HIST 410N Week 1 Discussion--The First Total War

Week 1 Discussion: The First Total War Initial Post Instructions World War I is different from most other wars in that it was not a direct result of aggression by one entity towards another, notwithstanding the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian elements. Instead, it was the consequence of a number of forces amidst a disruption of the tenuous balance of power in Europe. For the initial post, select and address one of the following: • Option 1: Identify two forces that lead to WWI. Examine how they contributed to the outbreak of war. • Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles. o What was the main strategy? What were they trying to accomplish? o How did leaders influence and mobilize troops? o What were the main consequences of the result? Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles. World War I, also known as the Great War, brought about turmoil, conflict, and international unrest in its wake (Duiker, 2015). I chose the battle of Verdun, which lasted from February 21st up until December 15 in the year 1916. The main strategy was for Germany to defeat the French on the Western Front to diminish the Allies strength before it grew to be too big prior to deployment of British forces (Wakefield, 2018). To accomplish this, German forces under their leader Erich von Falkenhayn tried to seize the forts surrounding Verdun (and in the end, wanted to take Verdun from the French). Near the middle of this battle, the battle at the Somme was also occurring, which reduced the German offense at Verdun to compensate forces (Wakefield, 2018). With this change in status, France's military leader General Robert Nivelle seized the chance and attacked, and by the end of the battle, the Germans had lost. It is known to this day as one of the most atrocious battles in history, and by the end of March of 1916, there were 89,000 French men dead, and 81, 607 Germans dead (Horne, 2016). By the end of the war, approximately 350,000 men died on each side of the battle. References: 1. Duiker, W. J. (2015). Contemporary wo