Who organized World War 1. Participants of the First World War. Events in the Baltic, Black Sea and North

The First World War is one of the two most powerful and most terrible armed conflicts in human history. Several countries were involved, each of which was seriously affected. The First World War lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. Facts show that in the first year of the war alone, 70 million people took part in hostilities, of which 60 million in Europe, and between 9 and 10 million people died. There are also millions of civilian casualties. According to various sources, from 7 to 12 million civilians died in the First World War, and 55 million people were injured.

Causes of the First World War

The First World War officially began with the assassination in Sarajevo, where on June 28, 1914, nineteen-year-old Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip, a terrorist, killed the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sofia Chotek.

In fact, tension between the great powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Great Britain, Russia - has been growing for a long time. Germany wanted global expansion, but the colonial division had already ended by that time. Having defeated England and France, Germany strengthened its position on the world stage. Meanwhile, in 1891, Russia and France entered into a military alliance called the "Concord of the Heart", and Austria-Hungary fought to hold Bosnia and Herzegovina and antagonized Russia in attempts to protect "its own" in the Balkans.

By 1914, two blocs of warring parties had emerged, whose conflicts formed the basis of the First World War:

• Entente bloc: Russian Empire, Great Britain, France. It took shape in 1907 after the conclusion of the Russian-French, Anglo-French and Anglo-Russian alliance treaties.
• Block Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.

Countries participating in the First World War

Timeline of the First World War

Results of the First World War

The results of the First World War were significant losses. In addition, historians believe that the war became the catalyst for major revolutions, including the February bourgeois and October socialist revolutions of 1917 in Russia, as well as the November 1918 revolution in Germany.

Four empires collapsed:

• Russian,
• Austro-Hungarian,
• Ottoman,
• Germanic.

Based on materials from: worldtable.info

The last century brought humanity two of the most terrible conflicts - the First and Second World Wars, which captured the whole world. And if the echoes of the Patriotic War are still heard, then the clashes of 1914–1918 have already been forgotten, despite their cruelty. Who fought with whom, what were the reasons for the confrontation and in what year did World War I begin?

A military conflict does not start suddenly; there are a number of prerequisites that, directly or indirectly, eventually become the causes of an open clash between armies. Disagreements between the main participants in the conflict, the powerful powers, began to grow long before the start of open battles.

The German Empire began to exist, which was the natural end of the Franco-Prussian battles of 1870-1871. At the same time, the government of the empire argued that the state had no aspirations to seize power and dominate the territory of Europe.

After devastating internal conflicts, the German monarchy needed time to recuperate and gain military power; this required times of peace. In addition, European states are willing to cooperate with it and refrain from creating an opposing coalition.

Developing peacefully, by the mid-1880s the Germans had become quite strong in the military and economic sphere and change foreign policy priorities, starting to fight for dominance in Europe. At the same time, a course was set for the expansion of the southern lands, since the country did not have overseas colonies.

The colonial division of the world allowed the two strongest states - Great Britain and France - to take possession of economically attractive lands around the world. In order to gain overseas markets, the Germans needed to defeat these states and seize their colonies.

But in addition to their neighbors, the Germans had to defeat the Russian state, since in 1891 it entered into a defensive alliance called the “Concord of the Heart,” or the Entente, with France and England (joined in 1907).

Austria-Hungary, in turn, tried to retain the annexed territories it received (Herzegovina and Bosnia) and at the same time tried to resist Russia, which set as its goal to protect and unite the Slavic peoples in Europe and could start a confrontation. Russia's ally, Serbia, also posed a danger to Austria-Hungary.

The same tense situation existed in the Middle East: it was there that the foreign policy interests of European states collided, who wanted to gain new territories and greater benefits from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Here Russia claimed its rights, laying claim to the shores of two straits: the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In addition, Emperor Nicholas II wanted to gain control over Anatolia, since this territory allowed access by land to the Middle East.

The Russians did not want to allow these territories to be lost to Greece and Bulgaria. Therefore, European clashes were beneficial to them, since they allowed them to seize the desired lands in the East.

So, two alliances were created, the interests and confrontation of which became the fundamental basis of the First World War:

1. Entente - it consisted of Russia, France and Great Britain.
2. Triple Alliance - it included the empires of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians, as well as the Italians.

Important to know! Later, the Ottomans and Bulgarians joined the Triple Alliance and the name was changed to the Quadruple Alliance.

The main reasons for the outbreak of the war were:

1. The desire of the Germans to own large territories and occupy a dominant position in the world.
2. France's desire to occupy a leading position in Europe.
3. Great Britain's desire to weaken European countries that posed a danger.
4. Russia's attempt to take possession of new territories and protect the Slavic peoples from aggression.
5. Confrontations between European and Asian states for spheres of influence.

The economic crisis and the divergence of interests of the leading powers of Europe, and then other states, led to the beginning of an open military conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

Germany's goals

Who started the battles? Germany is considered the main aggressor and the country that actually started the First World War. But at the same time, it is a mistake to believe that she alone wanted a conflict, despite the active preparations of the Germans and the provocation, which became the official reason for open clashes.

All European countries had their own interests, the achievement of which required victory over their neighbors.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the empire was developing rapidly and was well prepared from a military point of view: it had a good army, modern weapons and a powerful economy. Due to constant strife between the German lands, until the mid-19th century, Europe did not consider the Germans as a serious adversary and competitor. But after the unification of the lands of the empire and the restoration of the domestic economy, the Germans not only became an important character on the European stage, but also began to think about seizing colonial lands.

The division of the world into colonies brought England and France not only an expanded market and cheap hired force, but also an abundance of food. German economy From intensive development began to move to stagnation due to market glut, and population growth and limited territories led to food shortages.

The country's leadership came to the decision to completely change foreign policy, and instead of peaceful participation in European alliances, chose illusory domination through military seizure of territories. The First World War began immediately after the assassination of the Austrian Franz Ferdinand, which was arranged by the Germans.

Participants in the conflict

Who fought with whom throughout all the battles? The main participants are concentrated in two camps:

• Triple and then Quadruple Alliance;
• Entente.

The first camp included the Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Italians. This alliance was created back in the 1880s, its main goal was to confront France.

At the beginning of the First World War, the Italians took neutrality, thereby violating the plans of the allies, and later they completely betrayed them, in 1915 they went over to the side of England and France and took an opposing position. Instead, the Germans had new allies: the Turks and Bulgarians, who had their own clashes with members of the Entente.

In the First World War, to briefly list, in addition to the Germans, the Russians, the French and the British took part, who acted within the framework of one military bloc “Consent” (this is how the word Entente is translated). It was created in 1893–1907 in order to protect the allied countries from the ever-growing military power of the Germans and to strengthen the Triple Alliance. The Allies were also supported by other states that did not want the Germans to strengthen, including Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Serbia.

Important to know! Russia’s allies in the conflict were also outside Europe, including China, Japan, and the USA.

In World War I, Russia fought not only with Germany, but with a number of smaller states, for example, Albania. Only two main fronts developed: in the West and East. In addition to them, battles took place in Transcaucasia and in the Middle Eastern and African colonies.

Interests of the parties

The main interest of all battles was land; due to various circumstances, each side sought to conquer additional territory. All states had their own interest:

1. The Russian Empire wanted open access to the seas.
2. Great Britain sought to weaken Turkey and Germany.
3. France - to return their lands.
4. Germany - to expand its territory by capturing neighboring European states, as well as gain a number of colonies.
5. Austria-Hungary - control sea routes and retain annexed territories.
6. Italy - gain dominance in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The approaching collapse of the Ottoman Empire forced states to also think about seizing its lands. The map of military operations shows the main fronts and offensives of the opponents.

Important to know! In addition to maritime interests, Russia wanted to unite all Slavic lands, and the government was especially interested in the Balkans.

Each country had clear plans to seize territory and was determined to win. Most European countries took part in the conflict, and their military capabilities were approximately the same, which led to a protracted and passive war.

Results

When did the First World War end? It ended in November 1918 - it was then that Germany capitulated, concluding a treaty at Versailles in June of the following year, thereby showing who won the First World War - the French and the British.

The Russians were the losers on the winning side, having withdrawn from the battles as early as March 1918 due to serious internal political divisions. In addition to Versailles, 4 more peace treaties were signed with the main warring parties.

For four empires, the First World War ended with their collapse: the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, the Ottomans were overthrown in Turkey, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians also became republicans.

There were also changes in the territories, in particular the seizure of: Western Thrace by Greece, Tanzania by England, Romania took possession of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia, and the French - Alsace-Lorraine and Lebanon. The Russian Empire lost a number of territories that declared independence, among them: Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

The French occupied the German Saar region, and Serbia annexed a number of lands (including Slovenia and Croatia) and subsequently created the state of Yugoslavia. Russia's battles in the First World War were costly: in addition to large losses on the fronts, the already worsened situation difficult situation in economics.

The internal situation was tense long before the start of the campaign, and when, after an intense first year of fighting, the country switched to positional struggle, the suffering people actively supported the revolution and overthrew the unwanted tsar.

This confrontation showed that from now on all armed conflicts will be total in nature, and the entire population and all available resources of the state will be involved.

Important to know! For the first time in history, opponents used chemical weapons.

Both military blocs, entering into confrontation, had approximately the same firepower, which led to protracted battles. Equal forces at the beginning of the campaign led to the fact that after its end, each country was actively engaged in building up firepower and actively developing modern and powerful weapons.

The scale and passive nature of the battles led to a complete restructuring of the countries' economies and production towards militarization, which in turn significantly influenced the direction of development of the European economy in 1915–1939. Characteristics of this period were:

• strengthening state influence and control in the economic sphere;
• creation of military complexes;
• rapid development of energy systems;
• growth of defense products.

Wikipedia says that during that historical period of time, the First World War was the bloodiest - it claimed only about 32 million lives, including military personnel and civilians who died from hunger and disease or from bombing. But those soldiers who survived were psychologically traumatized by the war and could not lead a normal life. In addition, many of them were poisoned by chemical weapons used at the front.

Useful video

Let's sum it up

Germany, which was confident of its victory in 1914, ceased to be a monarchy in 1918, lost a number of its lands and was greatly weakened economically not only by military losses, but also by mandatory reparations payments. The difficult conditions and general humiliation of the nation that the Germans experienced after defeat by the Allies gave rise to and fueled the nationalist sentiments that would later lead to the conflict of 1939–1945.

Allies (Entente): France, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Serbia, USA, Italy (participated in the war on the side of the Entente since 1915).

Friends of the Entente (supported the Entente in the war): Montenegro, Belgium, Greece, Brazil, China, Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica.

Question about the causes of the First World War is one of the most discussed in world historiography since the outbreak of the war in August 1914.

The outbreak of the war was facilitated by the widespread strengthening of nationalist sentiments. France hatched plans to return the lost territories of Alsace and Lorraine. Italy, even being in an alliance with Austria-Hungary, dreamed of returning its lands to Trentino, Trieste and Fiume. The Poles saw in the war an opportunity to recreate the state destroyed by the partitions of the 18th century. Many peoples inhabiting Austria-Hungary sought national independence. Russia was convinced that it could not develop without limiting German competition, protecting the Slavs from Austria-Hungary and expanding influence in the Balkans. In Berlin, the future was associated with the defeat of France and Great Britain and the unification of the countries of Central Europe under the leadership of Germany. In London they believed that the people of Great Britain would live in peace only by crushing their main enemy - Germany.

In addition, international tension was heightened by a series of diplomatic crises - the Franco-German clash in Morocco in 1905-1906; the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austrians in 1908-1909; Balkan wars in 1912-1913.

The immediate cause of the war was the Sarajevo Murder. June 28, 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by nineteen-year-old Serbian student Gavrilo Princip, who was a member of the secret organization "Young Bosnia", fighting for the unification of all South Slavic peoples in one state.

July 23, 1914 Austria-Hungary, having secured the support of Germany, presented Serbia with an ultimatum and demanded that its military units be allowed into Serbian territory in order to, together with Serbian forces, suppress hostile actions.

Serbia's response to the ultimatum did not satisfy Austria-Hungary, and July 28, 1914 she declared war on Serbia. Russia, having received assurances of support from France, openly opposed Austria-Hungary and July 30, 1914 announced a general mobilization. Germany, taking advantage of this opportunity, announced August 1, 1914 war against Russia, and August 3, 1914- France. After the German invasion August 4, 1914 Great Britain declared war on Germany in Belgium.

The First World War consisted of five campaigns. During first campaign in 1914 Germany invaded Belgium and northern France but was defeated at the Battle of the Marne. Russia captured parts of East Prussia and Galicia (East Prussian Operation and Battle of Galicia), but was then defeated as a result of the German and Austro-Hungarian counteroffensive.

1915 Campaign associated with Italy’s entry into the war, the disruption of the German plan to withdraw Russia from the war, and bloody, inconclusive battles on the Western Front.

1916 campaign associated with the entry of Romania into the war and the waging of a grueling positional war on all fronts.

1917 campaign associated with the entry of the United States into the war, Russia's revolutionary exit from the war and a number of successive offensive operations on the Western Front (Nivelle's operation, operations in the Messines area, Ypres, near Verdun, and Cambrai).

1918 Campaign was characterized by a transition from positional defense to a general offensive of the Entente armed forces. From the second half of 1918, the Allies prepared and deployed retaliatory offensive operations(Amiens, Saint-Miel, Marne), during which the results of the German offensive were eliminated, and in September 1918 they launched a general offensive. By November 1, 1918, the Allies liberated the territory of Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, entered the territory of Bulgaria after the armistice and invaded the territory of Austria-Hungary. On September 29, 1918, a truce with the allies was concluded by Bulgaria, October 30, 1918 - Turkey, November 3, 1918 - Austria-Hungary, November 11, 1918 - Germany.

June 28, 1919 was signed at the Paris Peace Conference Treaty of Versailles with Germany, officially ending the First World War of 1914-1918.

On September 10, 1919, the Saint-Germain Peace Treaty with Austria was signed; November 27, 1919 - Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria; June 4, 1920 - Treaty of Trianon with Hungary; August 20, 1920 - Treaty of Sèvres with Turkey.

In total, the First World War lasted 1,568 days. It was attended by 38 states, in which 70% of the population lived globe. The armed struggle was carried out on fronts with a total length of 2500–4000 km. The total losses of all countries at war amounted to about 9.5 million people killed and 20 million people wounded. At the same time, the losses of the Entente amounted to about 6 million people killed, the losses of the Central Powers amounted to about 4 million people killed.

During the First World War, for the first time in history, tanks, airplanes, submarines, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, mortars, grenade launchers, bomb throwers, flamethrowers, super-heavy artillery, hand grenades, chemical and smoke shells, and toxic substances were used. New types of artillery appeared: anti-aircraft, anti-tank, infantry escort. Aviation became an independent branch of the military, which began to be divided into reconnaissance, fighter and bomber. Tank troops, chemical troops, air defense troops, and naval aviation emerged. The role of engineering troops increased and the role of cavalry decreased.

The results of the First World War were the liquidation of four empires: German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, the latter two being divided, and Germany and Russia being reduced territorially. As a result, new independent states appeared on the map of Europe: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Finland.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

About the First World War briefly

• Background and causes of the First World War
  
• The state of weapons of countries on the eve of World War 1
• Beginning of the conflict
• Main stages
• Results of the war
• Interesting facts

Addition - brief Contents on THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914 - 1918

“In short, the First World War was one of the largest military confrontations in the entire history of human civilization. The term “First World War” itself was established only several decades later, when the world entered into another military conflict, which went down in history as the Second World War. Previously, the events of 1914-18 were called the Great or Great war. In Russia it was also called the Second or Great Patriotic War (unofficial names were also “German”, and in the Soviet Union “imperialist”).

Parties and participants in hostilities The main opposing sides of this war were two allied blocs. The Entente, which included England, France and the Russian Empire, on the one hand. And the Triple Alliance (later the Central Powers bloc), consisting of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy.
Both blocs were formed long before the start of this war. Thus, the Anglo-Franco-Russian alliance was formed in 1907. And the opposing coalition took shape in 1882.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Italy declared neutrality, seriously disrupting the plans of its allies, in particular Germany. And some time after the outbreak of the conflict, she completely went over to the side of the Entente.
During the war, the Triple Alliance was replenished by the Ottoman Empire (October 1914) and Bulgaria (October 1915) and became the Quadruple Alliance.
The Entente, in turn, received support from more than 20 countries, including the United States of America, Japan, Serbia, Egypt, China and many others.

In total, 38 countries out of the 59 independent states that existed at that time took part in the war. 17 countries declared full or partial neutrality.♦ ♦ ♦
Background and reasons Briefly, the reasons for the outbreak of the First World War can be characterized as a struggle for power and the division of income between large states, as well as the resolution of contradictions that had accumulated for a long time.
However, in reality, the roots of this conflict are much deeper.
Controversies between the major powers of the early 20th century had been brewing for many years. Most of them originated from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, as a result of which the formation of new country- German Empire.
Initially, this country did not strive to increase its global authority, however, having strengthened economically and created a strong army, it began to fight for primacy on the European continent.
By this time, there were practically no free colonies left in the world, and young Germany was left without markets. In addition, the growing population of the country required more and more territory and food. All these problems could be solved at once only by crushing the major powers: Great Britain, Russia and France.
At the same time, Austria-Hungary tried with all its might to hold on to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where its interests collided with Russian and Serbian ones.

The Russian side, in turn, was in dire need of solving the problem of transporting goods through the Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles. The Empire of Nicholas II needed free access to the Black Sea to export grain to Constantinople.
In addition, almost every country had its own interests in the Middle East region. Each country wanted to grab its piece during the division of the Ottoman Empire.
Another motive can be called the arms race, since most states sought to expand their own weapons production.
The situation was tense to such an extent that all that was needed was a spark. And such a spark was the assassination of the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, during his visit to the capital of Bosnia.
♦ ♦ ♦
The state of the countries' weapons on the eve of the war On the eve of the war, France had the largest army in Europe - more than 800 thousand people. Germany had slightly smaller troops.

Of the small arms considered the most effective in the fight against enemy troops, the most popular were repeating rifles, machine guns, revolvers and self-loading pistols. ♦ ♦ ♦
Beginning of the conflict On June 28, 1914, the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrived in Sarajevo along with his wife. They were already waiting here. And not only the official authorities, but also members of the terrorist organization who wanted the South Slavic territories to secede from Austria-Hungary.
The heir to the throne decided to start his visit with a tour of the military barracks. From there the cortege headed to the Town Hall. However, on the way to his destination, there were several attempts on the prince’s life. Due to a confluence of various circumstances, none of them succeeded.
Having decided to change the route of the visit, and thereby protect himself from further terrorist attacks, Franz Ferdinand chose a military hospital as his next destination.
But on the way, at the famous grocery store, another killer was waiting for his car - G. Princip. This time, the crown prince's luck changed, and the terrorist managed to shoot him and his wife almost point-blank.
The events of that shocked the whole of Europe. And the ruling circles of Austria and Germany decided to use it to start a long-brewing conflict.

A few weeks later, the Austrian-Hungarian government accuses Serbian leaders of planning the Sarajevo murder and issues an ultimatum to Serbia. Among the main demands were the removal from the state apparatus and the army of figures objectionable to Austria, and the introduction of Austro-Hungarian police units into Serbia. The Serbian government agreed to everything except the last point.
Declaring failure to comply with the requirements of the ultimatum, on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and Belgrade was shelled from heavy artillery guns.
At the same time, mobilization begins in allied countries. Including in Russia. Having learned about this, Germany issues an ultimatum to the Russian Empire, demanding an end to army conscription.
Completely ignoring German demands, Nicholas II publicly announces the start of war with the German Empire.
In response, Germany officially declares war on Russia. Then, over the next few days, she declares war on France, and provokes Great Britain into active hostilities. At the same time, Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. All largest countries were drawn into a military conflict. ♦ ♦ ♦
Main stages When starting the war, its participants planned to resolve all differences within a few months, but in the end the armed conflict dragged on for several years.
The main theaters of war were French, Russian, Balkan, Caucasian, and Middle Eastern. In addition, major confrontation was observed in the African colonies, China, and the islands of Oceania.
Briefly speaking, the entire course of the First World War can be divided into several stages.
The first, despite the dynamic offensive actions of the armies, did not bring significant success to either side. German troops, having occupied a small territory of France, were unable to take possession of any of the more or less significant cities. Russia took possession of a significant part of Prussian territories, but received a significant blow from Turkey in the Caucasus. Japan began to take over the German colonies.
At the second stage, the Fourth Alliance was significantly weakened. The advantage of the Entente countries' military equipment had an effect. At the same time, the troops of the Russian Empire were forced to leave the territories of western Ukraine and eastern Poland. In the Caucasian direction, the Ottoman Empire was losing ground. In addition, Russian troops fought on the fields of Mesopotamia, ships of the English fleet fought in the Dardanelles, and the Serbian army retreated beyond the borders of their country. The so-called protracted war began.
This stage lasted until 1916. As a result, all sea coasts of Germany were completely blocked, and its surface fleet was destroyed.
A new stage of hostilities began already in 1917. By this time, the economies of all countries participating in the war had suffered significantly. Germany was forced to finally go on the defensive. However, due to the revolution that broke out in Russia and its withdrawal from the war, the other members of the Entente were unable to completely break Germany for a long time.
Only a year later, Germany capitulated, unable to withstand the competition in resources and military strength. Following her, her allies also announced capitulation. These actions marked the final stage of the war and its end.
Results of the war The results of the First World War can be briefly said that, according to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany lost most of its territories and had to pay reparations to European countries. At the same time, she had to abandon modern types of weapons.
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian state, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia appeared on the map of Europe. Having received part of the German territories, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania retained their independence.
In addition to territorial changes on the map of Europe and the world, the war had a number of other results. Thus, she made it clear that from now on not only the armed forces, but also the entire population will participate in military conflicts, and also that the confrontation can only end with the complete surrender of the vanquished.
The economy in most countries underwent significant changes during the war years. Most of the production was adapted to military needs. And after the war, in all major industrial countries, the economy was subject to strict government control.

Interesting facts- the war of 1914-18 contributed to the disappearance of several large empires from the political map of the world: German, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian;
- During the war, more than 10 million soldiers and almost 12 million civilians were killed. In total, more than 65 million people took part in the fighting. Russia alone mobilized more than 10 million, 75% of whom never returned home;
- the network of trenches dug for defense during this war stretched over 40 thousand kilometers;
- for the first time, tanks appeared on the war fronts (the first of them was the English “Little Willie” in 1916), anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, flamethrowers (the Germans were the first to use them);
- during the conflict, gaseous agents were used for the first time in history. France was the first to use poisonous gases.
The use of these gases is connected with a story that later became known as the “attack of the dead” (the defense of the Osovets fortress by Russian troops).
In total, about 30 different toxic substances were used during the fighting. But after the end of the armed confrontation, many countries agreed not to use such weapons in the future;
- in total, more than 200 billion US dollars were spent on military operations by all participating countries.

Who fought with whom? Now this question will probably confuse many ordinary people. But Great War, as it was called in the world until 1939, claimed more than 20 million lives and forever changed the course of history. Over the course of 4 bloody years, empires collapsed and alliances were formed. Therefore, it is necessary to know about it, at least for the purposes of general development.

Reasons for the start of the war

By the beginning of the 19th century, the crisis in Europe was obvious to all major powers. Many historians and analysts give various populist reasons why Who fought with whom before, which nations were fraternal to each other, and so on - all this had practically no meaning for most countries. The goals of the warring powers in the First World War were different, but the main reason was the desire of big capital to spread its influence and gain new markets.

First of all, it is worth taking into account the desire of Germany, since it was she who became the aggressor and actually started the war. But at the same time, one should not assume that she only wanted war, and that other countries did not prepare plans for an attack and were only defending themselves.

Germany's goals

By the beginning of the 20th century, Germany continued to develop rapidly. The empire had a good army, modern types of weapons, and a powerful economy. The main problem was that it was possible to unite the German lands under a single flag only in the middle of the 19th century. It was then that the Germans became an important player on the world stage. But by the time Germany emerged as a great power, the period of active colonization had already been missed. England, France, Russia and other countries had many colonies. They opened up a good market for the capital of these countries, made it possible to have cheap labor, an abundance of food and specific goods. Germany did not have this. Commodity overproduction led to stagnation. Population growth and the limited territories of their settlement created a food shortage. Then the German leadership decided to move away from the idea of ​​being a member of a community of countries with a minor voice. Somewhere towards the end of the 19th century, political doctrines were aimed at building the German Empire as the world's leading power. And the only way to this is war.

The year is 1914. World War I: who did you fight with?

Other countries thought similarly. Capitalists pushed the governments of all major states towards expansion. Russia first of all wanted to unite as many Slavic lands as possible under its banners, especially in the Balkans, especially since local population was loyal to such patronage.

Türkiye played an important role. The world's leading players closely watched the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and waited for the moment to bite off a piece of this giant. The crisis and anticipation were felt throughout Europe. There were a series of bloody wars in what is now Yugoslavia, followed by the First World War. Local residents of the South Slavic countries themselves sometimes did not remember who fought with whom in the Balkans. The capitalists drove the soldiers forward, changing allies depending on the benefits. It was already clear that, most likely, something larger than local conflict, will happen precisely in the Balkans. And so it happened. At the end of June, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand. used this event as a reason to declare war.

Expectations of the parties

The warring countries of the First World War had no idea what the conflict would lead to. If you study the plans of the parties in detail, you can clearly see that each was going to win due to a quick offensive. No more than a few months were allotted for hostilities. This was due, among other things, to the fact that there had been no such precedents in history before, when almost all powers took part in a war.

The First World War: who fought against whom?

On the eve of 1914, two alliances were concluded: the Entente and the Triple Alliance. The first included Russia, Britain, France. In the second - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy. Smaller countries united around one of these alliances, Who was Russia at war with? With Bulgaria, Turkey, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Albania. As well as a number of armed formations of other countries.

After the Balkan crisis, two main theaters of military operations were formed in Europe - Western and Eastern. Also, fighting took place in the Transcaucasus and in various colonies in the Middle East and Africa. It is difficult to list all the conflicts that the First World War gave rise to. Who fought with whom depended on belonging to a particular union and territorial claims. For example, France has long dreamed of returning lost Alsace and Lorraine. And Türkiye is lands in Armenia.

For the Russian Empire, the war turned out to be the most costly. And not only in economic terms. At the fronts, Russian troops suffered the greatest losses.

This was one of the reasons for the start October Revolution, as a result of which a socialist state was formed. The people simply did not understand why thousands of conscripts were sent to the West, and few returned.
Basically, only the first year of the war was intense. Subsequent battles were characterized by positional struggle. Many kilometers of trenches were dug and countless defensive structures were erected.

The atmosphere of a positional permanent war is very well described in Remarque’s book “All Quiet on the Western Front.” It was in the trenches that the lives of soldiers were ground up, and the countries' economies worked exclusively for the war, cutting costs on all other institutions. The First World War claimed 11 million civilian lives. Who fought with whom? There can be only one answer to this question: capitalists with capitalists.