First World

First World War

  File:File:WWI Montage.png

Clockwise from top left: Trenches on the Western Front, a British Mark I tank, Royal Navy battleship, Vickers machine gun crew, Sopwith Camel biplane

The First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. It involved most of the world's great powers, which were divided into two opposing alliances: the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. The war was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, resulting in an estimated 9 million combatant deaths and 7 million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting in genocides and the related 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Causes

The causes of the First World War are complex and multifaceted, involving a combination of political, military, and social factors. Key causes include:

• Militarism: The arms race and the glorification of military power.
• Alliances: The complex web of alliances, including the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance.
• Imperialism: Competition for colonies and global dominance.
• Nationalism: Ethnic tensions and nationalist fervor, particularly in the Balkans.
• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The immediate trigger for the war.

Major Battles

The First World War saw numerous significant battles, including:

• Battle of the Marne: A major Allied victory that stopped the German advance into France.
• Battle of Verdun: One of the longest and costliest battles in history.
• Battle of the Somme: Notable for the first use of tanks in warfare.
• Battle of Gallipoli: A failed Allied campaign in the Ottoman Empire.

Technological and Tactical Innovations

The war saw significant technological and tactical innovations, including:

• Trench warfare: Characterized by long, grueling stalemates.
• Chemical warfare: Introduction of poison gas as a weapon.
• Tanks: First used by the British at the Battle of the Somme.
• Aircraft: Used for reconnaissance and as fighters and bombers.

Consequences

The First World War had profound consequences, including:

• Treaty of Versailles: The peace treaty that ended the war and imposed harsh penalties on Germany.
• League of Nations: An international organization established to prevent future conflicts.
• Political changes: Collapse of empires, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, German Empire, and Russian Empire.
• Economic impact: Severe economic consequences and reparations.

Also see

• Second World War
• Interwar period
• Russian Revolution
• League of Nations
• Treaty of Versailles