FREE ESSAY ON WORL WAR 1

WORL WAR 1

World War I 
World War I The Causes of the War OK, in a nutshell, World War I's cause went as far back
as the early 1800s. People controlled by other nations began to evolve people's feelings
of nationalism. The French Revolution of 1789 brought a new feeling to the word
Nationalism. People who spoke French, German, Italian, ext. felt that they should have a
separate government in a country where everyone spoke the same language. Unfortunately,
we can't please everyone and this demand they had was something impossible that could be
done. As time passed people began to establish war cults or military alliances. The
members from these groups would discriminate and verbally abuse the people, which didn't
speak their language. Warmongers criticized at foreign ways of doing things. Sometimes
newspaper stories help spread publicity. Some German leaders strongly urged commercial &
political expansion to the east, mostly in Asia. II- Military Alliances Military
alliances were another of the many causes of World War I. When the German Empire was
united in 1871, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck hoped for a period of international peace.
He looked for allies to support Germany. It was then that in 1882 Germany,
Austria-Hungary & Italy signed a treaty called, " The Triple Alliance." The treaty was
made to protect them from attacks from France or Russia. Germany & Italy feared France &
Austria-Hungary feared Russia. The three members of the alliance formed a powerful block
in central Europe. Unfortunately, Austria-Hungary & Italy were not very friendly. They
argued mostly over land and/or territory that Italy thought they should have. So, both
countries competed to see who would take control of the Adriatic Sea first. When the war
broke out in 1914, Italy didn't keep their word about the contract they had agreed to in
the treaty. It turns out they had made a secret treaty with France in 1902. As a result
of that they had to remain neutral then declared war on Austria-Hungary. After the Triple
Alliance formed, the rest of the countries in Europe saw that they were at a
disadvantage. The disadvantage was that if there ever was an international crisis, Great
Britain, France & Russia would have to fight for themselves but the Triple Alliance would
have the advantage of acting together as one. Then in 1894, France signed a defensive
alliance with Russia. Then only by itself was Great Britain. Soon after they faced naval
rivalry & growing mercenary with Germany. In 1904, Great Britain & France reached a
cordial understanding or how you would say in French, "Entente Cordial." By the terms in
the agreement, they settled all the disagreements they had about almost anything &
everything. Most important being colonies. Both nations became partners. Then France
succeeded in bringing Britain and Russia together. In 1907 the two nations signed the
Anglo-Russian Entente," it was kind of like the cordial agreement that linked France,
Russia & Great Britain was called "The Triple Entente." Men, Battlefronts & Strategy I-
Strategy of the War The chief of the German general staff Count Alfred Von Schlieffen
planned a very little simple strategy in 1905 and changed it in 1912. His plan was that
German armies were to crush France in a campaign by going through Belgium, which was
neutral. Now, the Germans were planning to crush Russia, then planned to make Britain
surrender. Then they would sweep into Asia & yes, they would try and conquer them too.
This guy expected a 2 front war & planned that Austria-Hungary and some small German
force in East Prussia would take the eastern front. But no. The Allied strategy called
for attacks by the French armies in Lorraine upon the start of the war. OK, so the plan
was that. On the Eastern front it would be Russia trying to invade Germany through East
Prussia and attack Austria-Hungary in Galicia. They hoped to strike westward at Germany
while the Allied Armies went east. The War I- The US enters WWI (1917, 4th year) Early in
1917, the Central Powers, which consisted of Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany & the
Ottoman Empire, were at a strong position. They had in control Montenegro, Poland,
Romania, Serbia, most of Belgium & Northern France. Then, yes, the USA entered the war.
And so the tables began to turn in favor of the Allies. Germany unrestricted Submarine
welfare so this caused the US to join the Allies. The news of the outbreak of the war in
1914 had surprised many Americans. As a result, President Woodrow Wilson had declared
that "the US would be neutral in fact, as well as in name." When the Germans torpedoed
Lusitania, in 1915 they killed128 Americans. So President Wilson thought the US would not
enter the war but as we already know, he was wrong. Germany approached Mexico for
alliance; this was heard from the British when they intercepted a message. There was a
record number of sinking of US merchant ships. Germany has thrust war on the US. On April
2nd, 1917 the president read a war message that was sent to him which read: "The world
must be safe for democracy." After this the US didn't sign anything, but simply
associated themselves with the Allies, although they were unprepared. II- The Allies
Attack (1917) So the Germans would have benefit, they had to figure an out an attack.
They went on March of 1917 off to the battle line, prepared. The Germans called it the
Sigfried Line and the Allies called it the Hidenburg Line. The Allies carried out the
only offensive operation on the battlefront. That year ended without much change. In
1917, the French executed Mata Hari, who was a Dutch dancer that was spying for the
Germans. Feelings against Germany were strong as war progressed. School kids were
affected much by the war as well. They were not allowed to learn German or German
Literature. People criticized any techniques that were said to spies. Therefore, the
Dept. Of Justice was asked to keep close look for the spies. The Final Years I- The Final
Year (1918) The Allies won fined victory in 1918. Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire,
Austria-Hungary & Germany signed armistice. On January 8th, Wilson announced his 14
points. The 14 points included the following: -  Freedom of Navigation -  Amend to Secret
Diplomacy -  Trade Barriers -  Reduction in Amendments -  Adjustment of Colonial Claims -
 Evacuation of Central Powers troops from Allied Countries -  Re-establishment of Poland
-  Creation of an association of nations to work for permanent peace -  Independence for
the people of Austria-Hungary -  Home rule for the non-Turkish parts of the Ottoman
Empire. The 14 points gave hope to many enemy people for a peace settlement. II- The Last
Campaign After a quiet winter the Central powers planned to overwhelm the allied armies
before the full benefit of American aid could arrive. Hidenburg promised he would be in
Paris by April 1st. In March, German armies under Ludendorff struck along a 50-mile
front. The Allies gave way slowly but in other sections fast. In April the Allies formed
unified command. On May 31st, the Germans reached the reached the banks of the Marne. It
lost 7,800 men. France then renamed the spot "the wood of Brigade of Marne" to honor the
heroic stand of the man. American troops blocked an enemy offensive at Chateau-Thierry &
prevented Germans from sweeping across the Marne to Paris. 5 major battles raged at the
same time. After July 18th the Allied offensive never stopped until the truce. On August
8th, the Allies led by Canadian & Australian troops attacked the Germans fiercely at
Amines. On August 26th, Germans began retreating to the Hidenburg line. The battle was
described as "The Black Day." About 1,200,000 Americans fought on the Battle of the
Meuse-Argonne. About 1 of every 10 people was killed. III- The End of Central Powers
Austria-Hungary also planned a huge drive to make Italy withdraw from the war. But floods
and resistance by Gen. Armand Diaz's troops stopped the Austro-Hungarian armies in June.
In October, Diaz started an offensive to the northeast across the Piave River. He split
the Austro-Hungarian Empire into 2 and destroyed them. On Sept 29th, Bulgaria signed an
armistice at Salonika. Another member of the Central Powers, the Ottoman Empire signed a
peace agreement on October 31st. In the late of 1918, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks & Poles
declared independence. IV- Results of the War. The peace settlements healed many wounds,
but also caused new ones. The Allies had emphasized the principle of self-determination.
This caused the flame of nationalism to burn more brightly than it had 1914. The Allies
formed the League of Nations to settle disputes in a peaceful way. Unfortunately, member
nations didn't always support these agencies in International Dispute. V- The Home Front
The Home Front in Europe came under intense bombing. The war destroyed the industrial and
community lives of many cities, towns and villages. It closed and/or destroyed schools,
factories, roads and railroads. In many countries people had to depend on food supplied
by the government. In Eastern Europe many left their homes because they were scared of
invasion. Refugees moved from place to place in search of food and shelter. After the
war, people who went back to their homes went to find that their villages, towns and/or
cities didn't exist. Fortunately, the US supplied food and clothing to an extent.