World War I also termed as the First World War. This war was
a worldwide war beginning in Europe that initiated on 28 July 1914 and ended on
11 November 1918. More than seventy million military staff, including sixty
million Europeans staff, were deployed in World War I. Over nine million soldiers
and seven million civilians died as a consequence of the war. It was
precipitated major political change in many of the nations involved. After the
end of this conflict, Unsatisfied rivalries leaded to the begin of the World
War II two decades later.
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| World War I from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 |
The conflict gathered in two opposing unions or alliances: Allies
versus the Central Powers. The Allies were alliance of the Triple Entente of
the Russian Empire, the French Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland while the Central Powers alliance of Germany and
Austria-Hungary. In spite of the fact that Italy was a associate of the Triple
Alliance together with Germany and Austria-Hungary, it didn’t sign up the
Central Powers, as Austria-Hungary had taken the shocking against the terms of
the unions or alliance. These alliances were developed as more nations got in
the war i.e. Italy, Japan and the United States signed up the Allies, while on
the other hand the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria signed up the Central Powers.
The trigger for the conflict was the killing of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand of Austria, successor to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by
Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This start
out a diplomatic disaster when Austria-Hungary sent an ultimatum to the Kingdom
of Serbia and, as a consequence, entangled-international-alliances, founded
over the previous decades, were invoked. Within weeks the major powers were at
war, and the conflict soon spread throughout the world.
Russia was the introductory to order a partial deployment of
its troops on 24–25 July, and when on 28 July Austria-Hungary proclaimed war on
Serbia, Russia proclaimed general deployment on 30 July. Germany given out an
ultimatum to Russia to demobilize, and when this was dismissed, declared war on
Russia on 1 August. Being more numerous than on the Eastern Front side, Russia
urged its alliance Triple Entente member France to open up a second front side
in the west.
Japan joined the war on the side of the Allies on 23 August
1914, snatching the opportunity of Germany's interruption with the European War
to expand its sphere of effect in China and the Pacific.
Over four decades earlier in 1870, the Franco-Prussian War
had finished the Second French Empire and France had ceded the territory of
Alsace-Lorraine to a unified Germany. Harshness over that defeat and the resolution
to retake Alsace-Lorraine made the acceptance of Russia's plea for help a simple
choice, so France began full mobilization on 1 August and, on 3 August, Germany
proclaimed 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 to France from the north,
leading the United Kingdom to proclaim war on Germany on 4 August due to their breach
of Belgian neutrality.
After the German march on Paris was paused in the Battle of
the Marne, what became termed as the Western Front settled into a battle of
attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern
Front side, the Russian soldier led a successful war in opposition to the
Austro-Hungarians, but the Germans stopped its seizure of East Prussia in the
battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. In November 1914, the Ottoman
Empire linked to the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus,
Mesopotamia, and the Sinai Peninsula. In 1915, Italy linked to the Allies and
Bulgaria linked to the Central Powers. Romania linked to the Allies in 1916.
After the sinking of seven US merchant ships by German submarines, and the
revelation that the Germans were attempting to get Mexico to make war on the
United States, the US proclaimed war on Germany on 6 April 1917.
The Russian government collapsed in March 1917 with the
February Revolution, and the October Revolution followed by a further military downfall
brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, which granted the Germans a crucial conquest. After the extremely
impressive German Spring Offensive along the Western Front in the spring of
1918, the Allies reunite and drove back the Germans in the prosperous Hundred
Days Offensive. On 4 November 1918, the Austro-Hungarian empire acknowledged to
the Armistice of Villa Giusti, and on the other hand Germany had its own problems,
that’s why, Germany had acknowledged to an armistice on 11 November 1918,
finally, ending the World War I in conquest for the Allies.
By the termination of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to survive. National borders were drawn up again, with nine independent nations restored or created, and Germany's colonies were parcelled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four powers i.e. Britain, France, the United States and Italy imposed their terms in a series of treaties. The League of Nations was founded with the objective of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This attempt was failed due to economic depression, feelings of disgrace i.e. particularly in Germany finally contributed to the begin of World War II.