The Great War
The First World War, also known as The Great War, was one of the deadliest wars in human history. It resulted in the deaths of approximately 14 million civilians, 5 million of which were civilians. It lasted for four years, 1914–1918, and crumbled many empires. The Allies (France, Britain, & Russia) won the war, but their victory would set the stage for World War Two.
The Trigger
When Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia in 1908, Serbia was opposed to this since it hoped to unite all The Slavic People in Southern Europe. A few years later, in 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visits the recently annexed area and gets a tiny bit… assassinated by a man called Gavrilo Princip. This unsurprisingly angers The Austro-Hungarian government, accusing Serbia of organizing the attack.
The Start Of The War
Germany announces its full support for Austria-Hungary in any action it chooses to take. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Russia started to mobilize its troops. Russia is allied with France, so to avoid fighting a war on two fronts, Germany came up with The Schlieffen Plan. The plan requires Germany to quickly defeat France by launching a surprise attack from The North. Then, when France is defeated, Germany can turn its full attention to Russia, whose larger army will take more time to get ready.
The Schlieffen Plan (in action!)
There is just one problem with The Plan, attacking France from the north requires Germany to send its troops through Belgium. But Belgium is refusing to let German troops pass through its territory. So Germany invades, which triggers a declaration of war from The U.K. The U.K does this since it has guaranteed Belgium protection.
The German Army is held back because of Belgian resistance but finally bypasses it. Germany proceeds to launch a full-scale invasion of France. The invasion starts well, with Germany gaining territory fast. But a gap opens up in the German front lines, forcing them to retreat at the hands of British and French forces. This is a failure of the Schlieffen Plan.
End Of Pt 1.
Pt1 covered The Trigger for the war and the beginning. Pt 2 will consist of the start of Trench Warfare and more fighting between Germany and Russia.
