The First World War was a global war that was centered about Europe from 1914-1919. The war was a senseless slaughter of over nine million combative and civilian deaths that no nation benefited from. Rather than the war being fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, the instigators of the entire war, their allies took command of the war and caused it to escalate into global catastrophic destruction between some of earth's most prominent superpowers.Many different tensions plagued Europe even before any sort of trigger event occurred. Europe was already cautious of Germany once its Kaiser, Friedrich Wilhelm II, increased the size of his nation's army. He had a fascination with the Brit ...view middle of the document...
Both Germany, being an ally to Austria, and Russia, being and ally to Serbia, promptly joined the war. Germany had then quickly declared war on Russia and its ally France. In the meantime, Great Britain was debating on lending assistance to its ally, France. Once Germany brutally invaded Belgium, Britain quickly took action and declared war on Germany. It would be the first time in almost one hundred years since all the major super powers fought against each other which had not happened since Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. At that time several nations; England, France, Germany, Prussia, and Russia; had partaken in battle against one another. However, this time was different. Europe was now divided into two main separate powers, the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.Europe since pre-Roman times has been marked by conflict. Warring tribes often did battle in small skirmishes and hand-to-hand combat. But as the civilizations grew and technology improved the battles became larger and much more intense. With the Industrial revolution, warfare would change forever. This can be best seen during World War I as many new and horrible inventions were brought into existence. Weapons such as machine guns had not been explored before, yet were now used in trench warfare and mounted on speeding planes. The invention of the machine gun also allowed many civilians to fight and protect themselves, becoming capable of killing many enemy soldiers. Industrialization of the warring countries meant a better railroad system. In turn, this meant that moving the supplies of war to the front line could be done relatively easily. Zeppelins, submarines, and tanks were also added to the mix. Germany used zeppelins to bomb England and U-boats to block and sink supply ships. A final difference from this war from any other was the use of science. It was during this time when science was looked upon to help break the stalemate of the war. This can be seen in the use of toxic gas. The Germans looked for ways to gain the advantage, and their scientists developed a way to spread Chlorine and mustard gas over the unprepared allies.When war did break out in June, 1914, the belligerents had a high enthusiasm toward the war. Men lined up at recruiting offices and volunteered to fight. The past couple of wars had only lasted a few months at the most. Poetry written during the beginning of the war possesses a romantic flavor and writers compared the duty of serving in the army as the right thing to do and that dying for your country is the best possible way to die. Because of this sense of honor and pride, soldiers thought war was a noble thing to do and they were excited to fight on the battlefield. However the disillusionment of these millions upon millions of young men are slammed to a stop as the glory they fight for comes not, but are instead greeted by great death and destruction. As the days passed by the bodycount began...
