An essay lighting each above occurrences of World War I 1. First World War Countries; 2. Causes of World War I; 3. The Two Main Fronts of World War I; 4. The turning point in the war. Intro: World Wa

It is queer that sometimes the path to peace crosses through wars that bring heavy devastation. While the world should make efforts to foster peace, sometimes because of greed and other reasons, human beings end up manufacturing wars. Besides, the history of the world is stained by two global wars that claimed millions of lives and catapulted massive economic downfalls. World War I and World War II claimed around 16 million and 75 million lives respectively hence creating a manmade slugfest of death and destruction. In fact, this count of casualties that World War I inflicted is much larger than the current population of numerous countries like Sweden, Belarus, Hungary, and Israel. The populations of Sweden and Belarus are well under 10 million according to the latest statistics. ("Countries by population 2020 - StatisticsTimes.com", 2020) This showcases how grave the magnitude of annihilation brought by this war was as it wiped out a considerable part of the human population then. This essay sheds light on the background of the First World War followed by its timeline, impacts, and trivial facts. Also, this essay includes a sample essay on some imperative aspects of the Great War.

First World War Countries

Probing further, the First World War continued from 1914 to 1918 and it led to unprecedented bloodshed and carnage over its course. The ‘Great War’ as it is called was a global war between the Allied and the Central Powers that ended in a victory for the Allies. Furthermore, it witnessed participation from more than 30 nations that clashed with each other incessantly for years to script horrifying tales of terror, massacres, and the human quest for power and control. The Central Powers comprised Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, the Allied Powers were inclusive of Russia, Romania, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Serbia, the UK, and the United States of America. Among the nations that featured in the First World War, the United States of America only joined the war in 1917 after remaining away from it in the initial years. Today, with the sustained idea of peace and owing to the effects of globalization, the world seems like a global village. But it is evident in history that the picture was not always this bright and nations believed more in the idea of waging war on each other rather than flourishing together.

Causes of World War I

Political tensions and tussles existed in the Balkan region of Southeast Europe for a long period of time even prior to the outbreak of the war. Furthermore, this tense air started brewing out to all parts of Europe with the growing political instability of the Balkan region that included Bosnia, Serbia, and Herzegovina. This political chaos posed a threat to the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and European Alliances that thrived in Europe for very long. So, with such a grim environment growing in twentieth-century Europe, a warlike scenario seemed just around the corner. While all this was going on in Europe, Archduke Frank Ferdinand, the heir of the Austro-Hungarian empire was brutally murdered on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. To add, this assassination ignited the sparks of war in the entire continent and the conflict was wide open. The elimination of Archduke Frank Ferdinand unleashed a chain reaction of events that were unfortunate and unprecedented. Austria and Hungary blamed the Serbian government for this act and saw in this incident an opportunity to uproot Serbian nationalism for once and all. However, Austria and Hungary could not declare war on Serbia immediately as Serbia enjoyed massive support from the Russians.

Thus, Austria and Hungary had to wait for Germany’s assurance for support to launch the offensive against Serbia. They feared that Russia’s involvement in the war is also going to drag its allies France and Britain in the war, making conditions hostile for the Austria-Hungary alliance. It is worth noting here that Russia had a mighty military might even then as it is seen in contemporary times and it’s ‘war machine’ reputation deterred other nations. Hence, Austria and Hungary awaited a word of support from Kaiser Wilhelm II, the leader of Germany at that time. Finally, Kaiser Wilhelm II pledged his clandestine support to the coalition of Austria and Hungary on July 5 hence inspiring the idea of the war. Following assurance from Berlin, the alliance sent an ultimatum to Serbia with almost unacceptable conditions. Subsequently, Serbia apprehended war and started mobilizing its troops while seeking assistance from Russia simultaneously. As feared, on 28 July 1914, the Austro-Hungarian alliance waged war against Serbia and the pillars of peace in Europe collapsed one after the other. Besides, within a few days, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Serbia, and Russia took guard against Germany, Austria, and Hungary. The world war had begun and this is how a localized conflict in Southeast Europe translated into the outbreak of a global confrontation involving superpowers.

The Two Main Fronts of World War I

The Western War Front

Germany launched the war on two fronts to invade France and Russia at the same time. The German Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen planned to invade France through Belgium which was a neutral nation and to engage Russia in the east. On 4 August 1914, German troops trespassed the borders of Belgium and launched an attack on the fortified city of Liege. As the Germans stomped through Belgium, they shot many civilians dead and unfurled terror and bloodshed on the streets of Belgium. For this attack, German soldiers used siege cannons that were among the most powerful weapons in their arsenal. Eventually, German troops were successful in capturing Liege by August 15.

After the German troops had won the city of Liege by launching an attack on Belgium, the troops were confronted by the French and the British Armies in Marne. The First Battle of Marne was fought between September 6 and September 9 after the German soldiers had penetrated deep into the French territory. Moreover, in this battle at Marne, the German troops faced a well-executed counterattack by the British and French troops and were pushed back to the north of the Aisne River. Besides, this defeat spoiled Germany’s plans for a brisk conquest over France. Subsequently, both sides took to trenches and the western front of the war became the launchpad for a demoniac war that lasted for more than three years.

The Eastern War Front

A simultaneous war was being fought on the eastern front where the German-held regions of Poland and East Prussia were invaded by Russian soldiers. This resulted in the Battle of Tannenberg where the Austrian and German forces defeated the Russian troops in late August. However, this war forced the German commanders to remove two contingents from the western front and move them to the eastern front. This mobilization of troops from the western front to the eastern front made it easy for France and Britain to have an upper hand in the battles going on at Marne. This facilitated the French and the British armies to defeat German troops in the Marne.

Germany hoped for a quick win on the basis of the aggressive Schlieffen Plan but there was an unexpected resistance from the war capabilities of Russia and France. Also, Russia’s ability to mobilize troops quickly in the east ensured that the battle was grueling and was fought for long enough.

Italy’s inclusion in the war

On the sidelines of the First World War that began in 1914, there was a strong nationalist sentiment in Italy to go at war against traditional rivals Austria and Hungary. Besides, Italy saw its own vested interests in joining the war against the Austro-Hungarian empire. Italy saw an opportunity to liberate the Italian-speaking regions of the Alps from the grab of the Austro-Hungarian empire. So, Italy started negotiations with France and Britain for military and economic support. This led to the stealthy Pact of London in which Italy pledged support to the Allied forces in lieu of support for annexing the Italian-speaking frontiers from the central powers.

Following these events, Italy initiated a war against Austria and Hungary at midnight on May 23, 1915. The size of the Italian army grew to 5 million by the end of the war while it only boasted an army of 300,000 at the onset of the war. Thus, there was a heavy mobilization in Italy to bolster its army in years through the war. The inclusion of Italy in the war added more men and strength to the Allies hence changing the course of the war. ("Italy Enters World War I | National WWI Museum and Memorial", 2020)

The entry of the US in World War I

In the initial phase of the war, the US remained largely neutral and continued to indulge in trade and commerce with both powers in Europe. The then President of the US, Woodrow Wilson favored the policy of neutrality and hence America stayed away from the war at the onset of it. However, it became hard to maintain neutrality given the growing submarine aggression of Germany even against the neutral vessels. Moreover, in the year 1915, the waters around the British Islands were pronounced a war zone by Germany. Hence, in this region, German U ships drowned many commercial and passenger vessels including a few belonging to the United States of America. This changed America’s stance against Germany and in February 1917, the US Congress passed an arms appropriation legislation worth 250 million USD to prepare the US for war. Eventually, on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson announced the declaration of war against Germany and the US was then a part of World War I. The war had then radiated out of Europe with the entry of the United States into the war and this is where a localized war transformed into a global war. Furthermore, the entry of the US into the war gave more momentum to the alliances battling against Germany. ("U.S. Entry into World War I", 2020)

The turning point in the war

The inclusion of the United States of America in the war put a lot of weight behind the Allied forces. Besides, the reinforcements by the US troops made a significant difference in helping the Allied forces in having prolonged confrontations against the German offensive acts. So, by all means, the US troops and reinforcements strengthened the response of the French and British troops to attacks from the German army. To add, on July 15, 1918 troops from Germany launched a massive attack on the French forces in Marne’s second battle. Because the French forces were joined by around 85000 troops of the US army, the Allied forces failed the German attack. Besides, three days later, the Allied forces initiated a counteroffensive on German forces inflicting heavy casualties on German troops. After suffering heavy losses of men, the German commanders called off another attack that was planned to take place in the Flanders region spanning between Belgium and France. It is worth noting here that this assault that Germany had to call off was considered to be their most promising prospect of winning.

So, the Second Battle of Marne proved to be instrumental in changing the tide of the war towards the Allied Forces that felt more confident with backing from the US. In the subsequent months, the Allies were successful in recapturing major parts of France and Belgium that were lost to the German intervention. Therefore, by 1918, the Central Forces felt distraught and weak after losing innumerable men to the resistance and counter-offensives of the Allies. This was a decisive turning point in the war which had inclined towards the Allied forces after they failed several plans and assaults of the German troops.