World War I: The Great War that Shaped the World
World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It involved over 70 million military personnel and resulted in an estimated 9 million deaths and millions more wounded.
The war began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. This event triggered a series of alliances between European powers that quickly led to a full-scale war.
At the start of the war, Germany’s Schlieffen Plan called for a quick victory against France before turning its attention to Russia. However, this plan failed when Germany was unable to defeat France at the Battle of Marne in September 1914. As a result, both sides dug into trenches along the Western Front and fought a brutal stalemate for several years.
Meanwhile, British forces were fighting Ottoman forces in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia while also trying to maintain control over their colonial territories in Africa and Asia. On the Eastern Front, Russia suffered defeats against Germany and Austro-Hungary while also facing internal political unrest.
In April 1917, America entered the war on the side of Britain and its allies after German submarines sank American ships carrying supplies to Europe. With fresh troops and resources from America now available to them, Allied forces were able to push back German troops on all fronts.
The war finally came to an end on November 11th, 1918 when an armistice was signed between Germany and Allied powers. The Treaty of Versailles was later signed in June 1919 which officially ended World War I but imposed harsh reparations on Germany which many historians argue contributed to World War II.
World War I had lasting impacts on global politics including redrawing national borders throughout Europe as well as leading to new forms of warfare, such as the use of chemical weapons. It also led to the rise of new world powers and the decline of established ones, setting the stage for further global conflicts in the future.