World War I lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918 and was the largest worldwide conflict to date. During the war, the industrialized countries mobilized their resources and equipped large sections of their population with modern weapons. The result was disastrous. About 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians lost their lives, and millions were injured.
GERMANY – an industry giant with few colonies
In 1900 were Germany developed into a leading industrial country with vast natural resources and Europe’s largest population up . But the country had few colonies compared to some of the other European powers. Owning colonies was good for the country’s own industry, which could thus be supplied with cheap raw materials and also had a larger market for the sale of the end products.
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The Western colonial powers also increased their mutual status by subduing more colonies . Germany’s pitiful supply of colonies was therefore a nail in the eye of the great industrial giant and something that the Germans wanted to change.
Britain , on the other hand, had many colonies but saw a threat in Germany’s growing strength. The same was true of France, which had also not forgotten the humiliating defeat against Germany during the war of 1870-1871 and therefore wanted a chance for revenge.
World War One Causes
Nationalism increased the discord among the states of Europe
In addition to the disturbed balance of power in Europe, the antagonisms between the European powers had for a long time also been exacerbated by growing nationalism . In Russia dreamed it to unite all European Slavs in the kingdom. Russia had therefore entered into alliances with several of the Slavic countries, including Serbia. Something similar also applied to the Germans who wanted to create community for all Germans (German-speaking), who to some extent were scattered in Germany’s neighboring countries.
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Another contributing factor to the blazing nationalism of European countries was the threat posed by socialism . Socialism in its most radical (extreme) form aimed to unite the workers in all countries after which the means of production (industry, agriculture, etc.) would be taken over by the people (the workers) through revolution. Many governments around Europe were terrified that this would happen in their countries. During the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, therefore, European governments worked hard to strengthen the identity of the people with their own nation. To reduce the threat exercised many governments nationalism as an antidote to the growing socialism. As a result, nationalism within the country was strengthened at the same time as the idea of its own the greatness of the nation was imprinted on the people.
World War I Summary
Armaments and alliances
D a growing rivalry between the major European powers led in the late 1800s and early 1900s to an ensuing fear of aggression and war. The countries could now use their new industries to mobilize huge armies . Many of Europe’s states also took the opportunity to enter into defense alliances with other states.
The security policy measures of the European states resulted in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century being divided into two great power alliances – the central powers (the Triple Alliance) and the Entente . The central powers consisted mainly of Germany and Austria – Hungary . While the Entente consisted mainly of Great Britain, France and Russia. In addition, both power blocs were linked to the Balkan countries with which they signed agreements.
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Some time into the 20th century, the various alliances and the European states’ suspicion of each other had made Europe a powder keg. It did not take long before the whole world was on fire.
The spark that ignited a world fire
When the Austro-Hungarian Archduke and heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife were assassinated by a Serb in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo in June 1914, all alliances were at stake. The incident became a spark that ignited a world fire.
After Serbia was threatened by Austria-Hungary , Russia backed Serbia. At the same time, Germany stood behind Austria-Hungary. The mobilization avalanche was in motion. After a month of fruitless diplomatic negotiations, war could no longer be avoided. In a very short time, a small regional conflict had flared up in a world war.
From the beginning, no one had expected a major war. Austria-Hungary wanted to solve the murder of Franz Ferdinand. The tracks pointed to Serbia, which refused to cooperate. When then Austria-Hungary started rattling with weapons, the situation became threatening. Russia then began mobilizing to support its ally Serbia. Russia’s mobilization, in turn, made Germany feel threatened, which resulted in a declaration of war against Russia. This meant that Germany had to quickly defeat France, which was Russia’s ally. When the German army then attacked France via Belgium , Britain also had to declare war on Germany.
Everyone believed in a short war
At first, there was great optimism within the states involved. The 19th century had been a relatively peaceful century and many saw the war as an adventure and a chance to show how strong their own nation was. The new communications of the time had also increased the possibilities of waging a rapid and mobile war. No one therefore thought that the war would be particularly long. But when the French finally managed to stop the Germans on the river Marne , just north of Paris , the war stalled. At Marne, the battles turned into a sluggish positional war in endless trenches.
The war became a slaughter
The battles that followed on the western front became the bloodiest fought in history. One reason for this was that the military commanders often clung to old military teachings . The military tactics had fallen into disrepair with the development of weapons . The losses in the number of casualties were therefore disproportionately large. In just a few battles, such as at Marne, Somme and Verdun, several million soldiers fell. Despite the enormous efforts in human life and materials, neither side could gain the upper hand.
Eastern Front and Balkan Front
On the Eastern Front , the Germans had great success against the Russian army. The Russians were ill-equipped and under poor leadership. The Russian army was pushed back far into Ukraine . The central powers also had success on the Balkan front, but these were of less importance for the end of the war. The decision was made in the east and west.
The Russians were forced to make peace, but were replaced by the United States, which entered the war
In connection with the Russian Revolution in November 1917, Russia withdrew from the war and made peace with Germany. But Russia was instead replaced by the United States , which in 1917 entered the war on the side of the Entente. When the United States went to war, the supremacy became too great for the central powers.
By the summer of 1918, the Americans had transferred more than a million soldiers to Europe. At that time, the Germans had no major reserves to put in and at the same time began to have difficulties in earning a living. It was not long after that before the German lines in the west collapsed. On November 11, 1918, the war was over.
The Peace of Versailles – the revenge of the victorious powers
The peace settlement took place in the spring of 1919 in Versailles, France. It was mainly Britain and France that determined the terms of the peace. The blame for the war was placed on the central powers, especially on Germany, which was accused of starting the war by attacking Belgium and France. Germany and the other central powers were not even allowed to take part in the negotiations (however, the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy had already been dissolved in October – November 1918 after a series of uprisings in different parts of the country).
The terms of the peace meant a disaster for Germany, which lost large areas of land and all its colonies. Germany would also pay enormous war damages to the victorious powers. In addition, it was decided that the German army would in future only amount to 100,000 men. Germany would also not be allowed to have an air force or a navy (war = war at sea).
The change in the map gave rise to future ethnic conflicts
The peace of Versailles also led to a change in the map. Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire , which had participated on the side of the central powers, were divided into smaller and unstable nation-states with ethnic minority populations. A large part of these states lay on the Balkan Peninsula , which would later in the 20th century explode into a protracted and bloody ethnic war.
In the Middle East, the Arabs had participated on the Entente’s side in the war, against the promise of national independence. When the war ended, Britain and France broke the promise they had given to the Arabs. The promised territories were instead made British and French mandate territories (under British and French control). In addition, Britain allowed Jewish immigration to Palestine to continue. It can therefore be said that the Peace of Versailles in a way also laid the foundation for the later Middle East conflict, which is largely about the Palestinian question.
The Peace of Versailles paved the way for a new world war
The consequences of the First World War were many. But most devastating were the unjust and heavy conditions of peace imposed on Germany by the victorious powers. This later paved the way for Nazism and Adolf Hitler, who in turn led Europe and the world straight into a new world war .
NF was the forerunner of the UN
In 1920, almost two years after the end of the First World War, the League of Nations (NF) was formed , which can be said to be a forerunner of the United Nations (UN) . The idea was to create a peaceful Europe and preserve world peace. However, the NF never gained much importance. The attempt to keep the war away field.
Useful concepts
Alliance: An agreement and an alliance between e.g. states.
Allied: State linked to another state by agreement. Usually, this means that the states promise to help each other in war.
Diplomacy : Negotiating activities between countries concerning the reciprocal relations of states. The overall purpose of diplomacy is to resolve international conflicts peacefully and prevent new ones by maintaining a balance of power.
Ethnic: Ethnic group with common characteristics such as history, culture, skin color, etc. [roughly simplified]
Armament: When nations try to gain military superiority over each other by mobilizing and equipping their own military resources so that they surpass those of their rivals (potential enemies).
Colony: An administrative region or settlement under a government in the mother country that is usually located in another continent. Organized striving to form or maintain colonies is called colonialism .
Colonialism: The conquest and domination of states or groups by, for them, more or less foreign territories. It can also involve exploitation and the introduction of one’s own culture or civilization. According to some views, a more extensive migration to the colonized area is required in order to be able to talk about colonialism, according to other views dominance is enough.
Mobilize: When a state is reorganized and prepares for war.
Nationalism: A worldview based on community within the borders of nations. Nationalism pays homage to the nation, culture, history and safeguards the nation state and its interests. Anyone who professes nationalism is called a nationalist. Nationalism originated in Europe in the 18th century and led in the 19th century to the creation of nation states, as we know them today.
Interesting facts about the First World War
Did you know that:
- When World War I started, many in England and Germany were happy about the war. Finally, their country would be able to put the enemy in place. The military was convinced that the war would be over in a couple of months. In England it was said: “The boys will be back at Christmas.” But the war would last for four long years. On average, 4 soldiers per minute fell during these years.
- On January 19, 1915, German zeppeliners attacked London and dropped bombs on the city. It was the first bombing of England by zeppeliners. Two people died. Their deaths caused greater uproar than the thousands who fell on the Western Front.
- The Germans’ plan was to quickly strike in the west against France and then attack Russia in the east. The plan failed when a Russian attack came sooner than expected. The Germans had to move some troops to the eastern front and the French could then stop the Germans on the river Marne. The front in Europe was locked in an almost stagnant trench war . From the English Channel to the Swiss border ran an unbroken front of two parallel trenches. The area between the trenches was a no man’s land and could be from a few hundred meters wide to a few kilometers. Small temporary gains of terrain were achieved at the expense of immense losses, only to soon be lost back to the enemy.
- Barbed wire and machine guns made World War I a stagnant war. Barbed wire in combination with machine guns was an almost one hundred percent effective defense against infantry, even if it was supported by artillery. The Western Front was like a bleeding wound to which more and more soldiers were sent to meet a premature death. The average life expectancy of a non-commissioned officer on the Western Front was only 4 months.
- In no later war have there been such large-scale field battles as during the First World War. During the Battle of the Somme in 1916, 600,000 Allied (English and French) soldiers and 500,000 German soldiers died. The Battle of Verdun killed 330,000 Germans and 350,000 Allied soldiers.
- Tanks were new weapons during the First World War. They were installed towards the end of 1916 but did not gain much importance. Mustard gas was invented during the war, but was difficult to use because it was carried away by the wind and the enemy learned to protect itself from the gas with the help of gas masks.
- The air battles of the First World War were short, a maximum of 10-15 minutes. But up to 100 planes could be involved in the battles and the losses were always large, mostly because the planes collided with each other. The life of a fighter pilot at this time was shorter than 15 flying hours.
- The Red Baron was the most famous fighter pilot of the First World War. His real name was Manfred von Richthofen and he was called the Red Baron after his red-painted Fokker plan. Richthofen had his plane painted red so that everyone could see him when the duels between hundreds of planes in the air were carried out. Richthofen was the foremost fighter pilot of the First World War. He gave himself small silver goblets for each plane he shot down. In the end, there were 80 silver cups. The Allies, who respected Richthofen’s professionalism, buried him in honor.
- The Germans had to pay war damages of 138 billion gold marks because they had started the First World War. Many Germans thought it was unfair. It was not just Germany’s fault that there had been a war, they said. Many Germans considered that they had been betrayed by their politicians and “received a stab wound in the back “. Hitler would later return to this statement many times.
Tasks and questions
Questions to the text:
- In what way did colonialism contribute to increasing tensions among European countries in the early 20th century?
- Explain why nationalism can be seen as one of the underlying causes of the First World War .
- What were the names of the great power blocs (alliances) in 1914 and what countries did they consist of?
- Why did the European countries form alliances?
- Explain why the shootings in Sarajevo became the trigger for the First World War.
- Why did many people think it would be a short war?
- Why was the war not short? Also feel free to use facts from the section on war and defense 1776-1914 .
- Why did the war become a slaughter? Also feel free to use facts from the section on war and defense 1776-1914 .
- Briefly describe the war on the western front and the eastern front.
- How did the United States affect the outcome of the war?
- What did the peace of Versailles mean for Germany?
- The Peace of Versailles later became the cause of other major conflicts. Why?
- Why was NF formed?