we begin in the middle of the 19th
century in Europe the rise of
nationalism undermines the dominant
powers the kingdom of Sardinia Ally to
France
defeats the Austrian Empire and obtains
Italian unification Prussia which eyes
the German Confederation also defeats
the Austrians to create the North German
Confederation five years later it allies
with the southern German States defeats
France and obtains the creation of the
German Empire which is proclaimed in
Versailles the new country takes over
Alsace Lorraine to discourage French
revenge attacks Germany moves
diplomatically closer to austria-hungary
and Russia and it rapidly develops its
industry and army in the southeast of
the continent insurgencies threaten the
Ottoman Empire Russia its historical
enemy takes advantage of the situation
and after a war sparks the independence
of Balkan states and seizes territories
however Russia's rising status is
frowned upon by Western powers who meet
in Berlin to review the treaty this
worsens Russian public opinion about
Germany the latter then signs a
defensive military alliance with Austria
Hungary Italy joins the alliance after
France seizes Tunisia which it long
covets the three parties form the trip
list or the Triple Alliance
Germany now a major power embarks upon a
colonial policy the country brings
together European powers in Berlin to
establish rules Iran colonization then
seizes territories in Africa and Asia
this causes friction with the British
and French colonial empires faced with
growing German power France and Russia
sign a secret military alliance France
then obtains from Italy a secret Treaty
of neutrality which would avoid it
having to manage a second front in the
event of war the United Kingdom also
things threatened by Germany's rise
especially by its military fleet which
can compete with its own Royal Navy
moreover Germany moves diplomatically
closer to the Ottoman Empire notably by
building a railway line to link Berlin
to Baghdad and facilitating access to
Mesopotamian oil coveted by the British
Empire France the United Kingdom and
Russia then signed a military alliance
and create the triple on Tom
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the Alliance's risk dragging the entire
continent into war major powers embark
upon an arms race and prepare military
plans in the southeast of the continent
the Ottoman Empire is weakened by a
revolution austria-hungary takes
advantage and annexes Bosnia and
Herzegovina this move is opposed by
Russia an especially Serbia which dreams
of uniting the Slavic peoples of the
south then two Balkan wars push the
Ottoman Empire to the borders of the
continent On June 28 1914 in Sarajevo
the heir to the Austrian throne
Francoise Ferdinand and his wife are
assassinated by a Bosnian Serb
nationalists austria-hungary accuses
Serbia of having organized the attack
Russia defend Serbia while Germany now
the world's leading Military Park
supports its austro-hungarian Ally on
July 28th austria-hungary declares war
on Serbia Russia reacts by decree a
general mobilization of its troops
triggering Germany to launch its
military plan to avoid having to fight
simultaneously on two fronts
Germany plans to quickly defeat France
by bypassing its armies by launching a
surprise attack from the north it would
then focus on Russia whose troops would
take more time to mobilize Germany
declares war on Russia invades
Luxembourg and issues an ultimatum to
Belgium demanding rite of passage for
his troops Belgium refuses insisting
upon its neutrality the following day
Germany declares war on France and
launches the offensive the United
Kingdom which guarantees Belgian
neutrality in turn declares war on
Germany and sends its troops to France
in a few days all European powers as
well as Montenegro go to war only Italy
remains neutral at the stage
in Asia Japan which is allied with the
United Kingdom declares war on Germany
and prepares for an invasion of its
colonies in China and the North Pacific
Ocean on the Eastern Front Russia
launches its offensive earlier than
Germany expects but fails to gain ground
in East Prussia while further south
austria-hungary retreats in the West the
Allied armies cannot hold back the
German advance the franco-british
armies retreat tomorrow where they
reorganize while the French government
flees the capital to take refuge in Bach
though but the first German army holding
the flank pivots away from Paris to join
with the second army and continue
surrounding Allied forces the Parisian
reserve army attacks further north
stopping in its tracks the German
advance with this breach in the ranks
Allied forces rush in and force a German
retreat this is a failure of the
Schlieffen Plan when the front
stabilizes the two camps attempt to
outflank each other and embark upon a
race to the sea for Germany it is also a
question of isolating Belgium and
seizing ports where British
reinforcements and supplies land the
Belgian Army barely succeeds in joining
the deadlocked war front networks of
trenches are dug on both sides for about
700 kilometers between the North Sea and
the Swiss border
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now that the Western Front is frozen
both sides use full force to attack the
enemy the war becomes total the mighty
Royal Navy imposes a naval blockade on
Germany while German submarines are sent
to British waters to sink all ships and
vessels Aviation which is still a recent
invention is used first for observations
planes would then gradually be used for
bombing and air combat the Germans use
Zeppelin airships to bomb Paris twice
and England around 50 times both sides
use lethal gases to attack the enemy in
the trenches behind the frontlines
entire populations participate in the
war effort including women who are
involved in arms factories around the
world European colonies and British
dominions are engaged in war they seize
German colonies and supply large
reinforcements of soldiers to the front
lines on the Eastern Front
Russia is in trouble with Austral German
troops the Ottoman Empire seizes the
opportunity to go to war alongside the
Central Powers a new front opens in the
Caucasus as Britain lands an Indian Army
in Mesopotamia with the goal to take
control of oil resources in reaction the
Central Powers launched an offensive
towards the Suez Canal to cut supply
lines from India but are stopped in
their advance in the Caucasus after the
failure of the Ottoman offensive the
government accuses the Armenian people
of having supported Russia in
retaliation more than half of the
Armenian population would be massacred
in what is today recognized as genocide
by 32 countries but not by Turkey to
support geographically isolated Russia
Allies want to open a sea supply route
via the Dardanelles Strait
franco-british ships enter the Strait to
bomb Ottoman forts but find the waters
full of sea mines forcing a retreat a
month later on April 25 Allies organized
a military landing but Ottoman defenses
hold steady Cree
another deadlocked warfront during its
submarine war Germany sinks the British
ship Lusitania causing 1,200 civilian
victims including 128 US citizens the
United States officially neutral on to
that point registers protest to prevent
the u.s. from going to war Germany slows
its submarine warfare Italy after
negotiating with a triple on thought to
annex new territories declares war on
austria-hungary and launches an
offensive around the isanzo river on the
Eastern Front Russia completes its
retreat and stabilizes the Battlefront
Bulgaria which wishes to recover Balkan
territories joins the Central Powers
together with austro-german forces they
invade Serbia in reaction the Allies
violate the neutrality of Greece by
using Salonika tool and reinforcements
coming from France such as the
Dardanelle where Ottoman victory is
complete but it is too late for the
overwhelmed Serbian army that flees via
albania troops are landed on the island
of Corfu from where they will be
gradually brought back to the Macedonian
front on the Western Front Germany
launches a massive offensive in dirt
then the German artillery pounds French
trenches which resists as best they can
in the south of the continent Portugal
allied with the United Kingdom
confiscates German ships in its ports in
response Germany declares war on
Portugal who then sends troops to France
and to its colonies in Africa where only
German East Africa still resists the
Allied offensives in Mesopotamia the
United Kingdom after losing is besieged
army in could seek support in the region
it secretly negotiates with France the
partition of Ottoman territories at the
end of the war the two powers then
support an Arab nationalist revolt which
starts in Mecca by promising them
independence in the North Sea German and
British fleets face off in one
the largest naval battles in history
despite heavy losses on the British side
the Germans
smaller number during the night take
refuge in the airport while the Battle
of Verdun is still ongoing and Italy is
under pressure from Austria Hungary
Russia attempts to relieve its allies by
launching a massive offensive that
succeeds in piercing through opposition
defenses in the West
another great offensive is launched
along the Sun with Britain spearheading
the attack they would use tanks for the
first time but to no avail
while Romania joins the auntaunt
the Brusilov offensive and East and the
battles of the Somme and Verdun all end
having caused tremendous casualties on
both sides troops are exhausted and
demoralized in Germany the war effort
and the allied trade embargo prevent the
country from getting enough food causing
widespread famine Western powers on the
other hand can count on a supply of
resources by the Atlantic mainly from
the United States towards whom they are
now in debt in response Germany
relaunches unrestricted submarine
warfare with the objectives of sinking
all commercial and military ships in
addition Germany sends a telegram to
Mexico offering an alliance against the
United States the message is intercepted
by Britain and transmitted to the United
States which then prepares to go to war
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in Russia the war effort exhausts a
population who revolt and cause the Tsar
to abdicate a provisional government is
put into place which chooses to continue
the war the United States in turn
declares war on Germany but it would
take several months for the first troops
to join the front lines Greece which is
under pressure from the Allies joined
the auntaunt in both camps exhausted
soldiers begin mutinies only is on the
front 11 similar Italian offensives near
little result at the cost of many lives
further
affecting troop morale Austral German
troops counter-attack and push back the
frontline at the gates of Gaza after a
victory British armies prepare to enter
Palestine to gain the support of the
Jewish community British Prime Minister
Arthur Balfour publishes of statement
addressing Lord wrote shield a leader of
the British Science Federation promising
State for the Jewish people in Palestine
in Russia the Bolsheviks organized a
second revolution and seize power they
sign an armistice with Germany but after
the breakdown of negotiations war
resumes Austral German forces put the
Russian army out of action forcing the
country to accept a peace treaty and
recognize the independence of new states
Russia then sees the start of a civil
war with Russia out of the game Germany
concentrates on the Western Front to win
before US troops grow in strength a
large-scale offensive is launched
lasting for months and German troops
push their way through Marne again but a
powerful allied counter-offensive
Force's German troops to retreat in
parallel the Allies launch an offensive
on the Macedonian front which quickly
forces Bulgaria to sign an armistice the
Ottoman Empire finds itself isolated
while Arab British forces reach Damascus
as the French land in Beirut
austria-hungary retreats to the Balkans
and to Italy the Empire is also weakened
by minority separatists who proclaimed
their independence the Ottoman Empire
followed by austria-hungary signed an
armistice with the auntaunt in Germany
sailors refused to fight the Royal Navy
and start a mutiny which turns into a
popular revolt the Kaiser is forced to
abdicate and Germany's new government
requests an armistice which is signed on
November 11 1918
over a period of six months Victor's of
the world meet and Paris to draw up
peace treaties without inviting
Bolshevik Russia who signed a separate
peace treaty with Germany the United
States proposes a peace plan which
includes the creation of the League of
Nations the United Kingdom and
especially France whose northern
territory is devastated want to weaken
Germany and make it pay heavy
reparations June 28 1919 proves to be a
symbolic date because five years after
the assassinations at Sarajevo the peace
treaty is signed between Germany and the
Allies at Versailles in the same room
where the German Empire had been
proclaimed in 1871 the measures imposed
on Germany are severe the country loses
20% of its territory and 10% of its
population mainly to the benefit of
Poland which is recreated and which
obtains access to the sea
Germany is cut in two while the Czar
region returned coal is brought under
international control for 15 years
German colonies are carved up among the
victors the country's army is severely
dismantled finally Germany and its
allies are considered solely responsible
for war damages and must pay all
reparations the treaty is considered a
humiliation by the German people
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austria-hungary is completely dismantled
Czechoslovakia and the kingdom of serbs
croats and slovenes are created Italy
feels aggrieved as it does not obtain
all the territories it was promised
Austria which is entirely
german-speaking is denied the right to
be attached to Germany the Ottoman
Empire is also dismembered during the
treaty of self the UK struggles to keep
its word adding promised land to the
French designers Jews and independence
to the Arabs the Turks refused a treaty
and take up arms again they gained some
territories then sign in Lausanne a
treaty fixing the new borders of Turkey
the First World War or the so-called
Great War was then the deadliest ever
with just under 18 million dead
including 8 million civilians the
weakened population was then hit hard by
the deadly Spanish flu pandemic
economically European powers find
themselves heavily indebted to the
benefit of neutral countries and the
United States which strengthens its
status as a leading economic power
Russia becomes the USSR a country
exhausted by war and frustrated by the
loss of many European territories in
Palestine tensions mount between Arabs
and the Zionist Jews who migrate there
the new European borders disgruntled
many the fact that some German
populations are now living in Poland and
Czechoslovakia would contribute to the
outbreak of the Second World War
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