The Great War.
The War to End All Wars.
The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy.
Explained with countries beating the living hell out of each other.
Click here for WW2: [link]
The War to End All Wars.
The War to Make the World Safe for Democracy.
Explained with countries beating the living hell out of each other.
Click here for WW2: [link]
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I'd have to say that this is a splendid base on which they can build. If you can make history funny and compelling to a kid, you're halfway there. Well done to you.
Russia, which had a historic tie to the Slavic peoples in Serbia, issued a half-mobilization order for it's armed forces. Russia told Austria to cease hostilities with Serbia, and when Germany told Russia to cease mobilizations, Tzar Nicholas actually tried explaining it to his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm, both of them expressing desires to remain at peace. They even signed their telegrams with "Nicky" and "Willy".
Unfortunately, German diplomats had other things in mind, and issued an ultimatum to Russia, stating that if Russia did not cease it's mobilization, Germany would mobilize against Russia. Russia didn't cease mobilization, and turned to France, which it had a treaty with. France, which wanted vengeance for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, agreed wholeheartedly, and mobilized.
Austria sent troops into Serbia, Russia crashed into Germany and Austria, and Germany, wanted to fight a two-front war for as little time as possible, rapidly mobilized against France, choosing to march through Belgium to try to seize Paris as fast as possible. This enraged Great Britain, who had a treaty with Belgium, and Britain deployed it's army, the only professional army in Europe at the time.
The Ottoman Empire joined shortly after solely due to the war-hawkish actions of Enver Pasha, Italy joined the war in late 1915 to seize territory from Austria that it had claim to, Romania joined the war in September of 1916 after the massive Brusilov Summer Offensive shattered the Austro-Hungarian army for the time. The United States however waited until late 1917 after Germany began unrestricted U-Boat warfare for the second time, after Wilson had threatened war.
The United States WAS the reason the war ended when it did, since Britain and France had plans for 1919 offensives. Kaiser Wilhelm only agreed to abdicate because Woodrow Wilson had assured him that he, not the British or French, would be the one leading the peace talks. When Woodrow was given a minor role, THAT was when Germany got screwed over.
Sorry for the huge comment, but I am a Great War historian, so it makes me uncomfortable when the actual sequence of events isn't shown.
That's WWI.
Even the countries blaming Germany for the war was the technically the Treaty of Versailles.
That part cracks me up every time,
when i was looking at this i got angry because old memorys came up to me (my own memorys of course ... i think)
It's a fascinating subject, if a morbid one. I was hooked when I took a lit class about 20th century war. The Regeneration trilogy was especially provokative. And, of course, the works of Wilfred Own and Siegfried Sassoon.
Some people think that WWII wouldn't have happened at all if we, the U.S. had stayed out of WWI. Without our intervention, the Europeans would have had to negotiate for peace. NO complete surrender or years of punitive sanctions. I don't know. I'm not sure things would have worked out that way. Germany and Britain were too proud to give in. For them it was all or nothing. The mentality was a lot like the attitude of the Japanese in WWII. Those same folks believe that the First World War was inevitable. As if it were a perfect storm of factors that had to end up leading to warfare. I don't think any of us can be confident in that conclusion. The previous two centuries were so changeable and unpredictable with rapid innovations and social upheaval, I can imagine that in 1914 anything might have happened, not necessarily open war.
I recommend the Regeneration books, historical fiction, for those who want to understand how the people felt during those times--soldiers, doctors and nurses, women working in dangerous factories to support the war effort. Read those books.
but in the end, it led to the atom bomb being dropped, so, nill i guess.
" There is no justification for war. But there is justification, for science. So chins up, boots down!"
www.facebook.com/Worldwaronepo… <--- My WWI page on FB
My war-history pants say otherwise.