trasjordan to Great