World War I
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Europe’s Tense Political Climate
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The assassination of the Duke and Archduchess acted as a powder keg which ignited an already volatile Europe. Germany had united under the Prussian government in 1871, which upset the old balance of power. This along with the assassination caused countries all over Europe to begin to call upon their allies. Even longtime rivals like Britain and France formed alliances. Which prompted Germany to seek allies of their own.
With the assassination of the archduke, these alliances were called into play. Almost overnight, the majority of Europe was at war.
Major Events of the War
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World War I was different from the wars that had preceded it due to major military technological advancements. Stronger, faster, and more accurate firearms would led to the adoption of trench warfare, which cause many battles to become stalemates and many soldiers to become deathly ill due to the conditions that they faced within the trenches.
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Germany was concerned with France being allied with both Britain and Russia. In order to avoid fighting on both fronts Germany invaded France quickly, which allowed them to hold Britain off and focus on Russia.
Their plan seemed to work as they quickly crushed the countries in their path to France, but Britain was able to mobilize faster than expected.
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The combined forces of France and Britain forced the German march to a standstill at the 1st battle of the Marne. Russia also mobilized quicker than expected and ended the German hopes for a quick, decisive battle. The battle instead turned into a stalemate that would last four years.
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The United States Enters the War
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The US was determined to remain neutral when the war broke out. The distance between the country and the war helped. However, trading relations with the besieged nations kept them involved. Germany created a fleet of submarines intent on preventing aid from reaching the allied countries.
But following the attack of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 off the coast of Ireland, the U.S. took back its claim of neutrality following the killing of 1,198 souls and leaving only 761 survivors. So, following muddled investigations on both the American and British sides on the actual cause of the Lusitania's sinking it was decided on February 22, 1917 by President Wilson and congress that the U.S. would be declaring war and entered into the fray.
The War Ends
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The end of World War I officially took place on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty outlined Germany’s penalties for starting the war. It also reassigned borders and established payments to be made to damaged governments.
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The money the US loaned out to assist in recovery eventually sent their economy on a decline that couldn’t be stopped. This eventually led to the Great Depression, which rendered the Treaty unfulfilled and pointless.
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The Start
Germany had united with the Prussian government in 1871, which upset the old balance of power. Many of older countries saw Prussia as a hungry newcomer and began forming alliances. Even longtime rivals like Britain and France joined together. This forced Germany to seek allies as well, creating an interconnected web of countries that were poised against each other.
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On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a group of Serbian rebels. Although this event is considered the action that started the war, the assassination alone was not enough to get the whole world involved. It was only the trigger due to it breaking a complex web of political peace treaties and agreements established by Otto Von Bismark (Germany’s chancellor from the 1860s to 1890). The assassination was the spark that caused the tense relations between the European countries to disintegrate, leading them to join in the escalating conflict.