World War One: The Great War

By the turn of the 20th century, Europe had enjoyed nearly a century of relative peace. However, beneath the surface, tensions were boiling. The underlying causes of World War I are often remembered by the acronym M.A.I.N. First, Militarism led nations to endlessly build up their armies and glorify military power, creating an atmosphere of paranoia. Second, a complex web of Alliances divided the continent into two rival camps, meaning a dispute between two nations could easily drag in all of Europe.

The third underlying cause was Imperialism. European nations fiercely competed for wealth and territory in Africa and Asia, which pushed them to the brink of war several times. Finally, a surging sense of Nationalism—a deep devotion to one’s own nation—caused fierce rivalries. This was especially dangerous in the Balkans, a region in southeastern Europe known as the "powder keg" because of the many Slavic groups demanding independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The spark that ignited this powder keg occurred on June 28, 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist. Austria-Hungary quickly declared war on Serbia. Due to the rigid alliance system, Russia mobilized to defend Serbia. Germany, allied with Austria, then declared war on Russia and its ally, France. Within weeks, almost all major European powers were at war.

Facing enemies on two sides, Germany developed the Schlieffen Plan. The strategy was to rapidly defeat France in the west before the slow-moving Russian army could mobilize in the east. To bypass French defenses, Germany invaded neutral Belgium, which prompted Great Britain to declare war on Germany. The war quickly bogged down into two primary theaters: the Western Front in France and Belgium, and the Eastern Front along the German-Russian border.

On the Western Front, the rapid advance halted, and both sides dug a vast network of defensive positions, leading to the horrors of Trench Warfare. Soldiers lived in deep, mud-filled ditches surrounded by rats and disease. Between the opposing trenches lay a barren expanse of blasted earth covered in barbed wire known as No Man's Land. When commanders ordered attacks, soldiers would charge into this open space, only to be mowed down by enemy fire.

Military leaders initially believed the war would be over in months, but the Industrial Revolution had created deadly new technologies that heavily favored the defense. Rapid-fire machine guns, heavily armored tanks, and terrifying poison gas completely changed the nature of combat. In the seas, Germany relied on a lethal new naval weapon, the U-boat (submarine), to sink supply ships heading to Britain, changing naval warfare forever.

As the conflict dragged on, it became a Total War, meaning participating countries devoted all their resources to the war effort. Factories were converted to produce munitions, and women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers to replace men sent to the front. To keep civilian morale high and villainize the enemy, governments heavily utilized Propaganda. Because supplies were running low, civilians were subjected to Rationing, where they could only buy small amounts of essential items like meat, sugar, and leather.

The United States initially remained neutral, but two major events forced their hand. In 1915, a German submarine sank the Lusitania, a British passenger ship, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Tensions peaked in 1917 when the British intercepted the Zimmerman Telegram. This secret message revealed that Germany was urging Mexico to attack the United States in exchange for lost territories. Outraged, the US declared war on Germany, bringing fresh troops and resources to the exhausted Allies.

By late 1918, facing a mutiny at home and the overwhelming influx of American forces, the German government collapsed. On November 11, 1918, an Armistice was signed, ending the fighting. US President Woodrow Wilson proposed a plan for lasting peace known as the Fourteen Points, which called for self-determination and an international peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations.

However, Britain and France wanted to punish Germany. The final peace settlement, the Treaty of Versailles, forced Germany to accept full blame for the war, stripped it of its military and colonies, and demanded staggering Reparations (financial payments) to the Allies. This harsh treaty left a legacy of bitterness and hatred in the hearts of the German people, ultimately paving the way for a second, even more devastating global conflict.