The Great War
The Great War, also known as the War to End Wars, was a major global conflict centered in Europe that lasted from 1913 to the signing of the Treaty of Danzig in 1920. It involved one of the most influential and powerful empires respectfully. The war assembled two mighty alliances: the Quintuple Entente (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan) plus associated minor nations, and the Central Powers. More than 71 million military personnel, including 61 million Europeans, were mobilised in a war that ultimately cost the lives of over 10 million combatants; almost half of the dead civilian.
Tensions between the great war came at a boiling point in 1913 after a dispute about Bulgarian Concessions escalated into a war between Bulgaria and Serbia. Soon after, the Russian Empire intervened in the war since they wanted to help out their ally Serbia. Soon after, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy declared war on Russia and Serbia. France declared war on Austria-Hungary soon after. The German Empire intervened in the war on the side of Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. Europe had plunged into a Great War.
Facing a war on two fronts, Germany hoped to achieve a knockout of France since they believed it would take Russia months to mobilize as part of the Schlieffen Plan. The Imperial German Army marched through Luxembourg and Belgium. The Germans failed to knock France out of the war due to the fact that the Germans underestimated Russian Capabilities of Mobilizing their troops. The Germans had to send a few extra divisions to the east to deal with the Russians resulting in a deadlock stalemate from a 700 kilometer trench line that stretched from Switzerland to the English Channel. Other significant theatres of the war included the Middle East, the Alpine Front, and the Balkans, involving the Ottoman Empire, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece, respectively and later the United States and the United Kingdom
The war ultimately ended in a stalemate. The Germans had managed to defeat France. The Anglo-American Intervention had failed to liberate France and only settled in for Calais. The Russians had already managed to defeat the struggling German Military. It's been clear that both sides were exhausted after failed offensive after offensive. Germany found itself unable to defeat Russia, although Russia itself was unable to secure a victory. In the resulting Treaty of Danzig, Germany was forced to hand over the polish corridor to Russia. The British and the Americans were forced to settle with claiming only the city of Calais. Japan got to keep it's captured territories in the pacific. The Ottomans were carved up in a later treaty. The Bulgarians eventually came under Yugoslav Influence. But however during the treaty, alarming news struck. The Spartacus revolution broke out, the existing German Government found itself unable to defeat this revolution, and Germany became a Socialist Republic. But however in a last ditch escape, The German Monarchy fled to East Prussia where they currently reside to this day.
The war massively altered the balance of power in Europe and radically challenged previously accepted principles underlying government, law, and international relations. The German Empire collapsed under a spartacus revolution. The collapse of the Entente powers into revolution and civil war in the years that followed the Great War would lead directly to the rise of extremist ideologies such as Accelerationism, Nationalism, and Socialism over the European Hemisphere and the Globe.
Background and Prelude
European Realignment
Ever since the beginning of the Great War, European powers engaged in an arms race, building up their military capabilities and stockpiling weapons. This militarization created a tense atmosphere and increased the likelihood of conflict. European nations formed alliances to counterbalance each other's power, creating two main blocs: the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) and the Triple Alliance (comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). These alliances were intended to provide security but also increased the risk of a wider war if a conflict broke out.
League of Three Emperors
After the Franco-Prussian War ended in a German Victory and the seizing of Alsace-Lorraine in the following Treaty of Versailles of 1871, they were isolated and humiliated. As such, the French eagerly waited for their revenge. In order to counter French Revanchism, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire to form the League of Three Emperors in order to avoid a two front in a possible upcoming war. But however the league didn't last long as following a Russian Victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 due to Austrian Suspicions over Russian Influence in the Balkans. This led Germany and Austria-Hungary to form the Dual Alliance in 1879 and later Italy as the Triple Alliance in 1882. Bismarck still viewed peace with Russia as foundational to German foreign policy, and therefore renewed the alliance with Russia in 1881 to prevent Russia moving closer towards Britain and France
Reinsurance Treaty/Formation of the Triple Entente
After an agreement was concluded in 1887, Bismarck secretly negotiated the Treaty with Russia which would ensure both parties would remain neutral if either were attacked by France or Austria-Hungary. But however in 1888, Wilhem II ascended to the German Throne and forced Bismarck to retire two years later after which he declined to renew the Reinsurance Treaty in favor of the Triple Alliance. As a result, France began a political rapprochement with Russia and signed the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894. Eventually, this was followed in 1904 by the Entente Cordiale agreements with Great Britain, bringing the British out of their foreign-political strategy of “splendid isolation” that they had pursued for most of the nineteenth century. The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 ended long-standing disagreements between Great Britain and Russia in Central Asia, leading to the formation of the Triple Entente.
Throughout the early 19th century up to the early 20th century, Britain was the dominant superpower of the World also known as Pax Britannica. The Royal Navy played a key role in the defense and the establishment of the British Empire. Britain's Royal Navy controlled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyed unchallenged sea power. Alongside the formal control exerted over its own colonies, Britain's dominant position in world trade meant that it effectively controlled access to many regions, such as Asia, North America, Oceania, and Africa. Upon Wilhem's II accension to the throne in 1888, , he began a project of developing the Imperial German Navy, or Kaiserliche Marine, to rival the Royal Navy for world naval supremacy. He appointed Alfred von Tirpitz as Secretary of State of the German Naval Office in 1897, and together they championed five Fleet Acts in 1898, 1900, 1906, 1908 and 1912 that greatly expanded the German High Seas Fleet. Between 1908-1913, the military spending of the major european powers increased by fifty percent
Balkan Conflicts and Young Turk Revolution
The years immediately before the war were marked by a series of crises in the Balkans as the other powers attempted to benefit from the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was well underway collapsing. The Ottomans lost in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 signaling it's stagnation. After Greece gained independence in 1821, the Ottomans were already embroiled in corruption and decadence which gradually undermined the government over the following decades .In 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the same time Bulgaria officially declared its full independence from the Ottoman Empire, sparking protests from both the Great Powers as well as Serbia and Montenegro. At that time, The Young Turk Revolution took place. The Young Turk movement wished to see Abdul Hamid's regime dismantled and reintroduce the Constitution. This further signaled the beginning of the collapse of a grand empire which lasted for hundreds of years. After the 1911-12 Italo-Turkish War further demonstrated Ottoman weakness. The nations of Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria formed the Balkan League and defeated the Ottomans in the First Balkan War, to the shock of the Great Powers. While the 1913 Treaty of London enlarged the Balkan nations’ territories and created the independent nation of Albania, disputes between the victors led to the Second Balkan War after Bulgaria attacked its former allies Serbia and Greece. Bulgaria was ultimately defeated in the conflict, losing most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, and Southern Dobruja to Romania. The resulting complex mix of nationalism, militarism, and irredentism led many outside observers to dub the Balkans “the powder-keg of Europe”.
The Great War
Border Dispute Escalation
In 1913, The Kingdom of Serbia backed by Russia pushed for larger concessions from Bulgaria. Since the Austrians were backing Bulgaria, they did not like this one bit. Eventually Serbia sent an ultimatum to Bulgaria stating that they hand over the concessions over. This was refused by Bulgaria and the Serbians declared war on Bulgaria. The Austro-Hungarian Empire entered the war to back Bulgaria. Russia entered the war and declared war on both Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary. The German Empire declared war on Russia and Serbia. France declared war on Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria beginning the outbreak of the Great War.
1913
In the first initial years of the conflict, the great powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and France. Germany's goal was to knock France out of the war before transporting all it's troops to the eastern front and defeating Russia. This was also known as the Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan
Upon mobilisation, 80% of the German Army was located on the Western Front, with the remainder acting as a screening force in the East; officially titled Aufmarsch II West, it is better known as the Schlieffen Plan after its creator, Alfred von Schlieffen, head of the German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. Rather than a direct attack across their shared frontier, the German right wing would sweep through the Netherlands and Belgium, then swing south, encircling Paris and trapping the French army against the Swiss border. Schlieffen estimated this would take six weeks, after which the German army would transfer to the East and defeat the Russians.
Battle Plan:
• Four army groups, known as the Bataillon Carré, to mass on the extreme German right.
• The northernmost force, comprising 5 cavalry divisions, 17 infantry corps, 6 Ersatzkorps, and Landwehr and Landsturm brigades, would engage the French defenses along the German border.
• The central group, consisting of six infantry corps, Landwehr brigades, and a cavalry division, would attack the French at La Feré and Paris, eventually encircling the capital.
• The third group would focus on the southern right wing, with eight corps, five reserve corps, and Landwehr brigades.
• The last group, consisting of three cavalry divisions, three infantry corps, two Ersatzkorps, and a reserve corps, would block any French counterattack.
• Landwehr brigades would defend the Upper Rhine to the Swiss border and the Lower Alsace.
The initial German advance in the West was very successful and by the end of August the Allied left, which included the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), was in full retreat. At the same time, the French offensive in Alsace-Lorraine was a disastrous failure, with casualties exceeding 260,000, including 27,000 killed on 22 August during the Battle of the Frontiers. German planning provided broad strategic instructions, while allowing army commanders considerable freedom in carrying them out at the front; this worked well in 1866 and 1870 but in 1914, von Kluck used this freedom to disobey orders, opening a gap between the German armies as they closed on Paris.. The French army, reinforced by the British expeditionary corps, seized this opportunity to counter-attack, and pushed the German army 40 to 80 km back. Both armies were then so exhausted that no decisive move could be implemented, so they settled in trenches, with the vain hope to break through as soon as they could build local superiority.
| Date | Event | Location | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Serbian Invasion of Bulgaria | Balkans Front | In 1913, The Kingdom of Serbia backed by Russia pushed for larger concessions from Bulgaria. Since the Austrians were backing Bulgaria, they did not like this one bit. Eventually Serbia sent an ultimatum to Bulgaria stating that they hand over the concessions over. This was refused by Bulgaria and the Serbians declared war on Bulgaria. | |
