World war

World war 1 famously known as First World War was a global war originated in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. This war causes a high casualty rate exerbated by the belligerents technolgical and industrial sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench warfare.  It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history and paved the way for major political changes including revoulations in many of the country involved. This war also paved the way to another great war “world war 2”, only 21 years later. The Great War was indeed, at the time, the most destructive war in history. It killed over ten million men, wounded countless others, destroyed economies, and led to massive starvation and political and social upheaval throughout Europe. It resulted in the collapse of some of the world’s leading empires, the emergence of new nation-states states in their place, the redrawing of the map of Europe, and the beginning of the “American Century.” The Great War contributed significantly to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, and it set the stage for the rise of Hitler, the Second World War, the Holocaust, and, indirectly, for the Cold War. The Great War fundamentally transformed the social and cultural spheres as well. It shattered the growing optimism associated with what we now call the “first era of globalization,” characterized by unprecedented levels of economic, social, and cultural interactions between states and societies in an increasingly interconnected world. The war triggered profound changes in the workplace, the family, and gender relations throughout the West. The experiences of the war also generated new literature, poetry, art, and film that defined our images of what the Great War was like, and indeed shaped our more general images of war. Genesis of the First World War: World War I began in 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and lasted until 1918. Franz Ferdinand —heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—was shot to death along with his wife Sophie by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary like many in countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all.But because Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurance from German leader Kaiser William II that Germany would support their cause. Austro-Hungarian leaders feared that a Russian intervention would involve Russia’s ally, France, and possibly Great Britain as well.On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche or “blank check” assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of war. The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary then sent an ultimatum to Serbia, with such harsh terms as to make it almost impossible to accept. This diplomatic crisis among the major powers of Europe is called the July crisis. Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize, and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I began. Causes of first world war Though the first world war was originared through the assasination of Francis Fardinand but this great war has a historical background. Many reasons worked behind this great war. Here we will go through some important reasons behind it. 01.Conflicts between Imperialist countries Imperialism and imperial rivalry provided both a cause and context for World War I. Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation controls and exploits one or more colonies. In most cases the imperial nation, euphemistically referred to as the ‘mother country’, establishes control over its colonies by coercion – for example, through infiltration and annexation, political pressure, war and military conquest. Once conquered, this territory is claimed as a colony. Prior to World War I the world’s largest, richest and most dominant imperial power was Great Britain. The British Empire famously occupied one quarter of the globe (“the sun never sets on Britain” was a famous slogan of the mid 19th century). British colonial possessions in the late 1800s included Canada, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, several Pacific and Caribbean Islands, South Africa, Rhodesia, Egypt and other parts of Africa. Many of these colonies were acquired with little difficulty; others took more time, effort and bloodshed. Another significant imperial power was France, Britain’s closest neighbor. French imperial holdings included Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), some Pacific islands and several colonies in west and north-west Africa. The second half of the 1800s produced a significant ‘rush for empire’. This desperate push for new colonies was fuelled by rising nationalism, increasing demand for land and dwindling opportunities at home. Two relative newcomers to empire-building were the newly unified nations of Germany and Italy. The man who helped construct the German state in the 1870s, Otto von Bismarck, had showed little interest in gathering colonies – but Bismarck’s view was not shared by other Germans. Organisations like the Colonial League (formed 1882 in Berlin) whipped up support for German imperial expansion. The kaiser and his advisors formulated their own imperial designs, most of them focused on Africa. In 1884 Germany acquired Togoland, the Cameroons and South West Africa (now Namibia). Six years later a sizeable swathe of East Africa was under German control; this territory was renamed Tanganyika (now Tanzania). This African coloniasation was well received by the German population – however it caused problems in Britain and France. Many in London dreamed of a British-owned railway running the length of Africa (“from Cairo to the Cape”) and German colonies in eastern Africa were an obstacle to this vision. 02.Ultra Nationalism This ultra nationalism theory consisted two dimensions. One was the Pan-slav movement and Pan-German movement. • Pan-Slav Movement: Pan-Slavism was a 19th-century movement that recognized a common ethnic background among the various Slav peoples of eastern and east central Europe and sought to unite those peoples for the achievement of common cultural and political goals. The Pan-Slav movement originally was formed in the first half of the 19th century by West and South Slav intellectuals, scholars, and poets, whose peoples were at that time also developing their sense of national identity.  Slav people were trying to demonstrate the similarities among them, and trying to stimulate a sense of Slav unity. As such activities were conducted mainly in Prague, that city became the first Pan-Slav center for studying Slav antiquities and philology. In June 1848 during the week moment of Austrian Empire by revoulution, a slav congress was established in Prague by Czech historian František Palacký. Although the congress had little practical effect, the movement remained active, and by the 1860s it became particularly popular in Russia, Serbia, Poland, Bulgeria and Greece. • Pan-German Movement: Pan-German Movement is an ideological and political movement promoting the unification of all German-speaking peoples of Europe. Pan-Germanism was highly influential in German politics in the 19th century during the unification of Germany when the German empire was proclaimed as a nation-state. During the mid 1860’s the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire was two most powerful states dominated by german speaking elites and they had a tendency to expand the territory and influence over Europe. This Pan-German movement was a threat for the other Europian super powers. This paves the way to take a strong decision against the Austro-Hungarian hegemony in Europe. 03. Military Alliance Alliances are possibly the best known cause of World War I. An alliance is a formal political, military or economic agreement between two or more nations. Military alliances usually contain promises that in the event of war or aggression, one signatory nation will support the others. The terms of this support is outlined in the alliance document. It can range from financial or logistic backing, like the supply of materials or weapons, to military mobilization and a declaration of war. Alliances may also contain economic elements, such as trade agreements, investment or loans. Immideately before the first world war many millitary and non millitary alliances were created among the whole Europe. Especially among Germany with Austria-Hungery and on the other hand Britain-France-Russia entente. The most significant alliances were as follows- • The Three Emperors’ League (1873): This league was a three way alliance between the ruling monarchs of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The Three Emperors’ League was engineered and dominated by the Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, who saw it as a means of securing the balance of power in Europe. Disorder in the Balkans undermined Russia’s commitment to the league, which collapsed in 1878. The Three Emperors’ League, without Russia, formed the basis of the Triple Alliance. • The Triple Alliance (1882): This complex three way alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy was driven by anti-French and anti-Russian sentiment. Each of the three signatories was committed to provide military support to the others, if one was attacked by two other powers – or if Germany and Italy were attacked by France. Italy, being newly formed and militarily weak, was viewed as a minor partner in this alliance. • The Franco-Russian Alliance (1894): This military alliance between France and Russia restored cordial relations between the two imperial powers. The Franco-Russian Alliance was in effect a response to the Triple Alliance, which had isolated France. The signing of the Franco-Russian Alliance was an unexpected development that thwarted German plans for mainland Europe and angered Berlin. It also provided economic benefits to signatory nations, allowing Russia access to French loans and providing French capitalists with access to Russian mining, industry and raw materials. •The Anglo-Russian Entente (1907): This agreement between Britain and Russia eased tensions and restored good relations between the two nations. Britain and Russia had spent much of the 19th century as antagonists, going to war in the Crimea (1853-56) and later reaching the verge of war twice. The Anglo-Russian Entente resolved several points of disagreement, including the status of colonial possessions in the Middle East and Asia. It did not involve any military commitment or support. • The Triple Entente (1907): This treaty consolidated the Entente Cordiale and the Anglo-Russian Entente into a three way agreement between Britain, France and Russia. Again, it was not a military alliance – however the three Ententes of 1904-7 were important because they marked the end of British neutrality and isolationism. 04. International Anarchy Immediately before the first world war there arose some international crises that were mainly regtarding morocco. There were mainly two Moroccan crisis before the First World War. In 1904, with war in Europe a decade away, Britain and France sign an agreement, later known as the Entente Cordiale, resolving long-standing colonial disputes in North Africa and establishing a diplomatic understanding between the two countries. Formally entitled a Declaration between the United Kingdom and France Respecting Egypt and Morocco, the Entente Cordiale of April 1904 amounted more than anything to a declaration of friendship between these two great European powers. By its terms, France promised not to challenge British control over Egypt; for its part, Britain recognized France’s right, as a Power whose dominions are conterminous for a great distance with those of Morocco to act in that country to preserve order and to provide assistance to bring about whatever reforms in the government, economy or military it deemed necessary. Through the Entente Cordiale, Britain and France established the beginnings of an alliance, promising, in the concluding words of the agreement, to afford to one another their diplomatic support, in order to obtain the execution of the clauses of the present Declaration regarding Egypt and Morocco. The agreement stopped short, however, of requiring the two nations to provide military support to each other. The German government, anxious over this agreement, decided to test its limits, sending Kaiser Wilhelm II to Morocco in March 1905 to declare his support for the sultan—a clear challenge to France’s influence in that country, which had been sanctioned by the Entente Cordiale. • First Moroccan Crisis (1905/06): The First Moroccan Crisis (also known as the Tangier Crisis) was an intertnational crisis between March 1905 and May 1906 over the status of Morocco The crisis worsened German relations with both France and the Unided kinghdom and helped enhance the new Anglo-French Entente. On March 31, 1905, Kaiser William II of Morocco landed at Tangier, Morocco and conferred with representatives of Sultan Abdel aziz of Morocco. The Kaiser proceeded to tour the city on the back of a white horse. The Kaiser declared he had come to support the sovereignty of the Sultan—a statement which amounted to a provocative challenge to French influence in Morocco. The Sultan subsequently rejected a set of French-proposed governmental reforms and issued invitations to major world powers to a conference which would advise him on necessary reforms. The crisis peaked in mid-June. The French cancelled all military leave (June 15) and Germany threatened to sign a defensive alliance with the Sultan. The Algeciras conference was called to settle the dispute, lasting from January 16 to April 7, 1906. Of the 13 nations present, the German representatives found that their only supporter was Austria-Hungary.  France had firm support from Britain, Russia, Italy, Spain and the United States. The Germans decided to accept a face-saving compromise agreement on March 31, 1906 that was signed on May 31, 1906. France agreed to yield control of the Moroccan police, but otherwise retained effective control of Moroccan political and financial affairs. • Second Moroccan Crisis(1911): Second Moroccan Crisis known as the Agadir Crisis   was a brief international crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco in April 1911. Germany did not object to France's expansion, but wanted territorial compensation for itself. Berlin threatened warfare, sent a gunboat, and stirred up angry German nationalists. Negotiations between Berlin and Paris resolved the crisis: France took over Morocco as a protectorate in exchange for territorial concessions to Germany from the French Congo, while Spain was satisfied with a change in its boundary with Morocco. The British cabinet, however, was alarmed at Germany's aggressiveness toward France. • Annexation of Bosnia-Harzegovina: Bosnia-Harzegovina had been administered by Austria since the congress of Berlin. Austria annexed Bosnia after tricking Russia during negotiations between their respective foreign ministers. The action outraged Serbia as there was a large Serbian population in Bosnia. There was a crisis among the Great powers and it brought Europe to the brink of war. Russia bowed to German pressure when they supported Austria and they agreed to the annexation. However she was determined not to be humiliated again. The effects of these crises had been a hardening of attitudes and an increase in distrust between the different European powers. It led to a strengthening of the different alliances. 05. The Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars was consisted of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913. Four Balkan states defeated the Ottoman Empire in the first war; one of the four, Bulgaria, suffered defeat in the second war. The Ottoman Empire lost the bulk of its territory in Europe. Austria-Hungary, although not a combatant, became relatively weaker as a much enlarged Serbia pushed for union of the South Slavic peoples. The war set the stage for the Balkan crisis and thus served as a prelude to the First World War. Many Balkan nations (Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and Montenegro) were under the control of Turkey. They defeated Turkey in the First Balkan War.The second Balkan war was mainly between Serbia and Bulgaria where Bulgaria was defeated. The defeated party i.e. Turkey and Bulgaria sought for German’s help. 06. Alsac-Lorraine: Alsace-Lorraine was the name given to the 5,067 square miles (13,123 square km) of territory that was ceded by France to Germany in 1871 after the Franco-German war. Under German rule, Alsace-Lorraine was classified as a imperial state and was denied effective self-government until 1902. Moreover, its population was initially enthusiastic over the new French republic, and German rule remained unpopular for some years among the inhabitants, who continued to protest the German annexation. Thousands of residents who considered themselves French emigrated during this period. The loss of Alsace-Lorraine was a major cause of anti-German feeling in France in the period from 1871 to 1914. France also suffered economically from the loss of Alsace-Lorraine’s valuable iron ore deposits, iron- and steelmaking plants, and other industries to Germany.  07. Immidiate Cause: assassination of Francis Ferdinand In May 1914, the Serbian government became aware of a plot to kill Franz Ferdinand. There was evidence that high-ranking Serbian military figures were involved, and Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, the chief of intelligence in the Serbian army, almost certainly helped arm those selected to kill the archduke. The Serbian ambassador in Vienna gave vague warnings about a possible assassination attempt. The archduke insisted on going ahead with a planned visit in June. He and his wife had a narrow escape from one attempt on their lives in Sarajevo on the morning of 28 June, and they continued with their official business that afternoon. But their motorcade took a wrong turn and stopped within metres of one of the assassins, Gavrilo Princip. Unlike his colleagues that morning, Princip did not fail. This incident with some other important causes lead the world to the most destructive war untill then, the First World War. Cosequences of First World War Central power surrendered in autumn 1918, world war I was officially ended by an armistice signed in France in November 11. After the defeat of Germany in World War I, the treaty was signed between the victories allies and Germany on June 28, 1919, the treaty of versailles in France. No conversations were made with Germany. According to the treaty, Germany was blamed solely for the destruction and was to made the loss of the war. There were many aspects of the changes took place after the First World War. • Political Changes: There were many political changes after firs world war. According to the treaty of versailles Germany had to make siognificant territorial concessions. This concessions were mostly embarrasing and insulting for Germany. The political changes that took place are- Rule of King ended in Germany, Germany became a republic on November 1918. The German Emperor Kaiser William II fled to Holland. The fall of Russian empire after October revolution (1917) which resulted in the formation of USSR (1922) Rule of Ottamans came to an end in Turkey. New boundary lines were drawn for Austria, Germany and Turkey. Strengthened independence movements in Asia and Africa. Japan became a powerful country in Asia. Big powers like Austria-Hungary Empire and Ottoman empires were destroyed and USA emerged as a super power in the world. Europian supremecy started to collapse. Germany lost total 13% of its land and 6 million people. Germany had to cede the following territories to different nations and organisations as specified. -Alsace and Lorraine to France -Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium -North Schleswig to Denmark -Posen and west Prussia to polland -Upper sillesia to polland -Saar coal field and Danzing area to League of nations -The city of Memel to Lithunia, a new Baltic state. -All overseas colony to the League of Nations 10. National independence was another important consequence of first world War. Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Albania became new independent states. On the other hand Baltic countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became independent. • Loss of life: World war I was a large scale war and first of its kind. For this the loss of lives as advanced warfare techniques and weapons were used for the first time. More than 10 million people were killed . More than 6 million people received major injuries and 13 million people received minor injuries. Various fatal disease became epidemic in the post war period. • Loss of property: Total 36 nations were involved in the war. According to great economists the total cost of first world was $186 billion. A huge amount of property, difficult to exactly estimate, was destroyed. The whole industry of Serbia, Romania, Belgium, France and England were greatly damaged. Because of the huge loss of manpower and industrial infrastructure unemployment problem became very common in European society. • Establishment of League of Nations: For world peace and security an organization named League of nations was established with the organs The assembly, the council and the permanent court. After the First World War and in the treaty of Versailles the conditions imposed on Germany were very much suffocating for Germany. Moreover the European powers totally blamed Germany for the war and claimed for a huge amount of compensation that was worth 660 million pounds as reparation. Some other military restrictions were imposed on Germany and these restrictions were against German nationalism. For this reasons just after only 21 years the world experienced another great and devastating war, The World War II.