World War I
World War I was a war which many countries fought in. It happened in different parts of the world. So it is called a "world" war. It lasted from 1914 to 1918. Later there was another one. It was called World War II. Before this second war the people did not know that there would be another one. So the first one was called The Great War or the war to end all wars.The war started after Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was killed by members of a Serbian terrorist group called black hand. This happened in Sarajevo. However, there are more reasons that the war started. It is very complicated.
The countries of Europe were linked and divided by a web of alliances. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austria sent an ultimatum to Serbia. This ultimatum was almost impossible; when the Serbs failed to meet it, Austria declared war. Russia wanted to protect the Slavic states, and entered the war. Germany also entered, because it had promised to help the Austrians. The involvement of Russia brought France into the war. Germany had a plan to deal with the Franco-Russian alliance. First, it would defeat the French. The delays from the resistance of the Belgians, French and British forces and the unexpectedly fast mobilisation of the Russians upset the German plans, and the Central Powers were forced to fight a war on two fronts. The Ottoman Empire joined the "Central Powers" (Mainly Germany and Austria-Hungary) some months later. In 1917 Italy and the United States joined the Allies.
The public view of war in 1914 was almost romantic, and its declaration was met with a lot of enthusiasm by many people. The common view was that it would be a short war of "manoeuvre" with a few sharp actions (to "teach the enemy a lesson") and would end with a victorious entry into the enemy capital then home for a victory parade or two and back to "normal" life. There were some pessimists (like Lord Kitchener) who predicted the war would take a long time, but "everyone knew" the War would be "Over by Christmas".
The First World War was different from older wars. This time, millions of soldiers fought on all sides and many, many people died. This was mostly because of more efficient weapons, like artillery and machine guns. These were used in large numbers against old tactics. The First World War caused the development of air forces and tanks, which did not exist before. It also led to new tactics, like the rolling barrage. In spite of this, much of the action took place in trenches, where thousands died for every square meter of land. The armies of the First World War also used chemical warfare, which was later banned when its true effects were seen on soldiers.
Many of the deadliest battles in history happen in this war. See Ypres, Marne, Cambrai, and Somme.
Perhaps the most important event caused by the hardship of the war was the Russian Revolution. Socialist and Communist uprisings also occurred in many other European countries, starting in 1917, notably in Germany. November 7th (October 25th, according to the old calendar that Russia followed) 1917 is the birthdate of the Soviet Union.
The war ended on 1918, but its consequences were long lasting. The treaty of Versailles officially ended to the war. It required heavy reparations to be paid by Germany. It also included a clause to create a League of Nations, an international organization that should prevent a new war. The US senate, however, never ratified the treaty, despite the campaigning by the US president, Woodrow Wilson, creator of the idea.
The experiences of the war led to a sort of "trauma" for all the participating countries. The optimism of 1900 was gone, and those who fought in the war became known as "the Lost Generation" because they never fully recovered.