WW1:

In 1914, Europe broke into a catastrophic war that took away the lives of
millions.

The causes of the war have been a topic of debate among historians;
however, it was obvious that it had been planned among the great powers as
they looked at each other with hatred, envy, and suspicion.

The assassination of the Archduke Fran Fredinand, the heir to the throne of
Austria-hungray, was the cherry on top, for all Europe needed was a simple
sign and the grenade burst.

The assassination took place in Sarajevo, in June 28 1914. This act infuriated
Austria, and in turn threatened and blamed Serbia for what took place.

Serbia, seeking help, found it in the arms of its ally, Russia. Simultaneously,
Austria received encouragement from its ally, Germany. Hereto, the crisis
spread beyond the borders, and Russia consulted with its French allies, and
France, also, set up discussions with Britain.

With Austria sending an ultimatum to Serbia, and Russia mobilizing its army,
WWI kicked off. Participants of the war werent limited to simply the
governments, for the inhabitants also had their hopes up.

Streets were filled with crowds enthusiastic for the beginning of the war,
stating that this war would be a short one and the boys will be back by
Christmas.

Little did they know, Christmas wasnt coming for another 3 years. More
countries began joining the war. One side, The Central Powers, consisting of
Germany, Austria-Hungary, against Great Britain, France, and Russia, the
Allies.

From the beginning, the central powers were at war on two fronts, where they
fought simultaneously in the west and east.

Aware of the dangers that fighting on two fronts could bring upon, Germany
introduced the Scheifflen plan. The plan demonstrated Germany massing up
a bulk of its army in the west in order to destroy the French as quick as
possible. After defeating the French, they could divert their attention to the
east where theyd take out Russia at their own pace.

Employing this plan, the Germans were close to capture Paris, but they were
stopped at the Battle of Marne, where France took advantage of the German
gaps caused by Russias distracting offense in the East.

Due to their illprepared plan, and poor coordination, Russia got defeated by a
small German troop. Here, peoples eyes widened to the reality of this war.
No one was coming home by Christmas.

Trench warfare came along, where it called for each side to concentrate great
number of men In trenches and attack massed groups in order to destroy the
enemys lines. Dug in positions were used for defense.

Failing to destroy the French in 1914, the Central powers, in 1915, aimed at
driving the Russians out. After several attacks, the Central Powers expelled
Russia from Poland and Lithuania; yet, victory was not close.

Although Russia lost some properties, they proved to be sustainable. With

poor skills, equipments, and nutrition, the vast amount of army they
withstood was essential.

At this point, it was only Germany taking in all the bullets, for AustriaHungary no longer kept up. Turkey joined the Central powers in 1914, and in
the 1915, the Allies invaded the Turks. They lost, but the Ottoman Empire was
a land they lusted for.

Through a secret treaty, Russia annexed Constantinople and gained control

over narrow passages from the black sea. The British began fueling up the
Arabs in Turkey, and in 1917, Britain declared the Balfour declaration,
supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Italy joined the war alongside the Allies, and the military focus once again
shifted to the west. Two battles took place where blood was beyond shed.

Germany attacked the French at the town of Verdun, and with the hopes of
destroying the French once and for all, they went back with no victory.
General Henri-Philippe Petain lifted the spirits of the French and claimed that
no German soul shall pass. 350,000 men were lost on each side, and after the
Somme battle between the British and Germans, thousands of souls were
also taken away.

This vast number of corpses wasnt only due to the fail strategic planning, but
also due to the massive weapons of destruction that were introduced.
Aircrafts, submarines, and tanks. The submarines initiated quite large
debated among both sides.

Both sides resided to blockade as to starve the other into surrendering, and
when Germans used submarines to destroy enemy ships, they sunk the
Lusitania ship which had 118 Americans on board.

The U.S., being the neutral country that resisted both blockades, was
completely infuriated and threatened Germany with war. Submarines were

restricted, but in 1917, when they were reemployed, the Germans wrote out
their own death note.
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The US joined the allies and as any war would be characterized with, horror
invaded and slaughtering took place. This was took take place as changes at
home occurred.

WW1 introduced the concept of the total war, where in order to keep up
with the war requirements; every government began adopting policies that
interfered with daily life by marshaling all available human resources.

This included forcing young man to join the war, by spreading propaganda
that they thought would boost civilian morale. Meanwhile, war drained the
financial resources and bankrupted both sides. Standards of living decreased
and substitutes were needed.

Germany employed the ersatz where artificial items were created to

decrease the effect of the blockade. In Russia, things werent going quite
well. Failing to decrease the burden, the Tsarist state fell apart, and the
Bolsheviks came along.

Bolsheviks were a small, radical group that supported Marxism and led by
Lenin. They gained power and withdrew Russia from the war to avoid further
destruction. Germany declared victory in the east, but what was in store was
greater than a simple victory.

Germany decided to use the submarines to completely starve the British, and
the US hereto, declared war on Germany in April 1917. Several months later,
US president, Woodrow Wilson, released the 14 points, stating the aims of the
Allies.

Unlimited American men, money and material ensured the success of the
allies. Before it all took place, the French troops were close to throwing away
their rifles; Petain was the savior. He focused on defense rather than offense,
until the Americans came along. On the other hand, the British moved
forward.

The Germans knew of what could happen, and amassed its army for a
tremendous attack against the French and the British before the US arrival.

At the 2nd battle of Marne, the German hopes were once again swept under
the rug. American troops flowed in 250,000 a month. Germany had no
chance.

A Paris treaty took place, where Russia wasnt invited and Germany was too
destroyed to even show up.