WWI soldiers

“Everyone is looking for and cannot find the reason why the war began. Their search is in vain, they will not find this reason. The war did not start for any one reason, the war began for all reasons at once ”(Thomas Woodrow Wilson). The first world War covers the period from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. It was a large-scale armed conflict. The war divided world history into two eras, opening a completely new page of it, filled with social explosions and upheavals.
This name of the war was established in historiography after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Before that, the name “ Great War"(Eng. TheGreatWar, fr. La grande guerre), in the Russian Empire it was called the "Second Patriotic War", as well as informally (both before the revolution and after) - "Germanic"; then in the USSR - "Imperialist war".

For almost the entire 19th century, the main powers went into open conflict, as a result of which the fate of not only Europe, but the entire world was to be decided. England, France, Russia, and a little later Germany and Austria-Hungary were not going to compromise.

The threat of war could not be prevented either by the numerous formed alliances, since almost all of them in fact turned out to be fictitious, or even by the close relationship of practically all the reigning families. In fact, the future enemies - the rulers of Russia, England and Germany - were cousins. But national interests for them stood above reason and family ties.

In a global military conflict, 38 independent states out of 59 that existed at that time were involved. And each side had its own reasons for participating in the war.

The First World War is a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the United States, etc.).

World at the turn of the century

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. capitalism has grown into imperialism. The world was almost completely divided between the major powers. But this section could not be final. There were always parts of disputed territories, remnants of crumbling empires (for example, the Portuguese possessions in Africa, which, according to a secret agreement concluded between Great Britain and Germany in 1898, were subject to division between the two powers; The Ottoman Empire slowly collapsed throughout the 19th century and was delicious pieces for young predators). Possessing colonies means not only having markets and sources of raw materials, but also being a great and respected power.

The beginning of the 20th century was also marked by the emergence of a number of unifying tendencies: Pan-Germanism, Pan-Slavism, etc. Each of these movements demanded for itself a vast homogeneous space and sought to break the existing heterogeneous formations, primarily Austria-Hungary, a mosaic state, united only by the belonging of each part to the Habsburg dynasty.

The global confrontation between the great powers, primarily England and Germany, has intensified, and the struggle that has begun for the redivision of the world, including for the redistribution of colonies, has begun.

The contradictions manifested themselves in certain regions: the confrontation in the Balkans between Russia and its ally Serbia and Austria-Hungary, together with the allied Bulgaria, became especially acute. The situation was aggravated by the fact that England, Germany, France and Italy were also pursuing their interests here. By 1914, Germany had become the dominant military power in the Balkan region, bringing the Ottoman army under control. The desire of Russia to master the Black Sea straits was now blocked not only by Britain, but also by the German-Turkish military alliance.

In the Middle and Far East, the new superpowers, the United States and Japan, sought to expand their influence.

In Europe, the political and economic rivalry between Germany and France was evident, fighting for hegemony in production and marketing in Europe.

Country interests

Great Britain (as part of the Entente)

She was afraid of a potential German threat, so she switched to the policy of forming an anti-German block of states.

She did not want to put up with the penetration of Germany into the areas that she considered "hers": East and South-West Africa. And she also wanted to take revenge on Germany for supporting the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Therefore, in fact, she was already waging an undeclared economic and trade war against Germany and was actively preparing for a war with her.

France (as part of the Entente)

She wanted to recoup the defeat inflicted on her by Germany in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. She wanted to return Alsace and Lorraine, separated from France in 1871. She fought with Germany for sales markets, but at the same time feared German aggression. It was also important for France to preserve its colonies (North Africa).

Russia (as part of the Entente)

The main interest for Russia was control over the Dardanelles, she wanted to have free passage for her fleet in the Mediterranean.

In the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway (1898), Russia saw an unfriendly act on the part of Germany, an encroachment on its rights in Asia, although in 1911 these disagreements with Germany were settled by the Potsdam Agreement.

In the Balkans, the influence of Austria was growing, with which Russia also did not want to put up, as well as the fact that Germany was gaining strength and began to dictate its terms in Europe.

Russia considered itself the main among slavic peoples, the anti-Austrian and anti-Turkish sentiments of Serbs and Bulgarians tried to support.

Serbia (as part of the Entente)

She wanted to establish herself in the Balkans as the leader of the Slavic peoples of the peninsula, to form Yugoslavia, including all the Slavs living in the south of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Unofficially supported the nationalist organizations that fought against Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

German Empire (Triple Alliance)

She strove for military, economic and political domination on the European continent. She strove to obtain equal rights in the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.

In the Entente, she saw an alliance against herself.

Austria-Hungary (Triple Alliance)

Due to its multinationality, it played the role of a permanent hotbed of instability in Europe. She tried to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina captured by her in 1908. Opposed Russia, because Russia took on the role of the protector of all Slavs in the Balkans, and Serbia.

USAbefore the First World War they were the largest world debtor, and after the war they became the sole world creditor.

Preparing for war

The state had been preparing for a world war as a means of resolving external and internal contradictions for many years; the creation of a system of military-political blocs began. The beginning of this was laid by the Austro-German treaty of 1879, the participants of which undertook to provide assistance to each other in case of war with Russia. In 1882, Italy joined them, seeking support in the struggle with France for the possession of Tunisia. This is how the Triple Alliance of 1882, or the alliance of the Central Powers, arose, directed against Russia and France, and later against Great Britain. In opposition to him, another coalition of European powers began to take shape. The Russian-French alliance was formed in 1891-93, which provided for joint actions of these countries in the event of aggression from Germany or aggression by Italy and Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany. The growth of the economic power of Germany at the beginning of the XX century. forced the UK to gradually abandon the traditional policy of "brilliant isolation" and seek rapprochement with France and Russia. Anglo-French agreement of 1904. disputes between Great Britain and France on colonial issues were settled, and the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907 consolidated the agreement between Russia and Great Britain regarding their policies in Tibet, Afghanistan, and Iran. These documents formalized the creation of the Triple Accord, or Entente - the bloc of Great Britain, France and Russia, opposed to the Triple Alliance. In 1912 the Anglo-French and Franco-Russian maritime conventions were signed, and in 1913 negotiations began on the conclusion of the Anglo-Russian maritime convention.

Preparing for the world war, the states created a powerful military industry, the basis of which was large state factories: weapons, gunpowder, shell, cartridge, shipbuilding, etc. Private enterprises were involved in the production of military products: in Germany - Krupp factories, in Austria-Hungary - Skoda , in France - Schneider-Creusot and Saint-Chamond, in Great Britain - Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth, in Russia - the Putilov plant, etc. Achievements of science and technology were put into the service of preparing for war. More sophisticated weapons appeared: magazine rapid-fire rifles and machine guns, which greatly increased the firepower of the infantry; in artillery, the number of rifled guns of the latest systems has sharply increased.

The development of railways, which made it possible to significantly accelerate the concentration and deployment of large military masses in theaters of operations and to provide uninterrupted supply of the active armies with human reinforcements and all types of material and technical support. More and more important role started playing road transport. Military aviation emerged. The use of new means of communication in military affairs (telegraph, telephone, radio) facilitated the organization of command and control of troops. The number of armies and trained reserves increased rapidly. In the field of naval weapons, there was a stubborn rivalry between Germany and Great Britain. Since 1905, ships of a new type were built - dreadnoughts. By 1914, the German navy was firmly in second place in the world after the British navy. Other states also sought to strengthen their navies.

The ideological preparation of the war was also carried out: the people were inspired by means of propaganda the idea of \u200b\u200bits inevitability.

It is known that the reason for the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist, a member of the Young Bosnia organization Gavrilo Princip. But that was just an excuse. As one of the historians put it, this murder can be called setting fire to the fuse, behind which was a barrel of gunpowder.

World War I

1914 - 1918

The reason for the First World War was the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, on June 15 (28), 1914 in Sarajevo (Bosnia) by Serbian nationalists. Germany decided to use the favorable moment to unleash the war. Under pressure from Germany, Austria-Hungary on July 10 (23) presented an ultimatum to Serbia and, despite the Serbian government's consent to fulfill almost all of its demands, on July 12 (25) broke off diplomatic relations with it, and on July 15 (28) declared war on it. The capital of Serbia, Belgrade, came under artillery fire. Russia on July 16 (29) began mobilization in the military districts bordering on Austria-Hungary, and on July 17 (30) announced a general mobilization. Germany on July 18 (31) demanded that Russia stop mobilizing and, having received no response, declared war on it on July 19 (August 1). July 21 (August 3) Germany declared war on France and Belgium; On July 22 (August 4), Great Britain declared war on Germany, along with which its dominions entered the war - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The Union of South Africa and the largest colony of India. On August 10 (23), Japan declared war on Germany. Italy, while formally remaining a member of the Triple Alliance, declared its neutrality on July 20 (August 2), 1914.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand - a cause or a pretext for the First World War?

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip committed an attempt on the life of the Austrian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo and his wife. It is believed that this incident was the reason for the outbreak of the First World War.

Historians' opinions.

Konstantin Zalessky, historian

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is not the cause of the First World War, but only a pretext. And the reason is not very good. To unleash a war, they used a case that appeared at that moment. Moreover, the murder of Frans Ferdinand was not the work of a Serbian organization, but an organization that secretly operated on the territory of Austria-Hungary. Although certain circles in Serbia could have been involved in the murder, however, not the ruling circles. The Serbs responded pretty well to the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum. And after Serbia's answer, in principle, it followed that there was no reason for starting the war. As for whether Gavrilo Princip acted on his own initiative or was a puppet in the hands of others, I think he acted solely for reasons of patriotism. That is, Princip shot at Franz Ferdinand and then at his wife, solely believing that this terrorist act would help liberate the South Slavs from the rule of Austria-Hungary. Another thing is that the entire organization came under the influence of certain terrorist and ultra-radical circles of the Serbian leadership. But I will emphasize that not the ruling circles in Serbia, but those who sought to unleash the conflict. For its part, the Principle acted honestly, he had an exclusively patriotic idea. Although, a terrorist - he is a terrorist, even if he acts with good intentions. And he, in principle, was not a puppet in the hands of others. This whole group that organized the assassination attempt on Frans Ferdinand acted absolutely deliberately.

Andrey Zubov, historian

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand certainly sparked the outbreak of World War I. If this were the reason, then the problem could be solved quite easily. And, in general, the incident could have been exhausted. Historians are well aware that Austria consulted with Germany, and Germany believed that the war could start now or never start. That is why military programs, including the program of Russia, went ahead. And the plan for the rapid defeat of the French army on the Western Front, followed by the transfer of troops to the Eastern Front and the defeat of Russia, failed for a number of technical reasons. Consequently, Germany and Austria were extremely interested in starting the war as soon as possible. As for how Gavrilo Princip acted, he acted on behalf of the Serb nationalists. That is, he represented those people who believed that all Slavic lands should be united. Indeed, there was a movement at that time quite powerful, so it is entirely possible that the Principle acted completely sincerely, and was not a double agent.

World War I (1914 - 1918)

The Russian Empire collapsed. One of the goals of the war has been accomplished.

Chamberlain

The First World War lasted from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918. It was attended by 38 states with a population of 62% of the world. This war was quite ambiguous and extremely contradictory described in modern history... I specially cited Chamberlain's words in the epigraph to once again emphasize this inconsistency. A prominent politician in England (Russia's ally in the war) says that one of the goals of the war has been achieved by overthrowing the autocracy in Russia!

The Balkan countries played an important role at the beginning of the war. They were not independent. Their policies (both foreign and domestic) were greatly influenced by England. Germany by that time had lost its influence in this region, although it controlled Bulgaria for a long time.

• Entente. the Russian Empire, France, UK. The USA, Italy, Romania, Canada, Australia, New Zealand were allies.
• Triple Alliance. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire. Later they were joined by the Bulgarian kingdom, and the coalition became known as the "Quadruple Alliance".

The following large countries took part in the war: Austria-Hungary (July 27, 1914 - November 3, 1918), Germany (August 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918), Turkey (October 29, 1914 - October 30, 1918), Bulgaria (October 14, 1915 - 29 September 1918). Entente countries and allies: Russia (August 1, 1914 - March 3, 1918), France (August 3, 1914), Belgium (August 3, 1914), Great Britain (August 4, 1914), Italy (May 23, 1915), Romania (August 27, 1916) ...

One more important point. Italy was originally a member of the Triple Alliance. But after the outbreak of World War I, Italians declared neutrality.

Causes of the First World War

The main reason for the outbreak of the First World War is the desire of the leading powers, primarily England, France and Austria-Hungary, to redistribute the world. The fact is that the colonial system collapsed by the beginning of the 20th century. The leading European countries, which for years flourished through the exploitation of colonies, now could not get resources just like that, taking them away from the Indians, Africans and South Americans. Now resources could only be won back from each other. Therefore, contradictions grew:

• Between England and Germany. England sought to prevent the strengthening of Germany's influence in the Balkans. Germany sought to gain a foothold in the Balkans and the Middle East, and also sought to deprive England of naval domination.
• Between Germany and France. France dreamed of regaining the lands of Alsace and Lorraine, which it had lost in the war of 1870-71. France also sought to capture the German Saar coal basin.
• Between Germany and Russia. Germany sought to take Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states away from Russia.
• Between Russia and Austria-Hungary. The contradictions arose because of the desire of both countries to influence the Balkans, as well as the desire of Russia to subjugate the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

The reason for the start of the war

The events in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) triggered the start of the First World War. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand of the Young Bosnia movement, assassinated Archduke Frans Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, so the murder had a huge resonance. This was the reason for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia.

The behavior of England is very important here, since Austria-Hungary could not start a war on its own, because this practically guaranteed a war throughout Europe. The British at the embassy level convinced Nicholas II that Russia should not leave Serbia without help in case of aggression. But then all (I emphasize this) the English press wrote that the Serbs are barbarians and Austria-Hungary should not leave the murder of the Archduke unpunished. That is, England did everything to prevent Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia from evading the war.

Important nuances of the reason for war

In all textbooks we are told that the main and only reason for the outbreak of the First World War is the assassination of the Austrian Archduke. At the same time, they forget to say that the next day, June 29, another landmark murder took place. The French politician Jean Jaures, who actively opposed the war and had great influence in France, was killed. A few weeks before the assassination of the Archduke, there was an attempt on the life of Rasputin, who, like Jaures, was an opponent of the war and had a great influence on Nicholas 2. I also want to note some facts from the fate of the main characters of those days:

• Gavrilo Principin. He died in prison in 1918 from tuberculosis.
• Russian Ambassador to Serbia - Hartley. In 1914 he died at the Austrian Embassy in Serbia, where he attended a reception.
• Colonel Apis, leader of the Black Hand. Shot in 1917.
• In 1917, Hartley's correspondence with Sozonov (the next Russian ambassador to Serbia) disappeared.

All this indicates that in the events of the days there were a lot of black spots that have not been revealed until now. And this is very important to understand.

England's role in starting the war

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 2 great powers in continental Europe: Germany and Russia. They did not want to openly fight against each other, since the forces were approximately equal. Therefore, in the "July crisis" of 1914, both sides took a wait and see attitude. English diplomacy came to the fore. She, through the press and secret diplomacy, conveyed to Germany the position - in the event of war, England would remain neutral or take the side of Germany. By open diplomacy, Nicholas II received the opposite idea that in the event of a war, England would side with Russia.

It should be clearly understood that one open statement by England that she will not allow war in Europe would be enough for neither Germany nor Russia to think about anything like that. Naturally, in such conditions, Austria-Hungary would hesitate to attack Serbia. But England, with all her diplomacy, pushed European countries to war.

Russia before the war

Before the First World War, Russia carried out an army reform. In 1907, the fleet was reformed, and in 1910 the land forces were reformed. The country has multiplied military spending, and the total number of the army in peaceful time was now 2 million people. In 1912, Russia adopts a new Charter for Field Service. Today it is rightfully called the most perfect charter of its time, since it motivated soldiers and commanders to show personal initiative. An important point! The doctrine of the army of the Russian Empire was offensive.

Despite the fact that there were many positive changes, there were also very serious miscalculations. The main one is the underestimation of the role of artillery in the war. As the course of events of the First World War showed, it was a terrible mistake, which clearly showed that at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian generals were seriously behind the times. They lived in the past, when the role of the cavalry was important. As a result, 75% of all losses of the First World War were inflicted by artillery! This is a sentence to the imperial generals.

It is important to note that Russia never completed preparations for war (at the proper level), and Germany completed it in 1914.

The ratio of forces and means before the war and after it

Artillery

	Number of guns	Of these, heavy weapons
Austro-hungary
Germany

According to the data from the table, it can be seen that in heavy guns Germany and Austria-Hungary were many times superior to Russia and France. Therefore, the balance of forces was in favor of the first two countries. Moreover, the Germans, as usual, created an excellent war industry before the war, which produced 250,000 rounds daily. By comparison, Britain was producing 10,000 shells a month! As they say, feel the difference ...

Another example showing the importance of artillery is the battles on the Dunajec Gorlice line (May 1915). In 4 hours, the German army fired 700,000 shells. For comparison, during the entire Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) Germany fired just over 800,000 shells. That is, in 4 hours a little less than in the entire war. The Germans clearly understood that heavy artillery would play a decisive role in the war.

Armament and military equipment

Production of weapons and equipment during the First World War (thousand units).

	Shooting	Artillery
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austro-hungary

This table clearly shows the weakness of the Russian Empire in terms of equipping the army. In all the main indicators, Russia is much inferior to Germany, but also inferior to France and Great Britain. Largely because of this, the war turned out to be so difficult for our country.

Number of people (infantry)

The number of fighting infantry (millions).

	At the start of the war	By the end of the war	Casualties
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austro-hungary

The table shows that Great Britain made the smallest contribution, both in terms of belligerents and in terms of deaths, to the war. This is logical, since the British did not really participate in major battles. Another example from this table is indicative. We are told in all textbooks that Austria-Hungary, due to heavy losses, could not fight on its own, and she always needed the help of Germany. But pay attention to Austria-Hungary and France in the table. The numbers are identical! Just as Germany had to fight for Austria-Hungary, so Russia had to fight for France (it was no coincidence that the Russian army three times during the First World War saved Paris from surrender by its actions).

The table also shows that in fact the war was between Russia and Germany. Both countries lost 4.3 million people killed, while Britain, France and Austria-Hungary together lost 3.5 million. The numbers are eloquent. But it turned out that the countries that fought the most and made efforts in the war ended up with nothing. First, Russia signed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, shameful for itself, having lost many lands. Then Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, essentially losing its independence.

The course of the war

Military events of 1914

On July 28, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. This entailed the involvement in the war of the countries of the Troitsvenny Alliance, on the one hand, and the Entente, on the other.

Russia entered the First World War on August 1, 1914. Nikolai Nikolayevich Romanov (Nikolai's uncle 2) was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

In the first days of the outbreak of the war, St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd. Since the war with Germany began, and the capital could not have the name of German origin - "burg".

History reference

German "Schlieffen Plan"

Germany was under the threat of war on two fronts: the East with Russia, the West with France. Then the German command developed the "Schlieffen plan", according to which Germany must defeat France in 40 days and then fight with Russia. Why 40 days? The Germans believed that this was exactly how much Russia would need to mobilize. Therefore, when Russia is mobilized, France will be out of the game.

On August 2, 1914, Germany captured Luxembourg, on August 4, they invaded Belgium (a neutral country at that time), and by August 20, Germany reached the borders of France. The implementation of the Schlieffen plan began. Germany advanced deep into France, but on September 5 was stopped by the Marne River, where a battle took place, in which about 2 million people participated on both sides.

Northwestern Front of Russia in 1914

At the beginning of the war, Russia did a stupid thing that Germany could not possibly calculate. Nicholas 2 decided to enter the war without fully mobilizing the army. On August 4, Russian troops, under the command of Rennenkampf, launched an offensive in East Prussia (present-day Kaliningrad). Samsonov's army was equipped to help her. Initially, the troops acted successfully, and Germany was forced to retreat. As a result, part of the forces of the Western Front was transferred to the Eastern. Result - Germany repulsed the offensive of Russia in East Prussia (the troops were acting disorganized and lacked resources), but as a result, the Schlieffen plan failed, and France was not captured. Thus, Russia saved Paris, albeit by defeating its 1st and 2nd armies. After that, trench warfare began.

Southwestern Front of Russia

On southwestern front in August-September, Russia launched an offensive operation against Galicia, which was occupied by the troops of Austria-Hungary. The Galician operation was more successful than the offensive in East Prussia. In this battle, Austria-Hungary suffered a catastrophic defeat. 400 thousand people killed, 100 thousand captured. For comparison, the Russian army lost 150 thousand people killed. After that, Austria-Hungary actually withdrew from the war, since it lost the ability to conduct independent actions. Austria was saved from complete defeat only by the help of Germany, which was forced to transfer additional divisions to Galicia.

The main results of the military campaign in 1914

• Germany failed to implement Schlieffen's plan for lightning war.
• No one has won a decisive advantage. The war turned into a trench war.

Map of military events 1914-15

Military events of 1915

In 1915, Germany decided to shift the main blow to the eastern front, directing all its forces to the war with Russia, which was the weakest country of the Entente, according to the Germans. It was a strategic plan developed by the commander of the Eastern Front, General von Hindenburg. Russia managed to thwart this plan only at the cost of colossal losses, but at the same time 1915 turned out to be simply terrible for the empire of Nicholas II.

Position on the northwestern front

From January to October, Germany led an active offensive, as a result of which Russia lost Poland, western Ukraine, part of the Baltic states, and western Belarus. Russia went into deep defense. The losses of the Russians were gigantic:

• Killed and wounded - 850 thousand people
• Captured - 900 thousand people

Russia did not capitulate, but the countries of the Triple Alliance were convinced that Russia would no longer be able to recover from the losses it received.

The successes of Germany in this sector of the front led to the fact that on October 14, 1915, Bulgaria entered the First World War (on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary).

Position on the southwestern front

The Germans, together with Austria-Hungary, organized the Gorlitsky Breakthrough in the spring of 1915, forcing the entire southwestern front of Russia to retreat. Galicia, which was captured in 1914, was completely lost. Germany was able to achieve this advantage thanks to the terrible mistakes of the Russian command, as well as a significant technical advantage. German superiority in technology reached:

• 2.5 times with machine guns.
• 4.5 times in light artillery.
• 40 times with heavy artillery.

It was not possible to withdraw Russia from the war, but the losses in this sector of the front were gigantic: 150 thousand killed, 700 thousand wounded, 900 thousand prisoners and 4 million refugees.

Position on the western front

"Everything is calm on the western front." This phrase can be used to describe the course of the war between Germany and France in 1915. There was a sluggish military action in which no one strove for the initiative. Germany was implementing plans in eastern Europe, while Britain and France calmly mobilized the economy and the army, preparing for further war. Nobody provided any assistance to Russia, although Nicholas II repeatedly appealed to France, first of all, to initiate active operations on the Western Front. As usual, no one heard him ... By the way, this sluggish war on the western front for Germany is perfectly described by Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms.

The main result of 1915 was that Germany was unable to withdraw Russia from the war, although all forces were thrown into this. It became obvious that the First World War would drag on for a long time, since no one was able to gain an advantage or strategic initiative during 1.5 years of the war.

Military events of 1916

"Verdun meat grinder"

In February 1916, Germany launched a general offensive against France, with the aim of taking over Paris. For this, a campaign was carried out to Verdun, which covered the approaches to the French capital. The battle lasted until the end of 1916. During this time, 2 million people died, for which the battle received the name "Verdun meat grinder". France resisted, but again thanks to the fact that Russia came to its rescue, which became more active on the southwestern front.

Events on the southwestern front in 1916

In May 1916, Russian troops launched an offensive that lasted 2 months. This offensive went down in history under the name "Brusilov Breakthrough". This name is due to the fact that the Russian army was commanded by General Brusilov. The breakthrough of the defense in Bukovina (from Lutsk to Chernivtsi) happened on June 5. The Russian army managed not only to break through the defenses, but also to advance into its depths in places up to 120 kilometers. The losses of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians were catastrophic. 1.5 million dead, wounded and prisoners. The offensive was stopped only by additional German divisions, which were hastily transferred here from Verdun (France) and from Italy.

This offensive of the Russian army was not without a fly in the ointment. The allies threw her up, as usual. On August 27, 1916, Romania entered the First World War on the side of the Entente. Germany very quickly defeated her. As a result, Romania lost the army, and Russia received an additional 2 thousand kilometers of front.

Events on the Caucasian and Northwestern Fronts

Positional battles continued on the North-Western Front during the spring-autumn period. As for the Caucasian Front, here the main events lasted from the beginning of 1916 to April. During this time, 2 operations were carried out: Erzurmur and Trebizond. According to their results, Erzurum and Trebizond were conquered, respectively.

Outcome of 1916 in the First World War

• The strategic initiative went over to the side of the Entente.
• The French fortress of Verdun withstood the offensive of the Russian army.
• Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente.
• Russia launched a powerful offensive - the Brusilov Breakthrough.

Military and political events 1917

The year 1917 in the First World War was marked by the fact that the war continued against the background of the revolutionary situation in Russia and Germany, as well as the deterioration of the economic situation of the countries. Let me give you an example of Russia. Over the 3 years of the war, prices for basic products have increased by an average of 4-4.5 times. Naturally, this caused discontent among the people. Add to this the heavy losses and the exhausting war - it is an excellent ground for revolutionaries. The situation is similar in Germany.

In 1917, the United States entered the First World War. The positions of the "Triple Alliance" are deteriorating. Germany with its allies cannot effectively fight on 2 fronts, as a result of which it goes on the defensive.

The end of the war for Russia

In the spring of 1917, Germany launched another offensive on the Western Front. Despite the events in Russia, Western countries demanded that the Provisional Government implement the agreements signed by the Empire and send troops on the offensive. As a result, on June 16, the Russian army launched an offensive in the Lvov region. Again, we saved the allies from major battles, but we ourselves were completely substituted.

The Russian army, exhausted by the war and losses, did not want to fight. The issues of provisions, uniforms and provision of supplies during the war years were not resolved. The army fought reluctantly, but moved forward. The Germans were forced to redeploy troops here, and Russia's allies in the Entente again isolated themselves, watching what would happen next. On July 6, Germany launched a counteroffensive. As a result, 150,000 Russian soldiers were killed. The army actually ceased to exist. The front fell apart. Russia could no longer fight, and this catastrophe was inevitable.

People demanded that Russia withdraw from the war. And this was one of their main demands on the Bolsheviks, who seized power in October 1917. Initially, at the 2nd congress of the party, the Bolsheviks signed the decree "On Peace", actually proclaiming Russia's withdrawal from the war, and on March 3, 1918, they signed the Brest Peace. The conditions of this world were as follows:

• Russia concludes peace with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
• Russia loses Poland, Ukraine, Finland, part of Belarus and the Baltic states.
• Russia yields to Turkey Batum, Kars and Ardahan.

As a result of its participation in the First World War, Russia lost: about 1 million square meters territory, lost approximately 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of arable land and 3/4 of the coal and metallurgical industries.

History reference

Events in the war in 1918

Germany got rid of the Eastern Front and the need to wage a war in two directions. As a result, in the spring and summer of 1918, she attempted an offensive on the Western Front, but this offensive had no success. Moreover, in its course it became obvious that Germany was squeezing the maximum out of herself and that she needed a break in the war.

Autumn 1918

Decisive events in the First World War took place in the fall. The Entente countries, together with the United States, went on the offensive. The German army was completely driven out of France and Belgium. In October, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria concluded a truce with the Entente, and Germany was left to fight alone. Her position was hopeless after the German allies in the "Triple Alliance" essentially capitulated. This resulted in the same thing that happened in Russia - the revolution. On November 9, 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II was overthrown.

End of World War I

On November 11, 1918, the First World War of 1914-1918 ended. Germany signed a complete surrender. It happened near Paris, in the Compiegne forest, at the Retonde station. The capitulation was accepted by the French Marshal Foch. The terms of the signed peace were as follows:

• Germany admits complete defeat in the war.
• The return of France to the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to the borders of 1870, as well as the transfer of the Saar coal basin.
• Germany lost all of its colonial possessions, and also pledged to transfer 1/8 of its territory to its geographical neighbors.
• For 15 years, the Entente troops are on the left bank of the Rhine.
• By May 1, 1921, Germany had to pay the members of the Entente (Russia was not entitled to anything) 20 billion marks in gold, goods, securities, etc.
• For 30 years Germany has to pay reparations, and the amount of these reparations is set by the winners themselves and can increase them at any time during these 30 years.
• Germany was forbidden to have an army of more than 100 thousand people, and the army was obliged to be exclusively voluntary.

The conditions of the "peace" were so humiliating for Germany that the country actually became a puppet. Therefore, many people of that time said that although the First World War ended, it ended not with peace, but with an armistice for 30 years. So it ultimately happened ...

Results of the first world war

The First World War was fought on the territory of 14 states. It was attended by countries with a total population of over 1 billion people (this is about 62% of the total world population at that time). In total, 74 million people were mobilized by the participating countries, of which 10 million were killed and another 20 million were injured.

As a result of the war political map Europe has changed significantly. Such independent states as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Albania appeared. Auto-Hungary split into Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Romania, Greece, France, Italy have increased their borders. The losers and losers in the territory were 5 countries: Germany, Auto-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia.

World War I 1914-1918 map

Introduction

I chose the topic "Russia in the First World War" because I am interested in this period, since it greatly influenced the further fate of Russia and therefore in my work I want to consider role of Russiain the First World War. This war became a turning point in history, and not only of our country, but of world history. She has been unfairly "forgotten" for 70 years. Very little research has been done on the history of World War I, and those that have been written in terms of condemning the war. And I would like to objectively study this event.

In order to reveal the topic more fully, I considered it necessary to understand the causes of the war; find out what was the reason for her; track how military operations developed; study the events of the war, which became a turning point in its course; and understand how and why the Brest Peace was concluded.

Reason for war

June 15 (28) 1914 In the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, the Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip shot the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife. On July 10, Austria-Hungary, suspecting the Serbian government of involvement in the murder, presented Serbia with an ultimatum demanding to ban the activities of anti-Austrian organizations, punish the Serbian border guards who helped terrorists and allow Austrian representatives to participate in the murder investigation.

The Serbs accepted all the demands put forward, except for one, which contradicted the Serbian constitution. Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations with Belgrade and declared war on Serbia on July 15 (28). Germany supported her actions. Emperor Wilhelm II of Hohenzollern called: "The Serbs must be done away with, and right now." Vienna and Berlin were confident that the matter would be limited to a short and victorious war with Serbia. However, the war became world war in a matter of days.

Causes and nature of the war

I will begin my essay with the main causes of the First World War. The First World War arose as a result of the aggravation of the political and economic struggle between the largest imperialist countries for markets and sources of raw materials, for the redistribution of an already divided world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the division of the world was already completed, at the globe there are no territories left that have not yet been captured by the capitalist powers, there are no more so-called "free spaces" left. “It has come,” V.I. Lenin, - inevitably, an era of monopoly possession of colonies, and, consequently, a particularly acute struggle for the division of the world. " Lenin V.I. Full Coll. Vol. 27, p. 422.

As a result of the uneven, spasmodic development of capitalism in the era of imperialism, some countries that embarked on the capitalist path of development later than others quickly caught up and surpassed in technical and economic terms such old colonial countries as England and France. Particularly indicative was the development of Germany, which by 1900. bypassed these countries in terms of industrial production, but significantly inferior in the size of colonial possessions. Because of this, the interests of Germany and England collided most often. Germany openly sought to capture British markets in the Middle East and Africa.

The colonial expansion of Germany met with resistance from France, which also possessed huge colonies. Very sharp contradictions between the countries existed because of Alsace and Lorraine, captured by Germany back in 1871.

Germany's penetration into the Middle East created a threat to Russia's interests in the Black Sea basin. Austria-Hungary, which was in an alliance with Germany, became a serious competitor to Tsarist Russia in the struggle for influence in the Balkans.

Aggravation of foreign policy contradictions between major countries led to the division of the world into two hostile camps and the formation of two imperialist groups: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Triple Agreement, or the Entente (England, France, Russia).

The war between the major European powers was beneficial to the US imperialists, since as a result of this struggle, favorable conditions were created for the further deployment of American expansion, especially in Latin America and the Far East. The American monopolies relied on maximizing the benefits from Europe.

In preparing for war, the imperialists saw in it not only a means of resolving external contradictions, but also a means that could help them cope with the growing discontent of the population of their own countries and suppress the growing revolutionary movement. In the course of the war, the bourgeoisie counted on destroying the international solidarity of the workers, physically exterminating the best part of the working class, for a socialist revolution.

Due to the fact that the war for the redivision of the world affected the interests of all imperialist countries, most of the world's states were gradually drawn into it. The war became world war, both in its political goals and in scale.

By its nature, the war of 1914-1918. was imperialist, aggressive, unjust on both sides. It was a war for who should rob and oppress more. Most of the parties of the Second International, betraying the interests of the working people, came out for a war in support of the bourgeoisie and the governments of their countries.

The Bolshevik Party, headed by V.I. Lenin, having defined the nature of the war, called for a struggle against it, for the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war.

Contemporaries said that this would be a war that would put an end to all wars, and they were very wrong. The First World War began on August 1, 1914 with provocation and regicide and ended with the first Compiegne truce on November 11, 1918. The influence on the territories and countries that participated in the war was so great that it became possible to sum up its results and conclude the Versailles Peace Treaty only in the middle of the next, 1919 of the year. Six out of ten people around the planet have experienced this war to some extent. This is one of the darkest chapters in human history.

They say she was inevitable... Too strong were the disagreements between the future participants, leading to constantly created and collapsing alliances. The most inconsistent was precisely Germany, which at almost the same time tried to turn Great Britain against France and organize continental blockade Britain itself.

Prerequisites for the First World War

If you look at the position from which countries were involved in the First World War 1914-1918, the reasons, in fact, will lie on the surface. England, France and Austria-Hungary at the beginning of the twentieth century sought to redistribute the world map. The main reason for this was the collapse of colonialism and prosperity only at the expense of their own satellites. The main European powers were faced with a difficult choice, since the resources important for the economy and prosperity of the country (primarily its elite) could no longer be taken from India or Africa.

The only thing possible Solution lurked precisely in military conflicts for raw materials, labor and territory for life. Major conflictsthat flared up on the basis of territorial claims were as follows:

How the war began

It can be said very unambiguously when World War I (WWI) began... At the end of June 1914, on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the city of Sarajevo, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand, was killed. This was a provocation by the Austrians and with the active participation of British diplomats and the press, a pretext for the escalation of the conflict in the Balkans.

The killer was a Serbian terrorist, a member of the extremist organization “ Black Hand"(Otherwise called" Unity or Death ") Gavrilo Principle. This organization, along with other such underground movements, tried to spread nationalist sentiment throughout the Balkan Peninsula in response to the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908 by Austria-Hungary, initiating the Bosnian crisis.

There have already been several assassination attempts on the account of such formations. both successful and unsuccessful, on prominent political figures of the empire and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The day of the assassination attempt on the Archduke was not chosen by chance, because on June 28 he was supposed to participate in events dedicated to the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Such events on this date were considered by many Bosnians to be a direct insult to their national pride.

In addition to the assassination of the Archduke, these days there were several attempts to eliminate public figures who opposed the outbreak of hostilities. So, a few days before June 28, an unsuccessful attempt was made on the life of Grigory Rasputin, known, among other things, for anti-war sentiments and great influence at the court of Emperor Nicholas II. And the next day, June 29, Jean Jaures was killed. He was an influential French politician and public figure who fought against imperialist sentiments, colonialism and, like Rasputin, was an ardent opponent of the war.

UK influence

After the tragic events in Sarajevo, the two largest European powers, Germany and the Russian Empire, tried to avoid open military confrontation. But this situation did not suit the British at all and diplomatic leverage was used... So, after the murder of Franz Ferdinand by the Principle, the British press openly began to call the Serbs barbarians and call on the top of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to give them a decisive and harsh response. At the same time, pressure was created through the ambassador on russian emperorcalling on to render Serbia all possible helpif Austria-Hungary decides on any provocations.

And she made up her mind. Almost a month after the successful assassination attempt on the heir, Serbia was presented with demands that were impossible to fulfill. For example, one of its points was the admission of police officers to the territory of a foreign state. The Serbs did not accept only this point, which, as expected, served as a declaration of war. Moreover, the first bombs fell on its capital the very next morning, which clearly indicated the readiness of the Austro-Hungarians to fight immediately.

The Russian Empire, which has always been considered a shield of Orthodoxy and Slavism, had to, after unsuccessful attempts at a diplomatic ceasefire, to declare the mobilization of the entire country. Thus, Russia's participation in the First World War was inevitable.

The course of the war

After a series of provocations the hotbed of military conflict began to flare up even faster... In about six months, two main military alliances were formed that took part in the confrontation:

1914 events

There were several major theaters of war. - the war was raging in France, Russia, the Balkans, the Middle East and the Caucasus and in the former colonies of Europe. The German "Schlieffen" plan, which implied lightning war, lunch in Paris and dinner in St. Petersburg, failed due to Germany's systematic underestimation of its rivals and repeated revisions of strategic tables. In general, the overwhelming majority of the participants in the war were absolutely sure about its imminent end, confidently speaking about the possibility of winning in a few months. No one expected the conflict to take on such proportions, especially on the Western Front.

First, Germany occupied Luxembourg and Belgium. At the same time, the invasion of the French into Alsace and Lorraine, important for them, unfolded, where, after the successful actions of the German army, which held back and then reversed the offensive, the situation changed dramatically. Instead of capturing their historical territories, the French ceded part of their land, without showing decisive enough resistance. After the events called by historians "Run to the sea" and France's retention of its most important ports, a period of trench warfare followed. The confrontation severely exhausted both sides.

Eastern front was opened by an offensive on the territory of Prussia by Russian troops on August 17, and the very next day a major victory was won over the Austro-Hungarians in the Battle of Galicia. This made it possible to withdraw the empire from the confrontation with Russia for a long time.

Serbia this year knocked the Austrians out of Belgrade and took it firmly. Japan declared war on the Triple Alliance and launched a campaign to take control of the German island colonies. At the same time, in the Caucasus, Turkey entered the war with Russia, entering into a coalition with the Austrians and Germans. Thus, she cut off the country from the allies and involved in hostilities on the Caucasian front.

The failure of Russia in 1915

On the Russian front, the state of affairs has deteriorated... The army was poorly prepared for the offensive in the winter, failed it and received a counter-offensive operation from the Germans in the middle of the year. Poorly organized supply of troops led to a large-scale retreat, the Germans carried out the Gorlitsky breakthrough and, as a result, received first Galicia, and then a significant part of Polish territory. After that, the stage of trench warfare began, largely due to the same reasons as in the west.

In the same year, on May 23, Italy entered the war with Austria-Hungary, which led to the collapse of the coalition. However, Bulgaria, which took part in the confrontation on her side in the same year, not only marked the rapid formation of a new union, but also accelerated the fall of Serbia.

Highlights of 1916

During this year of the war, one of its largest battles continued - battle of verdun... Due to its scale, the nature of the collisions and the consequences, it was named the Verdun meat grinder. A flamethrower was first used here. The losses of all troops amounted to over a million people. At the same time, the Russian army launched an offensive known as the Brusilov Breakthrough, pulling significant German forces away from Verdun and relieving the Entente's situation in the region.

The year was also marked by the largest naval battle - Jutland, after which the Entente fulfilled its main goal - to dominate the region. Some members of the enemy tried already then to agree on peace negotiations.

1917: Russia's withdrawal from the war

The year 1917 was rich in major events in the war. It has already become obvious who will win. Its useful to note The 3 most important points for understanding the situation:

• The United States, after biding its time, joined the obvious winner - the Entente.
• The revolution in Russia actually brought her out of the war.
• Germany uses submarines, hoping thereby to turn the tide of battles.

1918: German surrender

The withdrawal from active hostilities of Russia eased the state of affairs of Germany, because without the Eastern Front, she could concentrate her forces on more important things. The Brest Peace was concluded, parts of the Baltic region and the territory of Poland were occupied. After that, active operations began on the Western Front, which were not crowned with success for her. Other participants began to withdraw from the Quarter Alliance and conclude peace treaties with the enemy. In Germany, a revolution began to flare up, forcing the emperor to leave the country. The end of the active phase of hostilities can be considered the signing of the act of surrender of Germany on November 11, 1918.

If we talk about the results of the First World War, then for almost all the participating countries they were with a minus sign. Briefly point by point:

It is worth noting that already then the preconditions of the Second World War began to take shape. It was only a matter of time before the emergence of a leader who would rally the revenge-hungry inhabitants of defeated Germany.