World War 1

World War 1 was also known as the great war or the first world war. It is very commonly abbreviated as WW1. This International dispute extended for four years, beginning on 28 July 1914 and extending to 11th November 1918. The countries involved in the conflict were the Central Powers and included Germany, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary. They were against the alliance of Britain, Russia, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States joined in 1917. The war involved large areas of Europe, Russia, the United States, Turkey, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. 

History and Origins of World War I

Origins of World War I was mainly due to the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip. This assassination also involved Sophie, who was his wife. Later on, the Austrians decided and gave an ultimatum which was unacceptable to Serbia. They declared war by relying upon Germany to prevent the Russians from intervention. 

Around 9 million people were killed in combat in this great war, and 5 million civilians died from occupation, bombing, hunger, and other diseases. The genocides committed by the Ottomans and the spread of Spanish flu in 1918 increased because of the movement of the troops, which caused additional millions of deaths worldwide. World War 1 ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. It is among the greatest bloodsheds of the 20th century. The dynasties that were known as the four great imperials had a fall down because of this war. In Russia, the Bolshevik revolution also resulted, and the following destabilisation that happened in European society was the main foundation for World War 2. This was one of the reasons for the beginning of World War II.

Important Battles of World War I

World War 1 consisted of many battles. Here we will be discussing a few major ones. The important battles of World War I are:

Marne- The First Battle

When the first world war began, Germany was hoping that they could avoid conflicting the two fronts by eliminating France before Russia, as it was France’s ally. This first attack of the Germans was somewhat successful earlier, but they did not have enough reinforcements to sustain their momentum in the war. From 6th to 10th September 1914, the British and the French initiated a counter-offensive battle on Marne. Following this bitter fight, the Germans finally retreated. This failure of the Germans to crush the British and the French at the first battle of Marne had critical implications that were strategized. The Russians planned faster than the Germans and anticipated and initiated their first attack in only two weeks of the war.

Gallipoli

The Gallipoli campaign began on 25th April 1915 and extended to 9 January 1916. This campaign was the element that was based on land for the strategy that allowed the ships of the Allied to cross the Dardanelles and catch Constantinople. This campaign was intended to make Ottoman Turkey knock out of the war. But Allied plans failed as the Ottomans were well prepared, and the British troops could not advance. 

Jutland

This battle was the largest naval battle of  World Wars 1. It began on 31st May and went on till June 1916. This battle was the only instance in history when he ‘dreadnought’ battleships came to fight. The German High Seas Fleet intended to weaken the Royal Navy by initiating an attack on the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea. The British had received warnings from their codebreakers and earlier put their forces out on the sea.  

Battle of the Somme 

The Battle of the Somme was a coordinated operation between the British and French forces. They intended to gain a decisive win over the Germans on the Western Front. This battle is one of the most painful and infamous incidents of the First World War. 

World War II

The beginning of World War II started as world war 1 ended, as the foundation of it was laid already. World War 2 lasted from September 1939 to early May 1945. It involved  all major countries in the world. The war was fought between the Allies and the Axis powers. More than 100 million personnel from over 30 countries took part in this war. The significant countries put their complete industrial, economic, scientific abilities behind the war. Aircraft played a massive role in the war and enabled planned bombing and nuclear weapons. The war resulted in more than 70 to 85 million deaths. Millions of people died because of the genocides like massacres, holocaust and diseases. 

Conclusion

The first world war is also known as the great bloodshed of the 20th century. It led to the destabilisation of European society and the falling of the four empires. The First War was the most deadly and destructive conflict the world had ever seen. The latest and improved technologies such as machine guns, radio communication, air warfare made the war more deadly and led to many deaths and casualties. Germans have also used chemical weapons, thereby increasing the number of casualties. The different battles of the World War had their own stories to tell.