About 53 to 70 million people fought in the First World War and about nine million people were either wounded or killed during the war. Besides, civilians were also killed because of air raids, epidemics and famines during the war. The economy of the countries participating in the war was shattered. The Great Economic Depression of 1929–30 is mainly attributed to the war. In this article, we have discussed 8 Important Events of First World War.
Events of First World War
War on the Western Front
- Battle of Marne was an important battle which was fought on the Western front. It was fought between France and Britain on one side and Germany on the other side.
- The victories secured by France and Britain against Germany in the Battle of Marne proved to be a decisive point in the war.
Trench Warfare
- Machine guns and heavy artillery made the life above ground very dangerous. The opposing armies dug trenches to defend themselves from the enemy’s attacks and to launch attacks.
- It was not easy to live in trenches. Rats, lice, gas, cold, rain and snow were problems faced by the soldiers in trenches.
War on the Eastern Front
- Initially, Austria–Hungary and Germany were able to invade some territories of the Russian empire. They were also successful against Romania, Serbia and Italy.
- Outside Europe, the Allied Powers led campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. While Japan occupied German possessions in East Asia, Britain and France captured many German colonies in Africa.
Policy of Blockade
- One of the tactics employed in the war was the blocking of enemy lines to cut off the supplies of food, war material and raw materials.
- In 1916, Germany sunk many British warships, but she was defeated in the Battle of Verdun. The English blocked the German coast to cut supplies to her. Germany was also defeated in the Battle of Dogger Bank. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand was an immediate cause of the war. Trenches were dug during the war by the soldiers to save themselves from the direct attacks of the enemies.
War against Turkey
- Turkey had joined the war on the side of the Central Powers. Germany was thus controlling the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. This made Russia isolated as she was not able to get any help from the Entente Powers.
- Thus, Turkey was attacked by the British Indian army and the former surrendered on 30 October 1918.
Entry of USA in the War
- In 1915, the German U Boats sunk a British passenger ship called ‘Lusitania’. Among 1153 passengers who were killed. 128 were Americans. This aroused anti-German feelings in the USA.
- The Allied Powers had raised huge sums of money in the USA to pay for the war goods and materials. Thus, the USA feared that if Allied Powers lost the war, she would not be able to recover the money. Moreover, Germany would also become a possible rival of the USA.
- Thus, USA declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917.
Russia’s Withdrawal from the War
- One of the major events of the war was the withdrawal of Russia from the First World War. She retreated from the war because of the Russian Revolution.
- Russians had suffered heavy damages during the war and over 600,000 Russian soldiers were killed.
- After taking over the leadership of Russia, Lenin proposed to end the war.
- Russia signed a peace treaty called the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany.
End of the War
- By 1918, Germany and her allies began to be routed by the combined forces of Britain, France and USA.
- This gave rise to political discontent in Austria and Hungary.
- While Bulgaria withdrew from the war, Turkey surrendered to the Allies in 1918.
- While the emperor of Austria–Hungary surrendered on 3 November 1918. A revolution broke out in Germany and he became a republic. The German emperor Kaiser William II fled to Holland. The new German government signed an armistice on 11 November 1918 and the war came to an end.
- About 53 to 70 million people fought in the war and about nine million people were either wounded or killed during the war. Besides, civilians were also killed because of air raids, epidemics and famines during the war.
- The economy of the countries participating in the war was shattered. The Great Economic Depression of 1929–30 is mainly attributed to the war.
Also Read Reasons Leading to the Formation of the United Nations
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