History | A1 The origins and course of the First World War, 1905–18

Welcome to A1: The Origins and Course of the First World War, 1905–18

Hello future historians! Get ready to explore one of the most important periods in modern history: the era that led up to and included the First World War. This chapter covers the rising tensions from 1905 and the brutal course of the war itself, up until 1918.

Don't worry if this seems like a lot of dates and names! We will break down the causes (why it happened) and the course (how it was fought) into simple, easy-to-remember steps. Understanding WWI is crucial because it completely changed maps, societies, and politics forever!

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Section 1: The Brewing Storm – Long-Term Causes (1905–1914)

World War I didn't start overnight. It was caused by deep, underlying issues—like a simmering pot about to boil over. Historians often use the mnemonic MAIN to remember these four key causes:

Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism

1. Militarism (The Arms Race)

What it is: The belief that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

• After 1900, European powers, especially Germany and Britain, started an intense competition to build up their armies and navies. This is called an Arms Race.
• Key Example: The Naval Race between Germany and Britain. Britain traditionally ruled the seas. When Germany started building powerful new warships called Dreadnoughts, Britain felt directly threatened and built even more.

Analogy: Imagine two neighbours constantly buying bigger and better security systems just because the other one did. Eventually, they are spending huge amounts of money and feel very suspicious of each other.

2. Alliances (Picking Teams)

What it is: Agreements between countries promising to defend each other if one is attacked.

• By 1914, Europe was split into two hostile camps. An attack on one country meant an attack on all its allies. This made a small dispute much more likely to escalate into a huge war.
• The Triple Entente (The Allies): Britain, France, and Russia.
• The Triple Alliance (The Central Powers): Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (though Italy switched sides in 1915).

Quick Takeaway: The Alliance System was like a giant set of dominoes—if one falls, they all fall.

3. Imperialism (Colonial Competition)

What it is: When powerful countries try to build empires by controlling territories overseas (colonies).

• Britain and France had massive empires, but newly unified Germany wanted its "place in the sun" and felt cheated out of global colonies.
• Key Flashpoints: The Moroccan Crises (1905 and 1911). Germany challenged France’s control over Morocco, bringing both countries to the brink of war and strengthening the bond between France and Britain.

4. Nationalism (Pride and Desire for Freedom)

What it is: Extreme patriotism or the desire of a group of people (like an ethnic group) to have their own independent country.

• German Nationalism: Germans were proud of their growing industrial and military power (often called Jingoism).
• Slavic Nationalism (The Balkans): Many Slavic people (Serbs, Bosnians) wanted independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and wanted to create a ‘Greater Serbia’. This desire was actively supported by Russia (who saw themselves as protectors of the Slavs).

Key Takeaway for Section 1: MAIN created a continent full of suspicion, heavily armed nations, and rigid commitments. The Balkans became the most dangerous hotspot.

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Section 2: The Spark – The Road to War (1914)

The Balkans region was known as the "Tinderbox of Europe" because it was full of nationalist tensions, especially between Serbia and the large, multi-ethnic Austria-Hungary Empire.

The Assassination at Sarajevo

The immediate trigger for the war occurred in the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo (which was controlled by Austria-Hungary).

The Event (June 28, 1914):
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, visited Sarajevo. He was assassinated by a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip, who was part of the terrorist group The Black Hand.

Step-by-Step Escalation (The July Crisis):

1. Austria-Hungary Blames Serbia: Austria saw this as a chance to crush Serbia once and for all.
2. The "Blank Cheque": Austria-Hungary waited for assurance from its powerful ally. Germany gave Austria-Hungary a ‘Blank Cheque’—a promise of unconditional support, regardless of the action Austria took against Serbia. This was a critical mistake!
3. The Ultimatum: Austria-Hungary sent Serbia an incredibly harsh list of demands (an ultimatum), designed to be rejected. Serbia rejected only one part.
4. War Declared: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (July 28, 1914).
5. Russia Mobilizes: Russia, protector of the Slavs, began mobilizing its huge army to defend Serbia.
6. Germany Declares War: Germany saw Russian mobilization as an act of war and declared war on Russia (August 1).
7. War on France: Because France was allied with Russia, Germany immediately declared war on France (August 3).

The Fatal Miscalculation: The Schlieffen Plan

The German war plan was called the Schlieffen Plan. It was designed to avoid fighting a two-front war (against Russia in the East and France in the West) simultaneously.

• Goal: Knock out France quickly (in 6 weeks) by sweeping through neutral Belgium, then turn the entire army east to face slow-to-mobilize Russia.
• The Problem: Attacking neutral Belgium brought Britain into the war (as Britain was treaty-bound to protect Belgium’s neutrality).

Result: The plan failed (it was stopped at the First Battle of the Marne), and by September 1914, the war that was supposed to be "over by Christmas" had become a global conflict.

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Section 3: The Course of the War (1914–1918)

1. The Western Front: Stalemate and Trench Warfare

After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, the fighting on the Western Front (the border between France and Belgium and Germany) quickly descended into a stalemate (a situation where neither side can win or gain ground).

• The Trenches: Soldiers dug miles of parallel trenches, protected by barbed wire and machine guns. The ground between them was called No Man's Land.
• The Nature of Combat: Attacks rarely gained more than a few hundred yards and resulted in massive casualties. Conditions were terrible (mud, rats, disease, "shell shock").
• Major Battles (Examples):
  • Verdun (1916): A grinding German attempt to "bleed France white." Over 700,000 casualties combined.
  • The Somme (1916): A massive Allied offensive intended to break the German line. On the first day alone, Britain suffered 57,000 casualties.

Did you know? New technologies like poison gas, tanks, and aircraft were introduced, but for years, none of them were effective enough to break the stalemate.

2. The Eastern Front

Unlike the West, the Eastern Front (fighting primarily between Germany/Austria-Hungary and Russia) was characterized by far greater movement due to the vast distances involved.

• Russia's Struggle: Russia had huge manpower but was poorly equipped and supplied. They suffered devastating defeats (e.g., Tannenberg, 1914).
• Impact on Russia: The colossal losses led to massive instability at home, contributing directly to the Russian Revolutions of 1917.

3. War at Sea and New Fronts

• Naval Warfare: Britain blockaded German ports, starving Germany of supplies. Germany retaliated using U-boats (submarines) in a campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare—sinking any ship, military or civilian, without warning.
• Wider War: Fighting also occurred in the Middle East (Ottoman Empire) and in Africa (colonial conflicts).

4. The Turning Points of 1917

1917 was the pivotal year that shifted the balance of the war:

1. Russia Leaves the War: After the Bolshevik Revolution, the new Communist government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) with Germany, taking Russia out of the conflict. This allowed Germany to move nearly 1 million troops to the Western Front.
2. The USA Enters the War: Due to Germany's unrestricted U-boat warfare (including sinking the Lusitania, which had American passengers) and the discovery of the Zimmerman Telegram (a German offer of help to Mexico to attack the USA), the United States joined the Allies in April 1917.

Key Takeaway: Russia's exit gave Germany a chance, but the arrival of fresh, well-supplied American troops offset this advantage and boosted Allied morale greatly.

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Section 4: The End of the War (1918)

With Russia out, Germany knew it had to win quickly before the American troops arrived in force.

1. The Last Push: The German Spring Offensive (March 1918)

Germany launched a massive series of attacks known as the Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle) or Spring Offensive.

• They successfully punched deep holes in the Allied lines, advancing farther than at any time since 1914.
• Failure: However, the German army was exhausted, short on supplies, and could not maintain the speed of the attack. They had no reserves left, and American troops were now entering the trenches.

2. Allied Victory and Collapse

The Allies, now unified under French command (Marshal Foch) and reinforced by the Americans, launched a successful counter-attack called the Hundred Days Offensive (August 1918).

• The Germans were pushed back rapidly, and their morale collapsed.
• Internal Collapse: Germany was suffering starvation due to the British naval blockade, and revolution was breaking out. Sailors mutinied, and workers went on strike.
• Kaiser Abdicates: Kaiser Wilhelm II fled the country (abdicated) on November 9, and a new democratic government (the Weimar Republic) was established.

The Armistice

The new German government asked for peace based on President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points (a set of idealistic proposals for post-war peace).

The End: The fighting stopped when the Armistice (an agreement to stop fighting) was signed on November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am.

Summary: The First World War ended not because the German army was fully routed, but because their reserves were gone, the home front had collapsed, and American entry made continued fighting impossible.

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A Quick Overall Review: Key Timeline 1905-1918

Use this condensed timeline to anchor your knowledge:

1905/1911: Moroccan Crises (Imperialism tension)
June 1914: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand (The Spark)
July/Aug 1914: Blank Cheque, Declarations of War, Schlieffen Plan fails
1914–1917: Trench Warfare Stalemate (Western Front)
1916: Battles of Verdun and Somme (High Casualties)
1917 (April): USA Enters the War (Turning Point 1)
1918 (March): Russia Exits the War (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)
1918 (Spring/Summer): German Spring Offensive & Allied Hundred Days Offensive
November 11, 1918: Armistice Signed