First World War: Origins and Impact

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 in History

Causes of World War I

Rivalry Among the Powers

  • Antagonistic Blocs: Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (United Kingdom, France, and Russia).
  • General Rearmament: All the powers of Europe, especially Germany, increased their military strength.
  • Economic Rivalry: Germany’s rapid industrial development during the Second Industrial Revolution provoked rivalries for new markets.
  • Warlike Atmosphere: The rise of militarism in the decades before the war increased tensions among the European population.
  • Nationalist Tensions: Nationalist fervor in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries created strong rivalries between countries and among different ethnic groups.

Colonial Tensions

  • Imperial Policy of Wilhelm II: Germany, as a great power, demanded the right to possess a large colonial empire.
  • Moroccan Crisis: Tensions between Germany and France; Franco-British distrust against German expansionism.

Balkan Conflict

  • “Eastern Question”: The weakness of the Ottoman Empire led other powers to dispute their possessions.
  • Balkan Wars: Caused strong nationalist and religious tensions in the area.
  • Tensions: Ethnic minorities and the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires.

Trigger for War

  • Assassination of the Austrian heir led to a chain of war declarations.

Stages of World War I

War of Movements (1914)

Germany aimed for an easy victory on the Western Front by defeating France first and then focusing on the Russian front. The Germans advanced into France, but the Allies stopped the offensive. Germany lost and the Western Front stabilized. In the East, Russia invaded East Prussia, surprising the German armies and forcing them to withdraw troops. However, Germany fought back and won; the front stabilized.

War of Position (1915)

The fronts stabilized, and the contending armies fixed their positions. It became clear that the war would be long. Barbed wire and trenches were used to prevent enemy attacks and provide refuge. New tactics were needed: opening breaches or weakening the enemy’s strength. Soldiers attempted to jump the fences but were shot and attacked with grenades and toxic fumes in the trenches. This cost France over one million casualties, and Russia nearly a million, forcing a 100km retreat.

War of Attrition (1916)

Developed on the Western Front. The Battle of Verdun was a German attempt to weaken the enemy to the maximum. It failed, resulting in the same number of deaths for the Germans, and was an example of cruelty and violence. Later, at the Somme, the Allies launched an attack, causing more deaths but achieving little. The Russian army broke down, and Germany and Britain began a submarine war. The United Kingdom and Germany sank Allied ships and traders.

War Crisis of 1917

  • Indiscriminate warfare by Germany harmed U.S. exporters, leading President Wilson to announce to Congress his decision to intervene.
  • In Russia, the Bolsheviks seized power and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending the war on the Eastern Front.

Germany moved west, taking advantage of their greater unity, but the United States halted their offensive and drove them back. The Allies defeated the Bulgarians, Turks, and Austro-Hungarians. Bulgaria, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary signed armistices. The German army collapsed, and Wilhelm II abdicated, proclaiming the Republic. The new government signed the armistice, ending the First World War.

Consequences of World War I

Human and Material Losses

  • Nine million dead and many more wounded.
  • Serious material destruction of production facilities in some countries, particularly in areas where the battle lines were.
  • Disjointed economies due to the adaptation of the entire productive apparatus to wartime needs.
  • Decline in Europe; the USA became the first world power.

Changing Borders

  • Disappearance of the Austro-Hungarian, German, Turkish, and Russian Empires.
  • Creation of many new states: Poland, Finland, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
  • Loss of colonies by Germany.

Political Implications

  • Creation of the League of Nations.
  • Instability in Germany and new states, and in areas where ethnic minorities coexisted.
  • Rise of the decolonization movement.
  • Origin of the Middle East conflict.