World War I, also called the First World War or the Great War, was a global conflict fought from 1914 to 1918. It involved the Allied Powers and the Central Powers and reshaped Europe, the Middle East and global politics.
The war began after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo in June 1914. Alliance commitments, imperial competition, militarism and political crisis turned the assassination into a wider war.
Causes
The causes of the war included rivalry between empires, arms races, alliance systems, nationalism, crises in the Balkans and the immediate diplomatic crisis after the Sarajevo assassination.
No single cause explains the war by itself. The conflict grew because European powers made decisions within a tense international system that had few reliable ways to stop escalation.
Outbreak
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Germany, Russia, France, Britain and other powers were soon drawn in.
Britain entered the war after Germany invaded Belgium, whose neutrality Britain had guaranteed. The Western Front then became the main land front between Germany and the Allies in western Europe.
Trench Warfare
The Western Front became associated with trenches, artillery, machine guns, barbed wire, gas, mud and enormous casualties. Battles such as the Somme, Verdun and Passchendaele became symbols of attrition.
The war was not only fought in trenches. Fighting also took place in eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, at sea and in the air.
United States Entry
The United States entered the war in 1917. Important factors included German unrestricted submarine warfare and the wider political position of the United States towards the conflict.
American troops and resources strengthened the Allied side during the final phase of the war.
Armistice and Aftermath
The armistice on the Western Front took effect on 11 November 1918. The Treaty of Versailles and other peace settlements followed in 1919 and 1920.
The war contributed to the collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian empires. It also caused mass death, injury, displacement, political radicalisation and economic strain.
See Also
References
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