World War I: Phases, Key Battles, and Outcomes
Classified in History
Written at on English with a size of 4.72 KB.
World War I: A Phased Analysis
First Phase: War of Movement (1914)
The Germans implemented the Schlieffen Plan, which involved invading France through neutral Belgium. Before war was declared between France and Germany, the Germans occupied Luxembourg and invaded Belgium. This plan failed because the Germans had not anticipated Great Britain's entry into the war and Belgian resistance. On the Western Front, the rapid German advance forced the French to retreat to the vicinity of the Marne River. France launched a counteroffensive, initiating the Battle of the Marne. The French surprised the Germans, forcing them to withdraw. This battle marked an unexpected victory for the French army and led to a unique and unusual form of warfare: the war of attrition or trenches. A long line of trenches stretched from Switzerland to the English Channel, establishing static fronts until 1918. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army invaded Prussia. The Germans, after receiving reinforcements from the Western Front, defeated the Russians at Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. In the Balkans, the Austrians were defeated by the Russians and lost Serbia. Japan entered the war on the side of the Entente, aiming to seize German colonies in the Pacific. However, Australian and New Zealand forces preempted them in the occupation. German Samoa and New Guinea fell to Japan.
Second Phase: Trench Warfare (1915-1916)
German troops entrenched themselves on the Western Front, maintaining their positions and concentrating their war effort on the Russian front. Their objective was to defeat the Russians, forcing the French and British to seek an armistice. The war of attrition was a new concept of war that forced soldiers to endure months and years without significant progress. The war stabilized, and there was no end in sight. The Germans targeted Verdun as the weakest point of the French front, while the French General Staff concentrated their offensive on the Somme. For 20 days, the Germans bombarded French positions, resulting in a great loss of human lives. The use of lethal gas, flamethrowers, grenades, and tanks increased the death toll. On the Eastern Front, the Germans defeated the Russian army at the Battle of Augustow. The offensive continued until reaching Warsaw, Poland, but was halted by a Russian victory.
Third Phase: Stagnation and Crisis (1917)
The duration of the war led to protests and discontent throughout society. In Great Britain, the Labour Party left the government due to opposition to the policy of replacing young mobilized soldiers with women. In France, trench warfare had depleted the morale of the troops. In Germany, civil institutions began examining the need to reach a negotiated peace. A confrontation arose between German Chancellor Hollweg and Generals von Hindenburg and Ludendorff. Austria-Hungary was in a severe crisis. The Austrian army struggled on three fronts, and its troops were exhausted. The Slavic Hungarians and Czechs began to raise nationalist claims. In Russia, discontent among the troops and the population grew due to military defeats and lack of supplies, leading to the most significant event of this period: the Russian Revolution. The Germans redeployed soldiers from the Eastern Front to strengthen the Western Front, but a new event disrupted the German advantage: the United States entered the war.
U.S. banks covered the financial needs of the Allies. Supplies were shipped by sea, but German submarines destroyed ships to prevent Great Britain and France from being resupplied. The U.S. issued an ultimatum to Germany to stop submarine warfare, but it resumed in late 1917. Pope Benedict XV presented a peace proposal to the countries, but it had no effect.
Fourth Phase: The Final Outcome (1918)
The entry of the U.S. into the war, the withdrawal of Russia, and the increased resources tilted the balance toward the Allied side. General Ludendorff launched a major offensive on the Western Front. The Germans began the offensive on the Marne, resulting in the Second Battle of the Marne. With the arrival of amassed U.S. troops and the use of Renault tanks, the Allies stopped the German attack and launched a counteroffensive. The U.S. demanded the surrender of Germany and the negotiation of peace with "representatives of the German people." Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the German imperial throne and took refuge in Holland. Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg requested an armistice.