The origins of the Great War lay in the grand designs and out-dated thinking of men exercising too much power, like Kaiser William II and Tsar Nicholas II[I1] [I2][E1][F1] [S1]: out of exaggerated concern for prestige and above all, ignorance of the implications and modern warfare.

The world involved the Central European Powers [E1] [E2] [I1] [F1] [S1] (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy) on one side and the Triple Entente [E1] [E2] [I1] [F1] [S1]Britain and the British Empire, France and Russia and their Allies, including the Usa) on the other. It broke out when the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914. Germany marched through Belgium, a neutral territory, in order to attack France. Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914; the nation was told that it would defend the weak (Belgium) against the strong (Germany) fighting for democracy and freedom. An upsurge of patriotism from Ireland as well as from Dominions enabled Britain to face its ordeal with impressive unity.

The war was a monster which was beyond the control of statesmen or generals and claimed the lives of about nine million men. It caused the ruin of four great empires, made possible a Communist Revolution [E1] [I1][F1][S1] in Russia, which overthrew the old rule of the Emperors, and prepared the way for the rise of dictators like Mussolini and Hitler. Britain, which escaped devastation and political breakdown, never recovered from its economical effects.

The Germans expected a brief conflict; in fact Germany nearly defeated the Allies in the first few weeks of war in 1914, since it had better equipment, better trained soldiers and a clear plan of attack. Apart from the Crimean War [E1] [S1], this was Britain’s first European war since Napoleonic times and the country was unprepared for the destructive artillery, machine guns [E1] [F1] [S1] and tanks, and the use of gas and shells during the attacks. ‘Shell shock’ was the term used by doctors to allude to the shell explosions they blamed for the frequent cases of psychological disorders among soldiers, that is to say various forms of obsession in which the terror, anguish and the immobility of combat led to a variety of physical and emotional symptoms.

The War Poets expressed their anger about the “stupidity” of this war, and depicted the anxieties and the forced immobility and passivity of soldiers in the trenches. At first they joined the army as volunteers, but in 1916 when voluntary enlistment proved insufficient, a Military Service Act [E1] men between the ages of 18 and 41 to enlist. Women replaced men in their civilian jobs with competence and reliability, thus effectively helping to bring about women’s suffrage.

During 1916 large contingents from Canada [E1], Australia [E1], New Zealand [E1], and South Africa reinforced the British Troops, who managed to resist the German attacks in France[E1][F1]; however, the long months of trench warfare the heavy losses suffered at Verdun and at the battle of the Somme contributed to the shaking of public morale and to the spread of discontent over the Prime Minister. In the meantime German attacks on neutral ships caused America to enter war. The United States joined the war on 2nd April 1917, considering it a crusade to make the world “safe for democracy” , a “war to end all wars”[E1] [S1]. The arrival of American troops in France ended the hopes of Germany, which surrendered in November 1918.

The Peace Treaty [I1] [E1][F1] [S1] was signed at Versailles in 1919 by Llyod Geirge, Geirges Clemenceau of France, the American president Woodrow Wilson and Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, who could be described as judges of the defeated nations or as architects of a new era. The victory brought Great Britain a further extension of its colonial possessions – the mandate on German East Africa (Tanganyika)-, but also complex problems owing to the economical slump, unemployment and the unresolved Irish question.

The most ambitious achievement of the four statesmen was the League of Nations [I1] [I2] [E1][F1] [S1], a precursor to the United Nations in its basic aim of securing the peaceful settlement of international disputes and guaranteeing all nations against aggression. The Plan to set up the League of Nations was proposed by President Wilson but the American Senate voted against permanent involvement in European problems and the Usa never joined the League. Germany and Russia were not invited to sign it. The task of making the League work fell entirely to Britain and France. Not unnaturally they failed.

Main events

• 28th June, 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand [I1] [E1][F1] [S1]
• 23rd July, 1914 Austra-Hungary demands Serbia arrest the leaders of the Black Hand
• 24th July, 1914 Serbia appeals to Russia for help and refuses to hand over leaders of the Black Hand group
• 28th July, 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
• 1st August, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia
• 3rd August, 1914 Germany declares war on France
• 4th August, 1914 German troops enter Belgium
• 4th August, 1914 Great Britain declares war on Germany [E1][I1][F1] [S1]
• 12th August, 1914 Austro-Hungarian troops invade Serbia
• 14th August, 1914 French troops enter Lorraine
• 22nd August, 1914 British Expeditionary Force arrives in France [E1][I1][F1] [S1]
• 23rd August, 1914 Battle of Mons begins
• 6th September, 1914 Battle of the Marne” [E1] begins
• 13th September, 1914 French troops attack German Army at the River Aisne
• 16th October, 1914 Canadian troops arrive in Britain
• 29th October, 1914 Turkey joins Central Powers
• 25th December, 1914 Christmas Truce [E1]on the Western Front
• 18th March, 1915 Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles
• 18th March, 1915 German gas attack at Ypres
• 7th May, 1915 Sinking of the Lusitania
• 23rd May, 1915 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
• 31st May, 1915 First Zeppelin raid on London
• 2nd February, 1916 Britain introduces conscription
• 21st February, 1916 German Verdun [E1] [I1] [F1] [S1] Offensive. Allies counter them on the river Somme.[E1] [E2]Tanks[E1][I1] [S1]first used.
• 6th April, 1917 United States declares war on Germany[E1][I1][F1][S1]
• 17th July, 1917 King George V changes name to Windsor
• 24th October, 1917 Italian Caporetto Offensive
• 15th July, 1918 2nd Battle of the Marne, German retreat
• 23rd October, 1918 Italian Vittorio Veneto Offensive
• 9th November, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicates
• 11th November, 1918 Armistice
• 12th January, 1919 Paris Peace Conference [I1] [E1][F1] [S1]
• 28th June, 1919 Treaty of Versailles signed