In what year did the first one begin? World War? This question is quite important in view of the fact that the world has really changed before and after. Before this war, the world did not know such a massive death of people who died literally on every inch of the front.

After World War I, Oswald Spengler would write the famous book “The Decline of Europe,” in which he predicted the decline of Western European civilization. After all, the First World War, in which Russia was involved and will be unleashed between Europeans.

This event will also mark the true beginning of the 20th century. It’s not for nothing that historians say that the 20th century was the shortest historical century: from 1914 to 1991.

Start

The First World War began on July 28, 1914, one month after the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

How did it all start?

On June 28, 1914, in the town of Sarajevo, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Austria-Hungary tended to initially view this situation as an opportunity to establish its influence in the Balkans. She demanded that Serbia not fulfill a number of demands that infringed on the independence of this small Slavic country. The most painful thing was that Serbia had to agree to have the Austrian police investigate the case. All these demands were formalized in the so-called July ultimatum, which Austria-Hungary sent to Serbia July 23, 1914.

Serbia agreed to all the demands (to clear the state apparatus of nationalists or anyone else), except for the point of allowing the Austrian police into its territory. Realizing that this was actually a threat of war, Serbia began mobilizing the army.

For those who don’t know, all states switched to a conscription structure for army recruitment after the Franco-Prussian War of the early 1870s, when the Prussian army defeated the French in a couple of weeks.

26 July Austria-Hungary began mobilization in response. Austrian troops began to concentrate on the border between Russia and Serbia. Why Russia? Because Russia has long positioned itself as the defender of the Balkan peoples.

July 28th Due to failure to comply with the terms of the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia has stated that it will not allow a military invasion of Serbia. But the actual declaration of war is considered the beginning of the First World War.

July 29 Nicholas II suggested that Austria resolve the issue peacefully by transferring it to the Hague International Court. But Austria could not allow the Russian emperor to dictate his terms to the Austrian empire.

July 30 and 31 mobilizations were carried out in France and Russia. To the question of who fought with whom and what does France have to do with it, you ask? Despite the fact that Russia and France concluded a number of military alliances back in the 19th century, and since 1907 England joined them, as a result of which the Entente was formed - a military bloc opposing the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)

August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. On the same date the inglorious military operations began. By the way, you can talk about them. In what year did it end: 1918. Everything is written in more detail in the article on the link.

In total, 38 states were involved in this war.

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

The First World War became the largest military conflict of the first third of the twentieth century and all the wars that took place before that. So when did World War I start and what year did it end? The date July 28, 1914 is the beginning of the war, and its end is November 11, 1918.

When did the first world war start?

The beginning of the First World War was the declaration of war by Austria-Hungary on Serbia. The reason for the war was the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown by the nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Speaking briefly about the First World War, it should be noted that the main reason for the hostilities that arose was the conquest of a place in the sun, the desire to rule the world with the emerging balance of power, the emergence of Anglo-German trade barriers, the absolute phenomenon in the development of the state as economic imperialism and territorial claims one state to another.

On June 28, 1914, Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo. On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, starting main war first third of the twentieth century.

Rice. 1. Gavrilo Princip.

Russia in the First World War

Russia announced mobilization, preparing to defend the fraternal people, which brought upon itself an ultimatum from Germany to stop the formation of new divisions. On August 1, 1914, Germany declared an official declaration of war on Russia.

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In 1914, military operations on the Eastern Front took place in Prussia, where a rapid advance Russian troops was thrown back by the German counteroffensive and the defeat of Samsonov's army. The offensive in Galicia was more effective. On the Western Front, the course of military operations was more pragmatic. The Germans invaded France through Belgium and moved at an accelerated pace to Paris. Only at the Battle of the Marne was the offensive stopped by Allied forces and the parties moved on to a long trench war that lasted until 1915.

In 1915, Germany's former ally, Italy, entered the war on the side of the Entente. This is how the southwestern front was formed. The fighting took place in the Alps, giving rise to a mountain war.

22 April 1915 during the Battle of Ypres German soldiers used chlorine poison gas against Entente forces, which became the first gas attack in history.

A similar meat grinder happened on the Eastern Front. The defenders of the Osovets fortress in 1916 covered themselves with unfading glory. The German forces, several times superior to the Russian garrison, were unable to take the fortress after mortar and artillery fire and several assaults. After this, a chemical attack was used. When the Germans, walking in gas masks through the smoke, believed that there were no survivors left in the fortress, Russian soldiers ran out at them, coughing blood and wrapped in various rags. The bayonet attack was unexpected. The enemy, many times superior in number, was finally driven back.

Rice. 2. Defenders of Osovets.

At the Battle of the Somme in 1916, tanks were used for the first time by the British during an attack. Despite frequent breakdowns and low accuracy, the attack had a more psychological effect.

Rice. 3. Tanks on the Somme.

In order to distract the Germans from the breakthrough and pull forces away from Verdun, Russian troops planned an offensive in Galicia, the result of which was to be the surrender of Austria-Hungary. This is how the “Brusilovsky breakthrough” occurred, which, although it moved the front line tens of kilometers to the west, did not solve the main problem.

At sea, a major battle took place between the British and Germans near the Jutland Peninsula in 1916. The German fleet intended to break the naval blockade. More than 200 ships took part in the battle, with the British outnumbering them, but during the course of the battle there was no winner, and the blockade continued.

The United States joined the Entente in 1917, for which entering a world war on the winning side at the very last moment became a classic. The German command erected a reinforced concrete “Hindenburg Line” from Lens to the Aisne River, behind which the Germans retreated and switched to a defensive war.

French General Nivelle developed a plan for a counteroffensive on the Western Front. Massive artillery bombardment and attacks on different sectors of the front did not produce the desired effect.

In 1917, in Russia, during two revolutions, the Bolsheviks came to power and concluded the shameful separate Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. On March 3, 1918, Russia left the war.
In the spring of 1918, the Germans launched their last, “spring offensive.” They intended to break through the front and take France out of the war, however, the numerical superiority of the Allies prevented them from doing this.

Economic exhaustion and growing dissatisfaction with the war forced Germany to the negotiating table, during which a peace treaty was concluded at Versailles.

What have we learned?

Regardless of who fought whom and who won, history has shown that the end of the First World War did not solve all of humanity's problems. The battle for the redivision of the world did not end; the allies did not finish off Germany and its allies completely, but only depleted them economically, which led to the signing of peace. World War II was only a matter of time.

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To thoroughly understand how the First World War (1914-1918) began, you must first become familiar with the political situation that developed in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. The prehistory of the global military conflict was the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). It ended with the complete defeat of France, and the confederate union of German states was transformed into the German Empire. Wilhelm I became its head on January 18, 1871. Thus, a powerful power emerged in Europe with a population of 41 million people and an army of almost 1 million soldiers.

Political situation in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century

At first, the German Empire did not strive for political dominance in Europe, since it was economically weak. But over the course of 15 years, the country gained strength and began to claim a more worthy place in the Old World. Here it must be said that politics is always determined by the economy, and German capital had very few markets. This can be explained by the fact that Germany in its colonial expansion was hopelessly behind Great Britain, Spain, Belgium, France, and Russia.

Map of Europe by 1914 Brown color Germany and its allies are shown. Green Entente countries shown

It is also necessary to take into account the small area of ​​the state, whose population was growing rapidly. It required food, but there was not enough of it. In a word, Germany gained strength, but the world was already divided, and no one was going to voluntarily give up the promised lands. There was only one way out - to take away the tasty morsels by force and provide a decent, prosperous life for your capital and people.

The German Empire did not hide its ambitious claims, but it could not resist England, France and Russia alone. Therefore, in 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed a military-political bloc (Triple Alliance). Its consequences were the Moroccan crises (1905-1906, 1911) and the Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912). It was a test of strength, a rehearsal for a more serious and large-scale military conflict.

In response to increasing German aggression in 1904-1907, a military-political bloc of Cordial Concord (Entente) was formed, which included England, France and Russia. Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, two powerful military forces emerged in Europe. One of them, led by Germany, sought to expand its living space, and another force tried to counteract these plans in order to protect its economic interests.

Germany's ally, Austria-Hungary, represented a hotbed of instability in Europe. It was a multinational country, which constantly provoked interethnic conflicts. In October 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Herzegovina and Bosnia. This caused sharp discontent in Russia, which had the status of protector of the Slavs in the Balkans. Russia was supported by Serbia, which considered itself the unifying center of the South Slavs.

A tense political situation was observed in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire, which once dominated here, began to be called the “sick man of Europe” at the beginning of the 20th century. And therefore, stronger countries began to lay claim to its territory, which provoked political disagreements and local wars. All the above information gave general idea about the preconditions of the global military conflict, and now it’s time to find out how the First World War began.

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife

The political situation in Europe was heating up every day and by 1914 it had reached its peak. All that was needed was a small push, a pretext for unleashing a global military conflict. And soon such an opportunity presented itself. It went down in history as the Sarajevo murder, and it happened on June 28, 1914.

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophia

On that ill-fated day, Gavrilo Princip (1894-1918), a member of the nationalist organization Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnia), killed the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914) and his wife Countess Sofia Chotek (1868-1914). “Mlada Bosna” advocated the liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the rule of Austria-Hungary and was ready to use any methods for this, including terrorism.

The Archduke and his wife arrived in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, at the invitation of the Austro-Hungarian governor, General Oscar Potiorek (1853-1933). Everyone knew about the arrival of the crowned couple in advance, and members of Mlada Bosna decided to kill Ferdinand. For this purpose, a battle group of 6 people was created. It consisted of young people, natives of Bosnia.

Early on the morning of Sunday, June 28, 1914, the crowned couple arrived in Sarajevo by train. She was met on the platform by Oscar Potiorek, journalists and an enthusiastic crowd of loyal colleagues. The arrivals and high-ranking greeters were seated in 6 cars, while the Archduke and his wife found themselves in the third car with the top folded. The motorcade took off and rushed towards the military barracks.

By 10 o'clock the inspection of the barracks was completed, and all 6 cars drove along the Appel embankment to the city hall. This time the car with the crowned couple was the second in the motorcade. At 10:10 a.m. the moving cars caught up with one of the terrorists named Nedeljko Chabrinovic. This young man threw a grenade, aiming at the car with the Archduke. But the grenade hit the convertible top, flew under the third car and exploded.

Detention of Gavrilo Princip, who killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife

The driver of the car was killed by shrapnel, passengers were injured, as well as people who were near the car at that moment. A total of 20 people were injured. The terrorist himself swallowed potassium cyanide. However, it did not give the desired effect. The man vomited, and he jumped into the river to escape the crowd. But the river in that place turned out to be very shallow. The terrorist was dragged ashore, and angry people brutally beat him. After this, the crippled conspirator was handed over to the police.

After the explosion, the motorcade increased speed and reached the city hall without incident. There, a magnificent reception awaited the crowned couple, and, despite the assassination attempt, the official part took place. At the end of the celebration, it was decided to curtail the further program due to emergency. It was decided only to go to the hospital to visit the wounded there. At 10:45 a.m. the cars started moving again and drove along Franz Joseph Street.

Another terrorist, Gavrilo Princip, was waiting for the moving motorcade. He was standing outside the Moritz Schiller Delicatessen store next to the Latin Bridge. Seeing the crowned couple sitting in a convertible car, the conspirator stepped forward, caught up with the car and found himself next to it at a distance of only one and a half meters. He shot twice. The first bullet hit Sophia in the stomach, and the second in Ferdinand's neck.

After shooting people, the conspirator tried to poison himself, but, like the first terrorist, he only vomited. Then Princip tried to shoot himself, but people ran up, took the gun away and began beating the 19-year-old man. He was beaten so badly that the killer's arm was amputated in the prison hospital. Subsequently, the court sentenced Gavrilo Princip to 20 years of hard labor, since according to the laws of Austria-Hungary he was a minor at the time of the crime. In prison, the young man was kept in the most difficult conditions and died of tuberculosis on April 28, 1918.

Ferdinand and Sofia, wounded by the conspirator, remained sitting in the car, which rushed to the governor’s residence. There they were going to provide assistance to the victims medical care. But the couple died on the way. First, Sofia died, and 10 minutes later Ferdinand gave his soul to God. Thus ended the Sarajevo murder, which became the reason for the outbreak of the First World War.

July crisis

The July Crisis was a series of diplomatic clashes between the leading powers of Europe in the summer of 1914, provoked by the Sarajevo assassination. Of course given political conflict could have been resolved peacefully, but strong of the world I really wanted this war. And this desire was based on the confidence that the war would be very short and effective. But it became protracted and claimed more than 20 million human lives.

Funeral of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Countess Sophia

After the assassination of Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary stated that Serbian state structures were behind the conspirators. At the same time, Germany publicly announced to the whole world that in the event of a military conflict in the Balkans, it would support Austria-Hungary. This statement was made on July 5, 1914, and on July 23, Austria-Hungary issued a harsh ultimatum to Serbia. In particular, in it the Austrians demanded that their police be allowed into the territory of Serbia for investigative actions and punishment of terrorist groups.

The Serbs could not do this and announced mobilization in the country. Literally two days later, on July 26, the Austrians also announced mobilization and began to gather troops to the borders of Serbia and Russia. The final touch in this local conflict was July 28. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and began shelling Belgrade. After artillery bombardment, Austrian troops crossed the Serbian border.

On July 29, Russian Emperor Nicholas II invited Germany to resolve the Austro-Serbian conflict at the Hague Conference peacefully. But Germany did not respond to this. Then on July 31st Russian Empire general mobilization was announced. In response to this, Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, and war on France on August 3. Already on August 4, German troops entered Belgium, and its king Albert turned to European countries as guarantors of its neutrality.

After this, Great Britain sent a note of protest to Berlin and demanded an immediate end to the invasion of Belgium. The German government ignored the note, and Great Britain declared war on Germany. And the final touch of this general madness came on August 6th. On this day, Austria-Hungary declared war on the Russian Empire. This is how the First World War began.

Soldiers in the First World War

Officially it lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. Military operations took place in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Africa, China, and Oceania. Human civilization had never known anything like this before. It was the largest military conflict that shook state foundations leading countries on the planet. After the war, the world became different, but humanity did not grow wiser and by the middle of the 20th century unleashed an even larger massacre that claimed many more lives.

Air battle

According to general opinion, the First World War is one of the most widespread armed conflicts in the history of mankind. Its result was the collapse of four empires: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German.

In 1914, events occurred as follows.

In 1914, two main theaters of military operations were formed: French and Russian, as well as the Balkans (Serbia), the Caucasus and, from November 1914, the Middle East, colonies of European states - Africa, China, Oceania. At the beginning of the war, no one thought that it would become protracted; its participants intended to end the war in a few months.

Start

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, the Germans, without any declaration of war, invaded Luxembourg on the same day, and the very next day they occupied Luxembourg and issued an ultimatum to Belgium to allow German troops to pass to the border with France. Belgium did not accept the ultimatum, and Germany declared war on it, invading Belgium on August 4.

King Albert of Belgium turned for help to the guarantor countries of Belgian neutrality. In London they demanded to stop the invasion of Belgium, otherwise England threatened to declare war on Germany. The ultimatum expired and Great Britain declared war on Germany.

Belgian armored Sava car on the Franco-Belgian border

The military wheel of the First World War began to roll and gain momentum.

Western Front

At the beginning of the war, Germany had ambitious plans: the instant defeat of France, passing through the territory of Belgium, the capture of Paris... Wilhelm II said: “We will have lunch in Paris and dinner in St. Petersburg.” He did not take Russia into account at all, considering it a sluggish power: it was unlikely to be able to quickly mobilize and bring its army to its borders . This was the so-called Schlieffen plan, developed by the Chief of the German General Staff Alfred von Schlieffen (modified by Helmuth von Moltke after Schlieffen's resignation).

Count von Schlieffen

He was wrong, this Schlieffen: France launched an unforeseen counterattack in the outskirts of Paris (Battle of the Marne), and Russia quickly launched an offensive, so the German plan failed and the German army began trench warfare.

Nicholas II declares war on Germany from the balcony of the Winter Palace

The French believed that Germany would deliver the initial and main blow to Alsace. They had their own military doctrine: Plan-17. As part of this doctrine, the French command intended to station troops along its eastern border and launch an offensive through the territories of Lorraine and Alsace, which the Germans occupied. The same actions were provided for by the Schlieffen Plan.

Then a surprise occurred on the part of Belgium: its army, 10 times inferior in size to the German army, unexpectedly put up active resistance. But still, on August 20, the Germans captured Brussels. The Germans behaved confidently and boldly: they did not stop in front of the defending cities and fortresses, but simply bypassed them. The Belgian government fled to Le Havre. King Albert I continued to defend Antwerp. “After a short siege, heroic defense and fierce bombardment, the last stronghold of the Belgians, the fortress of Antwerp, fell on September 26. Under a hail of shells from the muzzles of monstrous guns brought by the Germans and installed on platforms they had built in advance, fort after fort fell silent. On September 23, the Belgian government left Antwerp, and on September 24 the bombing of the city began. Entire streets were in flames. Huge oil tanks were burning in the port. Zeppelins and airplanes bombarded the unfortunate city from above.

Air battle

The civilian population fled in panic from the doomed city, tens of thousands, escaping in all directions: on ships to England and France, on foot to Holland” (Spark Sunday magazine, October 19, 1914).

Border battle

On August 7, the Border Battle began between Anglo-French and German troops. After the German invasion of Belgium, the French command urgently revised its plans and began actively moving units towards the border. But the Anglo-French armies suffered heavy defeats at the Battle of Mons, the Battle of Charleroi and the Ardennes Operation, losing about 250 thousand people. The Germans invaded France, bypassing Paris, capturing the French army in a giant pincer. On September 2, the French government moved to Bordeaux. The defense of the city was led by General Gallieni. The French were preparing to defend Paris along the Marne River.

Joseph Simon Gallieni

Battle of the Marne ("Miracle of the Marne")

But by this time the German army had already begun to become exhausted. She did not have the opportunity to deeply cover the French army bypassing Paris. The Germans decided to turn east north of Paris and strike in the rear of the main forces of the French army.

But, turning east north of Paris, they exposed their right flank and rear to the attack of the French group concentrated for the defense of Paris. There was nothing to cover the right flank and rear. But the German command agreed to this maneuver: it turned its troops to the east, not reaching Paris. The French command took advantage of the opportunity and struck the exposed flank and rear of the German army. Even taxis were used to transport troops.

“Marne taxi”: such vehicles were used to transport troops

First Battle of the Marneturned the tide of hostilities in favor of the French and pushed German troops on the front from Verdun to Amiens 50-100 kilometers back.

The main battle on the Marne began on September 5, and already on September 9 the defeat of the German army became obvious. The order to withdraw was met with complete misunderstanding in the German army: for the first time during the hostilities, a mood of disappointment and depression began in the German army. And for the French, this battle became the first victory over the Germans, the morale of the French grew stronger. The British realized their military inadequacy and set a course for increasing armed forces. The Battle of the Marne became turning point war on French theater military operations: the front has stabilized, and the forces of the opponents are approximately equal.

Battles in Flanders

The Battle of the Marne led to the "Run to the Sea" as both armies moved to try to flank each other. This led to the front line closing in and resting on the shores of the North Sea. By November 15, the entire space between Paris and the North Sea was filled with troops from both sides. The front was in a stable state: the offensive potential of the Germans had been exhausted, and both sides began a positional struggle. The Entente managed to retain ports convenient for sea communication with England - especially the port of Calais.

Eastern front

On August 17, the Russian army crossed the border and began an attack on East Prussia. At first, the actions of the Russian army were successful, but the command was unable to take advantage of the results of the victory. The movement of other Russian armies slowed down and was not coordinated; the Germans took advantage of this, striking from the west on the open flank of the 2nd Army. This army at the beginning of the First World War was commanded by General A.V. Samsonov, participant of the Russian-Turkish (1877-1878), Russo-Japanese War, ataman of the Don Army, Semirechensky Cossack army, Turkestan Governor-General. During the East Prussian operation of 1914, his army suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Tannenberg, part of it was surrounded. When leaving the encirclement near the city of Willenberg (now Wielbark, Poland), Alexander Vasilyevich Samsonov died. According to another, more common version, it is believed that he shot himself.

General A.V. Samsonov

In this battle, the Russians defeated several German divisions, but lost in the general battle. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich in his book “My Memoirs” wrote that the 150,000-strong Russian army of General Samsonov was a victim deliberately thrown into the trap set by Ludendorff.”

Battle of Galicia (August-September 1914)

This is one of the largest battles of the First World War. As a result of this battle, Russian troops occupied almost all of eastern Galicia, almost all of Bukovina and besieged Przemysl. The operation involved the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th armies as part of the Russian Southwestern Front (front commander - General N. I. Ivanov) and four Austro-Hungarian armies(Archduke Friedrich, Field Marshal Götzendorf) and the German group of General R. Woyrsch. The seizure of Galicia was perceived in Russia not as an occupation, but as the return of a seized part historical Rus', because it was dominated by the Orthodox Slavic population.

N.S. Samokish “In Galicia. Cavalryman"

Results of 1914 on the Eastern Front

The 1914 campaign turned out in favor of Russia, although on the German part of the front Russia lost part of the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. Russia's defeat in East Prussia was also accompanied by heavy losses. But Germany was also unable to achieve the planned results; all its successes from a military point of view were very modest.

Advantages of Russia: managed to inflict a major defeat on Austria-Hungary and capture significant territories. Austria-Hungary turned from a full ally for Germany into a weak partner requiring continuous support.

Difficulties for Russia: the war by 1915 turned into a positional one. The Russian army began to feel the first signs of an ammunition supply crisis. Advantages of the Entente: Germany was forced to fight on two fronts simultaneously and transfer troops from front to front.

Japan enters the war

The Entente (mainly England) convinced Japan to oppose Germany. On August 15, Japan presented an ultimatum to Germany, demanding the withdrawal of troops from China, and on August 23, it declared war and began the siege of Qingdao, a German naval base in China, which ended with the surrender of the German garrison.

Then Japan began to seize Germany's island colonies and bases (German Micronesia and German New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands). At the end of August, New Zealand troops captured German Samoa.

Japan's participation in the war on the side of the Entente turned out to be beneficial for Russia: its Asian part was safe, and Russia did not have to spend resources on maintaining the army and navy in this region.

Asian Theater of Operations

Türkiye initially hesitated for a long time whether to enter the war and on whose side. Finally, she declared “jihad” (holy war) on the Entente countries. On November 11-12, the Turkish fleet under the command of the German admiral Suchon shelled Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. On November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey, followed by England and France.

The Caucasian Front was formed between Russia and Turkey.

Russian airplane in the back of a truck on the Caucasian front

In December 1914 - January 1915. took placeSarykamysh operation: Russian Caucasian army stopped the offensive Turkish troops on Kars, defeated them and launched a counteroffensive.

But Russia at the same time lost the most convenient route of communication with its allies - through the Black Sea and the straits. Russia had only two ports for transportation large quantity cargo: Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok.

Results of the military campaign of 1914

By the end of 1914, Belgium was almost completely conquered by Germany. The Entente retained a small western part of Flanders with the city of Ypres. Lille was taken by the Germans. The 1914 campaign was dynamic. The armies of both sides maneuvered actively and quickly; the troops did not erect long-term defensive lines. By November 1914, a stable front line began to take shape. Both sides exhausted their offensive potential and began building trenches and barbed wire. The war turned into a positional one.

Russian expeditionary force in France: the head of the 1st brigade, General Lokhvitsky, with several Russian and French officers bypasses the positions (summer 1916, Champagne)

The length of the Western Front (from the North Sea to Switzerland) was more than 700 km, the density of troops on it was high, significantly higher than on the Eastern Front. Intense military operations were carried out only on the northern half of the front; the front from Verdun and to the south was considered as secondary.

"Cannon fodder"

On November 11, the Battle of Langemarck took place, which the world community called senseless and neglected human lives: the Germans threw units of unfired young people (workers and students) at the English machine guns. After some time, this happened again, and this fact became an established opinion about the soldiers in this war as “cannon fodder.”

By the beginning of 1915, everyone began to understand that the war had become protracted. This was not included in the plans of either party. Although the Germans captured almost all of Belgium and most of France, they found it completely inaccessible the main objective- rapid victory over the French.

Ammunition supplies ran out by the end of 1914, and it was urgently necessary to establish their mass production. The power of heavy artillery turned out to be underestimated. The fortresses were practically unprepared for defense. As a result, Italy, as the third member of the Triple Alliance, did not enter the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Front lines of the First World War by the end of 1914

The first war year ended with these results.

Both sides pursued aggressive goals. Germany sought to weaken Great Britain and France, seize new colonies on the African continent, tear Poland and the Baltic states away from Russia, Austria-Hungary - to establish itself on the Balkan Peninsula, Great Britain and France - to retain their colonies and weaken Germany as a competitor in the world market, Russia - to seize Galicia and take possession of the Black Sea straits.

Causes

Intending to go to war against Serbia, Austria-Hungary secured German support. The latter believed that the war would become local if Russia did not defend Serbia. But if it provides assistance to Serbia, then Germany will be ready to fulfill its treaty obligations and support Austria-Hungary. In an ultimatum presented to Serbia on July 23, Austria-Hungary demanded that its military units be allowed into Serbia in order to, together with Serbian forces, suppress hostile actions. The answer to the ultimatum was given within the agreed 48-hour period, but it did not satisfy Austria-Hungary, and on July 28 it declared war on Serbia. On July 30, Russia announced general mobilization; Germany used this occasion to declare war on Russia on August 1, and on France on August 3. Following the German invasion of Belgium on 4 August, Great Britain declared war on Germany. Now all the great powers of Europe were drawn into the war. Together with them, their dominions and colonies were involved in the war.

Progress of the war

1914

The war consisted of five campaigns. During the First Campaign, Germany invaded Belgium and northern France, but was defeated at the Battle of the Marne. Russia captured parts of East Prussia and Galicia (East Prussian Operation and Battle of Galicia), but was then defeated by the German and Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive. As a result, there was a transition from maneuvering to positional forms of combat.

1915

Italy, the disruption of the German plan to withdraw Russia from the war and bloody, inconclusive battles on the Western Front.

During this campaign, Germany and Austria-Hungary, concentrating their main efforts on the Russian front, carried out the so-called Gorlitsky breakthrough and ousted Russian troops from Poland and parts of the Baltic states, but were defeated in the Vilna operation and were forced to switch to positional defense.

On the Western Front, both sides fought a strategic defense. Private operations (at Ypres, Champagne and Artois) were unsuccessful, despite the use of poison gases.

On the Southern Front, Italian troops launched an unsuccessful operation against Austria-Hungary on the Isonzo River. German-Austrian troops managed to defeat Serbia. Anglo-French troops successfully carried out the Thessaloniki operation in Greece, but were unable to capture the Dardanelles. On the Transcaucasian front, Russia, as a result of the Alashkert, Hamadan and Sarykamysh operations, reached the approaches to Erzurum.

1916

The city's campaign is associated with the entry of Romania into the war and the waging of a grueling positional war on all fronts. Germany again turned its efforts against France, but was unsuccessful at the Battle of Verdun. The operations of the Anglo-French troops on Somna were also unsuccessful, despite the use of tanks.

On the Italian front, Austro-Hungarian troops launched the Trentino offensive, but were driven back by a counter-offensive by Italian troops. On the Eastern Front, troops of the Southwestern Russian Front carried out a successful operation in Galicia on a wide front stretching up to 550 km (Brusilovsky breakthrough) and advanced 60-120 km, occupied the eastern regions of Austria-Hungary, which forced the enemy to transfer up to 34 divisions to this front from the Western and Italian fronts.

The decisive Battle of Jutland took place on the Baltic Sea. As a result of the campaign, conditions were created for the Entente to seize the strategic initiative.

1917

The city's campaign is associated with the entry of the United States into the war, Russia's revolutionary exit from the war and the conduct of a number of successive offensive operations on the Western Front (Nivelle's operation, operations in the Messines area, Ypres, near Verdun, and Cambrai). These operations, despite the use of large forces of artillery, tanks and aviation, practically did not change the general situation in the Western European theater of military operations. In the Atlantic at this time, Germany launched an unrestricted submarine war, during which both sides suffered heavy losses.

1918

The campaign was characterized by a transition from positional defense to a general offensive by the Entente armed forces. First, Germany launched the Allied March offensive in Picardy and private operations in Flanders and on the Aisne and Marne rivers. But due to lack of strength, they did not develop.

From the second half of the year, with the entry of the United States into the war, the Allies prepared and launched retaliatory offensive operations (Amiens, Saint-Miel, Marne), during which they eliminated the results of the German offensive, and in September they launched a general offensive, forcing Germany to surrender ( Truce of Compiegne).

Results

The final terms of the peace treaty were worked out at the Paris Conference of 1919-1920. ; During the sessions, agreements regarding five peace treaties were determined. After its completion, the following were signed: 1) the Treaty of Versailles with Germany on June 28; 2) Saint-Germain Peace Treaty with Austria on September 10, 1919; 3) Neuilly Peace Treaty with Bulgaria on November 27; 4) Trianon Peace Treaty with Hungary on June 4; 5) Treaty of Sèvres with Turkey on August 20. Subsequently, according to the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, changes were made to the Treaty of Sèvres.

As a result of the First World War, the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires were liquidated. Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire were divided, and Russia and Germany, ceasing to be monarchies, were reduced territorially and economically weakened. Revanchist sentiments in Germany led to World War II. The First World War accelerated the development of social processes and was one of the prerequisites that led to revolutions in Russia, Germany, Hungary, and Finland. As a result, a new military-political situation in the world was created.

In total, World War I lasted 51 months and 2 weeks. Covered the territories of Europe, Asia and Africa, the waters of the Atlantic, North, Baltic, Black and Mediterranean seas. This is the first military conflict on a global scale, in which 38 of the 59 existing at that time were involved independent states. Two thirds of the population participated in the war globe. The number of warring armies exceeded 37 million people. The total number of people mobilized into the armed forces was about 70 million. The length of the fronts was up to 2.5-4 thousand km. The casualties of the parties amounted to about 9.5 million killed and 20 million wounded.

During the war, new types of troops were developed and widely used: aviation, armored forces, anti-aircraft troops, anti-tank weapons, and submarine forces. New forms and methods of armed struggle began to be used: army and front-line operations, breaking through front fortifications. New strategic categories have emerged: operational deployment of the armed forces, operational cover, border battles, initial and subsequent periods of the war.

Used materials

• Dictionary "War and Peace in Terms and Definitions", First World War
• Encyclopedia "Around the World"