World War 1 1914 1918 causes. Important dates and events of the First World War. Armed forces and plans of the parties

The First World War was the largest military conflict of the first third of the twentieth century and all the wars that took place before that. So when did World War I start and in what year did it end? The date July 28, 1914 is the beginning of the war, and its end is November 11, 1918.

When did World War I start?

The beginning of World War I was the declaration of war by Austria-Hungary on Serbia. The reason for the war was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown by the nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Speaking briefly about the First World War, it should be noted that the main reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the conquest of a place in the sun, the desire to rule the world with the emerging balance of power, the emergence of Anglo-German trade barriers, such a phenomenon in the development of the state as economic imperialism and territorial claims that reached the absolute. one state to another.

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Serb of Bosnian origin, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo. On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, main war the first third of the twentieth century.

Rice. 1. Gavrilo Princip.

Russia in the First World

Russia announced mobilization, preparing to defend the fraternal people, thereby incurring an ultimatum from Germany to stop the formation of new divisions. On August 1, 1914, Germany officially declared war on Russia.

What have we learned?

Despite who fought with whom and who won, history has shown that the end of the First World War did not solve all the problems of mankind. The battle for the redivision of the world did not end, the allies did not finish off Germany and its allies completely, but only economically exhausted, which led to the signing of peace. The Second World War was only a matter of time.

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First World War 1914 - 1918 became one of the most bloody and large-scale conflicts in human history. It began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. 38 states participated in this conflict. If we talk briefly about the causes of the First World War, then we can say with confidence that this conflict was provoked by serious economic contradictions of the alliances of world powers that formed at the beginning of the century. It is also worth noting that, probably, there was a possibility of a peaceful settlement of these contradictions. However, feeling the increased power, Germany and Austria-Hungary moved to more decisive action. Participants of the First World War were:

on the one hand, the Quadruple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey ( Ottoman Empire);
on the other block, the Entente, which was made up of Russia, France, England and allied countries (Italy, Romania and many others).

The outbreak of World War I was provoked by the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife by a member of a Serbian nationalist terrorist organization. The murder committed by Gavrilo Princip provoked a conflict between Austria and Serbia. Germany supported Austria and entered the war.

The course of the First World War is divided by historians into five separate military campaigns. The beginning of the military campaign of 1914 is dated July 28. On August 1, Germany, which entered the war, declares war on Russia, and on August 3 on France. German troops invade Luxembourg and later Belgium. In 1914 major events The First World War unfolded in France and today is known as the "Run to the Sea". In an effort to surround the enemy troops, both armies moved to the coast, where the front line eventually closed. France retained control of the port cities. Gradually the front line stabilized. The calculation of the German command for a quick capture of France did not materialize. Since the forces of both sides were exhausted, the war took on a positional character. Such are the events on the Western Front. Military operations on the Eastern Front began on August 17. The Russian army launched an attack on the eastern part of Prussia and initially it turned out to be quite successful. The victory in the Battle of Galicia (August 18) was accepted by the majority of society with joy. After this battle, the Austrian troops no longer entered into serious battles with Russia in 1914. Events in the Balkans did not develop too well either. Belgrade, captured earlier by Austria, was recaptured by the Serbs. There were no active battles in Serbia this year. In the same year, 1914, Japan also came out against Germany, which allowed Russia to secure the Asian borders. Japan began to take action to seize the island colonies of Germany. However, the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany, opening Caucasian front and depriving Russia of convenient communication with allied countries. According to the results at the end of 1914, none of the countries participating in the conflict was able to achieve their goals. The second campaign in the chronology of the First World War dates from 1915. On the Western Front there were fierce military clashes. Both France and Germany made desperate attempts to turn the tide in their favor. However, the huge losses suffered by both sides did not lead to serious results. In fact, the front line by the end of 1915 had not changed. Neither the spring offensive of the French in Artois, nor the operations transported to Champagne and Artois in the autumn changed the situation. The situation on the Russian front has changed for the worse. The winter offensive of the poorly prepared Russian army soon turned into the August counteroffensive of the Germans. And as a result of the Gorlitsky breakthrough of the German troops, Russia lost Galicia and, later, Poland. Historians note that in many ways the Great Retreat of the Russian army was provoked by a supply crisis. The front stabilized only by autumn. The German troops occupied the west of the Volyn province and partially repeated the pre-war borders with Austria-Hungary. The position of the troops, just as in France, contributed to the beginning trench warfare. 1915 was marked by Italy's entry into the war (May 23). Despite the fact that the country was a member of the Quadruple Alliance, it announced the start of the war against Austria-Hungary. But on October 14, Bulgaria declared war on the Entente alliance, which led to the complication of the situation in Serbia and its imminent fall. During the military campaign of 1916, one of the most famous battles World War I - Verdun. In an effort to suppress the resistance of France, the German command concentrated huge forces in the area of the Verdun ledge, hoping to overcome the Anglo-French defenses. During this operation, from February 21 to December 18, up to 750 thousand soldiers of England and France and up to 450 thousand German soldiers died. The battle of Verdun is also known for the fact that it was first used new type weapons - flamethrower. However, the greatest effect of this weapon was psychological. To assist the allies, an offensive operation was undertaken on the Western Russian front, called the Brusilov breakthrough. This forced Germany to transfer serious forces to the Russian front and somewhat eased the position of the allies. It should be noted that hostilities developed not only on land. Between the blocks of the strongest world powers there was a fierce confrontation on the water. It was in the spring of 1916 that one of the main battles of the First World War took place on the Jutland Sea. In general, at the end of the year, the Entente bloc became dominant. The proposal of the Quadruple Alliance for peace was rejected. During the military campaign of 1917, the preponderance of forces in the direction of the Entente increased even more and the United States joined the obvious winners. But the weakening of the economies of all countries participating in the conflict, as well as the growth of revolutionary tension, led to a decrease in military activity. The German command decides on strategic defense on the land fronts, while at the same time focusing on attempts to withdraw England from the war using submarine fleet. In the winter of 1916-17 there were no active hostilities in the Caucasus either. The situation in Russia has deteriorated to the maximum. In fact, after the October events, the country withdrew from the war. 1918 brought the most important victories to the Entente, which led to the end of the First World War. After the actual withdrawal from the war of Russia, Germany managed to eliminate Eastern front. She made peace with Romania, Ukraine, Russia. The terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, concluded between Russia and Germany in March 1918, turned out to be the most difficult for the country, but this agreement was soon canceled. Subsequently, Germany occupied the Baltic states, Poland and partly Belarus, after which it threw all its forces into Western Front. But, thanks to the technical superiority of the Entente, the German troops were defeated. After Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria made peace with the Entente countries, Germany was on the brink of disaster. Due to revolutionary events, Emperor Wilhelm leaves his country. November 11, 1918 Germany signs the act of surrender. According to modern data, the losses in the First World War amounted to 10 million soldiers. Accurate data on casualties among the civilian population does not exist. Presumably, due to difficult living conditions, epidemics and famine, twice as many people died. Following the results of the First World War, Germany had to pay reparations to the allies for 30 years. She lost 1/8 of her territory, and the colonies went to the victorious countries. The banks of the Rhine were occupied by the Allied forces for 15 years. Also, Germany was forbidden to have an army of more than 100 thousand people. Strict restrictions were imposed on all types of weapons. But, the consequences of the First World War also affected the situation in the victorious countries. Their economies, with the possible exception of the United States, were in a difficult state. The standard of living of the population dropped sharply, the national economy fell into decay. At the same time, the military monopolies enriched themselves. For Russia, the First World War became a serious destabilizing factor that largely influenced the development of the revolutionary situation in the country and caused the subsequent civil war.

Political results Six months later, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919), drawn up by the victorious states at the Paris Peace Conference, which officially ended the First World War. Peace Treaties With Germany (Versailles Treaty); Austria (Saint-Germain Treaty); Bulgaria (Neuil Treaty); Hungary (Trianon Treaty); Turkey (Sevres Peace Treaty).

The results of the First World War were the February and October Revolution in Russia and the November Revolution in Germany, the liquidation of four empires: the Russian, German, Ottoman empires and Austria-Hungary, the latter two being divided. Germany, having ceased to be a monarchy, was cut down territorially and weakened economically. The difficult conditions for Germany of the Treaty of Versailles (payment of reparations, etc.) and the national humiliation suffered by it gave rise to revanchist sentiments, which became one of the prerequisites for the Nazis to come to power and unleash the Second World War.

The independence of the Byelorussian People's Republic, the Ukrainian People's Republic, Hungary, Danzig, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, and Finland was proclaimed. The Republic of Austria is founded. The German Empire became a de facto republic. The Rhine region and the Black Sea straits were demilitarized. Economic results: The grandiose scale and protracted nature of the First World War led to an unprecedented militarization of the economy for industrialized states. This had an impact on the development of the economy of all major industrial states in the period between the two world wars: strengthening state regulation and economic planning, the formation military industrial complexes, accelerating the development of national economic infrastructures (energy systems, a network of paved roads, etc.), an increase in the share of production of defense products and dual-use products.

Question 28. The First World War (1914-1918): causes, course, results and consequences.

1st World War (July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918) - one of the most large-scale. armed conflicts in human history. The immediate cause for the war was the assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a student from Bosnia, Gavrilo Princip, who was one of the members of the Mlada Bosna terror organization, which fought for the unification of all South Slavs. peoples into one state. A-V. - Serbia's ultimatum: Serbia is ready to accept everything, kr.investigation of the murder of Austro-Hungarians, removal from office of officials objectionable to Vienna. Causes of WW1: striving to weaken competitors and military resolution of political and economic contradictions. striving for the preservation of colonial empires and the capture of new ones. The desire to resolve internal problems with the help of war. ambitions and activities of state figures. Entente bloc (1904, formalized by 1907 after the conclusion of Russian-French, Anglo-French and Anglo-Russian allied treaties): Russian Empire; Great Britain; Franz. Block Triple Alliance: German; A-B; Italian - Quadruple Union later (G., A-V, Turts., Bulgaria). Italy entered the war in 1915 at the Entente station.
N-lo WW1 Germany, in accordance with the previously developed plan for conducting a lightning war, "blitzkrieg", sent the main forces to the western front, hoping to complete the mobilization and deployment of the Russian army quickly. to defeat France with a blow, and the third part with Russia. The German command intended to deliver the main blow w-w Belgium along the undefended north of France, bypass Paris from the west and take the French army, the main force of which would be concentrated on the fortified east, the Franco-German border, in a huge. "boiler". 1 Aug. DE declared war on Russia, on the same day the Germans, without any declaration of war, invaded Luxembourg. The German leadership decided that the English would not enter the war and moved on to decide. On August 2, the German troops occupied Luxembourg, and Belgium was given an ultimatum to allow the German armies to pass to the border with France. 3 Aug. DE - French war. On August 3, Belgium refused Germany's ultimatum. Germany declares war on Belgium. On August 4, German troops poured through the Belgian border. King Albert of Belgium turned to the guarantor countries of Belgian neutrality for help. London, contrary to previous St. declarations, sent an ultimatum to Berlin: stop the second to Belgium or England will declare war on Germany. August 6 A-B - the war of Russia. 1M started.
Walking action
Campaign1914
Fighting forces on the Western Front were n-lis in August with the invasion of German troops in Luxembourg and Belgium. On August 20, they occupied Brussels, having received the opportunity to move freely to the borders of France. On August 21-25, in the border battle of the German army, the Anglo-French troops were thrown back, invaded Northern France and, by the beginning of September, they reached the Marne River between Paris and Verdun. October and Nov. the battles in Flanders exhausted and balanced the forces of the parties. A continuous front line stretched from the Swiss border to the North Sea. Maneuver.d-ia in the West changed positions.b-battle. Germany's calculation for a quick defeat of France failed. In many ways, this is how the Russian troops advance in East Prussia, in Galicia. On August 23, Japan declared war on Germany; on October, Turkey entered the war at the German bloc. New fronts were formed in Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia, Syria and the Dardanelles. As a result of the 1914 campaign, none of the military units achieved holy goals, calculations for a quick defeat of the enemy failed, on the Western Front the war acquired a position, trenched character.
Campaign 1915
The German command concentrated its main efforts on the Eastern Front. The fighting on the Russian front began in January and continued with short breaks until late autumn. In the summer, the German troops made a breakthrough near Gorlitsa. Soon they launched an offensive in the Baltic. Russian armies left Galicia, Poland, parts of Latvia and Belarus. In October the front stabilized. On the Western Front, in the fall, the Anglo-French troops carried out offensive operations in Artois and Champagne, which, however, did not essentially change the situation. On May 23, Italy entered the war on the side of the Entente, and Bulgaria joined the Austro-German bloc in October. At the end of September, the troops of the German coalition attacked Serbia and occupied it for 2 months. An attempt by the Anglo-French troops, who landed in Thessaloniki, to render the encampment of Serbia b/unsuccessful. An important result of the campaign was the failure of German plans. The German command turned out to be necessary to continue the war on 2 fronts. The main burden of the b-would be taken out by Russia in 1915, providing France and the Great Britain with a respite for mobilizing the ek-ki for military needs.
Campaign 1916
Germany again shifted its main efforts to the west. The main blow was supposed to be delivered to France in the Verdun region, which had an important operational significance (Verdun operation). Despite enormous efforts, the German troops could not break through the defenses. This way, the Russian armies attacked on the South-West Front in Galicia. The German-Australian Command was forced to transfer 34 divisions from the Western and Italian fronts to the Eastern Front. Unsuccessful were the advances of the d-ia and the Anglo-French troops on the Somme River. Although the allies used in the operation a new means of b-w - tanks, they were never able to break through the enemy’s defenses, losing about 800 thousand hours. On August 27, Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente, but by the end of the campaign, the Romanian army was defeated. In the Middle East theater, the victories of the Russian troops of the Caucasus Front were of great importance. Russian armies advanced 250 km in Turkey. On May 31 - June 1, one of the largest naval battles in the war took place off the Jutland Peninsula in the North Sea. The British lost 14 ships in it, about 7 thousand hours, the losses of the Germans amounted to 11 ships and 6 3 thousand hours. As a result of the campaign, the German-Austrian bloc lost the strategic initiative. The Germans were forced to fight on all fronts. The superiority of the Entente became obvious. In the course of the coordination of the allied troops in the West and in the East, no turning point was made in the course of the war.
Campaign 1917-1918.
By 1917, the war significantly weakened the backbone of the opposing powers. The German coalition can no longer conduct major offensive operations and has switched to strategic defense. Germany's main efforts were focused on submarine warfare. The plans of the Entente were based on the use of its superiority in forces and means. This. the advantage became b-e significant after the entry into the war in April 1917, the United States on the side of the Entente. The High Command intended to launch a joint offensive on the Western and Eastern fronts in order to complete the defeat of Germany and AB. However, the offensive of the Anglo-French troops, undertaken in April between Reims and Soissons, failed. The offensive of the Russian armies in the summer of 1917 also ended in failure. On September 3, during the Riga defense operation, the Russian troops left Riga. The sailors of the Baltic Fleet put up stubborn resistance to the German fleet during the defense of the Moonsund Archipelago in the autumn of 1917. Due to heavy losses, the German command refused to break into the Gulf of Finland. WW1 served as a catalyst for the revolutionary processes in Russia that led to the October Revolution of 1917. The events in Russia, as well as the inconsistency of the third allies, frustrated the strategic plan of the Entente. Germany managed to repel the blows of opponents on land. However, the unrestricted submarine war declared by her on February 1 did not give the desired result. After the October Revolution, Russia withdrew from the war: on December 2, it signed an armistice agreement with the German-Austrian bloc, and later - to peace negotiations (Brest Peace).
By the beginning of 1918, the military-political situation had seriously changed. The German-Austrian bloc powers sought to end the war. The German command launched an offensive on the Western Front in March. In the spring and summer, the German troops carried out several offensive operations in Picardy, in Flanders, on the rivers Aisne and Marne, but because of the lack of reserves, they suspended them. The strategic initiative of the windows passed into the hands of the Entente. In August-September, the allied armies, using the holy superiority in manpower and equipment (in March 1918, troops from the USA began to arrive on the Western Front), went on the offensive and forced the German troops to begin a general withdrawal from the territory France. In early October, the German position became hopeless. Germany's allies - Bulgaria, Turkey, Austria-Hungary - in the fall of 1918 concluded a truce with the powers of the Entente. Defeats at the fronts, economic ruin accelerated the maturation of revolutionary events in Germany. On November 9, the monarchy in Germany was overthrown. On November 11, Germany capitulated: a German delegation signed an armistice in the Compiegne Forest. Germ. recognized herself defeated. The final terms of the peace treaties with Germany and its allies were worked out at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-20. June 28, 1919 - Treaty of Versailles, officially ending WW1.
The results of the war
WW1 lasted for 6 4 years (from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918). 38 states participated in it, more than 74 million people fought on its fields, of which 10 million were killed and 20 million maimed. The First World War, in terms of its scale, human losses and socio-political consequences, was unparalleled in all previous history. It had a huge impact on the ec-ku, the regiment, the ideology, on the entire s / s of international relations. The war led to the collapse of the most powerful European states and the formation of a new geopolitical situation in the world. Resolutions of WW1 and February and October revolution in Russia and November revolution in Germany, liquidation of 3 empires: Russia, Ottoman empires and A-B, the last 2 being divided. Germany, having ceased to be a monarchy, was cut down in territory and weakened the economy. USA turned into a great power. Heavy d / Germany conditions Versailles. peace (payment of reparations, etc.) and the national humiliation suffered by it gave rise to revanchist moods, which became one of the prerequisites for the Nazis to come to power, who unleashed WW2. As a result of those wars, there were: annexation by Denmark - Sev. Schleswig; Italy - South Tyrol and Istria; Romania - Transylvania and South. Dobruja; France - Alsace-Lorraine, Syria, parts of Togo and Cameroon; Japanese - German islands in the Pacific Ocean north of the equator; French occupation of the Saar. Accession of Slovenia, Croatia and Slavonia, Montenegro to the Kingdom of Serbia with the subsequent creation of Yugoslavia. The independence of Hungary, Danzig, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, and Finland was proclaimed. Austrian Republic founded. The German Empire de facto became a republic. The Rains region and the Black Sea straits were demilitarized. WW1 accelerated the development of new weapons and means of combat. Tanks, chemical weapons, gas masks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns were used for the first time. Airplanes, machine guns, mortars, submarines, and torpedo boats became widespread. New types of artillery appeared: anti-aircraft, anti-tank, infantry escorts. Aviation became an independent arm of the army, which began to be subdivided into reconnaissance, fighter, and bombardier. There were tank troops, chemical troops, air defense troops, naval aviation.

Question 29. International relations after the First World War. Versailles-Washington system.

The Versailles-Washington system of international relations is a world order, the foundations of which were laid at the end of the First World War of 1914-1918 by the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, agreements with Germany's allies, as well as agreements concluded at the Washington Conference of 1921-1922. The basis of the Versailles-Washington system of international relations in Europe was:

The Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the closely related Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria (1919), the Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria (1919), the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary (1920), the Treaty of Sevres with Turkey (1920). The Versailles system is a system of the post-war organization of the world. Her feature was anti-Soviet. The greatest beneficiaries of the Versailles system were Great Britain, France and the United States. At that time in Russia there was Civil War, the victory in which remained with the Bolsheviks. Russia began to establish diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, the Baltic states, and Finland. She also tried to establish diplomatic relations with Poland, but Pilsudski instead signed an agreement with one of the leaders of the Central Rada and Polish troops entered the territory of Ukraine. Russia tried to reunite Ukraine and Poland, but the Poles inflicted heavy defeat, as a result of which the Bolshevik leadership was forced to make peace with Poland. Poland also retained Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. Washington Accords- The conference was convened in order to consider the post-war balance of power in the Pacific and the limitation of naval armaments. American diplomacy sought to take revenge for the defeat in Paris and to increase its influence in solving important international problems. December 13, 1921- "Treaty of Four States"(Great Britain, USA, France and Japan) concerned mutual guarantees of the inviolability of the island possessions of its participants in the Pacific Ocean (securing the status quo); "Treaty of five states" ( Britain, USA, Japan, France and Italy) prohibited the construction of warships, the tonnage of which exceeded 35 thousand tons, established the ratio between the fleets of these countries for the class of battleships in the proportion of 10:10:6:3.5:3.5, fixing leadership of the first two. "Treaty of the Nine States"(USA, Britain, France, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and China) proclaimed the principle of respect for the sovereignty, territorial and administrative integrity of China. He obligated all participants to adhere to the principles of " open doors" and " equal opportunities» in trade and industrial development throughout China. The agreements concluded at the Washington Conference supplemented the system of agreements signed in 1919-1920 between the victorious countries and the countries that lost the world war. In 1919-1922, the Versailles-Washington system of international treaties was formed, designed to formally consolidate the results of the First World War. Features 1 Discrimination of the position of the defeated states and Soviet Russia. Thus, Germany lost the rights to its colonies, was severely limited in the possession of the armed forces and was suppressed economically through the mechanism of reparations. Similar conditions were provided for Turkey and Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary as a whole ceased to exist. Soviet Russia, not formally defeated, found itself on initial stage also excluded. The Rapallo Treaty of 1922 is considered formal recognition of this fact by Russia. After the conclusion of the treaty, broad cooperation begins between Germany and Soviet Russia, which, in essence, was a “bloc of the offended”, that is, powers that most of all wanted to revise the status quo of the system.2 Consolidation of the leadership of the USA, Great Britain and France, new system. Significant territorial, political and economic (to varying degrees for these countries) development of the victorious countries gave them, in fact, the right to collegially change the characteristics of the international system and form its principles. Other winners (like Italy) remained in the background. 3US political isolation from European affairs. The United States, after the failure of V. Wilson's "14 points", headed for isolation from international politics in Europe, at the same time as a priority foreign policy in this region chose the economic factor. The Dawes Plan (1924), as well as, to a certain extent, the Young Plan (1929), demonstrated the degree of economic dependence of the countries of Europe on the United States, which became the overwhelming creditor in 1918, having been a debtor before the start of the war. European countries. 4 Creation of the League of Nations - an instrument for maintaining the status quo in the MOD system. This was evidence of the lack of a strong contractual and legal basis for the system.5 The world is gradually ceasing to be Eurocentric, the international system is beginning to turn into a global one. Activities of the League of Nations to resolve international crises. In the early years of its existence, the League of Nations was the center of organizing the struggle against the Soviet state of the Bolsheviks in Russia. Various plans for intervention were discussed in the League of Nations and general diplomatic actions against Soviet Russia were developed. In connection with the hostile position of the League of Nations relative to the Bolshevik authorities, the Soviet government had a negative attitude towards it, considering its activities as interference in the internal affairs of the USSR. The League of Nations made numerous attempts to bridge the sharp differences between its main members. In 1925, the Locarno Conference was convened in 1925 to remove obstacles to Germany's entry into the League of Nations and to end the hostility that remained between Germany and the victorious states in the First World War. Its main result was agreements between Germany on the one hand and France and Belgium on the other regarding the inviolability of their common borders, as well as the rejection of war as a means of solving territorial problems. Reparations agreements served the same purpose (the Dawes Plan of 1924-1925, the Young Plan of 1929-1930). In 1926, Germany's diplomatic isolation was overcome and it joined the League of Nations. When the Japanese aggression began in Manchuria, in the Council of the League of Nations, the representative of China, Dr. Alfred Shi, assumed his duties as a member of the Council. He immediately formally appealed to the League of Nations, demanding immediate intervention to stop the aggression against the Republic of China. But the Council of the League of Nations, at the request of Japan, postponed the discussion of the issue. And only on September 30, at the insistence of the Chinese delegate, did the Council of the League consider the question of Japanese aggression. However, apart from an appeal to both sides, in which the Council asked both sides to speed up the normalization of their relations, it did not take any practical steps to resolve the conflict and deter the aggressor. The Council postponed further consideration of the issue until October 14, 1931. Meanwhile, transports with Japanese troops continued to arrive in Manchuria. At the same time, the Japanese representative in the League of Nations did not cease to assure that Japan did not want any territorial acquisitions and the evacuation of troops had already begun. October 24 The Council of the League adopted a resolution proposing that Japan withdraw its troops from Manchuria within three weeks. But according to the Statute of the League of Nations, this document had no legal force, since it was not adopted unanimously - Japan voted against it. Two days later, on October 26, the Japanese government issued a declaration that contained the basic principles of Japanese policy in Manchuria. The Declaration proclaimed "mutual renunciation of aggressive policies"; “destruction of any organized movement that violates the freedom of trade and incites interethnic hatred”; "ensuring the protection throughout Manchuria of the rights of Japanese citizens" and "respecting the treaty rights of Japan." The Chinese government declared that it was ready to meet Japan's halfway in everything if the latter withdrew its troops. Meanwhile, the military occupation of Manchuria continued. Shortly before the start of the seizure of Manchuria, Japan began negotiations with England on the actual division of China into spheres of influence. The strengthening of Japan in China would mean the weakening of the United States in this region, which was in the hands of England. Confident at the London talks in the complete neutrality of England, Japan boldly began to carry out its plans. The position of the United States, whose interests were directly affected by Japanese aggression, was different. On November 5, 1931, the American government sent a sharp note to Japan protesting any negotiations between Japan and China before the end of the military occupation. At the same time, American diplomacy sought in London and Paris a common diplomatic action against Japan, but all its efforts were in vain. At the next session of the League of Nations, which opened in Paris on November 16, England put forward proposals to resolve the conflict. These proposals boiled down to China, without claiming any prior guarantees, to enter into direct negotiations with Japan and undertake to respect Japan's treaty rights in Manchuria. Japan, on the other hand, will withdraw its troops when it considers itself completely satisfied. Here you can see the direct support of Japan by England, but these proposals were again opposed by the United States. To get acquainted with the situation on the ground, the Council of the League of Nations, at the suggestion of Japan, decided to create a commission that went down in history as the Lytton Commission. The investigation of this commission did not bring any practical results, which once again confirmed the incapacity of the League of Nations as a peacekeeping organization. The most important issues discussed in the League of Nations during 1934-1939. , were the Italian aggression against Ethiopia (1935-1936), Germany's violation of the Versailles Peace Treaty in connection with the remilitarization of the Rhine zone (1936), the Italian-German intervention in Spain (1936-1939), Germany's infatuation with Austria (1938 ). The policy of the Western states during this period - the appeasement of the aggressors - was explained by the effort to direct fascist aggression to the east, against the USSR. This position turned the League of Nations into a cover for German, Italian and Japanese aggression against other countries. This explained the helplessness of the League of Nations, which was unable to implement a single effective measure against fascist aggression on the eve of World War II. For example, in October 1935, the Assembly of the League of Nations, at the request of a number of states, including the USSR, decided to apply economic and financial sanctions against Italy, which attacked Ethiopia. However, due to the position of Western states, the most important part of Italian imports - oil - was not included in the list of items prohibited from being imported into Italy. This facilitated and accelerated Italy's interest in Ethiopia (1936). In July 1936, at the request of Great Britain and France, the decision of the League of Nations regarding sanctions against Italy was canceled altogether. The signing of a non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany on August 23, 1939 in Moscow (the so-called “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact”) alienated the last supporters of the collective security system in Western countries from the USSR. For the ruling circles of Great Britain, France and the USA, the continued presence of the USSR in the League of Nations turned out to be undesirable. Using the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, which almost led to an armed conflict between the USSR and Great Britain and France, as a pretext, the Western countries ensured that by decision of the Council of the League of Nations on December 14, 1939, the USSR was expelled from this organization. The activities of the League of Nations since then, in fact, ceased, although it was formally liquidated only in April 1946 by the decision of the Assembly specially convened for this purpose. Despite all its shortcomings and troubles, the League of Nations still performed the functions of maintaining peace.

Russia at the beginning of the 20th century

Russian empire was the largest territorially country in the world. Among the industrial regions, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Riga, Lodz, Yuzhnorossiysky, Ural, and others stood out. Intensive development of Siberia, the Far East (Krasnoyarsk district, Novonikolaevsky (Novosibirsk) and Vladivostok regions begins.

Most regions of Russia were dominated by Agriculture. In the Central region there was not enough land, but beyond the Urals there was plenty of it.

The formation of Russia as an imperial state continued until 1914. In the composition of the Russian state in 14g. Tuva entered. Entry various states joining Russia was motivated by many reasons: some because of ethnic ties, some for the sake of salvation from conquest. In the west, Russia included the Baltic States, Finland. In Finland, the parliament, legislation, and monetary unit were preserved. The Baltics have preserved their culture. About 2,000,000 ethnic Germans lived in Russia itself.

Orthodoxy was the leading religious trend in Russia, although the Old Believers also survived in many places. In the Baltic States, Poland and Finland, Catholicism and Protestantism are widespread. In the Russian state, freedom was given to any religion, but the orientation was still directed towards Orthodoxy.

Official language in Russia - Russian.

According to the main signs of the state of the population, the empire was the form of government in Russia. It united peoples at different stages of development.

nobility. More than half of the nobles considered Russian their native language. The nobles were the leading class. The nobility was divided into hereditary and personal.

The backbone of Russia was the clergy. It was divided into black (royal) and white (parish).

Under the urban population was meant the commercial and industrial population. It was divided into honorary citizens, guild merchants, philistines, merchants, craftsmen and workers. The most massive class in Russia was the peasant (more than 80% of the population).

An important role in Russia was played by the Cossacks, numbering 11 Cossack troops. Cossacks carried public service(duration of service 20 years), for which they were allocated a land share. The Cossacks were one of the important pillars of the state.

In the building of the Empire, under the influence of developing bourgeois relations, cracks dangerous for it appear.

The autocratic monarchy had patriarchal coverage, the emperor was considered the anointed of God. In the structure of the monarchy, the tsar is the head of the Russian church. All members of the royal family must be Orthodox.

The advisory body was the State Council. A task State Council- submit opinions to the emperor on matters of legislation. If the State Council did not come to a consensus, the monarch had the right to make decisions, guided by the right of the majority. Direct power belonged to the ministries: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Navy, Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education (at the beginning of the 20th century there were 430,000 officials in Russia). The low salaries of officials contributed to widespread bribery and corruption.

The judiciary was based on the reforms of the 60s of the 19th century. The judicial process was characterized by competitiveness and democracy. But in the end, the guilt of the defendant was determined not by the court, but by officials.

Main state institution there was an army, which at that time numbered 900,000 people. Russia had a system of universal military service. The illiterate in the army were taught to read and write.

In the cities there were city dumas and zemstvos. In rural areas, issues were resolved by the World.

The supreme power tried to protect the foundations of the Russian Empire - a powerful international political system.

During the reign of Alexander II, Russia did not wage wars. Nicholas II, ascending the throne, promised to follow this promise, but in 14g. Russia takes part in the First World War. Russian state looking for allies. Gradually, military blocs began to be created in Europe: Russia and France (then England joined this alliance) and the future Triple Alliance consisting of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

In the first years of the 20th century, the interests of Russia were mostly directed to Siberia and Far East. In 1891 The creation of the Siberian railway. The purpose of the creation of this road is the possibility of transferring troops to the Far East to protect the Amur region and other regions. The route to China compared with the route through the Suez Canal was reduced by 2.5 times after the construction of the Siberian Railway.

Russia sought to carry out the economic conquest of China. In 1898 Russia leases Port Arthur from China. Russian troops under an agreement with China, they began to be located in Manchuria.

Russian economy at the beginning of the 20th century.

Russia was an agrarian-industrial country. The reforms of the 1960s cleared the way for rapid bourgeois development. The first banks appear in Russia. Russia is embarking on the path of industrial and market modernization. Industrial production increased 7 times.

The ruble is stabilizing. The result of the famous Witte-Cooper reform was that in 1914. The ruble is accepted in all banks of the world. This made Russia an attractive target for foreign investment.

In the first years of the 20th century, large monopolies appeared in Russia. At the end of the 19th century, a wine monopoly was introduced, which brought the treasury an additional 100,000,000 rubles of income per year. The yield of bread in Russia reached 39 pounds per tithe.

There were about 100,000 landlord households in Russia. The new class of Russia, which declared itself, was the class of the bourgeois.

In preparing this work, materials from the studentu website were used.

About the first world war in brief 1914 - 1918

The First World War, in short, is one of the largest and most difficult military conflicts of the 20th century.

Causes of military conflict

In order to understand the causes of the First World War, it is necessary to briefly consider the balance of power in Europe. Three major world powers - the Russian Empire, Great Britain and England to XIX century already divided spheres of influence among themselves. Until a certain point, Germany did not aspire to a dominant position in Europe; it was more concerned with its economic growth.

But everything changed at the end of the 19th century. Having strengthened economically and militarily, Germany began to urgently need a new living space for a growing population and markets for its goods. Colonies were needed, which Germany did not have. To achieve this, it was necessary to start a new redistribution of the world by defeating the allied bloc of three powers - England, Russia and France.

To late XIX century, the aggressive plans of Germany became completely clear to its neighbors. In response to the German threat, the Entente alliance was created, consisting of Russia, France and England that joined them.

In addition to Germany's desire to win back living space and the colonies, there were other causes of the First World War. This question is so complex that there is still no single point of view on this matter. Each of the main countries participating in the conflict puts forward its own reasons.

The First World War, in short, began because of the irreconcilable contradictions between the countries of the Entente and the Central Union, primarily between Great Britain and Germany. Other states also had their claims to each other.

Another reason for the war is the choice of the path of development of society. And here again two points of view collided - Western European and Central-South European.
Could the war have been avoided? All sources unanimously say that it is possible if the leadership of the countries participating in the conflict would really want it. Germany was most interested in the war, for which she was fully prepared, and made every effort to start it.

Main contributors

The war was fought between the two largest political blocs at that time - the Entente and the Central Bloc (the former Triple Alliance). The Entente included the Russian Empire, England and France. The central block consisted of the following countries: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy. The latter later joined the Entente, and the Triple Alliance included Bulgaria and Turkey.
In total, 38 countries participated in the First World War, in short.

Reason for war

The beginning of the military conflict was associated with the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The killer was a member of the Yugoslav revolutionary youth organization.

The beginning of the war 1914

This event was enough for Austria-Hungary to start a war with Serbia. In early July, the Austrian authorities announced that Serbia was behind the assassination of the Archduke and put forward an ultimatum that could not be fulfilled. Serbia, however, agrees to all of its terms except one. Germany, for which the war was urgently needed, stubbornly pushed Austria-Hungary to declare war. At this time, all three countries are mobilizing.
On July 28, Austria-Hungary announces that Serbia has not fulfilled the conditions of the ultimatum, begins shelling the capital and sends troops into its territory. Nicholas II calls in a telegram to Wilhelm I for a peaceful resolution of the situation with the help of the Hague Conference. The German authorities are silent in response.
On July 31, Germany already announces an ultimatum to Russia and demands to stop mobilization, and on August 1, the official declaration of war comes.
It must be said that none of the participants in these events imagined that the war, which was planned to end within a few months, would drag on for more than 4 years.

The course of the war

It is easier and more convenient to divide the course of the war into five periods, according to the years during which it was going on.
1914 - hostilities unfolded on the Western (France) and Eastern (Prussia, Russia) fronts, the Balkans and colonies (Oceania, Africa and China). Germany quickly captured Belgium and Luxembourg, and launched an offensive against France. Russia led a successful offensive in Prussia. In general, in 1914, none of the countries managed to fully realize their plans.
1915 - fierce fighting was going on on the Western Front, where France and Germany were desperate to turn the tide in their favor. On the Eastern Front for the Russian troops, the situation has changed for the worse. Due to supply problems, the army began to retreat, losing Galicia and Poland.
1916 - during this period, the most bloody battle took place on the Western Front - Verdun, during which more than a million people died. Russia, seeking to help the allies and pull the forces of the German army towards itself, made a successful attempt at a counteroffensive - the Brusilovsky breakthrough.
1917 - the success of the Entente troops. The USA joins them. As a result of revolutionary events, Russia is actually withdrawing from the war.
1918 - the conclusion by Russia on extremely unfavorable and difficult conditions of peace with Germany. The rest of Germany's allies conclude peace with the Entente countries. Germany remains alone and in November 1918 agrees to surrender.

The results of the war 1918

Before World War II, this military conflict was the most widespread, affecting almost the entire Earth. The shocking number of victims (taking into account the loss of those killed among the military and civilians, as well as the wounded) is about 80 million people. During the 5 years of the war, such empires as the Ottoman, Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian collapsed.

Russia in World War I If you need brief retelling participation of Russia in the First World War, then here!

In August 1914, Russia made progress, but then the inconsistency of the armies, supply problems, betrayal and espionage led to defeat. By the end of 1915, Russia had lost the Baltic states, Poland, part of Ukraine and Belarus. In 1916, under the leadership of General Brusilov, a breakthrough was made on the Southwestern Front. More than 400 thousand enemies were killed, wounded and taken prisoner. Germany transferred forces to the aid of Austria-Hungary and saved it from disaster. On March 1, 1917, a general offensive of the Russian army was being prepared along the entire front line. But a week before that, the enemies staged a revolution in Petrograd. The offensive failed. The February revolution destroyed all the victorious plans of the army. Mass desertion began, the soldiers did not obey orders, intelligence was declassified. As a result, all the offensives of the Russian army failed. There were many killed and captured. RESULTS: After October 1917, the Bolsheviks came to power. In March 1918, they concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, handed over the western lands to Russia, and ceased participation in the war. Russia lost the most: more than 6 million killed, wounded, maimed. The main industrial areas were destroyed. The war we won ended in disgrace and a humiliating peace. This is what happens when people succumb to the provocations of enemies.

1914 - 1918 – World War I. 38 states fought. More than 10 million were killed, more than 20 million were maimed and injured.

REASONS for war:

1. Germany's desire for world domination.

2. France wanted to become the main country in Europe.

3. Great Britain wanted to prevent the strengthening of anyone in Europe.

4. Russia wanted to protect countries of Eastern Europe from aggression.

5. Strong contradictions between the countries of Europe and Asia in the struggle for spheres of influence.

Trinity Alliance - military bloc of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.

Entente (consent) - military blocGreat Britain, France and Russia.

CAUSE for war: in the city of Sarajevo (Bosnia), a fanatic killed the prince of Austria-Hungary. As a result, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Turkey and Bulgaria began to fight against the Entente countries.

PROGRESS OF THE WAR:

In August 1914 Russia made progress, but then the inconsistency of the armies, supply problems, betrayal and espionage led to defeats. By the end of 1915 Russia has lost the Baltic States, Poland, part of Ukraine and Belarus. In 1916 under the leadership of General Brusilov, a breakthrough was made on the Southwestern Front. More than 400 thousand enemies were killed, wounded and taken prisoner. Germany transferred forces to the aid of Austria-Hungary and saved it from disaster. On the March 1, 1917 a general offensive of the Russian army was being prepared along the entire front line. But a week before that, the enemies staged a revolution in Petrograd. The offensive failed. The February revolution destroyed all the victorious plans of the army. Mass desertion began, the soldiers did not obey orders, intelligence was declassified. As a result, all the offensives of the Russian army failed. There were many killed and captured.

RESULTS: After October 1917 the Bolsheviks came to power. March 1918 they concluded with Germany " Brest Peace”, gave the western lands to Russia and stopped participating in the war. Russia lost the most: more than 6 million killed, wounded, maimed. The main industrial areas were destroyed.

The war we were winning ended in disgrace and a humiliating peace. This is what happens when people succumb to the provocations of enemies. To be continued.

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Air battle

According to the general opinion, the First World War is one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind. Its result was the collapse of four empires: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German.

In 1914, events took place as follows.

In 1914, two main theaters of military operations were formed: French and Russian, as well as the Balkans (Serbia), the Caucasus and, since November 1914, the Middle East, colonies of European states - Africa, China, Oceania. At the beginning of the war, no one thought that it would take on a protracted character; its participants were going to end the war in a few months.

Start

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, the Germans, without any declaration of war, invaded Luxembourg on the same day, and the very next day they occupied Luxembourg, put forward an ultimatum to Belgium to allow German troops to pass to the border with France. Belgium did not accept the ultimatum, and Germany declared war on her, on August 4, invading Belgium.

King Albert of Belgium appealed for help to the guarantor countries of Belgian neutrality. In London, they demanded to stop the invasion of Belgium, otherwise England threatened to declare war on Germany. The ultimatum has expired - and Great Britain declares war on Germany.

Belgian armored car brand "Sava" at the Franco-Belgian border

The military wheel of the First World War rolled and began to gain momentum.

Western Front

Germany at the beginning of the war had ambitious plans: the instant defeat of France, passing through the territory of Belgium, the capture of Paris ... Wilhelm II said: “We will have lunch in Paris, and dinner in St. Petersburg.” He did not take Russia into account at all, considering it a sluggish power: it is unlikely that she will be able to quickly mobilize and bring her army to the borders . It was the so-called Schlieffen Plan, developed by the Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen (modified by Helmut von Moltke after Schlieffen's resignation).

Count von Schlieffen

He was wrong, this Schlieffen: France launched an unforeseen counterattack in the outskirts of Paris (the Battle of the Marne), and Russia quickly launched an offensive, so the German plan failed and the German army began a trench war.

Nicholas II declares war on Germany from the balcony of the Winter Palace

The French believed that Germany would inflict the initial and main blow on Alsace. They had their own military doctrine: Plan-17. As part of this doctrine, the French command intended to deploy troops along its eastern border and launch an offensive through the territories of Lorraine and Alsace, which the Germans occupied. The same actions were envisaged by the Schlieffen plan.

Then there was a surprise on the part of Belgium: its army, 10 times inferior to the size of the German army, unexpectedly offered active resistance. But still, on August 20, Brussels was taken by the Germans. The Germans behaved confidently and boldly: they did not stop in front of the defending cities and fortresses, but simply bypassed them. The Belgian government fled to Le Havre. King Albert I continued to defend Antwerp. “After a short siege, heroic defense and fierce bombardment, on September 26, the last stronghold of the Belgians, the fortress of Antwerp, fell. Under a hail of shells from the muzzles of monstrous guns brought by the Germans and installed on platforms they had previously built, fort after fort fell silent. On September 23, the Belgian government left Antwerp, and on the 24th the bombardment of the city began. Entire streets were in flames. Grandiose oil tanks were burning in the port. Zeppelins and airplanes bombarded the unfortunate city from above.

Air battle

The civilian population fled in panic from the doomed city, tens of thousands, escaping in all directions: on ships to England and France, on foot to Holland ”(Iskra Voskresenye magazine, October 19, 1914).

border battle

On August 7, a border battle began between the Anglo-French and German troops. The French command, after the German invasion of Belgium, urgently revised its plans and began an active movement of units towards the border. But the Anglo-French armies suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Mons, the battle of Charleroi and in the Ardennes operation, losing about 250 thousand people. The Germans invaded France bypassing Paris, taking the French army in giant pincers. On September 2, the French government moved to Bordeaux. The defense of the city was led by General Gallieni. The French were preparing to defend Paris along the Marne River.

Joseph Simon Gallieni

Battle of the Marne ("Miracle on the Marne")

But by this time the German army had already begun to run out of strength. She did not have the opportunity to deeply cover the French army bypassing Paris. The Germans decided to turn east north of Paris and hit the rear of the main forces of the French army.

But, turning east north of Paris, they exposed their right flank and rear to the attack of the French grouping concentrated for the defense of Paris. There was nothing to cover the right flank and rear. But the German command went for this maneuver: they turned their troops to the east, not reaching Paris. The French command took advantage of the opportunity and hit the bare flank and rear of the German army. Even taxis were used to transport troops.

"Marne taxi": such cars were used to transfer troops

First Battle of the Marneturned the tide of hostilities in favor of the French and threw back German troops on the front from Verdun to Amiens 50-100 kilometers back.

The main battle on the Marne began on September 5, and already on September 9 the defeat of the German army became obvious. The order to withdraw was met in the German army with complete misunderstanding: for the first time during the hostilities, moods of disappointment and depression began in the German army. And for the French, this battle was the first victory over the Germans, the morale of the French was strengthened. The British realized their military insufficiency and headed for an increase armed forces. The Battle of the Marne was the turning point of the war on French theater hostilities: the front has stabilized, and the forces of the opponents are approximately equal.

Battles in Flanders

The Battle of the Marne led to the "Run to the Sea" as both armies moved in an attempt to flank each other. This led to the fact that the front line closed and ran into the coast of the North Sea. By November 15, the entire space between Paris and the North Sea was filled with troops from both sides. The front was in a stable state: the offensive potential of the Germans was exhausted, both sides began a positional struggle. The Entente managed to keep ports convenient for sea communication with England - especially the port of Calais.

Eastern front

On August 17, the Russian army crossed the border and launched an offensive against East Prussia. At first, the actions of the Russian army were successful, but the command failed to take advantage of the results of the victory. The movement of other Russian armies slowed down and was not coordinated, the Germans took advantage of this, striking from the west on the open flank of the 2nd Army. This army at the beginning of World War I was commanded by General A.V. Samsonov, a member of the Russian-Turkish (1877-1878), Russo-Japanese Wars, chief ataman of the Don Army, Semirechensky Cossack army, Turkestan Governor-General. During the East Prussian operation of 1914, his army suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Tannenberg, part of it was surrounded. When leaving the encirclement near the city of Willenberg (now Velbark, Poland), Alexander Vasilyevich Samsonov died. According to another, more common version, it is believed that he shot himself.

General A.V. Samsonov

In this battle, the Russians defeated several German divisions, but lost in the general battle. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich in his book “My Memoirs” wrote that the 150,000-strong Russian army of General Samsonov was a victim deliberately thrown into a trap set by Ludendorff.

Battle of Galicia (August-September 1914)

This is one of biggest battles First World War. As a result of this battle, Russian troops occupied almost all of eastern Galicia, almost all of Bukovina and laid siege to Przemysl. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th armies participated in the operation as part of the Russian Southwestern Front(front commander - General N. I. Ivanov) and four Austro-Hungarian armies (Archduke Friedrich, Field Marshal Götzendorf) and the German group of General R. Woyrsch. The capture of Galicia was perceived in Russia not as an occupation, but as a return of the torn away part of historical Russia, because. it was dominated by the Orthodox Slavic population.

N.S. Samokish “In Galicia. Cavalryman"

Results of 1914 on the Eastern Front

The campaign of 1914 took shape in favor of Russia, although on the German part of the front Russia lost part of the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. Russian defeat in East Prussia was also accompanied by heavy losses. But Germany was not able to achieve the planned results, all its successes from a military point of view were very modest.

Advantages of Russia: succeeded in inflicting a major defeat on Austria-Hungary and capturing large territories. Austria-Hungary has turned for Germany from a full-fledged ally into a weak partner requiring continuous support.

Difficulties for Russia: the war by 1915 turned into a positional one. The Russian army began to feel the first signs of an ammunition supply crisis. Advantages of the Entente: Germany was forced to fight in two directions at the same time and to carry out the transfer of troops from front to front.

Japan enters the war

The Entente (mostly England) convinced Japan to move against Germany. On August 15, Japan presented an ultimatum to Germany, demanding the withdrawal of troops from China, and on August 23, Japan declared war and began the siege of Qingdao, the German naval base in China, which ended with the surrender of the German garrison.

Then Japan proceeded to capture the island colonies and bases of Germany (German Micronesia and German New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands). At the end of August, New Zealand troops captured German Samoa.

Japan's participation in the war on the side of the Entente turned out to be beneficial for Russia: its Asian part was safe, and Russia did not have to spend resources on maintaining the army and navy in this region.

Asian theater of operations

Turkey initially hesitated for a long time whether to join the war and on whose side. Finally, she declared "jihad" (holy war) to the countries of the Entente. November 11-12 Turkish fleet under the command of the German Admiral Souchon fired at Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. On November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey, followed by Britain and France.

The Caucasian front was formed between Russia and Turkey.

Russian airplane in the back of a truck on the Caucasian front

December 1914 - January 1915. took placeSarykamysh operation: the Russian Caucasian army stopped the offensive of the Turkish troops on Kars, defeated them and launched a counteroffensive.

But along with this, Russia lost the most convenient way of communication with its allies - through the Black Sea and the straits. Russia had only two ports for the transportation of a large amount of cargo: Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok.

The results of the military campaign of 1914

By the end of 1914, Belgium was almost completely conquered by Germany. The Entente left a small western part of Flanders with the city of Ypres. Lille was taken by the Germans. The 1914 campaign was dynamic. The armies of both sides actively and quickly maneuvered, the troops did not erect long-term defensive lines. By November 1914, a stable front line began to take shape. Both sides had exhausted their offensive potential and began building trenches and barbed wire. The war turned into a positional one.

Russian Expeditionary Force in France: Head of the 1st Brigade, General Lokhvitsky, with several Russian and French officers, bypasses the positions (summer 1916, Champagne)

The length of the Western Front (from the North Sea to Switzerland) was more than 700 km, the density of troops on it was high, significantly higher than on the Eastern Front. Intensive military operations were conducted only on the northern half of the front, the front from Verdun and to the south was considered as secondary.

"Cannon fodder"

On November 11, there was a battle near Langemark, which the world community called senseless and neglected human lives: the Germans threw units of unfired young people (workers and students) at the English machine guns. After a while, this happened again, and given fact became an entrenched opinion of the soldiers in this war as "cannon fodder".

By the beginning of 1915, everyone began to understand that the war had become protracted. This was not planned by either side. Although the Germans captured almost all of Belgium and most of France, it turned out to be completely inaccessible to them. the main objective- a swift victory over the French.

Stocks of ammunition ran out by the end of 1914, and it was urgently necessary to establish their mass production. The power of heavy artillery turned out to be underestimated. The fortresses were practically not ready for defense. As a result, Italy, as the third member of the Triple Alliance, did not enter the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Front lines of World War I towards the end of 1914

With such results ended the first military year.

World War I 1914 - 1918 became one of the most bloody and large-scale conflicts in human history. It began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. 38 states participated in this conflict. If we talk briefly about the causes of the First World War, then we can say with confidence that this conflict was provoked by serious economic contradictions of the alliances of world powers that formed at the beginning of the century. It is also worth noting that, probably, there was a possibility of a peaceful settlement of these contradictions. However, feeling the increased power, Germany and Austria-Hungary moved to more decisive action.

Participants of the First World War were:

on the one hand, the Quadruple Alliance, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey (Ottoman Empire);

on the other block, the Entente, which was made up of Russia, France, England and allied countries (Italy, Romania and many others).

The course of the First World War is divided by historians into five separate military campaigns.

The beginning of the military campaign of 1914 is dated July 28. On August 1, Germany, which entered the war, declares war on Russia, and on August 3 on France. German troops invade Luxembourg and later Belgium. In 1914, the most important events of the First World War unfolded in France and today are known as the “Run to the Sea”. In an effort to surround the enemy troops, both armies moved to the coast, where the front line eventually closed. France retained control of the port cities. Gradually the front line stabilized. The calculation of the German command for a quick capture of France did not materialize. Since the forces of both sides were exhausted, the war took on a positional character. Such are the events on the Western Front.

Military operations on the Eastern Front began on August 17. The Russian army launched an attack on the eastern part of Prussia and initially it turned out to be quite successful. The victory in the Battle of Galicia (August 18) was accepted by the majority of society with joy. After this battle, Austrian troops no longer entered into serious battles with Russia in 1914.

Events in the Balkans did not develop too well either. Belgrade, captured earlier by Austria, was recaptured by the Serbs. There were no active battles in Serbia this year. In the same year, 1914, Japan also came out against Germany, which allowed Russia to secure the Asian borders. Japan began to take action to seize the island colonies of Germany. However, the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany, opening the Caucasian front and depriving Russia of convenient communication with the allied countries. According to the results at the end of 1914, none of the countries participating in the conflict was able to achieve their goals.

The second campaign in the chronology of the First World War dates from 1915. On the Western Front there were fierce military clashes. Both France and Germany made desperate attempts to turn the tide in their favor. However, the huge losses suffered by both sides did not lead to serious results. In fact, the front line by the end of 1915 had not changed. Neither the spring offensive of the French in Artois, nor the operations transported to Champagne and Artois in the autumn changed the situation.

The situation on the Russian front has changed for the worse. The winter offensive of the poorly prepared Russian army soon turned into the August counteroffensive of the Germans. And as a result of the Gorlitsky breakthrough of the German troops, Russia lost Galicia and, later, Poland. Historians note that in many ways the Great Retreat of the Russian army was provoked by a supply crisis. The front stabilized only by autumn. The German troops occupied the west of the Volyn province and partially repeated the pre-war borders with Austria-Hungary. The position of the troops, just as in France, contributed to the beginning of a positional war.

1915 was marked by Italy's entry into the war (May 23). Despite the fact that the country was a member of the Quadruple Alliance, it announced the start of the war against Austria-Hungary. But on October 14, Bulgaria declared war on the Entente alliance, which led to the complication of the situation in Serbia and its imminent fall.

During the military campaign of 1916, one of the most famous battles of the First World War, Verdun, took place. In an effort to suppress the resistance of France, the German command concentrated huge forces in the area of the Verdun ledge, hoping to overcome the Anglo-French defenses. During this operation, from February 21 to December 18, up to 750 thousand soldiers of England and France and up to 450 thousand German soldiers died. The battle of Verdun is also known for the fact that for the first time a new type of weapon was used - a flamethrower. However, the greatest effect of this weapon was psychological. To assist the allies, an offensive operation was undertaken on the Western Russian front, called the Brusilov breakthrough. This forced Germany to transfer serious forces to the Russian front and somewhat eased the position of the allies.

It should be noted that hostilities developed not only on land. Between the blocks of the strongest world powers there was a fierce confrontation on the water. It was in the spring of 1916 that one of the main battles of the First World War took place on the Jutland Sea. In general, at the end of the year, the Entente bloc became dominant. The proposal of the Quadruple Alliance for peace was rejected.

During the military campaign of 1917, the preponderance of forces in the direction of the Entente increased even more and the United States joined the obvious winners. But the weakening of the economies of all countries participating in the conflict, as well as the growth of revolutionary tension, led to a decrease in military activity. The German command decides on a strategic defense on the land fronts, while at the same time focusing on attempts to withdraw England from the war using the submarine fleet. In the winter of 1916-17 there were no active hostilities in the Caucasus either. The situation in Russia has deteriorated to the maximum. In fact, after the October events, the country withdrew from the war.

1918 brought the most important victories to the Entente, which led to the end of the First World War.

After the actual withdrawal from the war of Russia, Germany managed to eliminate the eastern front. She made peace with Romania, Ukraine, Russia. The terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, concluded between Russia and Germany in March 1918, turned out to be the most difficult for the country, but this agreement was soon canceled.

Subsequently, Germany occupied the Baltic states, Poland and partly Belarus, after which it threw all its forces to the Western Front. But, thanks to the technical superiority of the Entente, the German troops were defeated. After Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria made peace with the Entente countries, Germany was on the brink of disaster. Due to revolutionary events, Emperor Wilhelm leaves his country. November 11, 1918 Germany signs the act of surrender.

According to modern data, the losses in the First World War amounted to 10 million soldiers. Accurate data on casualties among the civilian population does not exist. Presumably, due to difficult living conditions, epidemics and famine, twice as many people died.

Following the results of the First World War, Germany had to pay reparations to the allies for 30 years. She lost 1/8 of her territory, and the colonies went to the victorious countries. The banks of the Rhine were occupied by the Allied forces for 15 years. Also, Germany was forbidden to have an army of more than 100 thousand people. Strict restrictions were imposed on all types of weapons.

But, the consequences of the First World War also affected the situation in the victorious countries. Their economies, with the possible exception of the United States, were in a difficult state. The standard of living of the population dropped sharply, the national economy fell into decay. At the same time, the military monopolies enriched themselves. For Russia, the First World War became a serious destabilizing factor that largely influenced the development of the revolutionary situation in the country and caused the subsequent civil war.