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The outbreak of world war 1
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
The document covers the outbreak of war and the events that trailed afterward.
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The Outbreak of War
Americans have appeared at the frontline in many wars since the states united to form a
single nation. To ensure the freedom of its people and liberate those under oppression, the
country surrendered its braves with the aim of protecting its sovereignty (Nye et al 2014). As a
result, battle lines were drawn, and a lot of blood spilled on foreign grounds and US soil. World
War I, in particular, occurred in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean in 1914-1918 followed by World
War II which happened 1939-1945 within parts of North Africa, Australia and Europe (King &
Jere 2016). The war took place due to a variety of reasons ranging from the need to regain their
independence from colonialism to the growth and expansion of national boundaries.
World War I began in 1914 with the rivalry being between the Entente (allied powers)
which constituted of the British Empire, Japan Empire, US, Russia, Italy and the central powers
including the German, Ottoman, and Austrian Hungarian Empire, and the Bulgarian Kingdom. In
1918, the allied powers triumphed leading to the formation of new nations. According to surveys
conducted during the wars, the analysis of World War I, proves that 102,800,000 people took
part in the war and 4, 743,800 service members. The ratio stood at 4.6% with the toll of
casualties at 116,708 soldiers’ dead and 204,002 wounded. The financial cost spent during the
war was $196.5 billion (King & Jere 2016).
The war was because of a conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, which spread
rapidly, and within no time France, Russia, Britain, and Germany joined the fight. Among
, significant factors, forcing them to join was the existence of signed treaties to defend certain
nations in cases of an attack (Thomas, 2017). The fronts opened up quickly along Austria-
Hungary and Germany. As stated by Arthur Von Bolfras an Australian general, “If war was once
a chivalrous duel, it is now a dastardly slaughter” (World War one quotes, 2014).
The first month consisted of troop movements and attacks from the Eastern and Western
fronts. Germany made the first move by attacking France and Belgium from the west whereas, in
the Eastern part of Russia, Russia made rapid attacks on Germany and Austria Hungary, which
was still at war with Serbia in the south (Strachan & Hew, 2014). After the occurrence of the
Battle of Marne, the war took a significant redirection, the Western front was entrenched within
France and remained in the same state until the end of the war.
In late 1914, the Ottoman Empire also joined the war. Germany plotted plans tricking
Russia to believe that Turkey had attacked it. The trick by Germany on Turkey made significant
changes to the war, resulting in allied attacks on the empire within the Mediterranean. Great
Britain and France joined and launched attacks and the Dardanelles followed by the invasion of
Britain on the Gallipoli Peninsula (Strachan & Hew, 2014). Additionally, Britain also launched a
campaign towards Turkey in Mesopotamia (Thomas, 2017). Even though Great Britain achieved
many successes within Mesopotamia, their attacks and campaigns on Dardanelles ended up
resulting in defeats.
When viewed from a historical point of view, World War I had a lot of significance
making it a matter of utmost importance. The war altered the overall European map leading to
the fall of major empires including the Russian, Turkish and German. The death of the states led
to the rise of other countries such as Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and others. The war also gave
rise to the spread of nationalism and democracy within the society, which are vital aspects within
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