iv. World War 1: A Glimpse

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iv. World War 1: A Glimpse

The Start of the War	World War I began on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This seemingly small conflict between two countries spread rapidly: soon, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, and France were all drawn into the war, largely because they were involved in Treaties that obligated them to defend certain other nations
The Western and Eastern Fronts	The first month of combat consisted of bold attacks and rapid troop movements on both fronts. In the west, Germany attacked first Belgium and then France. In the east, Russia attacked both Germany and Austria-Hungary. In the south, Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia Following the Battle of the Marne (September 5–9, 1914), the western front became entrenched in central France and remained that way for the rest of the war. The fronts in the east also gradually locked into place.
The Ottoman Empire	Late in 1914, the Ottoman Empire was brought into the fray as well First, Britain and France launched a failed attack on the Dardanelles. This campaign was followed by the British invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Britain also launched a separate campaign against the Turks in Mesopotamia
Trench Warfare	The middle part of the war, 1916 and 1917, was dominated by continued Trench Warfare in both the east and the west. Soldiers fought from dug-in positions, striking at each other with Machine Guns, Heavy Artillery, and Chemical Weapons. Though soldiers died by the millions in brutal conditions, neither side had any substantive success or gained any advantage
The United States’ Entrance and Russia’s Exit	Despite the stalemate on both fronts in Europe, two important developments in the war occurred in 1917 In early April, the United States, angered by attacks upon its ships in the Atlantic, declared war on Germany Then, in November, the Bolshevik Revolution prompted Russia to pull out of the war
The End of the War and Armistice	Although both sides launched Renewed Offensives in 1918 in an all-or-nothing effort to win the war, both efforts failed. A deadly outbreak of Influenza, meanwhile, took heavy tolls on soldiers of both sides. The war ended in the late fall of 1918, after the member countries of the Central Powers signed Armistice Agreements one by one As a result of these agreements, Austria-Hungary was broken up into several smaller countries. Germany, under the Treaty of Versailles, was severely punished with hefty economic reparations, territorial losses, and strict limits on its rights to develop militarily.