World War One

Artzia.com History Wars WWI :

Sebastopol from The Extreme Right of The Trench Attack Buy this Print at AllPosters.com

World War I, also called the First World War and, prior to World War II, the Great War and the War to End All Wars, was an event that changed nearly every aspect of life in the western world and created the modern world. The conflict itself lasted from July 28, 1914 until November 11, 1918, involved 32 nations, took the lives of an estimated 10 million people, and physically or mentally injured around 20 million. The two sides were the Central Powers or Coalition (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria) and the Associated Powers or Allies (28 nations including Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the US).

The war was probably inevitable. Following the Industrial Revolution, the great European powers needed raw materials and outlets for their goods. Colonies around the world were a valuable asset for supporting the host country's economy. They wanted to expand into new colonies while still protecting the ones they already had. Armies were maintained and new weapons developed just in case the neighbors invaded. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy joined together in the Triple Alliance. Aware of Germany's desire to be the most powerful country on the European continent and have a navy to challenge British sea supremacy, Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente.

Lusitania: Sunk Without a Trace Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com

When the fighting started, it was expected to be a short war and "over by Christmas". Instead it lasted four years. It was primarily fought on three fronts: Western (France and Belgium); Eastern (Russia); and Southern (Serbia). At sea, the German navy declared the waters around Britain and France as part of the war zone and all ships were considered targets. With the exception of the Eastern front, where the Germans were able to push as far as Byelorussia and the Ukraine, there was little movement by the armies once trench warfare began and there were no decisive victories by either side.

The trenches have come to symbolize fighting during World War I. These were rows of ditches 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.5 meters) deep. A "no man's land" and barbed wire fences divided the two sides. Entry into this area was frequently fatal. Behind the barbed wire, each side has a series of four parallel trenches. The closest to the enemy was the firing trench where the lookouts and defensive guns would be located. Behind this was the cover trench that supplied a second line of defense in case the first trench was overrun. Next was the support trench where off-duty soldiers would live. Finally was the reserve trench, where fresh troops would wait. These rows of trenches were connected by communication trenches. Life in the trenches was miserable. The soldiers were often in knee-deep mud and were cold and wet. Rats and lice abounded and dead bodies were left until they could be moved. Added to this was a shortage of food, shelling from the enemy, attacks of poison gas, and the knowledge that going "over the top" to attack the enemy meant almost certain death. Many soldiers suffered mental breakdowns or "shell shock" as a result of these conditions.

New kinds of weapons were needed to fight this kind of war. In 1916, the British developed the first armored track-laying vehicles. Shipped to the front in crates marked "tanks", this became the name of the new machine. The first tanks were not very successful, but improvements were made and by 1917 they were able to cross the trenches and penetrate the German lines.

Sopwith Camel, 1917 Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

This war was not just fought by the troops on the battlefields but by the entire population. Bombing of cities destroyed buildings, killed many civilians, and created a climate of fear. The food shortage experienced by the soldiers was more severe back home as sugar, butter, margarine, jam, and meat were rationed. With most of the men off fighting, it fell to the women to keep the factories working, the farms producing, and the busses running - jobs that, prior to the war, had been considered "too difficult or too responsible" for women.

The real impact of World War I is seen in its aftermath. For the defeated Central Powers, their countries were reduced in size. Austria-Hungary was split into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania also became independent states. Germany was made to give Alsance-Lorraine back to France. Many of Germany's colonies were now controlled by England or France. The Arab states of the Middle East were being created. Among the victors, the Russian Revolution replaced the Czar with the Bolsheviks. Back home, many women gave up the jobs they had held as soldiers returned but their expectations had been raised and household work was no longer their only option. In recognition of the work women has done for the war effort, they were given the right to vote in Britain and then in the US.

International relations also changed. The League of Nations was created as a place where member states could seek a peaceful solution to their disagreements. As part of his 14-point plan, US President Wilson called for free and open negotiations between nations, free trade, freedom of the seas and a reduction in the weapons of war.

Finally, a generation of young men were gone. Many women would never marry, many widows would remain alone, and many children would never know their fathers.