In what century was the first world war. End of World War I

20.10.2019

First World War was the result of the aggravation of the contradictions of imperialism, unevenness, spasmodic development of the capitalist countries. The most acute contradictions existed between Great Britain - the oldest capitalist power and economically strengthened Germany, whose interests clashed in many areas. the globe especially in Africa, Asia, Middle East. Their rivalry turned into a fierce struggle for dominance in the world market, for the seizure of foreign territories, for the economic enslavement of other peoples. Germany set itself the goal of defeating the armed forces of England, depriving her of colonial and naval primacy, subordinating the Balkan countries to her influence, and creating a semi-colonial empire in the Middle East. England, in turn, intended to prevent the establishment of Germany in the Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East, destroy its armed forces, and expand its colonial possessions. In addition, she hoped to capture Mesopotamia, to establish her dominance in Palestine and Egypt. Sharp contradictions also existed between Germany and France. France sought to return the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, captured as a result of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871, and also to take the Saar basin from Germany, to preserve and expand its colonial possessions (see Colonialism).

Bavarian troops are sent to railway towards the front. August 1914

Territorial division of the world on the eve of World War I (by 1914)

Poincaré's arrival in St. Petersburg, 1914. Raymond Poincaré (1860-1934) - President of France in 1913-1920. He pursued a reactionary militaristic policy, for which he received the nickname "Poincaré War".

Partition of the Ottoman Empire (1920-1923)

An American infantryman affected by exposure to phosgene.

Territorial changes in Europe in 1918-1923.

General von Kluck (in a car) and his staff on big maneuvers, 1910

Territorial changes after the First World War in 1918-1923.

The interests of Germany and Russia clashed mainly in the Middle East and the Balkans. Kaiser's Germany also sought to tear Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states away from Russia. Contradictions also existed between Russia and Austria-Hungary because of the desire of both sides to establish their dominance in the Balkans. Royal Russia intended to seize the Bosporus and Dardanelles, Western Ukrainian and Polish lands, which were under the rule of the Habsburgs.

The contradictions between the imperialist powers had a significant impact on the alignment of political forces in the international arena and the formation of opposing military-political alliances. in Europe at the end of the 19th century. - early 20th century two largest blocs were formed - the Triple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; and the Entente as part of England, France and Russia. The bourgeoisie of each country pursued its own selfish goals, which sometimes contradicted the goals of the allies in the coalition. However, all of them were relegated to the background against the background of the main contradictions between the two groupings of states: on the one hand, between England and her allies, and Germany and her allies, on the other.

The ruling circles of all countries were to blame for the outbreak of the First World War, but the initiative in unleashing it belonged to German imperialism.

The desire of the bourgeoisie to weaken the growing class struggle of the proletariat and the national liberation movement in the colonies, to divert the working class from the struggle for its social liberation by war, to decapitate its vanguard by means of repressive wartime measures, played an important role in the outbreak of the First World War.

The governments of both hostile groups carefully concealed from their peoples the real aims of the war, tried to instill in them the false idea of the defensive nature of military preparations, and then of the conduct of the war itself. The bourgeois and petty-bourgeois parties of all countries supported their governments and, playing on the patriotic feelings of the masses, came up with the slogan of "defending the fatherland" from external enemies.

The peace-loving forces of that time could not prevent the outbreak of a world war. The real force capable of blocking its path to a large extent was the international working class, which on the eve of the war numbered over 150 million people. However, the lack of unity in the international socialist movement thwarted the formation of a united anti-imperialist front. The opportunist leadership of the Western European Social Democratic parties did nothing to put into practice the anti-war decisions taken at the congresses of the 2nd International held before the war. A misconception about the sources and nature of the war played a significant role in this. The right-wing socialists, finding themselves in the warring camps, agreed that "their" own government had nothing to do with its emergence. They even continued to condemn the war, but only as an evil approaching the country from outside.

The First World War lasted over four years (from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918). 38 states participated in it, more than 70 million people fought on its fields, of which 10 million people were killed and 20 million maimed. The immediate cause of the war was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo (Bosnia) by members of the Serbian conspiratorial organization Young Bosnia. Incited by Germany, Austria-Hungary delivered an obviously impossible ultimatum to Serbia and on July 28 declared war on Serbia. In connection with the opening of hostilities by Austria-Hungary in Russia on July 31, general mobilization. In response, the German government warned Russia that if mobilization was not stopped within 12 hours, then mobilization would also be announced in Germany. By this time, the German armed forces were already fully prepared for war. The tsarist government did not respond to the German ultimatum. On August 1 Germany declared war on Russia, on August 3 on France and Belgium, on August 4 Great Britain declared war on Germany. Later, most of the countries of the world were involved in the war (on the side of the Entente - 34 states, on the side of the Austro-German bloc - 4).

Both warring sides started the war with armies of many millions. Military operations took place in Europe, Asia and Africa. The main land fronts in Europe: Western (in Belgium and France) and Eastern (in Russia). According to the nature of the tasks to be solved and the military-political results achieved, the events of the First World War can be divided into five campaigns, each of which included several operations.

In 1914, in the very first months of the war, the military plans developed in the general staffs of both coalitions long before the war and designed for its short duration failed. The fighting on the Western Front began in early August. On August 2, the German army occupied Luxembourg, and on August 4 invaded Belgium, violating its neutrality. The small Belgian army was unable to offer serious resistance and began to retreat north. On August 20, German troops occupied Brussels and were able to move unhindered to the borders of France. Three French and one British armies were advanced to meet them. On August 21-25, in a border battle, the German armies pushed back the Anglo-French troops, invaded Northern France and, continuing the offensive, reached the Marne River between Paris and Verdun by the beginning of September. The French command, having formed two new armies from the reserves, decided to launch a counteroffensive. The Battle of the Marne began on 5 September. It was attended by 6 Anglo-French and 5 German armies (about 2 million people). The Germans were defeated. On September 16, oncoming battles unfolded, called "Run to the Sea" (they ended when the front reached the sea coast). In October and November, bloody battles in Flanders exhausted and balanced the forces of the parties. From the Swiss border to the North Sea stretched a solid front line. The war in the West took on a positional character. Thus, Germany's calculation to defeat and withdraw France from the war failed.

The Russian command, yielding to the insistent demands of the French government, decided to move on to active operations even before the end of the mobilization and concentration of their armies. The purpose of the operation was to defeat the 8th German Army and capture East Prussia. On August 4, the 1st Russian Army under the command of General P.K. Rennenkampf crossed the state border and entered the territory of East Prussia. During fierce fighting, German troops began to retreat to the West. Soon the border of East Prussia was crossed by the 2nd Russian Army of General A.V. Samsonov. The German headquarters had already decided to withdraw troops beyond the Vistula, but, taking advantage of the lack of interaction between the 1st and 2nd armies, the mistakes of the Russian high command, the German troops managed to inflict a heavy defeat at the beginning of the 2nd army, and then push back the 1st army to her starting positions.

Despite the failure of the operation, the Russian army's invasion of East Prussia had important results. It forced the Germans to transfer two army corps and one cavalry division from France to the Russian front, which seriously weakened their strike force in the West and was one of the reasons for its defeat in the Battle of the Marne. At the same time, by their actions in East Prussia, the Russian armies fettered the German troops and kept them from assisting the allied Austro-Hungarian troops. This made it possible for the Russians to inflict a major defeat on Austria-Hungary in the Galician direction. During the operation, the threat of an invasion of Hungary and Silesia was created; the military power of Austria-Hungary was significantly undermined (the Austro-Hungarian troops lost about 400 thousand people, of which more than 100 thousand were captured). The Austro-Hungarian army until the end of the war lost the ability to conduct operations independently, without the support of German troops. Germany was again forced to withdraw part of its forces from the Western Front and transfer them to the Eastern Front.

As a result of the 1914 campaign, neither side achieved its goals. Plans for waging a short-term war and winning it at the cost of one general battle collapsed. On the Western Front, the period of mobile warfare is over. Began positional, trench warfare. On August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany, and in October, Turkey entered the war on the side of the German bloc. New fronts were formed in Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia, Syria and the Dardanelles.

In the 1915 campaign, the center of gravity of hostilities shifted to the Eastern Front. Defense was planned on the Western Front. Operations on the Russian front began in January and continued with short breaks until late autumn. In the summer, the German command carried out a breakthrough of the Russian front near Gorlitsa. Soon it launched an offensive in the Baltic states, and the Russian troops were forced to leave Galicia, Poland, part of Latvia and Belarus. However, the Russian command, having switched to strategic defense, managed to withdraw its armies from the enemy's blows and stop its advance. The bloodless and exhausted Austro-German and Russian armies went on the defensive along the entire front in October. Germany was faced with the need to continue a long war on two fronts. Russia bore the brunt of the struggle, which provided France and England with a respite to mobilize the economy for the needs of the war. Only in the fall did the Anglo-French command conduct an offensive operation in Artois and Champagne, which did not significantly change the situation. In the spring of 1915, the German command for the first time used chemical weapons (chlorine) on the Western Front, near Ypres, as a result of which 15,000 people were poisoned. After that, gases began to be used by both warring parties.

In the summer, Italy entered the war on the side of the Entente; in October, Bulgaria joined the Austro-German bloc. The large-scale Dardanelles landing operation of the Anglo-French fleet was aimed at capturing the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, breaking through to Constantinople and withdrawing Turkey from the war. It ended in failure, and the Allies at the end of 1915 ceased hostilities and evacuated troops to Greece.

In the 1916 campaign, the Germans again shifted their main efforts to the West. For their main attack, they chose a narrow section of the front in the Verdun region, since a breakthrough here posed a threat to the entire northern wing of the Allied armies. The fighting near Verdun began on February 21 and continued until December. This operation, called the Verdun meat grinder, was reduced to exhausting and bloody battles, where both sides lost about 1 million people. The offensive operations of the Anglo-French troops on the Somme River, which began on July 1 and continued until November, were also unsuccessful. The Anglo-French troops, having lost about 800 thousand people, could not break through the enemy's defenses.

Of great importance in the 1916 campaign were operations on the Eastern Front. In March, at the request of the Allies, Russian troops carried out an offensive operation near Lake Naroch, which significantly influenced the course of hostilities in France. She not only pinned down about 0.5 million German troops on the Eastern Front, but also forced the German command to stop attacks on Verdun for a while and transfer part of the reserves to the Eastern Front. In connection with the heavy defeat of the Italian army in Trentino in May, the Russian high command launched an offensive on May 22, two weeks ahead of schedule. During the fighting, the Russian troops on the Southwestern Front under the command of A. A. Brusilov managed to break through the strong positional defense of the Austro-German troops to a depth of 80-120 km. The enemy suffered heavy losses - about 1.5 million people were killed, wounded and captured. The Austro-German command was forced to transfer large forces to the Russian front, which eased the position of the allied armies on other fronts. The Russian offensive saved the Italian army from defeat, eased the position of the French near Verdun, and hastened the appearance of Romania on the side of the Entente. The success of the Russian troops was ensured by the use by General A. A. Brusilov of a new form of breaking through the front through simultaneous strikes in several sectors. As a result, the enemy lost the opportunity to determine the direction of the main attack. Along with the Battle of the Somme, the offensive on the Southwestern Front marked the beginning of a turning point in the course of the First World War. The strategic initiative passed completely into the hands of the Entente.

On May 31 - June 1, the largest naval battle in the entire First World War took place off the Jutland Peninsula in the North Sea. The British lost 14 ships in it, about 6800 people were killed, wounded and captured; the Germans lost 11 ships, about 3,100 men killed and wounded.

In 1916, the German-Austrian bloc suffered huge losses and lost its strategic initiative. Bloody battles drained the resources of all the warring powers. The situation of the workers has deteriorated sharply. The hardships of the war, their awareness of its anti-people character caused deep dissatisfaction among the masses. In all countries, revolutionary sentiments grew in the rear and at the front. A particularly rapid upsurge of the revolutionary movement was observed in Russia, where the war revealed the corruption of the ruling elite.

Military operations in 1917 took place in conditions of a significant growth of the revolutionary movement in all the belligerent countries, and the strengthening of anti-war sentiments in the rear and at the front. The war significantly weakened the economy of the opposing factions.

The advantage of the Entente became even more significant after the US entered the war on its side. The state of the armies of the German coalition was such that they could not take active action either in the West or in the East. The German command decided in 1917 to switch to strategic defense on all land fronts and concentrated its main attention on waging unlimited submarine warfare, hoping in this way to disrupt the economic life of England and withdraw it from the war. But, despite some success, the submarine war did not give the desired result. The military command of the Entente moved to coordinated strikes on the Western and Eastern fronts in order to inflict a final defeat on Germany and Austria-Hungary.

However, the offensive of the Anglo-French troops, undertaken in April, failed. On February 27 (March 12) a bourgeois-democratic revolution took place in Russia. The Provisional Government that came to power, heading for the continuation of the war, organized a large offensive of the Russian armies with the support of the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks. It began on June 16 on the Southwestern Front in the general direction of Lvov, but after some tactical success, due to the lack of reliable reserves, the enemy’s increased resistance bogged down. The inaction of the allies on the Western Front allowed the German command to quickly transfer troops to the Eastern Front, create a powerful grouping there, and go on the counteroffensive on July 6. The Russian units, unable to withstand the onslaught, began to retreat. ended unsuccessfully offensive operations Russian armies and on the Northern, Western and Romanian fronts. The total number of losses on all fronts exceeded 150 thousand people killed, wounded and missing.

The artificially created offensive impulse of the masses of soldiers was replaced by an awareness of the senselessness of the offensive, unwillingness to continue the war of conquest, to fight for interests alien to them.

The last century brought to mankind two of the most terrible conflicts - the First and Second World Wars, which captured the whole world. And if the echoes of the Patriotic War are still heard, then the clashes of 1914-1918 have already been forgotten, despite their cruelty. Who fought with whom, what were the reasons for the confrontation, and in what year did the First World War begin?

Military conflict does not start suddenly, there is whole line prerequisites that directly or indirectly eventually become the causes of an open clash of armies. Differences between the main participants in the conflict, the powerful powers, began to grow long before the start of open battles.

The German Empire began its existence, which was the natural end of the Franco-Prussian battles of 1870-1871. At the same time, the government of the empire argued that the state had no aspirations regarding the seizure of power and domination in Europe.

After devastating internal conflicts The German monarchy needed time to recuperate and build military power, this requires peaceful times. In addition, European states are willing to cooperate with it and refrain from creating an opposing coalition.

Developing peacefully, by the mid-1880s the Germans were getting quite strong in the military and economic sphere and change the priorities of foreign policy, starting to fight for dominance in Europe. At the same time, a course was taken for the expansion of the southern lands, since the country did not have overseas colonies.

The colonial division of the world allowed the two strongest states - Great Britain and France to seize economically attractive lands around the world. In order to get overseas markets, the Germans needed to defeat these states and seize their colonies.

But in addition to the neighbors, the Germans also had to defeat the Russian state, since in 1891 it entered into a defensive alliance, which was called "Cardial Accord", or Entente, with France and England (joined in 1907).

Austria-Hungary, in turn, tried to keep the annexed territories received (Herzegovina and Bosnia) and at the same time tried to resist Russia, which set itself the goal of protecting and uniting Slavic peoples in Europe and could start a confrontation. Russia's ally, Serbia, also posed a danger to Austria-Hungary.

The same tense situation was in the Middle East: it was there that the foreign policy interests of European states that wanted to gain new territories and greater benefits from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire clashed.

Here Russia claimed its rights, claiming the shores of two straits: the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In addition, Emperor Nicholas II wanted to gain control over Anatolia, since this territory allowed access to the Middle East by land.

The Russians did not want to allow the withdrawal of these territories of Greece and Bulgaria. Therefore, European clashes were beneficial to them, since they made it possible to seize the desired lands in the East.

So, two alliances were created, the interests and opposition of which became the fundamental basis of the First World War:

Entente - it included Russia, France and Great Britain.
The Triple Alliance - it included the empires of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians, as well as the Italians.

It's important to know! Later, the Ottomans and Bulgarians joined the Triple Alliance, and the name was changed to the Quadruple Alliance.

The main reasons for the start of the war were:

The desire of the Germans to own large territories and occupy a dominant position in the world.
France's desire to take a leading position in Europe.
The desire of Great Britain to weaken the European countries that posed a danger.
Russia's attempt to seize new territories and protect the Slavic peoples from aggression.
Confrontations between European and Asian states for spheres of influence.

The crisis of the economy and the discrepancy between the interests of the leading powers of Europe, and after that of other states, led to the beginning of an open military conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

German goals

Who started the battles? Germany is considered the main aggressor and the country that actually started the First World War. But at the same time, it is a mistake to believe that she alone wanted a conflict, despite the active preparation of the Germans and the provocation, which became the official cause of open clashes.

All European countries had their own interests, the achievement of which required victory over their neighbors.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the empire was developing rapidly and was well prepared from a military point of view: it had good army, modern weapons and a powerful economy. Due to the constant strife between the German lands, until the middle of the 19th century, Europe did not consider the Germans as a serious adversary and competitor. But after the unification of the lands of the empire and the restoration of the domestic economy, the Germans not only became an important character in the European arena, but also began to think about seizing colonial lands.

The division of the world into colonies brought England and France not only an expanded market and cheap hired labor, but also an abundance of food. The German economy began to move from intensive development to stagnation due to market glut, and population growth and limited territories led to food shortages.

The country's leadership decided to completely change foreign policy, and instead of peaceful participation in European unions, they chose illusory domination through the military seizure of territories. The First World War began immediately after the assassination of the Austrian Franz Ferdinand, which was rigged by the Germans.

Participants in the conflict

Who fought with whom throughout the battles? The main participants concentrate in two camps:

Triple and then Quadruple Union;
Entente.

The first camp included Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Italians. This alliance was created back in the 1880s, its main goal was to oppose France.

At the beginning of the First World War, the Italians took up neutrality, thereby violating the plans of the allies, and later completely betrayed them, in 1915 going over to the side of England and France and taking an opposing position. Instead, the Germans had new allies: the Turks and Bulgarians, who had their own clashes with members of the Entente.

In the First World War, briefly listing, in addition to the Germans, Russians, French and British participated, who acted within the framework of one military bloc "Consent" (as the word Entente is translated). It was created in 1893-1907 in order to protect the Allied countries from the ever-growing military power of the Germans and to strengthen the Triple Alliance. The allies were also supported by other states that did not want to strengthen the Germans, among them Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Serbia.

It's important to know! Russia's allies in the conflict were also outside Europe, among them China, Japan, and the United States.

Russia in the First World War fought not only with Germany, but with a number of smaller states, for example, Albania. Only two main fronts unfolded: in the West and in the East. In addition to them, battles took place in the Transcaucasus and in the Middle Eastern and African colonies.

Interests of the parties

The main interest of all battles was the land, due to various circumstances, each side sought to conquer additional territories. All states had their own interest:

Russian empire wanted to get open outlet to the seas.
Great Britain sought to weaken Turkey and Germany.
France - to return their lands.
Germany - expand the territory by capturing neighboring European states, as well as get a number of colonies.
Austria-Hungary - control the sea routes and hold the annexed territories.
Italy - to gain dominance in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The approaching collapse of the Ottoman Empire made the states also think about seizing its lands. The map of hostilities shows the main fronts and advances of the opponents.

It's important to know! In addition to maritime interests, Russia wanted to unite all the Slavic lands under itself, while the Balkans were especially interested in the government.

Each country had clear plans to seize territories and was determined to win. Most of the countries of Europe participated in the conflict, while their military capabilities were approximately the same, which led to a protracted and passive war.

Results

When did World War I end? Its end came in November 1918 - it was then that Germany capitulated, concluding in June next year treaty at Versailles, thereby showing who won the First World War - the French and the British.

The Russians were the losers on the winning side as they withdrew from the battles as early as March 1918 due to serious internal political divisions. In addition to Versailles, 4 more were signed peace treaties with the main opposing sides.

For four empires, the First World War ended with their collapse: the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, the Ottomans were overthrown in Turkey, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians also became republicans.

There were also changes in the territories, in particular the capture of Western Thrace by Greece, Tanzania by England, Romania took possession of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia, and the French - Alsace-Lorraine and Lebanon. The Russian Empire lost a number of territories that declared independence, among them: Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

The French occupied the German region of Saar, and Serbia annexed a number of lands (including Slovenia and Croatia) and subsequently created the state of Yugoslavia. Russia's battles in the First World War were costly: in addition to heavy losses on the fronts, the already aggravated a difficult situation in economics.

The internal situation was tense long before the start of the campaign, and when, after an intense first year of fighting, the country switched to positional struggle, the suffering people actively supported the revolution and overthrew the objectionable tsar.

This confrontation showed that from now on all armed conflicts will be total in nature, and the entire population and all available resources of the state will be involved.

It's important to know! For the first time in history, adversaries used chemical weapons.

Both military blocs, entering into a confrontation, had approximately the same firepower, which led to protracted battles. Equal forces at the beginning of the campaign led to the fact that after its end, each country was actively engaged in building up firepower and actively developing modern and powerful weapons.

The scale and passive nature of the battles led to a complete restructuring of the economy and production of countries in the direction of militarization, which in turn significantly influenced the development of the European economy in 1915-1939. Characteristic for this period were:

strengthening state influence and control in the economic sphere;
creation of military complexes;
rapid development of energy systems;
the growth of defense products.

Wikipedia says that in that historical period the First World War was the bloodiest - it claimed only about 32 million lives, including the military and civilians who died from hunger and disease or from bombing. But even those soldiers who survived were psychologically traumatized by the war and could not lead a normal life. In addition, many of them were poisoned by chemical weapons used at the front.

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Summing up

Germany, which was sure of its victory in 1914, ceased to be a monarchy in 1918, lost a number of its lands and was severely weakened economically not only by military losses, but also by mandatory payments of reparations. The difficult conditions and general humiliation of the nation that the Germans endured after being defeated by the Allies engendered and fueled nationalist sentiments that subsequently led to the conflict of 1939-1945.

On June 28, 1914, the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife was committed in Bosnia, in which Serbia was accused of involvement. And although the British statesman Edward Gray called for a settlement of the conflict, offering the 4 largest powers as mediators, by doing this he only managed to aggravate the situation more and draw the whole of Europe, including Russia, into the war.

Nearly a month later, Russia announces troop mobilization and conscription after Serbia turns to it for help. However, what was originally planned as a precautionary measure provoked a backlash from Germany with demands for an end to conscription. As a result, on August 1, 1914, Germany declares war on Russia.

Major events of the First World War.

Years of the First World War.

When did World War I start? The year of the beginning of the First World War is 1914 (July 28).
When did World War II end? The year of the end of the First World War is 1918 (November 11).

Main dates of the First World War.

During the 5 years of the war there were many important events and operations, but among them there are several that played a decisive role in the war itself and its history.

July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russia supports Serbia.
August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia. Germany in general has always strived for world domination. And throughout August, everyone puts ultimatums to each other and does nothing but declare war.
In November 1914, Great Britain begins a naval blockade of Germany. Gradually, in all countries, an active mobilization of the population into the army begins.
At the beginning of 1915, large-scale offensive operations were unfolding in Germany, on its eastern front. The spring of the same year, namely April, can be associated with such a significant event as the beginning of the application chemical weapons. Again from Germany.
In October 1915, hostilities were unleashed against Serbia by Bulgaria. In response to these actions, the Entente declares war on Bulgaria.
In 1916, the use of tank technology begins, mainly by the British.
In 1917, Nicholas II abdicates the throne in Russia, a provisional government comes to power, which leads to a split in the army. Active hostilities continue.
In November 1918, Germany proclaims itself a republic - the result of the revolution.
November 11, 1918, in the morning, Germany signs the Armistice of Compiègne and from that very day the hostilities end.

End of the First World War.

Despite the fact that for most of the war, German troops were able to deliver serious blows to the Allied army, by December 1, 1918, the Allies were able to break through to the borders of Germany and begin its occupation.

Later, on June 28, 1919, having no other choice, the German representatives signed a peace treaty in Paris, eventually called the "Peace of Versailles", and put an end to the First World War.

Air battle

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

In 1914, events took place as follows.

In 1914, two main theaters of military operations were formed: French and Russian, as well as the Balkans (Serbia), the Caucasus and, since November 1914, the Middle East, colonies of European states - Africa, China, Oceania. At the beginning of the war, no one thought that it would take on a protracted character; its participants were going 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, put forward 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 her, on August 4, invading Belgium.

King Albert of Belgium appealed 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 has expired - and Great Britain declares war on Germany.

Belgian armored car brand "Sava" at the Franco-Belgian border

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

Western Front

Germany at the beginning of the war 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 is unlikely that she will be able to quickly mobilize and bring her army to the borders . It was the so-called Schlieffen Plan, developed by the Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen (modified by Helmut von Moltke after Schlieffen's resignation).

Count von Schlieffen

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

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

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

Then there was a surprise on the part of Belgium: its army, 10 times inferior to the size of the German army, unexpectedly offered active resistance. But still, on August 20, Brussels was taken by the Germans. 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, on September 26, the last stronghold of the Belgians, the fortress of Antwerp, fell. Under a hail of shells from the muzzles of monstrous guns brought by the Germans and installed on platforms they had previously built, fort after fort fell silent. On September 23, the Belgian government left Antwerp, and on the 24th the bombardment of the city began. Entire streets were in flames. Grandiose 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 ”(Iskra Voskresenye magazine, October 19, 1914).

border battle

On August 7, a border battle began between the Anglo-French and German troops. The French command, after the German invasion of Belgium, urgently revised its plans and began an active movement of units towards the border. But the Anglo-French armies suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Mons, the battle of Charleroi and in the Ardennes operation, losing about 250 thousand people. The Germans invaded France bypassing Paris, taking the French army in giant pincers. 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 on the Marne")

But by this time the German army had already begun to run out of strength. She did not have the opportunity to deeply cover the French army bypassing Paris. The Germans decided to turn east north of Paris and hit 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 grouping concentrated for the defense of Paris. There was nothing to cover the right flank and rear. But the German command went for this maneuver: they turned their troops to the east, not reaching Paris. The French command took advantage of the opportunity and hit the bare flank and rear of the German army. Even taxis were used to transport troops.

"Marne taxi": such cars were used to transfer troops

First Battle of the Marneturned the tide of hostilities in favor of the French and threw back 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 in the German army with complete incomprehension: for the first time during the hostilities, moods of disappointment and depression began in the German army. And for the French, this battle was the first victory over the Germans, the morale of the French was strengthened. The British realized their military insufficiency and headed for an increase armed forces. The Battle of the Marne was the turning point of the war in the French theater of operations: the front was stabilized, and the forces of the opponents were approximately even.

Battles in Flanders

The Battle of the Marne led to the "Run to the Sea" as both armies moved in an attempt to flank each other. This led to the fact that the front line closed and ran into the coast 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 was exhausted, both sides began a positional struggle. The Entente managed to keep ports convenient for sea communication with England - especially the port of Calais.

Eastern front

On August 17, the Russian army crossed the border and launched an offensive against East Prussia. At first, the actions of the Russian army were successful, but the command failed 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 World War I was commanded by General A.V. Samsonov, a member of the Russian-Turkish (1877-1878), Russo-Japanese Wars, chief 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 Velbark, 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 a 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 laid siege to 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 capture of Galicia was perceived in Russia not as an occupation, but as a return of the torn away part historical Russia, because it was dominated by the Orthodox Slavic population.

N.S. Samokish “In Galicia. Cavalryman"

Results of 1914 on the Eastern Front

The campaign of 1914 took shape in favor of Russia, although on the German part of the front Russia lost part of the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. The defeat of Russia in East Prussia was also accompanied by heavy losses. But Germany was not able to achieve the planned results, all its successes from a military point of view were very modest.

Advantages of Russia: succeeded in inflicting a major defeat on Austria-Hungary and capturing large territories. Austria-Hungary has turned for Germany from a full-fledged ally 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 in two directions at the same time and to carry out the transfer of troops from front to front.

Japan enters the war

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

Then Japan proceeded to capture the island colonies and bases of Germany (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

Turkey initially hesitated for a long time whether to enter the war and on whose side. Finally, she declared "jihad" (holy war) to the countries of the Entente. On November 11-12, the Turkish fleet under the command of the German Admiral Souchon fired at Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. On November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey, followed by Britain and France.

The Caucasian front was formed between Russia and Turkey.

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

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

But along with this, Russia lost the most convenient way of communication with its allies - through the Black Sea and the straits. Russia had only two ports for transportation a large number cargo: Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok.

The results of the military campaign of 1914

By the end of 1914, Belgium was almost completely conquered by Germany. The Entente left 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 actively and quickly maneuvered, the troops did not erect long-term defensive lines. By November 1914, a stable front line began to take shape. Both sides had exhausted their offensive potential and began building trenches and barbed wire. The war turned into a positional one.

Russian Expeditionary Force in France: 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. Intensive military operations were conducted 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 a fixed 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 planned by either side. Although the Germans captured almost all of Belgium and most of France, they were completely inaccessible to the main goal - a swift victory over the French.

Stocks of ammunition 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 not ready 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 World War I towards the end of 1914

With such results ended the first military year.

World War I 1914-18 World War I 1914-18 - 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 USA, etc.; a total of 38 states). The reason for the war was the assassination in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by a member of the Young Bosnia terrorist organization. July 15 (28), 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, July 19 (August 1) Germany - Russia, July 21 (August 3) - France, July 22 (August 4) Great Britain - Germany. Having created a superiority in troops on the Western Front, Germany in 1914 occupied Luxembourg and Belgium and began a rapid advance to the north of France towards Paris. However, already in 1914 the German plan to quickly defeat France failed; this was facilitated by the offensive of the Russian troops in East Prussia, which forced Germany to withdraw part of the troops from the Western Front. In August-September 1914, Russian troops defeated the Austro-Hungarian troops in Galicia, in late 1914 - early 1915 Turkish troops in Transcaucasia. In 1915, the forces of the Central Powers, conducting a strategic defense on the Western Front, forced the Russian troops to leave Galicia, Poland, part of the Baltic states, and defeated Serbia. In 1916, after an unsuccessful attempt by the German troops to break through the Allied defenses in the Verdun region (France), the strategic initiative passed to the Entente. In addition, the heavy defeat inflicted on the Austro-German troops in May - July 1916 in Galicia actually predetermined the collapse of Germany's main ally - Austria-Hungary. In August 1916, influenced by the successes of the Entente, Romania entered the war on its side, but its troops acted unsuccessfully and were defeated at the end of 1916. At the same time, in the Caucasian theater, the initiative continued to be retained by the Russian army, which in 1916 occupied Erzurum and Trebizond. Started after February Revolution In 1917, the collapse of the Russian army allowed Germany and its allies to intensify their actions on other fronts, which, however, did not change the situation as a whole. After the conclusion of the separate Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Russia (March 3, 1918), the German command launched a massive offensive on the Western Front. The troops of the Entente, having eliminated the results of the German breakthrough, went on the offensive, which ended in the defeat of the Central Powers. On September 29, 1918, Bulgaria capitulated, on October 30 - Turkey, on November 3 - Austria-Hungary, on November 11 - Germany. During the First World War, about 74 million people were mobilized, the total losses amounted to about 10 million killed and over 20 million wounded.

Historical dictionary. 2000 .

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