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History > wORLD WAR i
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Introduction
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The causes
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The timeline
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The War
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World War I, sometimes called' The Great War' or 'The War To End All Wars' was a war that killed around 10 million men and was fought mainly in Europe. WW1 shed a new light on wars, as up until then, wars were fought only on the battle field and civilians were never involved. It was also the time for the construction of new machines of war, and old tactics were found to be of limited use. WW1 was a battle fought between 32 different countries, and new tactics to win were formed. It was also the time when battles were not all fighting, and wars became wars of attrition.
WW1 started for a few reasons, all of which contributed to 'The Spark'.
WW1 started for a few reasons, all of which contributed to 'The Spark'.
As was stated earlier, there were a few reasons as to how the war started, and here are the reasons:
- Militarism: Tensions were growing between Britain, France and Germany. These countries started an Arms Race.
- Alliances: Countries started forming alliances together - The Triple Entente; Britain, France and Russia, and The Triple Alliance; Germany, The Austrian-Hungarian Empire and Italy. These alliances increased the tensions between the different alliances and countries.
- Imperialism: Germany had recently formed from separate countries and wanted an Empire. Unfortunately, most places had already been invaded and colonised. This meant Germany had to take over colonies to gain an empire. Portuguese, British and French colonies were taken, and tensions between the countries was almost at breaking point.
- Nationalism: The German civilians started thinking they were the best, and everyone should bow before them. This angered the other races, and tensions were as high as they would go. Anything now would tip the scales and war would break out.
- The Spark/ The Trigger: The assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand. The Arch Duke was touring Serbia, when a group called the Black Hand Gang plotted his assassination. The Black Hand Gang wanted to free all countries from Austria-Hungarian rule. They used propaganda and lies to twist people's minds and convert them to their cause. They operated in most Austria-Hungarian countries, and had up to 2500 members. The assassins were 9 men, armed with a pistol, bomb and cyanide pill. The attempts of Franz Ferdinand all failed but one. after surviving 6 attacks, three people didn't do it (They said police men were stationed near them), the Arch Duke pulled over near a cafe, which one of the assassins was currently at. He shot twice - the first shot hit Franz' wife, and the second hit him. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia, and the alliances were drawn into the problem.
- The beginning: Germany then declared war on Russia and France, then invaded neutral Belgium.
1914:
28th June - Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia
July 5th - Kaiser Wilhelm II promises to support Austria-Hungary against Serbia
July 28th - Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia
August 1st - Germany declared war on Russia
August 3rd - Germany declared war on France and invaded Neutral Belgium. Germany had to use the Schlieffen plan (Germany had to invade France in 6 weeks to avoid a war on two fronts)
August 4th - Britain declared war on Germany
August 23rd - The BEF started its retreat from Mons. Germany invaded France (BEF - British Expeditionary Force)
August 23rd - Russian army defeated at Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes
September 6th - Battle of Marne started (6th - 10th September 1914, Allied victory)
October 19th - First battle of Ypres (lasted until 22nd November)
October 29th - Turkey enters the war on Germany's side. Trench warfare becomes the main way of fighting
1915:
January 19th - The first zeppelin raid takes place over Britain
February 19th - Britain bombarded Turkish forts in the Dardanelles
April 22nd - Second Battle of Ypres (April 22nd - 25th May 1915. The Allies won.)
April 25th - Allied troops landed in Gallipoli (a failed attack by the Allies. The troops withdrew to Egypt)
May 7th - Lusitania is sunk by German U-boats
May 23rd - Italy declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary
August 5th - The Germans capture Warsaw from Russians
September 25th - Start of the battle of Loos (25th September to 8th October 1915. Biggest British attack of 1915. First British attack using poison gas.)
December 19th - Gallipoli troops started to be moved to Egypt
1916:
January 27th - Britain starts introducing conscription
February 21st - Battle of Verdun begins (21st February - 18th December 1916. Largest and longest battle of WWI)
April 29th - British forces surrender to Turkish forces at Kut in Mesopotamia.
May 31st - Battle of Jutland (A naval battle fought between the British Navy's Grand Fleet, under the control of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, against the German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under the control of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer. The battle was a victory for the Allies, but at a great cost.)
June 4th - Start of the Brusilov offensive (The Russian Empire's bug push towards Germany)
July 1st - Start of the Battle of the Somme (Possibly the most well known battle of the entire war for the number of casualties. The Battle of the Somme was done to relieve pressure on the French army up in Verdun. The Battle took 19,240 men lost their lives on the first day alone. After lots of fighting, the Germans had to move guns from Verdun to the Somme, relieving pressure on some of the French army. In this battle, Germany lost most of their best soldiers. Hitler was shot in the leg, Wilfred Owen fought and J.R.R. Tolkien was ill, so he didn't fight. These three influential people all survived, and they changed the world in their own ways. The man in charge of the battle was Field Marshal Douglas Haig.)
August 20th - End of the Brusilov offensive
September 15th - First mass use of tanks in battle of the Somme
December 7th - Lloyd George becomes British Prime-Minister
1917:
February 1st - Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare campaign started
April 6th - USA declares war on Germany
April 16th - France launched an unsuccessful attack on the Western Front
July 31st - Start of the third Battle of Ypres (31st July - 6th November)
October 24th - Battle of Caporetto (Allied victory, Italy suffered heavy losses)
November 6th - Britain launched a major offensive on Western Front
November 20th - Tanks won the Battle at Cambrai for Britain
December 5th - Germany sign an armistice with Russia
December 9th - Britain captured Jerusalem from the Turks
1918:
March 3rd - The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Russia and Germany (Peace treaty)
March 29th - Marshall Foch appointed commander of the Allied Western Front
April 9th - Germany started an offensive in Flanders
July 15th - Second Battle of Marne started. The beginning of the end of the German army (15th July - 6th August)
August 8th - Allied offences break through
September 19th - Turkish forces collapsed at Megiddo
October 4th - Germany asked Allies for an armistice
October 29th - Germany's Navy mutinied
October 30th - Turkey made peace
November 3rd - Austria made peace
November 9th - Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated
November 11th - Germany signed an armistice with the Allies. This is the official date of the end of the war
28th June - Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia
July 5th - Kaiser Wilhelm II promises to support Austria-Hungary against Serbia
July 28th - Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia
August 1st - Germany declared war on Russia
August 3rd - Germany declared war on France and invaded Neutral Belgium. Germany had to use the Schlieffen plan (Germany had to invade France in 6 weeks to avoid a war on two fronts)
August 4th - Britain declared war on Germany
August 23rd - The BEF started its retreat from Mons. Germany invaded France (BEF - British Expeditionary Force)
August 23rd - Russian army defeated at Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes
September 6th - Battle of Marne started (6th - 10th September 1914, Allied victory)
October 19th - First battle of Ypres (lasted until 22nd November)
October 29th - Turkey enters the war on Germany's side. Trench warfare becomes the main way of fighting
1915:
January 19th - The first zeppelin raid takes place over Britain
February 19th - Britain bombarded Turkish forts in the Dardanelles
April 22nd - Second Battle of Ypres (April 22nd - 25th May 1915. The Allies won.)
April 25th - Allied troops landed in Gallipoli (a failed attack by the Allies. The troops withdrew to Egypt)
May 7th - Lusitania is sunk by German U-boats
May 23rd - Italy declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary
August 5th - The Germans capture Warsaw from Russians
September 25th - Start of the battle of Loos (25th September to 8th October 1915. Biggest British attack of 1915. First British attack using poison gas.)
December 19th - Gallipoli troops started to be moved to Egypt
1916:
January 27th - Britain starts introducing conscription
February 21st - Battle of Verdun begins (21st February - 18th December 1916. Largest and longest battle of WWI)
April 29th - British forces surrender to Turkish forces at Kut in Mesopotamia.
May 31st - Battle of Jutland (A naval battle fought between the British Navy's Grand Fleet, under the control of Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, against the German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under the control of Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer. The battle was a victory for the Allies, but at a great cost.)
June 4th - Start of the Brusilov offensive (The Russian Empire's bug push towards Germany)
July 1st - Start of the Battle of the Somme (Possibly the most well known battle of the entire war for the number of casualties. The Battle of the Somme was done to relieve pressure on the French army up in Verdun. The Battle took 19,240 men lost their lives on the first day alone. After lots of fighting, the Germans had to move guns from Verdun to the Somme, relieving pressure on some of the French army. In this battle, Germany lost most of their best soldiers. Hitler was shot in the leg, Wilfred Owen fought and J.R.R. Tolkien was ill, so he didn't fight. These three influential people all survived, and they changed the world in their own ways. The man in charge of the battle was Field Marshal Douglas Haig.)
August 20th - End of the Brusilov offensive
September 15th - First mass use of tanks in battle of the Somme
December 7th - Lloyd George becomes British Prime-Minister
1917:
February 1st - Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare campaign started
April 6th - USA declares war on Germany
April 16th - France launched an unsuccessful attack on the Western Front
July 31st - Start of the third Battle of Ypres (31st July - 6th November)
October 24th - Battle of Caporetto (Allied victory, Italy suffered heavy losses)
November 6th - Britain launched a major offensive on Western Front
November 20th - Tanks won the Battle at Cambrai for Britain
December 5th - Germany sign an armistice with Russia
December 9th - Britain captured Jerusalem from the Turks
1918:
March 3rd - The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Russia and Germany (Peace treaty)
March 29th - Marshall Foch appointed commander of the Allied Western Front
April 9th - Germany started an offensive in Flanders
July 15th - Second Battle of Marne started. The beginning of the end of the German army (15th July - 6th August)
August 8th - Allied offences break through
September 19th - Turkish forces collapsed at Megiddo
October 4th - Germany asked Allies for an armistice
October 29th - Germany's Navy mutinied
October 30th - Turkey made peace
November 3rd - Austria made peace
November 9th - Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated
November 11th - Germany signed an armistice with the Allies. This is the official date of the end of the war