World war 1 changed the face of warfare. The war shifted the nature of war and caused bitterness among nations. It also changed social life. Women were forced to run businesses while men were away at war. The advent of mechanization and mass production led to the enactment of labor laws. Despite these changes, many people still wished to have a better standard of living.
Europe was a tinderbox
The first four months of the war saw Germany and the Allied armies exchange gruesome blows, with the Germans suffering heavy losses and the Allies proving to be weak and indecisive. The landscape from Switzerland to the sea was scarred with opposing trench systems, fronted by barbed wire and observation posts in concrete turrets and log bunkers. The trenches carved out an unforgiving mudscape called “no man’s land” where little or no habitation could survive. Artillery bombardments, night listening posts, and rival patrols fought for control of this tinderbox.
To balance out these differences, nations formed alliances to protect their interests. The Triple Entente was an alliance composed of Germany, Austria, and Italy. These alliances merged with the Dual Alliance between France and Russia to form the Entente Cordiale. When Italy was added to the alliance, the Triple Entente became the Allied Powers.
In the 20th century, Europe was increasingly militarized. Industrial countries were banking on building and upgrading standing armies and believed that military force would be more effective at resolving conflict. The concept of diplomacy was becoming outdated as a means of conflict resolution. In addition, European countries were vying for more colonies and trade routes. These countries saw colonies as valuable sources of raw materials. As a result, tensions between European nations increased and secret alliances were formed between countries that wished to gain an edge over one another.
The First World War was a war against people
In August 1914, the First World War broke out. It lasted four years and claimed the lives of over nine million men in uniform and another twenty million civilians. Despite the massive casualties, the war also led to many positive developments in technology, warfare, politics and social attitudes.
It was the first war in which the United States participated. It also marked the beginning of the civil rights movement, which was to lead the anti-war movement in the United States. The war’s opponents faced some of the harshest state repressions in history. In addition, the war’s morality was questioned by many.
The conflict started after the assassination of the archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The slaying of the archduke triggered a series of decisions by the European leaders that eventually led to global war. Austria-Hungary and Germany both declared war on Serbia and Russia. The first few months of the war saw the entry of Russia, France and Britain into the conflict.
The League of Nations was founded after the war
The League of Nations was an international organisation founded after World War 1. Its mission was to ensure that peace and security are preserved throughout the world. In addition to its main role as a peacekeeping organization, the League also managed several international agencies and commissions, including the Permanent Court of International Justice, the Health Organization, and the International Labour Organization. Its mandates included the prevention of sexual slavery, the eradication of lead in paint, and the advancement of women’s rights in the workplace.
The League of Nations was not a perfect creation, however. There were many problems with it, including its inability to prevent another world war. The League had a very limited representation among world countries, and the United States refused to join. Despite its early successes, the League of Nations failed to protect the world from the threats of war.
The League of Nations was also unable to prevent the major events that led to World War II. Germany’s remilitarization of the Rhineland, the Sudetenland, and the Anschluss of Austria were not prevented by the League. In addition, Britain and France were tepid about the League and would rather negotiate treaties without League involvement. Moreover, the League had no power to deal with the growing German militarism under Adolf Hitler.
The Ottoman Empire and the Spanish flu also killed thousands of people
Though the official war death toll focuses on military deaths, the war’s civilian toll is also high. Many people died of disease and malnutrition due to food shortages. The war disrupted trade and killed millions of men, reducing food production and availability. In addition, the Spanish flu killed many people, but was not officially counted in war death tolls.
The Ottoman Empire also required soldiers to serve in the army between the ages of 20 and 45. The military was understaffed and lacked modern medical supplies. In addition, military hospitals were often a day or two away from the front lines. This resulted in many wounded or sick soldiers dying in transit. Furthermore, poor sanitation and hygiene practices contributed to the high death toll. Many Mehmetciks died of diseases that could have been prevented.
In 1918, influenza swept Europe, affecting military operations and the economy. Infections caused the death of more than 50 million people worldwide, and caused huge economic and social consequences. It affected people of different age groups, and displayed a “W-trend” of two spikes in young children and the elderly.
Submarine warfare in the Atlantic kept tensions high
As the war in Europe raged on, submarine warfare in the Atlantic continued to maintain tensions high, and German submarines were increasingly involved in the conflict. In January 1916, Admiral Pohl was removed from command of the German High Seas Fleet and Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer resumed hit-and-run raids on the British coast. Submarines bombarded British coastal towns, including Lowestoft and Yarmouth.
The Germans and Allies were concerned about the availability of supplies in the Atlantic, but the two sides had differing objectives. Great Britain wanted to maintain its dominance of the Atlantic and maintain its trade routes, while Germany sought to erode the allies’ numerical superiority with mines and submarine attacks.
By August 1914, Germany had 31 operational U-boats. These vessels were originally designed for reconnaissance, but were soon used to destroy Allied shipping. In September 1914, the German submarine U-9 sank three British cruisers.
Germany’s “Spring Offensive”
The “Spring Offensive” of Germany during World War 1 is a significant event in the history of the conflict. It was the first major offensive in the war, resulting in a significant loss of lives. By the end of April, the Kaiserschlacht, as it was known, had run its course, and the Allies were able to stabilize the front. However, by May, the war was far from over.
During the Spring Offensive, the German Army launched three major offensives along the Western Front, using troops that had been released from the Eastern Front and from the collapsed Russian Armies late in 1917. The Germans were hoping to gain an advantage in the war before the Allies arrived and the Allied forces reorganized. The third battle of the Spring Offensive, or the Battle of Passchendaele, was a critical point in this effort. Luckily, the Allies had gathered enough troops to launch a counteroffensive, which ultimately turned the tide.
The Germans began their offensive in March 1918, spearheaded by specially trained’storm troopers’ and high explosive shells. The Germans’ goal was to retake the Western Front, where the Allied troops were outnumbered and underprepared. The Germans were eager to gain the upper hand before the Americans arrived, and the German offensive proved to be the turning point in the war.
German code breakers cracked the German code
When it came to deciphering German code, the Allies needed to be quick. The Germans, on the other hand, had been deciphering a code that was much more complicated and difficult. To combat this problem, the Americans developed a new system that was simple to use and easy to crack. The new system, known as ADFGX, carried a much larger amount of messages than any previous cipher.
In the early years of WWII, the Nazis destroyed all secret communications, so Allied mathematicians rushed to create a machine that could crack German codes. Their machine, known as Colossus, helped end the war and kickstart the age of computing. British code breakers worked at Bletchley Park, a Victorian mansion in Buckinghamshire that housed the top codebreakers.
The Enigma machine, which encrypts messages, was used by the German navy in the early 1930s. It worked by typing letters into a typewriter-like keyboard, where they were encoded through rotating dials. These messages were then displayed on a light board that showed their coded equivalents. In total, 159 quintillion different combinations of letters could be generated by the Enigma machine.
The smallest spark could make everything explode
Historians refer to early 1910s Europe as a “powder keg.” As nations built up their militaries and formed opposing military alliances, they were eager to fight each other to prove their superiority. A single spark, or even a little misunderstanding, could cause everything to explode.
