World War I began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918.
It lasted four years and four months and an estimated 17 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives.
Also three empires disappeared - German, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish-Ottoman - giving rise to new countries emerged.
Despite being victorious, France and England had consumed resources and lost thousands of citizens. Only the United States did not suffer so many impacts in this conflict, as its territory was intact and its industry functioned perfectly.
Historical Context
The period before World War I was known as the “Belle Époque” (Beautiful Epoch) and is considered a time of optimism in the future and relative tranquility, which lasted from 1871 until 1914.
Peace was possible because the system of alliances that allowed the balance between the European powers was in force. Likewise, scientific and technological advances, such as electricity, cinema, photography, the telephone, have made everyday life easier.
In the arts, new movements such as expressionism, cubism and futurism emerged, which sought to reflect the transformations that the world was going through.
Causes of the First World War
Armed Peace
Despite material progress, industrialization and the growth of cities, European countries invested heavily in armaments. Therefore, this period before the war is also called the Armed Peace.
Arms Race
After the partition of Africa at the Berlin Conference in 1885, the rivalries between imperialist nations, the struggle for markets and the desire to gain areas of influence, gave rise to the arms race. At this time, the German Empire decided to transform itself into a naval power, to complement its land military capability.
The railroad began to be used to assist the Army and would make a difference compared to previous wars. The train was capable of moving ten times faster than a horse and carrying more materials and men at once.
As for the Army, there was already great mobilization on the part of the nations involved. Germany had 2,100,000 men, Austria-Hungary 1,330,000, France 1,800,000. Most surprising was the small number of UK troops, with only 170,000 men.
The Russian Empire had the largest number of troops, but its army was the least equipped and the most technologically backward, compared to other Europeans.
At sea, warships were perfected. In 1906, the United Kingdom launches the battleship “Dreadnought ” that would revolutionize the Navy. She was equipped with 10 305 mm guns, 27 76 mm guns and 5 450 mm torpedo tubes.
Nationalism
Germany was living a golden age where its industry enriched the Empire. However, it had few colonies and the conquest of new territories became the axis of German nationalism.
France had a large empire, but the loss of Alsace and Lorraine in 1870 was considered unacceptable. This spawned “French revanchism” where an entire generation was educated to wage war against Germany and reclaim those zones.
Italy, despite its alliance with Austria-Hungary, wanted the Austrian-occupied regions in the north of the peninsula.
Russia, in turn, had discovered the pan-Slavist fervor, a movement that brought together peoples of Slavic origin and Orthodox Christian religion, and approached Serbia, which shared these traditions.
Imperialism
After the Berlin Conference, Germany decides to seek territories in Africa and Asia. In Africa, it tries to displace France from its possessions, such as Morocco, but it fails. For its part, it buys from Spain some archipelagos such as the Carolinas and Palau, in the Pacific Ocean, and in 1902 it obtained a concession for a port in China.
Meanwhile, in Europe, several countries seize the regions of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire. In 1911, Italy invades Ottoman provinces in North Africa.
Likewise, the first and second Balkan wars took place, where Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro conquered areas of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire.
Start of the First World War
On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia, were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip (1894-1918), a Serbian nationalist.
Austria demanded an independent investigation and, if Serbia did not do so, threatened to invade the country. As Serbia does not give in to Austrian requests, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war on it on July 28, 1914.
Therefore, this attack is considered the trigger of the First World War.
Allies and the domino effect
The First War, however, was distinct from the other wars that took place in Central Europe. The fundamental difference was the system of alliances and the aggressive policy of the heads of state.
For a week, clashes continued between Austria and Serbia, but Russia decided to help the latter to strengthen its position in the Balkans.
Germany then reacts by positioning itself in favor of Austria, declaring war on Russia and going further by invading Luxembourg and giving Belgium an ultimatum.
Allied with the Russians, France begins the mobilization of troops against the Germans and frictions are recorded on the border between the two countries. This would culminate in the declaration of war on August 3, 1914.
Great Britain joins the war, allied with France; Turkey, which supports Germany, and attacks Russia's Black Sea ports.
Thus, the countries split into Triple Alliance and Triple Entente .
On one side were the Central Powers or Triple Alliance:Germany and Austria-Hungary, Turkish-Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.
On the other, the Triple Entente:Russia, France and England.
Development of War
During World War I, new technologies were employed in battles, making them more deadly.
Rapid fire cannons, machine guns, chemical weapons and aviation. This was initially used for enemy reconnaissance, but quickly aircraft began to be equipped with machine guns.
Some changes may seem unimportant to us, such as changing the color of uniforms that still used colors like red. The helmet also became part of the soldiers' equipment again.
Trench Warfare
The technology used in the battles by the Armies ended up balancing the fight.
Therefore, the enemies had to dig trenches to secure the conquered terrain. Each army suffered huge losses and it was difficult to pinpoint the victor. An example is the battles of Verdun and Somme, in 1916, which left 770,000 and 1,200,000 deaths respectively.
Therefore, the year 1917 was essential to decide the conflict. This year, Russia withdraws from the war and the United States arrives in Europe.
War in Asia and Africa
The First World War did not just take place in Europe. As there were European colonies spread across the five continents, these too went to war.
In this way, the Germans faced off against the New Zealanders and Australians, and the Japanese fought the Germans for their concession in China.
In Africa, the Germans fought for the territories of the Portuguese, English and French.
Russian Revolution and World War I
The Russian Revolution, which took place in October 1917, causes this country to withdraw from the conflict. The Russians manage to negotiate an end to hostilities with Germany in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
In exchange for peace, the Russians relinquished control over Poland, Belarus, Finland, the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Ukraine.
United States in World War I
The United States maintained neutrality, despite selling weapons and supplies to the Entente.
Two facts were decisive in ending American neutrality:the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany in February 1917 and the rumor that Mexico was allying itself with Germany.
Alerted to the possibility that Mexico could attack it, the US government enters the conflict on the side of the Entente.
Brazil in the First World War
The President of Brazil, Wenceslau Braz, signs the declaration of war on Germany. Brazil enters the conflict by patrolling the South Atlantic and sending doctors and nurses to field hospitals in Europe.
End of World War I
With the reinforcement of the United States and the exhaustion of resources, Germany was no longer able to continue fighting. Without the support of the population and impoverished by the war, the German Revolution breaks out, which results in the abdication of Emperor Willhem II and Germany becomes a parliamentary republic, the Weimar Republic.
The belligerent nations meet in Versailles, France, to define the conditions of peace. There, Germany was considered the main culprit for the war and therefore had to cede parts of its territory to the border nations.
Germany lost its African colonies and was forced to accept independence from Austria. Likewise, it had to pay a compensation of 33 million dollars for the damages caused by the conflict.
The terms were considered demeaning by many Germans, and would later be used to bring about the fall of the Weimar Republic in 1933, and the subsequent consolidation in power of Adolf Hitler and Nazism.
The Treaty of Versailles also amended the creation of the League of Nations on January 10, 1920.
We have a video about this conflict for you :
World War I - All MatterSee also these texts :
- League of Nations
- Brazil in World War I
- The Franco-Prussian War
- Belle Époque
Bibliographic References
Artola, Ricardo - World War I - from Liege to Versailles . Madrid. Alianza Editorial:2014.
Canales, Carlos and Del Rey, Miguel- La Gran Guerra - Grandeza y dolor en las trencheras . Madrid. Edaf:2014.