The Great War: Origins, Conflicts, and Consequences
World War I: Causes, Events, and Consequences
Timeline of Key Events:
- 1879: Austro-German Alliance
- 1882: Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy)
- 1904: Entente Cordiale
- 1907: Triple Entente (France, UK, and Russia)
- 1917: Russian Revolution
- 1919: Treaty of Versailles
- 1926: Locarno Pact
- 1928: Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Road to War
Since the Congress of Vienna, international relations had been governed by the attempt to achieve a balance between the European powers.
Initially, Bismarck’s diplomatic activity aimed to prevent an anti-German coalition and establish Germany as the referee of European diplomacy. His primary interest was isolating France to prevent the recovery of Alsace and Lorraine, lost in 1870. He constructed a system of alliances around Germany, attracting Austria-Hungary and Russia, and forming the League of the Three Emperors in 1873.
From 1890, with the fall of Bismarck, Wilhelm II initiated a Weltpolitik (world politics) for global leadership.
From the last decade of the nineteenth century, colonial and continental tensions rose. European powers formed the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, UK, and Russia).
German opposition to the establishment of a French Protectorate in Morocco produced two crises. Germany defended its commercial interests and demonstrated its military power.
Conflicting interests between Russia, seeking access to the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles, and Austria-Hungary, which had significant markets in the Balkan area, were a major cause of tensions in the Balkans.
Between 1912 and 1913, the Balkan Wars occurred, involving Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece.
Development of the War (1914-1918)
France, the UK, and Russia had a larger combined population. Germany and Austria-Hungary had a more prepared and stronger army.
Spain, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries, and Switzerland remained neutral. Italy abandoned the Triple Alliance.
The fighting occurred on two main fronts: the Western Front, from the English Channel to the Swiss border, and the Eastern Front, along Russia’s border with Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The population experienced the harshness of war between 1914 and 1918. The Great War involved:
- Effective mobilization of human, civil, and military resources. People, including soldiers and civilians, provided weapons.
- Introduction of a war economy. Governments took control of economic management and planning.
- Economic warfare aimed to disrupt the economies of opposing countries. Maritime trade was blockaded.
- War psychology. Propaganda was used to maintain morale and portray the war as just.
- New media and arms control. Technological progress was applied to the arms industry.
The Cost of War
- Demographic Cost: Between 9 and 10 million lives were lost. Russia, Germany, and France lost 20% of their male population between the ages of 18 and 40.
- Economic Impact: In France, many houses were destroyed, and many crops were razed. Inflation increased significantly.
- Political Problems: Even the victorious democracies did not always function correctly politically.
- Social Conflict: The standard of living deteriorated, increasing unrest and social upheaval. There was a wave of strikes.
The Treaty of Versailles
Of the five treaties that concluded the war, the Treaty of Versailles was the most significant.
The Locarno Pact
The Locarno Pact sealed the Franco-German reconciliation, with Germany accepting the borders designed by Belgium and France.