In what year did World War I end? Russia in the First World War: briefly about the main events

The First World War was an imperialist war between two political unions of states where capitalism flourished, for the redivision of the world, spheres of influence, the enslavement of peoples and the multiplication of capital. Thirty-eight countries took part in it, four of which were part of the Austro-German bloc. By its nature, it was aggressive, and in some countries, for example, in Montenegro and Serbia, it was national liberation.

The reason for the outbreak of the conflict was the liquidation in Bosnia of the heir to the Hungarian throne. For Germany, this was an opportunity to start a war with Serbia on July 28, the capital of which was shelled. So Russia two days later began a general mobilization. Germany demanded to stop such actions, but having received no answer, declared war on Russia, and then Belgium, France and Great Britain. At the end of August, Japan declared war on Germany, while Italy remained neutral.

The First World War began as a result of the uneven political and economic development of states. Strong conflicts arose between Great Britain and France with Germany, since many of their interests in dividing the territory of the globe collided. At the end of the nineteenth century, Russian-German contradictions began to intensify, and clashes arose between Russia and Austria-Hungary.

Thus, the aggravation of contradictions pushed the imperialists to the division of the world, which was supposed to take place through war, the plans for which were developed by the general staffs long before it appeared. All calculations were made on the basis of its short duration and shortening, so the fascist plan was designed for decisive offensive operations against France and Russia, which were to take place no more than eight weeks.

The Russians developed two options for conducting military operations, which were offensive in nature, the French provided for an offensive by the forces of the left and right wings, depending on the offensive of the German troops. Great Britain did not make plans for operations on land, only the fleet was supposed to protect sea lanes.

Thus, in accordance with these developed plans, the deployment of forces took place.

Stages of the First World War.

1. 1914. German invasions began in Belgium and Luxembourg. In the battle of Maron, Germany was defeated, just as in the East Prussian operation. Simultaneously with the latter, the Battle of Galicia took place, as a result of which the Austro-Hungarian troops were defeated. In October, Russian troops launched a counteroffensive and drove the enemy forces back to their original position. Serbia was liberated in November.

Thus, this stage of the war did not bring decisive results to either side. Military operations made it clear that it was wrong to plan for their implementation in a short time.

2. 1915 The hostilities mainly unfolded with the participation of Russia, since Germany planned to quickly defeat it and withdraw it from the conflict. During this period, the masses of the people began to protest against the imperialist battles, and already in the autumn began to take shape.

3. 1916 Great importance is given to the Naroch operation, as a result of which the German troops weakened their attacks, and the Battle of Jutland between the German and British fleets.

This stage of the war did not lead to the achievement of the goals of the warring parties, but Germany was forced to defend on all fronts.

4. 1917 Revolutionary movements began in all countries. This stage did not bring the results expected by both sides of the war. The revolution in Russia thwarted the plan of the Entente to defeat the enemy.

5. 1918 Russia left the war. Germany was defeated and pledged to withdraw troops from all occupied territories.

For Russia and other countries involved, the hostilities made it possible to create special state bodies that deal with issues of defense, transportation, and many others. The growth of military production began.

Thus, the First World War became the beginning of the general crisis of capitalism.

§ 76. Military operations in 1914-1918

The beginning of the First World War.

On June 28, 1914, in the city of Sarajevo, which was part of Bosnia and Herzegovina annexed by Austria-Hungary, the Serbian nationalist Gavrila Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a hardliner against Serbia. Accusing the Serbian government of the assassination attempt, Austria-Hungary gave him an ultimatum. German Emperor Wilhelm II supported the actions of his ally.
The Serbian government complied with all the demands made by Austria-Hungary, except for the point on the investigation of the murder by Austrian officials, but agreed to negotiate on this point. However, on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and the next day began the bombardment of Belgrade.
August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia, then France. Violating the neutrality of Belgium, the German troops launched an offensive through its territory. Great Britain entered the war. Montenegro, Japan and Egypt took the side of the Entente, and Bulgaria and Turkey took the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary (Germany and its allies are often called a coalition of the Central Powers).
The reasons for the war were the contradictions between the powers of the Entente and Germany with Austria-Hungary. The desire to seize foreign and maintain their colonies in Africa and Asia has become one of the main aspirations of the warring parties. Territorial disputes in Europe itself also played a significant role. Between the powers there were also huge trade and economic contradictions, they fought for the spheres of sale of their products and for sources of raw materials. The initiator of the war was the German block, which considered itself deprived in all respects.

Military operations in 1914

The main fronts, on which heavy fighting broke out already in August 1914, were the French Western and Russian Eastern. At the first stage of the war, in early September, the main grouping of the German armies reached the Marne River between Paris and Verdun, and then crossed it. On September 6, the counteroffensive of the Anglo-French troops began on the entire front from Paris to Verdun. Only by September 12 did the German troops gain a foothold behind the Aisne River and on the line east of Reims. On September 15, the Allies stopped their offensive.
The unsuccessful German attack on Paris and the defeat of the German troops on the Marne led to the failure of the German strategic war plan, designed to quickly defeat the enemy on the Western Front. From the border of Switzerland to the North Sea, a positional front was established.
In the East European theater, hostilities began on 4-7 (17-20) August. During the East Prussian operation, the 1st Russian army defeated the German corps. Continuing to advance, she defeated one of the German armies. At the same time, the 2nd Russian Army began to move to the flank and rear of the Germans. The successful offensive of the Russian troops in East Prussia forced the German command to transfer additional troops from the Western to the Eastern Front. The German troops, taking advantage of the mistakes of the Russian command, which did not establish interaction between the 1st and 2nd armies, managed to inflict a heavy defeat first on the 2nd, and then on the lth Russian armies. Russian troops withdrew from East Prussia.
At the same time, a battle took place in Galicia, in which the troops of the Russian Southwestern Front inflicted a major defeat on the Austro-Hungarian troops. The Russians occupied Lvov. The Austro-Hungarian garrison of the Przemysl fortress was blocked, advanced Russian units reached the foothills of the Carpathians.
The German High Command hastily transferred large forces here. However, the timely regrouping of forces carried out by the Russian Headquarters made it possible during the Warsaw-Ivangorod operation to stop the enemy’s offensive on Ivangorod, and then repel the attack on Warsaw. Soon the parties, having exhausted all possibilities, went over to the defensive.
On August 10, Germany sent the battlecruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau to the Black Sea to support the Turkish fleet. Turkish and German ships suddenly fired on Sevastopol, Odessa, Novorossiysk and Feodosia. Russia, Great Britain and France declared war on Turkey. Russia pushed the Caucasian army to the border with Turkey. In December, the 8th Turkish Army went on the offensive, but was defeated.
Military action in 1915
The German command decided to devote the next campaign entirely to the defeat of the Russian troops. Almost 30 infantry and 9 cavalry divisions were transferred from France. In February 1915, Russian troops crossed the Carpathians in winter conditions, and in March, after a long siege, they took Przemysl. About 120,000 enemy soldiers and officers surrendered.
However, the passivity of Russia's Western allies in 1915 allowed the German command to go on the offensive on April 19 (May 2). Under the onslaught of the enemy, who had a huge superiority in strength, the defense of the 3rd Russian army was broken through in the Gorlice region. The troops of the Southwestern Front were forced to leave Galicia. At the same time, German troops were advancing in the Baltic. They occupied Libava, went to Kovno. To avoid encirclement, Russian troops were forced to leave Poland. During the 1915 campaign, Russia lost about 2 million people killed, wounded and captured.
In August 1915, Nicholas II assumed supreme command of the active troops, hoping to turn the tide of events with his authority. In October 1915, the front was established on the line Riga - Baranovichi - Dubno.
In the Western European theater throughout 1915, both sides fought local battles without planning major operations. In 1915, the Entente, having promised to satisfy the territorial claims of Italy more fully than Germany offered, attracted this country to its side. The Italian army launched an offensive, but it was not successful. In October 1915, Bulgaria entered the war on the side of the Central Powers.
In the autumn of 1915, the offensive of the Austro-German and Bulgarian troops began against Serbia. The Serbian army resisted for 2 months and then was forced to retreat to Albania. Part of the Serbian troops was transported by the Entente fleet to the Greek island of Corfu.
The 1915 campaign did not justify the hopes of both warring coalitions, but its course was more favorable for the Entente. The German command, having failed to liquidate the Eastern Front, found itself in a difficult situation.
Military operations in 1916
On February 21, the German command launched the Verdun operation on the Western Front. During fierce fighting, both sides suffered heavy losses. The Germans could not break through the front.
On May 22 (June 4) in the East European Theater, the Southwestern Front (commanded by General A.A. Brusilov) launched a decisive offensive. The defense of the Austro-German troops was broken through to a depth of 80 to 120 km. The command of the Central Powers urgently transferred here 11 German divisions from France and 6 Austro-Hungarian divisions from Italy.
The offensive of the South-Western Front eased the position of the French near Verdun, and also saved the Italian army from defeat and accelerated the appearance of Romania on the side of the Entente countries. However, the actions of Romania were unsuccessful. The Russian Romanian Front was formed to help Romania.
In July, Anglo-French troops launched a major offensive on the Somme. It lasted until mid-November, but, despite huge losses, the Allies advanced only 5-15 km, failing to break through the German front.
The troops of the Caucasian Front successfully carried out a number of operations, as a result of which the cities of Erzurum and Trebizond were occupied.
At the end of 1916, the superiority of the Entente over the countries of the German bloc became obvious. Germany was forced to defend on all fronts.
Military operations in 1917-1918
The campaign of 1917 was being prepared and proceeded in the conditions of the growth of the revolutionary movement in all countries, which had a great influence on the course of the war as a whole.
In February 1917, a revolution broke out in Russia. In June 1917, the offensive of the Southwestern Front was carried out, which ended in failure. The last Russian military operations were the defense of Riga and the defense of the Moonsund Islands.
After the October Revolution in Russia, on December 2 (15), 1917, the new government concluded an armistice with the German coalition. The revolution in Russia thwarted the strategic plan of the Entente, which was designed to defeat Austria-Hungary. However, the troops of the Central Powers were still forced to go on the defensive.
In March 1918, a major German offensive began in France. The German troops broke through the allied defenses to a depth of 60 km, but then the allied command, having brought reserves into battle, liquidated the breakthrough. At the end of May, the German armies struck north of the Rhine, and reached the Marne River, being less than 70 km from Paris. Here they were stopped. On July 15, the German command made a last desperate attempt to defeat the allied armies. But the second Battle of Marne ended in failure.
In August 1918, the Anglo-French armies went on the offensive and inflicted a major defeat on the German troops. In September, the general offensive of the Allies began on the entire front. On November 9, the monarchy was overthrown in Germany. On November 11, 1918, the Entente concluded the Compiègne truce with Germany. Germany declared itself defeated.

§ 77. War and society

The development of military equipment during the war.

The First World War gave a powerful impetus to the development of military technology. Since 1915, the main problem in the conduct of hostilities has been the breakthrough of the positional front. The appearance in 1916 of tanks and new types of escort artillery increased the firepower and strike power of the advancing troops. On September 15, 1916, the British used tanks for the first time. With the support of 18 tanks, the infantry was able to ADVANCE 2 km. The first case of massive use of tanks is the Battle of Cambrai on November 20-21, 1917, where 378 tanks operated. The surprise and great superiority in forces and means allowed the British troops to break through the German defenses. However, the tanks that broke away from the infantry and cavalry suffered heavy losses.
The war gave a sharp impetus to the development of aviation. Initially, aircraft, along with balloons, served as a means of reconnaissance and artillery fire correction. Then they began to put machine guns on the planes and hang bombs.
The most famous aircraft were the German Fokker, the English Sopwith, and the French Farman, Voisin, and Nieuport. Military aircraft in Russia were built mainly according to French models, but there were also their own designs. So, in 1913, a heavy 4-engine aircraft by I. Sikorsky "Ilya Muromets" was built, lifting up to 800 kg of bombs and armed with 3-7 machine guns.
A qualitatively new type of weapon was chemical weapons. In April 1915, near Ypres, the Germans released 180 tons of chlorine from cylinders. As a result of the attack, about 15 thousand people were hit, of which 5 thousand died. Such large losses from relatively low-toxic chlorine were caused by the lack of protective equipment, the first samples of which appeared only a year later. On April 12, 1917, in the area of ​​Ypres, the Germans used mustard gas (mustard gas). In total, about 1 million people were affected by poisonous substances during the war years.
State regulation of the economy.
In all the warring countries, state military-economic departments were created to regulate the economy, which put industry and agriculture under their control. State bodies distributed orders and raw materials, disposed of the products of enterprises. These bodies not only managed the production process, but also regulated working conditions, wages, and so on. In general, state intervention in the economy during the war years had a visible effect. This gave rise to an idea of ​​the beneficence of such a policy.
In Russia, the relatively weak development of heavy industry could not but affect the supply of the army. Despite the transfer of workers to the position of military personnel, the growth of military production at first was insignificant. The supply of weapons and ammunition from the allies was carried out in extremely limited quantities. In order to establish military production, the government moved to the sequestration (transfer to the state) of large military factories and banks. For the owners, this was a huge source of income.
When major abuses of officials in supplying the fronts with everything necessary were revealed, the government went to the creation of committees and meetings that were supposed to deal with military orders. But in practice, this only led to the distribution of military orders and the issuance of cash subsidies.
Due to the mass mobilization of peasants into the army in Russia, the harvest of grain was sharply reduced, and the cost of processing it increased. A significant part of the horses and cattle was also requisitioned as a draft force and to feed the army. The food situation was sharply worsened by the Axis, speculation flourished and the prices of essential goods rose. Hunger has begun.
Public opinion during the war.
The beginning of the war caused an explosion of patriotic feelings in all the warring countries. There were mass rallies in support of the government's actions. However, by the end of 1915, the mood of the population of the warring countries began to gradually change. Everywhere the strike movement grew, and the opposition, including the parliamentary one, intensified. In Russia, where the military defeats of 1915 sharply aggravated the internal political situation, this process proceeded especially rapidly. The defeats aroused in the Duma opposition a desire to re-start the fight against the autocratic regime, "not knowing how to wage war." Several groups in the Duma, led by the Cadets, united in " progressive block”, the purpose of which was the creation of a cabinet of public trust, I.e. government based on the Duma majority.
The activity of groups in the Social Democratic parties, which from the very beginning spoke with varying degrees of categorical opposition to the war, intensified. On September 5-8, 1915, the Zimmerwald Conference of such groups took place. It was attended by 38 delegates from Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. They issued a statement against the war and called the peoples to peace. About a third of the delegates, headed by the leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, V.I. Lenin, considered this call too soft. They spoke in favor of turning the "imperialist war into a civil war", taking advantage of the fact that weapons are in the hands of millions of "proletarians".
On the fronts, there were more and more cases of fraternization of soldiers of the opposing armies. During the strikes, anti-war slogans were put forward. On May 1, 1916, in Berlin, at a mass demonstration, the leader of the left-wing Social Democrats, K. Liebknecht, issued an appeal “Down with the war!”.
National uprisings intensified in multinational countries. In July 1916, the Central Asian uprising began in Russia, which was finally suppressed only in 1917. On April 24-30, 1916, the Irish uprising broke out, brutally suppressed by the British. There were also performances in Austria-Hungary.

Results of the war.

World War I ended with the defeat of Germany and its allies. At the Paris Peace Conference agreements have been prepared. June 28, 1919 was signed Treaty of Versailles with Germany, September 10 - Treaty of Saintgermain with Austria, November 27 - Treaty of Nein with Bulgaria, June 4 - Treaty of Trianon with Hungary and August 10, 1920 - Treaty of Sevres with Turkey. The Paris Peace Conference decided to establish League of Nations. Germany and its allies lost significant territories, and were also forced to significantly limit their armed forces and pay large reparations.
The post-war peace settlement was completed by the Washington Conference, which took place in 1921-1922. Its initiator, the United States, dissatisfied with the results of the Paris Conference, made a serious bid for leadership in the Western world. Thus, the United States succeeded in achieving recognition of the principle of "freedom of the seas", weakening Great Britain as a great maritime power, pushing Japan out of China, and also achieving the approval of the principle of "equal opportunities". Nevertheless, Japan's positions in the Far East and the Pacific turned out to be quite strong.

Contemporaries said that this would be a war that would put an end to all wars, and they were greatly mistaken. World War I began on August 1, 1914 with a provocation and regicide and ended with the first Compiègne truce on November 11, 1918. The influence on the territories and countries that participated in the war was so great that it became possible to sum up its results and conclude the Treaty of Versailles only in the middle of the next, 1919 of the year. Six out of ten people across the planet have experienced this war in one way or another. This is one of the dark pages in the history of mankind.

They say she was inevitable. The disagreements between the future participants were too strong, leading to constantly creating and collapsing alliances. The most inconsistent was precisely Germany, which almost at the same time tried to turn Great Britain against France and organize a continental blockade of Britain itself.

Prerequisites for World War I

If you look at the positions from which the countries were involved in the First World War of 1914-1918, the reasons, in fact, will lie on the surface. England, France and Austria-Hungary at the beginning of the twentieth century sought to redistribute the world map. The main reason for this was the collapse of colonialism and prosperity only at the expense of its own satellites. The main European powers were faced with a difficult choice, since the resources important for the economy and prosperity of the country (primarily its elite) could no longer be taken away from India or Africa.

The only possible solution lay precisely in military conflicts over raw materials, labor and territories for life. Major conflicts that flared up on the basis of territorial claims were as follows:

What started the war

It is very clear to say when World War I (WWI) started. At the end of June 1914, on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the city of Sarajevo, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Ferdinand was killed. It was a provocation on the part of the Austrians and, with the active participation of British diplomats and the press, a reason for the escalation of the conflict in the Balkans.

The killer was a Serbian terrorist, a member of the extremist organization "Black Hand" (otherwise called "Unity or Death") Gavrilo Princip. This organization, along with other similar underground movements, attempted to spread nationalist sentiment throughout the Balkan Peninsula in response to the 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary, setting off the Bosnian crisis.

There have already been several assassination attempts on the account of such formations. both successful and unsuccessful, to prominent political figures of the empire and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The day of the assassination attempt on the Archduke was not chosen by chance, because on June 28 he was supposed to participate in events dedicated to the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Such events on this date were considered by many Bosnians a direct insult to their national pride.

In addition to the assassination of the Archduke, these days there were several attempts to liquidate public figures who opposed the outbreak of hostilities. So, a few days before June 28, an unsuccessful attempt was made on the life of Grigory Rasputin, known, among other things, for his anti-war sentiments and great influence at the court of Emperor Nicholas II. And the next day, June 29, Jean Jaures was killed. He was an influential French politician and public figure who fought against imperialist sentiments, colonialism and, like Rasputin, was an ardent opponent of the war.

British influence

After the tragic events in Sarajevo, the two largest powers in Europe - Germany and the Russian Empire - tried to avoid an open military confrontation. But this situation did not suit the British at all and diplomatic levers were put into play. So, after the murder of Franz Ferdinand by Princip, the English press openly began to call the Serbs barbarians and call on the top of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to give them a decisive and tough answer. At the same time, through the ambassador, they created pressure on the Russian emperor, calling for Serbia to provide all possible assistance if Austria-Hungary decides on any provocations.

And she made up her mind. Almost a month after the successful assassination attempt on the heir, Serbia was presented with demands that were impossible to fulfill. For example, one of its points was the admission of police officers to the territory of a foreign state. The Serbs did not accept only this point, which, as expected, served as a declaration of war. Moreover, the first bombs fell on its capital the very next morning, which clearly indicated the readiness of the Austro-Hungarians to fight immediately.

The Russian Empire, which has always been considered a shield of Orthodoxy and Slavism, had, after unsuccessful attempts at a diplomatic ceasefire, to declare the mobilization of the entire country. Thus, Russia's participation in the First World War was inevitable.

The course of the war

After a series of provocations, hotbed of military conflict began to flare up even faster. In about six months, two main military alliances were formed that took part in the confrontation:

Events of 1914

There were several major theaters of war- the war blazed in France, in Russia, in the Balkans, the Middle East and the Caucasus and in the former colonies of Europe. The German Schlieffen plan, which included a blitzkrieg, lunch in Paris and dinner in St. Petersburg, failed due to Germany's systematic underestimation of its rivals and repeated revision of strategic tables. In general, the vast majority of the participants in the war were absolutely sure of its imminent end, confidently speaking about the possibility of winning in a few months. No one expected the conflict to take on such proportions, especially on the Western Front.

First, Germany occupied Luxembourg and Belgium. At the same time, the French invasion unfolded in Alsace and Lorraine, which were important to them, where, after the successful actions of the German army, which held back and then reversed the offensive, the situation changed dramatically. The French, instead of capturing their historical territories, ceded part of their land without putting up a strong enough resistance. After the events called by historians the "Run to the Sea" and the holding by France of its most important ports, a period of trench warfare followed. The confrontation severely exhausted both sides.

Eastern front was opened by an offensive on the territory of Prussia by Russian troops on August 17, and the very next day a major victory was won over the Austro-Hungarians in the Battle of Galicia. This made it possible to withdraw the empire from the confrontation with Russia for a long time.

Serbia this year drove the Austrians out of Belgrade and firmly occupied it. Japan declared war on the Triple Alliance and launched a campaign to take control of the German island colonies. At the same time, in the Caucasus, Turkey entered the war with Russia, entering into a coalition with the Austrians and Germans. Thus, she cut off the country from the allies and involved in hostilities on the Caucasian front.

The failure of Russia in 1915

On the Russian front, the situation worsened. The army was poorly prepared for an offensive in the winter, failed it and received a counter-offensive operation from the Germans in the middle of the year. Poorly organized supply of troops led to a large-scale retreat, the Germans carried out the Gorlitsky breakthrough and, as a result, first received Galicia, and then a significant part of Polish territory. After that, the stage of trench warfare began, largely due to the same reasons as in the west.

In the same year, on May 23, Italy entered the war with Austria-Hungary, which led to the collapse of the coalition. However, Bulgaria, which took part in the confrontation on its side in the same year, not only marked the rapid formation of a new union, but also accelerated the fall of Serbia.

Key moments in 1916

During this year of the war, one of its largest battles continued - battle of verdun. Because of its scale, the nature of the collisions and the consequences, it was called the Verdun meat grinder. This is where the flamethrower was used for the first time. The losses of all troops amounted to over a million people. At the same time, the Russian army launched an offensive known as the Brusilovsky breakthrough, pulling significant German forces away from Verdun and easing the Entente's situation in the region.

The year was also marked by the largest naval battle - Jutland, after which the Entente fulfilled its main goal - to dominate the region. Some members of the enemy tried even then to agree on peace negotiations.

1917: Russia's exit from the war

1917 was rich in major events in the war. It was already obvious who would win. It is worth noting The 3 most important moments for understanding the situation:

• The United States, after waiting for time, joined the obvious winner - the Entente.
• The revolution in Russia actually brought her out of the war.
• Germany uses submarines, hoping thereby to turn the tide of battles.

1918: German capitulation

Russia's withdrawal from active hostilities made things easier for Germany, because without the Eastern Front, she could concentrate her forces on more important things. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded, parts of the Baltic region and the territory of Poland were occupied. After that, active operations began on the Western Front, which were not crowned with success for her. Other participants began to withdraw from the Quarter Union and conclude peace treaties with the enemy. In Germany, a revolution began to flare up, forcing the emperor to leave the country. The end of the active phase of hostilities can be considered the signing of the act of surrender of Germany on November 11, 1918.

If we talk about the results of the First World, then for almost all participating countries they were with a minus sign. Briefly on points:

It is worth noting that even then the prerequisites for the Second World War began to take shape. It was only a matter of time before a leader emerged who would rally the revenge-hungry inhabitants of defeated Germany.

It is one of the longest and most significant wars in history, which is characterized by huge bloodshed. It took place for more than four years, it is interesting that thirty-three countries (87% of the world's population) took part in it, which at that time had

The outbreak of the First World War (start date - June 28, 1914) gave impetus to the formation of two blocs: the Entente (England, Russia, France) and (Italy, Germany, Austria). The war began as a result of the uneven development of the capitalist system at the stage of imperialism, and also as a result of the Anglo-German contradiction.

The reasons for the outbreak of the First World War can be identified as follows:

2. Divergence of interests of Russia, Germany, Serbia, as well as Great Britain, France, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.

Russia sought to gain access to the seas, England - to weaken Turkey and Germany, France - to return Lorraine and Alsace, in turn, Germany had the goal of seizing Europe and the Middle East, Austria-Hungary - to control the movement of ships at sea, and Italy - to gain dominance in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

As stated above, it is generally accepted that the beginning of the First World War falls on June 28, 1914, when the direct heir to the throne, Franz, was killed in Serbia. Interested in unleashing the war, Germany incited the Hungarian government to present an ultimatum to Serbia, which allegedly encroached on its sovereignty. This ultimatum coincided with mass strikes in St. Petersburg. It was here that the President of France came to push Russia into war. In turn, Russia advises Serbia to comply with the ultimatum, but already on July 15 Austria declared war on Serbia. This was the beginning of the First World War.

At the same time, mobilization was announced in Russia , however, Germany demanded that these measures be lifted. But the tsarist government refused to comply with this requirement, so on July 21 Germany declared war on Russia.

In the coming days, the main states of Europe will enter the war. So, on July 18, France, the main ally of Russia, enters the war, and then England declares war on Germany. Italy saw fit to declare neutrality.

We can say that the war instantly becomes a pan-European, and later a world war.

The beginning of the First World War can be characterized by the attack of German troops on the French army. In response to this, Russia introduces two armies into the offensive to capture. This offensive began successfully, already on August 7, the Russian army won the battle of Gumbinem. However, soon the Russian army fell into a trap and was defeated by the Germans. So the best part of the Russian army was destroyed. The rest was forced to retreat under pressure from the enemy. It should be said that these events helped the French to defeat the Germans in the battle on the river. Marne.

It is necessary to note the role during the war. In 1914 major battles took place in Gilitsia between the Austrian and Russian units. The battle went on for twenty-one days. At first, the Russian army was very difficult to withstand the pressure of the enemy, but soon the troops went on the offensive, and the Austrian troops had to retreat. Thus, the Battle of Galicia ended in the complete defeat of the Austro-Hungarian troops, and until the end of the war, Austria could not move away from such a blow.

Thus, the beginning of the First World War falls on 1914. It lasted four years, 3/4 of the world's population took part in it. As a result of the war, four great empires disappeared: Austro-Hungarian, Russian, German and Ottoman. Almost twelve million people were lost, including civilians, fifty-five million were injured.

World War I 1914-18 World War I 1914-18 - a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA, etc.; a total of 38 states). The reason for the war was the assassination in Sarajevo by a member of the Young Bosnia terrorist organization of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. July 15 (28), 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, July 19 (August 1) Germany - Russia, July 21 (August 3) - France, July 22 (August 4) Great Britain - Germany. Having created a superiority in troops on the Western Front, Germany in 1914 occupied Luxembourg and Belgium and began a rapid advance to the north of France towards Paris. However, already in 1914 the German plan to quickly defeat France failed; this was facilitated by the offensive of the Russian troops in East Prussia, which forced Germany to withdraw part of the troops from the Western Front. In August-September 1914, Russian troops defeated the Austro-Hungarian troops in Galicia, in late 1914 - early 1915 Turkish troops in the Transcaucasus. In 1915, the forces of the Central Powers, conducting a strategic defense on the Western Front, forced the Russian troops to leave Galicia, Poland, part of the Baltic states, and defeated Serbia. In 1916, after an unsuccessful attempt by the German troops to break through the Allied defenses in the Verdun region (France), the strategic initiative passed to the Entente. In addition, the heavy defeat inflicted on the Austro-German troops in May - July 1916 in Galicia actually predetermined the collapse of Germany's main ally - Austria-Hungary. In August 1916, influenced by the successes of the Entente, Romania entered the war on its side, but its troops acted unsuccessfully and were defeated at the end of 1916. At the same time, in the Caucasian theater, the initiative continued to be retained by the Russian army, which in 1916 occupied Erzurum and Trebizond. The collapse of the Russian army that began after the February Revolution of 1917 allowed Germany and its allies to intensify their operations on other fronts, which, however, did not change the situation as a whole. After the conclusion of the separate Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Russia (March 3, 1918), the German command launched a massive offensive on the Western Front. The troops of the Entente, having eliminated the results of the German breakthrough, went on the offensive, which ended in the defeat of the Central Powers. On September 29, 1918, Bulgaria capitulated, on October 30 - Turkey, on November 3 - Austria-Hungary, on November 11 - Germany. During the First World War, about 74 million people were mobilized, the total losses amounted to about 10 million killed and over 20 million wounded.

Historical dictionary. 2000 .

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WORLD WAR FIRST 1914 18, war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary (see AUSTRO-HUNGARY), Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, USA… … encyclopedic Dictionary

A war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA, etc.; 34 states in total). Reason for war... Political science. Dictionary.

Imperialistic, unjust war that began in Europe between the Austro-German. bloc and coalition of England, France, Russia; subsequently, many entered the war. state of the world, military. actions also took place on D. and Bl. East, Africa, Atlantic, ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

A war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA and others; 34 states in total). Reason for war... encyclopedic Dictionary

World War I Clockwise: British Mark IV tank crossing a trench; the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after a naval mine exploded at the Battle of the Dardanelles; machine gun crew in gas masks and a biplane ... ... Wikipedia

WORLD WAR I 1914 1918, a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA, etc.; only 34 ... … Russian history

An imperialist war between two coalitions of capitalist powers for the redistribution of an already divided world, the redistribution of colonies, spheres of influence and investment of capital, and the enslavement of other peoples. First, the war swept 8 states of Europe: Germany and ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

first world war 1914-18- a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (,) and the Entente (,.; 38 states in total). The reason for the war was the murder in Sarajevo by a member of the terrorist organization "Young Bosnia" of the heir to Austria ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

World War I ... Wikipedia

Clockwise: British Mark IV tank crossing the trench; the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after a naval mine exploded at the Battle of the Dardanelles; machine gun crew in gas masks and biplane Albatros D.III ... Wikipedia

Books

• World War I 1914-1918 (exclusive deluxe edition), Andrey Zaionchkovsky. World War I 1914-1918 - a huge fire that engulfed most countries and continents at the beginning of the 20th century. This global conflict and...