World War I: Initiation, Fighting, Casualties, Armistice

Résumé du document

World War I was a military conflict that took place in practice in Europe from 1914 to 1918(although administratively continued until 1923 for the countries concerned by the Treaty of Lausanne, the last to be signed July 24, 1923).

Considered one of the key events of the twentieth century, this sometimes called total war has reached a scale and intensity hitherto unknown. It has involved more soldiers, caused more deaths and more physical destruction than any previous war. Over 60 million soldiers took part. During the war, about 9 million people died and about 20 million were injured. Other events that occurred during this period: the Armenian Genocide (1915-1916), the first Battle of the Atlantic (1917), the Russian Revolution (1917) and the 1918 flu increased the distress of the people. For all these reasons, the time has deeply influenced those who lived it.

This war has brought profound geopolitical changes which have profoundly altered the course of the twentieth century. It caused the collapse and fragmentation of the Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. German Empire disappeared, and Germany saw its territory reduced. Consequently, maps of Europe and the Middle East were redrawn. Desmonarchies were replaced by communist states or democratic republics. For the first time, an international institution was created in order to prevent wars: the League of Nations.

The spark that led to the war came June 28, 1914, when a young Serbian nationalist Bosnian Gavrilo Princip, managed to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Requirements vengeance of Austria-Hungary (strongly encouraged by Germany) against the Kingdom of Serbia led to the activation of a series of alliances that forced several European powers to embark on the road of war. Many of these nations were at the head of empires spanning several continents, which explains the global conflict. For some historians, the war had been planned by the German leaders, see Fritz Fischer.

Extraits

[...] German growth is however important at the beginning and the Marne is crossed. This is the second battle of the Marne after the September 1914. But German troops ventured far south and arranged without tip guard against attacks launched by the French side piers. They are shoved against a French attack in the region of Villers -Cotterets started July Results of this are devastating attack against the Germans that must flow back to the north, narrowly avoiding encirclement. Last moments and armistice As of this date, the German army was never able to engage in offensive action, the initiative is now in the only camp of the Allies will engage in the following month against attacks to regain ground lost during the spring of 1918 and major offensives against. [...]

[...] Japan, as an ally of the United Kingdom declares war on Germany on 23 August 1914, but his involvement in the conflict is limited to the occupation of the German colonies in the Pacific Ocean (Marshall Islands, the Caroline and Mariana) and German concessions in China (Shandong). He took advantage of the conflict to strengthen its positions against major European powers in Asia. The Ottoman Empire entered the war against the countries of the Triple Entente on 1 November 1914 as an ally of Germany. The main motivation of the Ottomans in this war is to fight the Russian Empire that seeks to take control of the Straits. [...]

[...] However, after the war by Atatürk and the Treaty of Lausanne, the Ottoman Empire is reduced to what is now Turkey. Syria and Iraq become French and British mandates. Bibliography Great War goals for World Heritage 2/Julián Casanova, «The Treaty of Versailles and Its Consequences», December 16, 2002(accessed December le23 2008). Klaus J. Bade and Allison Brown, Migration in European History, Blackwell p. (ISBN 978-0631189398), p 4/Jean- Yves Le Naur, the Great War. Terrible conflict, a lost generation, the battered France, Paris, First ed, coll. [...]

[...] The French Yellow Book, which was completed after three months of work, includes 164. Propaganda these works aim to convince public opinion of the merits of their rights. In the White Paper, cuts and eliminate anything that might benefit the Russian position. The Yellow Book is qualified by the German propagandist's vast «collection of falsifications «France is accused of giving his unconditional support to Russia. Germany tries to show that it was forced to by the general mobilization of Russia, which itself blames Austria- Hungary. [...]

[...] The breakthrough in Lorraine, as the Plan XVII, is a failure for France (Lorraine battle 19-20 August, when the French have more than 20,000 casualties in two days) and the Third and Fourth French Army retreated behind the Meuse. On 20 August, German troops entered Brussels. On 23 August, the Germans forced to decline the Fifth French Army at the Battle of Charleroi and the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of Mons. On the whole line of Belgian front, the Allies retreated. The Schlieffen plan is proceeding as planned. British troops, led by General French, and the French Fifth Army commanded by General Charles Lanrezac hastily retreated to the Aisne and the Marne to. [...]