Three stages of the First World War. Background and initial stage of the First World War

WORLD WAR I
(July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918), the first military conflict of a global scale, which was involved in 38 of those existing 59 independent states. About 73.5 million people were mobilized; Of them killed and died from RAS 9.5 million, more than 20 million wounded, 3.5 million remained cripples.
Main reasons. The search for the cause of the war leads to 1871, when the process of the combination of Germany and hegemony Prussia was enshrined in the German Empire. When Chancellor O.Fon Bismarck, who sought to revive the system of unions, the foreign policy of the German government was determined by the desire to achieve the dominant position of Germany in Europe. To deprive France the opportunity to take revenge on defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck tried to tie Russia and Austria-Hungary with Germany secret agreements (1873). However, Russia spoke in support of France, and the Union of Three Emperors collapsed. In 1882, Bismarck strengthened the position of Germany by creating a three-way union, in which Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany united. By 1890, Germany reached the first roles in European diplomacy. France came out of diplomatic isolation and in 1891-1893. Taking advantage of the cooling of relations between Russia and Germany, as well as the need of Russia in new capital, it concluded a military convention with Russia and the Union agreement with Russia. The Russian-French Union was to serve as a counterweight to the Tripal Union. The UK has so far standing away from rivalry on the continent, however, the pressure of political and economic circumstances over time made it make his choice. The British could not disturb the nationalist sentiment reigned in Germany, its aggressive colonial politics, rapid industrial expansion and, mainly, extension of the power of the navy. A series of rapid diplomatic maneuvers led to the elimination of differences in the positions of France and Great Britain and the conclusion in 1904 so-called. "Heart consent" (Entende Cordiale). Obstacles on the way to English-Russian cooperation were overcome, and in 1907 an English-Russian agreement was concluded. Russia has become a member of the Entente. The United Kingdom, France and Russia have formed a tripal consent (Triple Entegente) in contrast to the three-way union. Thus, the section of Europe for two armed camps took shape. One of the causes of the war was the widespread strengthening of nationalist sentiment. Formulating your interests, the ruling circles of each of the European countries sought to present them as folk aspirations. France has ended the return plans of the lost territories of Alsace and Lorraine. Italy, even being in Union with Austria-Hungary, dreamed of returning their lands Trentino, Trieste and Fiume. The Poles saw the possibility of recreating the state destroyed by sections 18 V. Many peoples who inhabited Austria-Hungary sought to national independence. Russia was convinced that he would not be able to develop without limiting German competition, the protection of the Slavs from Austria-Hungary and expand the influence in the Balkans. In Berlin, the future was associated with the defeat of France and Great Britain and the association of Central Europe under the leadership of Germany. In London, they believed that the people of Great Britain would live calmly, only crushing the chief enemy - Germany. The intensity in international relations was strengthened by a number of diplomatic crises - a French-german clash in Morocco in 1905-1906; Annexia Austrians Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908-1909; Finally, Balkan wars 1912-1913. The United Kingdom and France supported the interests of Italy in North Africa and thus weakened her commitment to the tripled union that Germany could have almost no longer count on Italy as an ally in the future war.
July crisis and the beginning of the war. After the Balkan wars against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, active nationalist propaganda was launched. A group of Serbs, members of the conspiracy organization "Young Bosnia", decided to kill the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungary of Ertzgertzog Franz Ferdinand. The opportunity for this was introduced when he went to Bosnia to the teachings of Austria-Hungarian troops together with his wife. Franz Ferdinand was killed in the city of Sarajevo by gymnasium Gavrilo on June 28, 1914. Interaction to start a war against Serbia, Austria-Hungary enjoyed the support of Germany. The latter believed that the war would take a local character if Russia would not defend Serbia. But if she has assistance to Serbia, then Germany will be ready to fulfill its contractual obligations and support Austria-Hungary. In an ultimatum, submitted to Serbia on July 23, Austria-Hungary demanded that their military formations were allowed to prevent their military formations into the territory in order to prevent hostile promotions together with the Serbian forces. The response to the ultimatum was given a stipulated 48-hour period, but he did not satisfy Austro-Hungary, and on July 28, she declared Serbian War. S.D. Zazonov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, opened openly against Austria-Hungary, receiving assurances in support from the French President R. Puancar. July 30, Russia announced universal mobilization; Germany used this reason to declare the war of Russia on August 1, and on August 3 - France. The position of Great Britain continued to remain uncertain due to its contractual obligations to protect Belgium neutrality. In 1839, and then during the French-Prussian war, the United Kingdom, Prussia and France provided this country collective guarantees of neutrality. After the invasion of the Germans on August 4, the United Kingdom declared war in Germany. Now all the great powers of Europe were drawn into war. Together with them, their dominions and colonies were involved in the war. War can be divided into three periods. During the first period (1914-1916), the central powers achieved a handle of forces on land, and the Allies dominated the sea. The position seemed to the Pate. This period was completed by negotiations on the mutually acceptable world, but each of the parties was still hoping for a victory. In the next period (1917), two events occurred, which led to the imbalance of forces: the first - the entry into the War of the United States on the side of the Entente, the second is the revolution in Russia and its exit from the war. The third period (1918) began the last major onset of central powers in the West. For the failure of this offensive, the revolution was followed in Austria-Hungary and Germany and the capitulation of the central powers.
First period. Union forces first included Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, Montenegro and Belgium and possessed an overwhelming superiority to the sea. The Entente has 316 cruisers, and the Germans and the Austrians had 62. But the latter found a powerful tool of opposition - submarines. By the beginning of the war, the army of the central powers consisted of 6.1 million people; The Army of Antanka is 10.1 million people. The central powers possessed the advantage in internal communications, which allowed them to quickly transfer troops and equipment from one front to another. In the long term of the country, the Entente has superior resources of raw materials and food, especially since the British fleet paralyzed the communications of Germany with overseas countries, from where copper and nickel came to the war to the German enterprises. Thus, in the case of a protracted war, Anntan could count on victory. Germany, knowing this, made a bet on a lightning war - "Blitzkrieg". The Germans put into effect the plan of Schliffene, assumed to ensure the onset of large forces to France through Belgium quick success in the West. After the defeat of France, Germany counted together with Austria-Hungary, having transferred the liberated troops, apply a decisive blow to the East. But this plan was not implemented. One of the main reasons for his failure was the dispatch of a part of the German divisions in Lorraine in order to block the opponent's invasion of southern Germany. On the night of August 4, the Germans invaded the territory of Belgium. They needed several days to break the resistance of the defenders of the fortified regions of Namury and Liege, overlapping the path to Brussels, but thanks to this delay, the British were crushed by almost 90,000 expedition corps through La Mans to France (August 9-17). The French won the time to form 5 armies who kept the offensive of the Germans. Nevertheless, on August 20, the German army occupied Brussels, then forced the British to leave Mons (August 23), and on September 3, the army of General A.Fon Club turned out to be 40 km from Paris. Continuing the offensive, the Germans forced the Marna River and September 5 stopped along the Paris line - Verden. The commander of the French forces General Zh.zhoffre, forming two new armies from reserves, decided to transition to counter-project. The first battle on Marne began 5 and ended on September 12. It participated in 6 English-French and 5 German armies. The Germans were defeated. One of the reasons for their defeat was the lack of several divisions on the right flank, which had to transfer to the Eastern Front. The French attack on a weakened right flank made the inevitable waste of German armies to the north, on the line of the Ena River. Failing for the Germans were the battles in Flanders on the Rivers of Israes and IPR on October 15 - November 20. As a result, the main ports on La Manne remained in the hands of the allies, which provided a message between France and England. Paris was saved, and Entente countries received time to mobilize resources. The war in the West took a positional nature, the calculation of Germany in the defeat and the conclusion of France from the war was insolvent. The confrontation went through the line stretching south of Newport and Ipra in Belgium, to the Compière and Susson, then east around Verpena and south to the performance near Saint-Miyel, and then southeast - to the Swiss border. Along this line of trenches and wire barriers with a length of approx. 970 km four years have been a troops war. Until March 1918 any, even minor changes in the front line were achieved by the price of huge losses on both sides. There were hopes that the Russians will be able to crush the army of the central powers on the Eastern Front. On August 17, the Russian troops joined Eastern Prussia and began to close the Germans to Königsberg. The German generals of Hindenburg and Ludendorf were entrusted to the counteroffensiveness. Taking advantage of the mistakes of the Russian command, the Germans managed to drive "Wedge" between the two Russian armies, defeat them on August 26-30 near Tannenberg and displace from East Prussia. Austria-Hungary was not so successful, refusing the intention to quickly defeat Serbia and focusing the major forces between the Vistula and Dniester. But the Russians began an offensive in the southern direction, broke through the defense of the Austro-Hungarian troops and, captured several thousand people, took the Austrian province of Galicia and part of Poland. The promotion of Russian troops created a threat to Silesia and Poznan - an important industrial area for Germany. Germany was forced to transfer additional forces from France. But the sharp lack of ammunition and food stopped the promotion of Russian troops. The offensive was worthwhile in Russia of enormous victims, but undermined the power of Austria-Hungary and forced Germany to keep significant forces on the Eastern Front. Back in August 1914, Japan declared war in Germany. In October 1914, Turkey joined the side of the central powered unit. With the beginning of war, Italy, a member of the Triple Union, announced its neutrality on the grounds that neither Germany nor Austro-Hungary was attacked. But on the secret London negotiations in March-May 1915, the countries of Antanka promised to satisfy territorial claims of Italy during the post-war peaceful settlement if Italy appears on their side. On May 23, 1915, Italy declared War of Austria-Hungary, and on August 28, 1916 - Germany. On the Western Front, the British suffered a defeat in the second battle under Iprom. Here during the fighting continued during the month (April 22 - 25, 1915), a chemical weapon was used for the first time. After that, the poisoning gases (chlorine, phosgene, and later the IPRIT) began to apply both warring parties. The lesion was completed and the large-scale Dardalandell airborne operation - a maritime expedition, which was equipped with the Entente countries in early 1915 in order to take Constantinople, open the Sprildren of Dardanelles and Bosphorus to communicate with Russia through the Black Sea, to bring Turkey from the war and attract the Balkan states to the side of the Allies. On the Eastern Front, by the end of 1915, the German and Austro-Hungarian troops crowded the Russians from almost all of the Galicia and with most of the territory of Russian Poland. But forced Russia to the separate world and failed. In October 1915, Bulgaria declared War of Serbia, after which the central powers together with the new Balkan ally crossed the boundaries of Serbia, Montenegro and Albania. Capturing Romania and sticking the Balkan flank, they turned against Italy.

War on the sea. The control of the sea gave the opportunity to the British freely move the troops and technique from all parts of its empire to France. They kept open maritime communications for US shopping ships. The German colonies were captured, and the trade of Germans through the naval routes was stopped. In general, the German fleet - except underwater - was blocked in its ports. Only from time to time, small flotillas went out to strike at British seaside cities and attacks on allied trade vessels. For the whole war, only one large sea battle occurred - when the German fleet came out to the North Sea and unexpectedly met with British near the Danish coast of Jutland. Yutland battle on May 31 - June 1, 1916 led to heavy losses on both sides: the British lost 14 ships, approx. 6,800 people killed, prisoners and wounded; The Germans who considered themselves winners - 11 ships and approx. 3100 people killed and wounded. Nevertheless, the British forced the German fleet to move to Kil, where it was actually blocked. The German fleet in the open sea no longer appeared, and the Lady of the Seas remained the United Kingdom. Having made a dominant position on the sea, the allies gradually cut off the central powers from overseas sources of raw materials and food. According to international law, neutral countries, such as the United States, could sell goods that were not considered "military smuggling", other neutral countries - the Netherlands or Denmark, where these goods could be delivered to Germany. However, the warring countries usually did not associate themselves to comply with the norms of international law, and the United Kingdom expanded so much a list of cargoes, considered smuggling, which actually missed anything through their barns in the North Sea. The sea blockade forced Germany to resort to decisive measures. A submarine fleet remained the only effectful to the sea, capable of freeingly bypassing surface brands and heat the trading ships of neutral countries that have supplied allies. The crossroads of the Entente countries to blame the Germans in violation of an international law, which obliges to save teams and passengers of torpedoable ships. On February 18, 1915, the German government declared water around the British islands by the military zone and warned about the danger of entering the vessels of neutral countries. On May 7, 1915, the German submarine torpedoed and sank the ocean steamer "Lusitania" with hundreds of passengers on board, including 115 US citizens. President V.Vilson made a protest, the United States and Germany exchanged sharp diplomatic notes.
Verden and Somme. Germany was ready to go for some concessions to the sea and look for an exit from a dead end in actions on land. In April 1916, the British troops have already suffered a serious defeat with Kut El-Amara in Mesopotamia, where 13,000 people surrendered to the Turks. On the continent, Germany was preparing for a large-scale offensive operation on the Western Front, which was supposed to reverse the course of the war and force France to ask about the world. The key point of the French defense was the old fortress Verden. After unprecedented by the power of the artillery shelling of 12 German divisions on February 21, 1916 transferred to the offensive. The Germans slowly moved until the beginning of July, but did not achieve the targets. The Merden "meat grinder" clearly did not justify the calculations of the German command. Of great importance in the period of spring and summer, 1916 had operations on the eastern and south-western fronts. In March, the Russian troops at the request of the Allians conducted an operation at the lake Naroch, which significantly affected the course of hostilities in France. The German command was forced for some time to stop the attacks on Verden and, holding 0.5 million people on the eastern front, to transfer further part of the reserves on the East Front. At the end of May 1916, the Russian Supreme Command began an offensive on the southwestern front. During the hostilities under the command of A.A. Brusylov, a breakthrough of the Austro-German troops to a depth of 80-120 km was carried out. Brusilov's troops occupied part of Galicia and Bukovina, entered the Carpathians. For the first time in the entire preceding period of the position war, the front was broken. If this offensive was supported by other fronts, it would be over the catastrophe for the central powers. To weaken the pressure on Verden, on July 1, 1916 the Allies caused conrtudar on the Somme River near Bapp. For four months - until November - the incessant attacks were conducted. English-French troops, losing ok. 800 thousand people, and could not break through the German front. Finally, in December, the German command decided to stop the offensive, which was worth the life of 300,000 German soldiers. The 1916 campaign took more than 1 million lives, but did not bring tangible results to any of the parties.
Basics for peace negotiations. At the beginning of the 20th century Fully changed ways of conducting hostilities. The length of the fronts was much increased, the army fought at the fortified borders and drove attacks from the trenches, machine guns and artillery began to play a huge role in offensive battles. New types of weapons were applied: tanks, fighters and bombers, submarines, suffocating gases, hand grenades. Each tenth resident of the warring country was mobilized, and 10% of the population was engaged in supplying the army. In the warring countries for ordinary civil life, there was almost no place for: everything was subordinate to the titanic efforts aimed at maintaining the military machine. The total cost of war, including property losses, according to various estimates, was from $ 208 to $ 359 billion. By the end of 1916, both sides were tired of the war, and it seemed that the right moment had come to start peace negotiations.
Second period.
On December 12, 1916, the central powers appealed to the United States with a request to transfer a note allies with a proposal for the beginning of peace negotiations. Antena rejected this proposal, suspecting that it was done to ruin the coalition. In addition, she did not want to talk about the world that would not provide for the payment of reparations and recognition of the rights of nations on self-determination. President Wilson decided to initiate peace negotiations and on December 18, 1916 turned to warring countries with a request to identify mutually acceptable conditions of the world. Germany December 12, 1916 offered to convene a peace conference. The civil authorities of Germany clearly sought to the world, but they were opposed by the general, especially General Ludendorf, who was confident in victory. Allies concretized their conditions: Restoration of Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro; the conclusion of troops from France, Russia and Romania; reparations; Return of France Alsace and Lorraine; Liberation of subject peoples, including Italians Polyakov, Chekhov, elimination of the Turkish presence in Europe. The allies did not trust German and therefore did not seriously perceive the idea of \u200b\u200bpeace negotiations. Germany intended to take part in December 1916 in a peace conference, relying on the benefits of his military situation. The case ended with the fact that the Allies signed secret agreements designed to defeat the central powers. According to these agreements, the United Kingdom claimed German colonies and part of Persia; France was supposed to receive Alsace and Lorraine, as well as establish control on the left bank of the Rhine; Russia acquired Constantinople; Italy - Trieste, Austrian Tirol, most of Albania; Turkey's possessions were subject to section between all allies.
Entry into US War. At the beginning of the war, public opinion in the United States was divided: some openly performed on the side of the Allies; Others - like, for example, the Americans of Irish origin, tuned hostile towards England, and Americans of German origin - supported Germany. Over time, government officials and ordinary citizens are increasingly inclined to the side of the Entente. Several factors contributed to this, and above all the propaganda of the countries of the Entente and the underwater war of Germany. President Wilson January 22, 1917 outlined the conditions of the world in the Senate for the USA. The main thing from them was reduced to the requirement of the "world without victory", i.e. without annects and contributions; Others included the principles of peoples' equality, the right of nations for self-determination and representation, freedom of seas and trade, reduction of arms, refusal to the system of rival alliances. If you conclude a world based on these principles, Vilson argued, then you can create a global organization of states guaranteeing security for all peoples. January 31, 1917 The German government announced the resumption of an unlimited underwater war in order to violate the communications of the enemy. Submarines blocked the entertaina lines and put allies in the extremely difficult position. Among Americans raised hostility to Germany, since Europe's blockade from the West foreshadowed troubles and for the United States. In the event of victory, Germany could establish control over the Atlantic Ocean. Along with the marked circumstances to the war on the side of the US allies, other motives were pushing. The economic interests of the United States were directly related to the Entente countries, since military orders led to the rapid growth of the American industry. In 1916, the warrant spirit spurred plans for the development of combat training programs. The antigherman moods of North American have increased even more after the publication on March 1, 1917 of the Cimmerman secret deposit of January 16, 1917, intercepted by British exploration and transferred to Wilson. German Foreign Minister A.Simmerman offered Mexico to the states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, if she supports the action of Germany in response to the US joining the War on the Entente side. By the beginning of April, anti-grand moods in the United States reached such a heat that Congress April 6, 1917 voted for the announcement of the war of Germany.
The exit of Russia from the war. In February 1917, a revolution occurred in Russia. Tsar Nicholas II was forced to renounce the throne. The Provisional Government (March - November 1917) could no longer lead active hostilities at the fronts, since the population is extremely tired of the war. On December 15, 1917, the Bolsheviks, which took power in November 1917, the price of enormous concessions signed a traffic agreement with central powers. Three months, March 3, 1918, a Brest-Lithuanian peace treaty was concluded. Russia refused his rights to Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, part of Belarus, Latvia, Transcaucasia and Finland. Ardagan, Kars and Batum moved to Turkey; Huge concessions were made by Germany and Austria. In total, Russia lost ok. 1 million square meters km. It was also obliged to pay Germany in the amount of 6 billion grades.
Third period.
The Germans had enough grounds for optimism. The German leadership used the weakening of Russia, and then the way out of the war to replenish resources. Now it could transfer the eastern army to the West and focus the troops at the main directions of the offensive. Allies, not knowing where the blow will follow, were forced to strengthen their positions throughout the front. American care delayed. In France and the UK, the affected mood increased with threatening force. October 24, 1917 Austro-Hungarian troops broke through the Italian front under Kaorpetto and defeated the Italian army.
German offensive 1918. Misty in the morning March 21, 1918 Germans caused a massive blow to the English positions near Saint Cantna. The British were forced to retreat almost to Amiena, and his loss threatened to break the united English-French front. The fate of Kale and Buloni hung in the balance. On May 27, the Germans launched a powerful offensive against the French in the south, throwing them to Chateau-Tierry. The situation was repeated 1914: the Germans came out to the Marne River just 60 km from Paris. However, the offensive was worth the Germany of large losses - both human and material. German troops were exhausted, the system of their supply is loosened. Allies managed to neutralize German submarines, creating a convoy and anti-submarine protection system. At the same time, the blockade of the central powers was carried out so effectively that the lack of food began to be felt in Austria and Germany. Soon the long-awaited American help began to arrive in France. Ports from Bordeaux to Brest were filled with American troops. By the beginning of the summer, 1918 about 1 million American soldiers landed in France. On July 15, 1918, the Germans took the last attempt of a breakthrough at Chateau Tierry. The second decisive battle on Marne unfolded. In the case of a breakthrough, the French would have to leave Reims, which, in turn, could lead to the allied retreat all over the front. In the first hours of the offensive, German troops moved forward, but not so quickly as expected.
The last offensive of the allies. July 18, 1918 the counterattack of American and French troops began with the aim of weakening the pressure on Chateau-Thierry. At first they were moving hard, but on August 2, Susson took. In the battle near Amiens on August 8, the German troops suffered severe defeat, and this undermined their moral state. Earlier, German Chancellor Prince von Gertling believed that by September the Allies would ask the world. "We hoped to take Paris by the end of July," he remembered. "So we thought fifteenth of July. And even the most important optimists among us realized that everything was lost." Some military convinced Kaiser Wilhelm II that the war was lost, but Ludendorf refused to recognize defeat. The offensive of the allies began on other fronts. On June 20-26, the Austro-Hungarian troops were discarded behind the Pialation River, their losses amounted to 150 thousand people. Ethnic unrest flareshed in Austro-Hungary - not without the influence of allies who encouraged the desertion of Polyakov, Chekhov and South Slavs. The central powers collected the remains of the forces to keep the expected invasion of Hungary. The path to Germany was opened. An important factors of the occurrence of steel tanks and massive artillery shelling. In early August 1918 attacks on key German positions increased. In his memoirs, Ludendorf called August 8 - the beginning of the battle under the amieth - "black day for the German army." The German front was broken: entire divisions surrendered almost without a fight. By the end of September, even Ludendorf was ready for surrender. After the September Antena's offensive in the Solonik Front on September 29, Bulgaria signed a truce. In a month, Turkey capitulated, and on November 3 - Austria-Hungary. For negotiations on the world in Germany, a moderate government was formed led by Prince Max Badensky, who, on October 5, 1918, offered President Wilson to start the negotiation process. On the last week of October, the Italian army undertook a general offensive against Austria-Hungary. By October 30, the resistance of the Austrian troops was broken. The cavalry and armored vehicles of the Italians made a raid in the enemy rear and captured the Austrian headquarters in Vittorio-Veneto, the city, giving the name all the battle. On October 27, Emperor Karl I came up with a traffic conversion, and on October 29, 1918 agreed to the conclusion of peace on any conditions.
Revolution in Germany. On October 29, Kaiser secretly left Berlin and went to the General Headquarters, feeling safe only under the protection of the army. On the same day, in the port of Kiel, the team of two warships came out of obedience and refused to go into the sea for a combat task. By November 4, Kiel passed under the control of the rebel seafarers. 40,000 armed people intended to establish in Northern Germany the advice of soldiers and sailor deputies on the Russian sample. By November 6, the rebels took power in Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen. Meanwhile, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Allies General Foca said that he was ready to accept representatives of the German government and discuss the air conditioning conditions with them. Kaizer reported that the army he no longer obeys. On November 9, he renounced the throne, the republic was proclaimed. The next day, the emperor of Germany fled to the Netherlands, where he lived in exile until his death (mind 1941). November 11 at the Retund station in the Compi Wood (France), the German delegation signed a compiece truce. The Germans were prescribed for two weeks to release the occupied territories, including Alsace and Lorraine, the left bank of the Rhine and the prevalence of fortifications in Mainz, Koblenz and Cologne; Install on the right bank of the Rhine neutral zone; transfer to the allies of 5,000 heavy and field weapons, 25,000 machine guns, 1,700 aircraft, 5,000 locomotives, 150,000 railway cars, 5000 cars; Immediately free all prisoners. Naval forces were supposed to pass all the submarines and almost the entire surface fleet and return all allies trading courts captured by Germany. The political provisions of the Contract envisaged the denunciation of Brest-Lithuanian and Bucharest civilian contracts; Financial - the payment of reparations for the destruction and return of values. The Germans tried to conclude a truce based on the "fourteenth points" Wilson, who, as they believed, can serve as the preliminary basis of the "world without victory." The conditions of the truce required a practically unconditional surrender. Allies dictated their conditions for teased Germany.
Conclusion of the world. A peaceful conference took place in 1919 in Paris; During the sessions, agreements on five peace treaties were determined. After its completion, it was signed: 1) Versailles peace treaty with Germany on June 28, 1919; 2) Saint-Germene Peace Treaty with Austria on September 10, 1919; 3) Neiskal peace treaty with Bulgaria on November 27, 1919; 4) Trianon Mirny Treaty with Hungary on June 4, 1920; 5) Sevrian peace treaty with Turkey on August 20, 1920. Subsequently, in the Lausanne Treaty on July 24, 1923, changes were made to the Sevra Agreement. At the peace conference in Paris 32 states were presented. Each delegation had its own headquarters of specialists who provided information on the geographical, historical and economic situation of those countries for which decisions were made. After Orlando came out of the inner council, not satisfied with the problem of territories on the Adriatic, the main architect of the post-war world became "Big Troika" - Wilson, Clemence and Lloyd George. Wilson made a compromise on several important items to achieve the main goal - the creation of the League of Nations. He agreed with disarmament only the central powers, although he initially insisted on a universal disarmament. The number of the German army was limited and no more than 115,000 people were to be; The universal military service was abolished; The German Armed Forces were to be completed from volunteers with a service life of 12 years for soldiers and up to 45 years for officers. Germany was forbidden to have combat aircraft and submarines. Similar conditions were kept in peace treaties signed with Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria. A fierce discussion was launched between Clelembo and Wilson on the status of the left bank of the Rhine. The French for security reasons intended to annone this area with its powerful coal mines and industry and create an autonomous Rhine State. The plan of France contradicted Wilson's proposals against the annecons and for self-determination of nations. The compromise was achieved after Wilson agreed to sign free military treaties with France and the United Kingdom, according to which the United States and the United Kingdom were obliged to support France in the event of a German attack. The following decision was made: the left bank of the Rhine and the 50-kilometer strip on the right bank were demilitarized, but remain in Germany and under its sovereignty. The allies took a number of items of this zone for a period of 15 years. Coal deposits, known as the Saari pool, also passed into the possession of France for 15 years; The Saari region itself came under the Office of the League Commission of Nations. After the expiration of the 15-year term, plebiscite was envisaged on the state affiliation of this territory. Italy went to Trentino, Trieste and most of Istria, but not the island of Fiume. Nevertheless, Italian extremists captured Fiume. Italy and the newly created State of Yugoslavia were given the right to solve the issue of controversial territories. According to the Versailles Agreement, Germany was deprived of his colonial possessions. The United Kingdom acquired German eastern Africa and the western part of German Cameroon and Togan Dominion - South African Union, Australia and New Zealand - Southwestern Africa was transferred, the northeastern regions of New Guinea with the adjacent archipelago and Samoa Islands. France went large part of the German and eastern part of Cameroon. Japan received Marshall, Mariana and Caroline Islands in the Pacific and Port of Qingdao in China. Secret treaties among the leaders-winners also assumed the section of the Ottoman Empire, but after the Turk's uprising, headed by Mustafa Kamalim Allies agreed to revise their requirements. The new Lausanne Agreement canceled the Sevra Treaty and allowed Turkey to leave Eastern Frace. Turkey returned to himself Armenia. Syria moved to France; The United Kingdom received Mesopotamia, Transice and Palestine; Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea were transferred to Italy; The Arab territory of Hijaz on the Red Sea coast had to get independence. Violations of the principle of self-determination of Nations caused disagreement of Wilson, in particular, he drastically protested against the transfer of Japan of the Chinese port of Qingdao. Japan agreed to return this territory of China in the future and fulfilled his promise. The advisers of Wilson offered instead of the actual transfer of colonies to new owners to allow them to manage them as guardians of the League of Nations. Such territories were called "submandal". Although Lloyd George and Wilson opposed the penalties for inflicted damages, the struggle on this issue ended with the victory of the French side. Germany had reparations; The question of which should be included in the list of destruction filed to be paid to the long-term discussion. At first, the exact amount did not appear, only in 1921 it was determined - 152 billion brands (33 billion dollars); In the future, this amount was reduced. The principle of self-determination of nations became key to many peoples presented at a peace conference. Poland was restored. It was not easy for the task of determining its borders; Of particular importance was the transmission to her so-called. "Polish corridor", which gave the country to enter the Baltic Sea, separating the Eastern Prussia from the rest of Germany. In the Baltic region, new independent states have emerged: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. By the time of convening a conference, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy has already ceased to exist, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania emerged in her place; The boundaries between these states were controversial. The problem was difficult due to the mixed settlement of different nations. When establishing the borders of the Czech state, the interests of the Slovak were affected. Romania doubled its territory due to Transylvania, Bulgarian and Hungarian lands. Yugoslavia was created from the old kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, parts of Bulgaria and Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Banat as part of Timisoare. Austria remained a small state with a population of 6.5 million Austrian Germans, the third of which lived in an inflated Vienna. The population of Hungary has greatly decreased and amounted to approx. 8 million people. At the Paris Conference, an exceptionally stubborn struggle was conducted around the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating the League of Nations. According to Wilson's plans, General Ya.SMETs, Lord R. Sille and their other like-minded people, the League of Nations should have become a guarantee of security for all nations. Finally, the Charter of the League was adopted, and after prolonged debates, four working groups were formed: the Assembly, the Council of the League of Nations, the Secretariat and the Permanent Chamber of International Justice. League of Nations established mechanisms that could be used by its Member States to prevent war. It also formed various commissions for solving other problems.
See also the League of Nations. The Nations Agreement represented that part of the Versailles Agreement, which was offered to sign and Germany. But the German delegation refused to put a signature under it on the grounds that the agreement did not comply with the "fourteenth points" of Wilson. In the end, the National Collection of Germany recognized the contract on June 23, 1919. Dramatically furnished signing took place five days later in the Versailles Palace, where in 1871 Bismarck in eloquent victory in the Franco-Prussian war proclaimed the creation of the German Empire.
LITERATURE
The history of the First World War, in 2 TT. M., 1975 Ignatiev A.V. Russia in the imperialist wars of the early XX century. Russia, USSR and international conflicts of the first half of the XX century. M., 1989 to the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. M., 1990 Pisarev Yu.A. Secrets of the First World War. Russia and Serbia in 1914-1915. M., 1990 Kudrina Yu.V. Turning to the origins of the First World War. Ways to safety. M., 1994 World War II: Discussion Problems of History. M., 1994 World War II: Pages of history. Chernivtsi, 1994 Basyshev S.V., Sergen S.V. World War II and the prospects for the social development of Russia. Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 1995 World War II: Prologue XX century. M., 1998.
Wikipedia

The First World War began due to the Capitalism crisis, became the largest military conflict at the time of its completion. The war was a fearful character, and the main confrontation was carried out between the UK and Germany. As in every long-term conflict, the stages of world war can be distinguished. Brief description will be followed below.

The first stage was not successful for all participants in the war. Germany occupied a small part of France, but could not capture key cities. Russian troops seized part of Prussia, at the same time the Ottoman Empire struck the Caucasus. Japan began the seizure of German colonies.

The second stage can be characterized as a period of a protracted war, which has been launched from 1915 to 1916. The Four Union was weakened, the advantage in manual weapons (automata) was suppressed by the advantage of the technique (the first British tanks). At the same time, Russian troops were ousted from modern Western Ukraine and East Poland, after which the position war began here. However, on the Caucasian front, the Turks were already traditionally forced to retreat, the Russian troops fought in Mesopotamia, and the English fleet tried to take the assault of Dardanelles. The Serbian army was forced to retreat the sea from his own country. This period was completed by the full blockade of the sea coast of Germany, the death of the German intro fleet - only submarines applied a certain damage to the ships of the Entente.

The new stage began in 1917When the economy of all participating countries agreed. Germany was forced to hit the defense, and soon Anntan began to overcome the benefits in resources and military power. Nevertheless, due to the revolution of the Bolsheviks in Russia, generously funded by the Germans, and the overall inconsistency of the allies, all offensive in Germany failed this year.
Only in 1918 the final stage of the war came. Germany was forced to capitulate due to lack of resources and military force. The same did its allies.

Having learned about the invasion of the Germans in Belgium and Luxembourg and receiving the first intelligence data, the French command decided to strike in the south, avoiding a frontal clash with German troops in Belgium. The French military and political command believed that the rapid seizure of Alsace would raise the spirit of the army and cause a new patriotic wave among the population of France. On the morning of August 7, the French suddenly hit Müul Hausen and seized them. The Germans moved away from the Rhine, but, having received reinforcement, two days later they beat the city. By August 28, the position on the southern front near the Swiss border was stabilized, and with. Paul actions were only limited. The center of gravity struggle has moved again to the north, towards Belgium.

August 21-25 in the "border" battle, the German army dropped the Anglo-French troops, invaded Northern France and, continuing the offensive, by early September came to the r. Marna between Paris and Verden. "Border" battle was conceived on both sides as a large-scale strategic offensive operation: the French hoped to break the enemies in its territory and in Belgium, and the Germans - to carry out the plan of Schliffene and go to Paris. However, it was not planned to be implemented by any of the parties - the battle ended with the strategic retreat of the Allied Anglo-French troops, but the Germans did not defeat the main forces of the enemy. Nevertheless, the German troops continued to be in the departure of the French territory. Under the threat of capture was Paris - Military Minister A. Milleran even suggested to leave the capital, declaring it with an open city, and the French Commanding has already decided to blow all the forts of the fortress Verden.

However, after the formation of two new armies, it was decided to make counteroffensive. Battle on Marne Prost. Elk on September 5. It was attended by 6 Anglo-French and 5 German armies - only about 2 million people. The fighting turned from the suburbs of Paris to Verden and covered almost the entire Western Front. The French army began to attack the west of the URD River and could move forward a little, and the British attacked on the western part of the front, where they successfully led an offensive at a speed of 7-14 km per day. On September 8, the advancing Anglo-French troops won between the 1st and 2nd German armies, after which it had to retreat 60 km. Thus, the English-French troops stopped promoting the German troops to Paris, and on September 9, the German Supreme Commander ordered his troops to retreat for the r. ENU. On September 14, the head of the German General Staff General Colonel Maltke-Jr. for failure, Paris's Taking Operations was removed from office, and Military Minister Lieutenant General E. Falkenhaine was appointed in his place.

In the future, the opposing parties began to transfer to the Western Front of the new troops. The desire of opponents to cover open flanks of each other led to maneuverable operations (September 16/15), called the name "Run to the Sea". They ended when the front reached the sea coast.

In October and November, bloody battles in Flanders have exhausted and balanced the power of the parties. The largest of them were fighting in Flanders on October 19-November 14. However, as a result of all these operations, to achieve his goal and go to the flank enemy, not one of the warring parties has failed. In the end, a line of a solid front stretched from the Swiss border to the North Sea. Maneuverable actions in the West were replaced by the positional struggle. Opponents turned out to be facing well-fortified fortific fortifications of each other on a huge front with a length of more than 700 km. The calculation of Germany on the lightning break and the conclusion of France from the war was not justified.

The "Martna mourn" and the retreat of the Germans from Paris, the offensive actions of the Russian troops in East Prussia contributed. The Russian command, yielding to the persistent requirements of the French government, decided even before the end of mobilization and concentrates its armies to turn to active actions. According to the plan, developed by the Supreme Commander's Rate, the Russian 1st Army had to begin the offensive bypassing the Mazur Lakes from the north and cut off the German troops from Königsberg and Vistula. The 2nd army was intended to host the onset of the Mazury Lakes from the West and prevent the departure of the German troops for the Vistula. In general, the plan of the East Prussian operation was covered by the enemy grouping from both flanks. The Russian troops had superiority over the enemy in all positions, which made it possible to hope for the success of a conceived offensive operation.

On August 4, the 1st Russian Army, under the command of General P. K. Rennenkampt, passed the state border and joined the territory of Eastern Prussia. In the course of fierce fighting, German troops began to go to the West. Soon the border of East Prussia passed the 2nd Russian army of General A. V. Sam-Sonov. The German headquarters already decided to take the troops for the Vistula, but using the lack of interaction between the 1st and 2nd armies, the mistakes of the Russian High Command, and simply the criminal negligence of commanders, the German troops under the guidance of new commander - General Hindenburg and Ludendorf generally managed at the beginning Apply a heavy defeat of the 2nd army, and then drop the 1st army on the starting position. As a result, the North-West Front lost almost 80 thousand soldiers and. The tactical successes of the Russians in the first days of the operation turned around the fault of the command with heavy losses at its final stage.

Despite the failure of the operation, the invasion of the Russian army in Eastern Prussia had important consequences. It forced the Germans to transfer two army corps and one cavalry division from France to the Russian front, which seriously weakened their shock group in the West and was one of the reasons for her defeat in the battle on Marne. At the same time, the Russians fastened the Russian army with their actions in Eastern Prussia and kept them from promoting Austro-Hungarian troops.

Another major military operation on the Eastern Front was the Galician battle. In scale, it significantly exceeded the East Prussian operation. It was attended by 4 Army of the Russian South-Western Front, the commander-in-chief of which was General N. Ivanov, and the head of the headquarters - General M. V. Alekseev, and 3 Austro-Hungarian army. Before the operation of the operation, the troops of the South-Western Front were deployed on an arc over 400 km against Austria-Hungary. According to the first directive, the 8th Army was held at the beginning of General A. A. Brousilov, and the 3rd army of General N. V. Ruzsky had to enter into battle the next day.

According to the Russian command, the troops of the South-Western Front should have been carried out by a large-scale covering maneuver in order to surround and subsequent destruction of the main forces of the Austro-Hungarian army. The chief of the General Staff of Austria-Hungary Feldmarshal K. von Golzendorf was put in great goal. The German troops were ready to help their allies in the Sidlitz area. The desire of both parties to apply as much damage as possible and achieve convincing success at the first stage of war led to the scale of battle for Galicia. Up to 2 million people participated in the battle, and the Theater of Military Actors extended in Mezhdra from Dniester to Vistula.

During the operation (August 5 - September 8), the Russian troops, reflecting the enemy Natisk, moved to counteroffensive and captured Lviv and Galichem. Subsequently, Russian army advanced deep into 200 km and took Galicia. The threat of invasion of Hungary and Silesia was created, the military power of Austria-Hungary was significantly undermined. In the Galic Battle, the Austro-Hungarian troops lost over 300 thousand people, of which more than 100 thousand prisoners. Russian armies lost about 200 thousand people. The Austro-Hungarian army until the end of the war lost its ability to conduct operations independently, without the support of the German troops. Favorable for Russian weapons The outcome of the Galic Battle strengthened the military-strategic position of Russia, moreover, she had a huge assistance to his actions in an extremely difficult situation on the Western front of the armies of England and France. This could not not recognize the opponent. "Events on Marne and Galicia pushed the outcome of the war in a completely indefinite time. The task is to quickly achieve solutions, which has so far been the basis for the German method of conducting war, drove to zero, "recalled later by E. Falkengine.

Among other strategic operations on the Eastern Front, Warsaw-Ivangorodskaya and Lodz. The first one took place from September 28 to November 8, 1914, and it began with the onset of the 9th German army, supported by Austro Hungarian parts. The enemy quickly took the left bank of the Vistula, but the right bank, where the Ivangorod fortress was located, could not capture. Moreover, more than 15 thousand German soldiers and. The German troops had to move away from Warsaw and take defense. On October 18-23, after regrouping, the Russian command took a new offensive in the Warsaw and Ivangorodsky directions, as a result of which the German 9th Army was thrown into the borders of Silesia, and the 1st Austria-Hungarian - to the Kielce - Sandomiir. Only the disadvantage of Russian rear bases from the Ariecleard 150-200 km and the associated interruptions in supplying food and military equipment forced our troops to stop successful offensive. Nevertheless, it is necessary to state that this time the Russian command could not fully take advantage of the favorable situation and develop success.

The Russian rate examined the hasty retreat of the German troops for Wovel as the result of their complete defeat, but, having leaving the defeat, the Germans of the forces of the same 9th army began a response operation, which was named Lodzinskoy and lasted from 11 to 24 November 1914. It was one of the most difficult operations of the First World War, about 600 thousand people took part in it.

The first strike applied the German 9th Army, which as a result managed to wed up between parts of the 1st and 2nd Russian armies. The commander-in-chief of the North-Western Front, Ruzsky responded with a successful Construdar, but his troops were exhausted in bloody battles for Lodz, and the replenishment was extremely slow. At the same time, the Germans who had an extensive railway network managed to quickly mobilize their reserves. Lod-Zinskaya surgery ended in late November to no avail for both sides: the Russians did not manage to penetrate into Germany, and the Germans could not surround and destroy Russian army. As a result, the opposing parties have exhausted their offensive opportunities and moved to defense.

Assessing Russia's contribution to the 1914 campaign, the English Premier of the First World War D. Lloyd George celebrated in 1939: "Ideal Germany is and always had a war, quickly trusted to the end ... In 1914, plans were drawn up with such a goal and she A little bit was not achieved if not Russia ... ".

Military actions in 1914 were conducted on other land theaters, and not only in the east and west of Europe. On August 23, Japan declared war in Germany. Shortly before that, Tokyo presented Berlin ultimatum with the requirement to transfer Japan without any conditions and compensation to the territory of Jia-Guess. Without receiving an answer, the Japanese troops began an operation to seize this German colony and the Naval Base Qingdao. The siege of German possessions lasted long, and on November 7, a German garrison capitulated. The losses of the Germans amounted to 800 people compared with 2000 from the Japanese. After these events, Germany did not have Far Eastern ownership, and the Japanese participation in the First World War did not take almost no longer.

In October, Turkey joined the side of the German bloc. The power in this country was, in fact, in the hands of German generals, and above all at the Military Adjutant Sultan Mehmed V Scheda, General Field Marshal K. von der Golts and head of the headquarters of the Turkish Commander-mining F. von Shellandorf.

The Ottoman Empire of the beginning of the 20th century included a huge number of peoples living in an extensive territory - from the Arabian Peninsula to the Caucasus. Accordingly, the Turks were forced to open several fronts. Thus, the 1st and 2nd Turkish armies were intended to protect the capital and Black Sea Straits, the 3rd command of the Western Pasha was prescribed war in Western Armenia against Russia, the 4th Army had to fight in Syria and Palestine, and 6- I am to act in Mesopotamia. However, by virtue of historical and geopolitical causes, the Caucasian Front against Russia became the main for the Turks, where the most active fighting was unfolded. For Russia, the Caucasian Front was not the most important thing, and therefore the Russian General Staff decided to restrict itself in the Caucasus only an active defense, which, taking into account the relief of the terrain, did not require significant costs.

Russia's war with Turkey began on October 30, 1914, when two German cruisers are "Gheben" and "Breslau", with the stern of which German flags were launched and the Turkish, attacked Sevastopol, Feodosia and Odessa. Military actions in the Caucasus began on November 2, when parts of the Russian army switched in several places the border, and the Turks were simultaneously invaded the limits of the Russian Empire in the Batum area and the Karsa fortress. The Caucasian Front stretched 720 km, headed by Count I. I. Vorontsov-Dashkov, but, taking into account his more than a respectable age, by all cases actually led the head of the head of N. N. Yudenich. In total, 170 thousand bayonets were available at the disposal of the Russian command, the Turks had great forces.

The most significant event in the Caucasian front in 1914 was the Sarakamysh operation, which continued from December 9 to 25. It ended with the full defeat of the 3rd Turkish army, which lost 90 thousand people and over 60 guns. Since then, the Ottoman Empire has not been able to restore its combat capability in the Caucasus. However, the losses of the Russian army during the operation were great - more than 20 thousand people.

As for hostilities at the Middle East theater of the Military Activities, then the events have developed leisurely in the late 1914: the British managed to seize the bace and a number of other small towns in Mesopotamia, and Turks, in turn, advanced a few kilometers deep into the Sinai Peninsula and began to threaten the invasion Egypt.

It should be noted that at the very beginning of the war, Berlin lost all its colonial possessions both in the Pacific Ocean and in Africa. The Germans could not oppose the excellent forces of the Entente in Togo, Cameroon and South-West Africa.

Thus, in the 1914 campaign, none of the parties achieved its goals and could not achieve strategic superiority over the enemy. In the context of approximate equality of the forces, the opposing parties now decided to make maximum efforts to attract to their side as much as possible the number of allies.

The collapse of the Strategy of the Lightning War - Blitzkrieg - had much more important consequences for Germany and its allies than for the countries of the Entente. In those years, the British Empire still did not come around, her colonies were rich and crowded, and the fleet of His Majesty, as before, dominated the endless expanses of the World Ocean. Inexhaustible human and food resources had endless Russia. Central powers in the blockade, on the contrary, were practically deprived of the opportunity to conduct foreign trade, German food reserves were limited and not designed for a continuous and stubborn war on two fronts, lacked Berlin and a number of strategic materials. Therefore, it is aware that victories for two fronts in the war in the event they never wake, the Germans decided to break the enemy in parts.

In January 1915, the German and Austria-Hungarian command approved the Military Plan for the current year. This plan envisaged active defense at all 700-kilometer throughout the Western front and powerful offensive actions in the East, which were to lead to a complete defeat and conclusion from the Russian war. Germany was going to defeat Russia with two powerful blows for converging directions in order to surround most of the Russian troops in the Polish boiler, and then completely destroy them. After the surrender of Russia, all the forces of the allies on the coalition were planned to transfer to the Western Front to end with England and France. Russia for the main strike was chosen by the Germans it is no coincidence that: its armies were 1.5 times closer to Berlin than French troops, and created a real threat to the exit to the Hungarian Plain and the defeat of Austria-Hungary. At the same time, in Germany, among the authoritative military, people who believed that they first need to take decisive actions in the West, until England recovered and did not unfold their colonial parts on the continent.

Unlike Berlin, in Petrograd about the plan of the 1915 campaign reigned with solid disagreements. The apartment general-schoolsister rate of the Supreme Commands of Yu. N. Danilov told for the holding of an offensive operation in the north-western direction in order to apply a subsequent blow to Berlin and eliminate the ledge of the East Prussian group of Germans in Russian armies. He supported the commander-in-chief of the North-Western Front, General Ruzsky. The commander of the South-Western Front General Ivanov and his head of Staff General Alexeyev, on the contrary, believed that the shortest way to Berlin lies through the Dongyan Hungarian Plains and Vienna, who defended the weak Austro-Hungarian army. As a result of these disputes, a compromise was adopted, the worst plan: two strikes are simultaneously applied on the enemy - against East Prussia and Austria-Hungary. There was no strength or funds on such an offensive for two divergent areas.

The first in 1915 the operations on the Eastern Front began the Russians, but they were not able to smash the enemy on the right flank of the North-Western Front. Moreover, they "slept" the concentration of German forces in the Augustov region, where they were forced to retreat a little. At the same time in the Carpathians, all January and February were fierce battles with Austro-Hungarian troops, supported by 90 thousand Germans. As a result of the Army, Brusylov had to leave the foothills of the Carpathians and consolidate on the defense line between the rivers of the Prut and Dniester. The compensation for these losses for the Russians was the strategically important fortress of the Menley and its 120-thousand garrisona, March 22, 1915. Thus, for the enemy, the threat of a breakthrough of Russian troops on the Hungarian plain was again created, and the Germans were forced to transfer several new divisions from the Western Front.

It is in order to prevent the Russian breakthrough to the plains of Hungary, the German and Austrian command prepared and conducted a thorough offensive operation. For a breakthrough of the front in the area of \u200b\u200bthe town of Gorlitsa, the German command was removed from the Western Front several selected buildings and united them into the 11th Army under the command of General A. Von Makenzen. In total, 126 thousand soldiers and against 60 thousand people had 126 thousand soldiers and against 60 thousand among the Russians on the site of breakthrough the German and Austro-Hungarian troops. It was greatly superiority at the central powers and in service. The offensive of the Germans began on May 2 after the most powerful artillery shelling, and the Russian front in the Carpathian area, as the opponent planned, was breaking. In total, the Gorlitsky operation lasted 52 days and became one of the largest defensive operations for Russia of the First World War. As a result, the Russians had to leave Galicia, and now the enemy hung over the East Prussian grouping of the Russian army at once from three sides - the Eastern Front began to drown on an arc with convexity in the area from Osovo to Sokol 300 km, and deep from Brest-Litovsk to the left Flanc - 200 km. And yet it was not possible to achieve the solution of the main task in the course of the Gorlitsky operation. The Russian front was not crushed, but only "sold", and after strategic waste, the concentration of forces began again.

In the summer of 1915, the Russian army led large defensive battles in Poland and the Baltic States. In extremely unprofitable for the north-western front of the geostrategic situation, which established after the retreat from the Carpathians, on July 5, the rate under the threat of the environment decided to hide the front line and the withdrawal of troops on the Lomza line - Upper Narev - Brest-Litovsk - Kovel. This solution was the only true and fully responded to the established atmosphere. Thus, the Russian army was forced to leave Poland, although the grand intention of the German command about the environment of Russian troops in the Polish bag was never implemented. The occupation of the Germans of Galicia, Poland, Lithuania and Kurland was, of course, a serious blow for Russians, but did not lead to the defeat of the Eastern Front and the exit of Russia from the war with the conclusion of the Separate world. A thorough analysis of the situation of the situation on the Eastern Front led the Germans to the conclusion that new large offensive operations are impossible here, and temporary calm has come at the Eastern European Theater of Military Activities. By October 1915, the front finally stabilized on the Riga line - Dvinsk - Baranovichi - Ternopil. During the 1915 campaign, Russian troops suffered the greatest losses for the war - about 2.5 million people killed, injured and prisoners. The enemy losses amounted to more than 1 million people.

The defeat of the Russian armies in 1915 had one important political consequence - the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Prince Nikolay Nikolayevich was released from his post, and his functions laid the king Nicholas II, who did not have any ability to strategic thinking and not used by credibility in the army.

Unlike the eastern on the Western Front, the fighting has taken a completely different character. From the border of Switzerland and to the coast of the North Sea in Flanders, a continuous position of the front front was formed, where opponents held a stubborn defense. Instead of one defensive line of the towers, three appeared here, and all of them were interconnected by an extensive system of moves. Before the positions of the warring sides, dense lines of wire bardings were installed. It was impossible to break through such a defense without the most powerful artillery training.

Nevertheless, in the spring of 1915, the Allies on Antante was planned to apply two strong impacts in the Germans - in Champagne in Saint-Miyel and in the Arto, Arras. In the battles in Champagne, for example, 140 thousand people, the British and French were participated in the part of the Germans - 250 thousand. The breakthrough was produced on a plot of a width of 7 to 12 km, and the density of artillery was 15-20 guns per kilometer of the front. However, these success operations were not brought by allies - they were moving only to 3-4 km per day, and then the offensive was alleged. It was then that Berlin disappeared the last concerns about the sustainability of their Western Front, and the Germans safely began to transfer troops to the East for attack on Russia.

At the same time, in battles with the allies of the city of IPR, the German command was used for the first time a combat poisoning substances. Gas attack for the British was so unexpected that they left their position in a panic. On April 22, during this famous attack, the Germans suffered 15 thousand English soldiers, of which 5 thousand killed. As a result, in the ranks of the British there was a practically stolen hole width of 10 km and a depth of 7 km. However, on the happiness of the allies, this attack turned out to be tactically not prepared and the Germans had no reserves to develop success.

In 1915, the opposing parties acquired new allies: In the summer, Italy joined the war on the side on the side of the Annta, in October, Bulgaria joined the Austro-German block. In this regard, new fronts were formed, Italian became the largest of them. Here Rome unfolded four armies, consisting of 35 divisions, in which there were about 870 thousand soldiers and. Austria-Hungary was able to put only 20 divisions on the fight against Italy. Taking into account that the bulk of the German and Austro-Hungarian troops was involved in the Western and Eastern fronts, in the Alps allies on the coalition of the central powers decided to resort to defensive tactics.

Using its numerical superiority, on May 24, 1915, the Italian troops moved to the offensive in the River Ison-Tso River, but they could not break through the Defense of the Austrians in the Alps. In mid-June, the Italians took the second offensive in the Austrian position, the third, and then the fourth. However, to achieve the target of the target and break through the defense of the enemy could not - they were catastrophically lacking ammunition, the weak was supporting artillery, and the level of professional training of team personnel left much to be desired even compared to the multilingual of the Austria-Hungary army. For six months, the Italians suffered huge losses of 280 thousand people and lost their best personnel. Nevertheless, the offensive of the Italian army, with Isonz, had great help of Russia - the Austrians were forced to transfer 25 of their divisions from Galicia and Serbia to the new front. It was the only real help of Russia, which was at the time in an extremely difficult position.

The treacherous entry of Bulgaria in the war on the side of Germany against its Slavic brothers sharply worsened the strategic position of Serbia. Serbia and Montenegro remained alone against the central powder block, to which he led by King Ferdinand from the German Dynasty Kobur-Gov Bulgaria. Now 10 German, 8 Austro-Hungarian and 11 Bulgarian divisions were concentrated against the small Serbia, in the ranks of which were over half a million people, while the Serbs themselves were twice as fewer. The Allies on Antante provided extremely insufficient assistance to Belgrade - Only on October 5, the Anglofranzian expeditionary corps were planted in Thessaloniki, which had an initially 20 thousand people. This help was extremely insufficient and belated.

On October 15, 1915, the central powers were transferred to the offensive against Belgrade. Despite the desperate resistance of the Serbs, the forces were not equal. The "way of Serbia on Calvary" began - retreat. The Serbian army and the mass of the population with battles broke out on the Adriatic coast, to then evacuate to the Greek Island of Corfu or the French naval base in Bizerte in Tunisia. In May 1916, Serbian troops with the help of the union fleet were transferred under thessaloniki, where they continued to fight as part of the forces of the Entente.

One of the largest landing operations during the First World War was Dardanellian. She stretched over time for almost a whole year and lasted from February 19, 1915 to January 9, 1916.

The idea to carry out a large landing operation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Allies on the Antante originated at the end of 1914. It was then, waiting for the offensive of the Germans on the Western Front, the Anglo-French command turned to his Russian colleagues with a request to intensify actions on the Eastern Front and not to give the opportunity to Germans to transfer troops to Paris. From Petrograd, in response to the request of the Allies, consent was transmitted, but with one condition: the British and the French in turn will be held a large marine or land surgery in the Dardanelle region to distract part of the Turkish troops from the Caucasian Front.

From a political point of view, this proposal of Russians organized allies very much: the British could have the first to enter Constantinople, which would be a trump card in subsequent negotiations on the post-war device of the world, and the French were hoping for their actions in the Mediterranean to accelerate Italy's accession to the Antente's accession.

England and France actively took up the preparation of the operation. In London, the Marine Minister W. Churchill became one of its most active supporters. However, this activity and the desire to turn the landing operation from the distracting maneuver in a full-scale action did not frighten the Russians - they themselves were calculated to receive Constantinople as the main prize after the war. Ultimately, the preparation of the Dardanelle operation stimulated the completion of the negotiations on the fate of Constantinople between the Allies on Antante. The agreement on this was finally decorated in March-April 1915 in a number of contracts. England and France agreed to the transfer of Russia of Constantinople with the territories adjacent to it in exchange for other areas in the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire.,

Dardanelle operation consisted of two stages. On the first (from February 19 to March 18, 1915), only the fleet was supposed to be involved, and on the second (April 25, 1915 - January 9, 1916) planned landing on the Gallipolian Peninsula, with the subsequent seizure of the opponent's fortifications in Dardanell. That would provide the fleet passage in the Marmara Sea.

The operation began, as was conceived, User on February 19, with the shelling of the Allied Anglo-French Fleet of External Forts Dardanell, and the general attack was scheduled for March 18. To success, it, however, did not lead: from 16 large ships participating in a breakthrough, 3 died and another 3 for a long time failed, while Turkish forts were destroyed slightly. During the operation, the Anglo-French fleet made a number of serious tactical errors, as a result of which it was not possible to fulfill the tasks set before him: the adjustment of fire was poorly carried out, the allies were not prepared for the fight against field artillery at all, they were underestimated with mine danger in the strait - Trawers did not cope with their task.

The failure of the allies to forcing Dardanelles and strike in Constantinople had very important political consequences: Bulgaria accelerated the process of rapprochement with the desired Union, Germanophiles came to power, and the Italians thought about the feasibility of accession to the Antante.

Despite serious failures, comprehended allies during the fulfillment of the first phase of the Dardanelle operation, the second phase - landing - was decided not to cancel. On the morning of April 25, the French, British, New Zealand parts of the marines and the Greek Volunteer Legion are only 18 thousand bayonets - landed in the Dardanelle Strait area. Heavy bloody battles began, which aggravated the loss of 2 British battleships. In July 1915, the Allied Command decided to land a few more divisions on the peninsula. However, the evolution of the desired result and the decisive fracture of the event in its favor, the Antante was not achieved. Allies were finally branded at Dardanelles. Ultimately, they decided to evacuate their troops from Gallipoly and transfer them to the Salonik front. On January 9, 1916, the Gallipolian operation ended with the evacuation of the last British soldier. Its result for the allies was extremely sad. One of the main initiators of W. Churchill has resigned from the post of Minister and went to the current army with a simple officer.

As for other fronts, in 1915 the struggle was most actively conducted in the Caucasus, where the Russian army conducted a number of offensive operations that did not receive further development due to lack of ammunition and the transfer of the most combat-ready Russian parts to the German Front. On the Syrian-Palestinian front, Turkish troops attempted to force the Suez Canal, but the British troops and the fleet managed to repel it. In Mesopotamia, the troops of the central powers have achieved some success, which, however, has not changed the overall strategic situation in the Middle East.

If generally evaluate the results of 1915, then you have to state that it turned out to be successful for the central powers. Russian troops left Poland, Lithuania, Galicia, Serbia was defeated, a direct connection between Berlin and Vienna with the Ottoman Empire was established, the Dardanelle operation failed. However, the main task is to defeat and withdraw from the Russian war - was not fulfilled. The war on the two fronts for the Germans and the Austrians continued, and she could not see the end.

V. Shazillo. World War I. Facts and documents

World War II (1914 - 1918)

The Russian Empire collapsed. One of the goals of the war is solved.

Chamberlain

The First World War lasted from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918. It was attended by 38 states with a population of 62% of the world. This war was ambiguous and extremely contradictoryly described in modern history. I specifically led Chamberlain's words in the epigraph to emphasize this inconsistency once again. The prominent politician of England (Russia's ally in war), says that one of the goals of the war is achieved overall in Russia!

Balkan countries played a big role at the beginning of the war. They were not independent. Internal influence has provided great influence in their policies (both external and internal). Germany has suffered its influence in this region by that time, although for a long time controlled Bulgaria.

• Entente. Russian Empire, France, United Kingdom. Allies performed the United States, Italy, Romania, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
• Triple Alliance. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire. Later, the Bulgarian kingdom joined them, and the coalition began to refer to the "Four Union".

The following large countries took part in the war: Austria-Hungary (July 27, 1914 - November 3, 1918), Germany (August 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918), Turkey (October 29, 1914 - 30 OctByar 1918), Bulgaria (October 14, 1915 - 29 Sentbyard 1918). Entente and Allies: Russia (August 1, 1914 - March 3, 1918), 2009 (3 Agusta 1914), Belgium (August 3, 1914), United Kingdom (4 August 1914), Italy (May 23, 1915), Romania (August 27, 1916) .

Another 1 important moment. Initially, Italy was a member of the "Thieves Union". But after the start of the First World War, the Italians declared neutrality.

Causes of the First World War

The main reason for the beginning of the First World War is in the desire of leading powers, primarily England, France and Austria-Hungary to the redistribution of the world. The fact is that the colonial system by the beginning of the 20th century collapsed. Leading European countries, who flourished over the operation of the colonies, now it was impossible to receive resources just so, taking them from Hindus, Africans and South Americans. Now the resources could only be reeded from each other. Therefore, contradictions increased:

• Between England and Germany. England sought to prevent the influence of the influence of Germany in the Balkans. Germany sought to strengthen in the Balkans and the Middle East, and also sought to deprive England of maritime domination.
• Between Germany and France. France dreamed of returned to Alsace's lands and Lorraine, which she lost in the war of 1870-71. Also, France sought to capture the German Saaro coal pool.
• Between Germany and Russia. Germany sought to take away Poland from Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic States.
• Between Russia and Austria-Hungary. Contradictions arose due to the desire of both countries to influence the Balkans, as well as the desire of Russia to subjugate the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.

Before the beginning of the war

The reason for the beginning of the First World War served events in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). On June 28, 1914, a member of the organization "Black Hand" Movement of the "Young Bosnia" of Gavrilo, the principle killed Erzgertzoga France Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne, so the resonance had a huge murder. It was the cause of Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia.

The behavior of England is very important here, since Austria-Hungary could not start war on himself, because it practically guaranteed the war throughout Europe. The British at the level of the embassy convinced Nicholas 2 that Russia in the case of aggression should not leave Serbia without help. But then the whole (I emphasize this) the English press wrote that Serbs Barbara and Austria-Hungary should not leave the murder of Ersgertzoga with impunity. That is, England has done everything to Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia do not shy away from the war.

Important nuances of reason for war

In all textbooks, we are told that the chief and only reason for the beginning of the First World War - the murder of the Austrian Erzgertzoga. At the same time, they forget to say that the next day, on June 29, another 1 iconic murder took place. French politician Jean Zhores was killed, who actively opposed the war and had a great influence in France. A few weeks before the murder of Ersgertzog there was an attempt on Rasputin, who, like Zhores, was an opponent of war and had a great influence on Nicholas 2. I also want to note some facts from the fate of the main characters of those days:

• Gaburo principles. He died in a prison in 1918 from tuberculosis.
• Russian Ambassador to Serbia - Hartley. In 1914 he died at the Embassy of Austria in Serbia, where he came to the reception.
• Colonel Apis, Head of the Black Hand. Shot in 1917.
• In 1917, Hartley's correspondence was disappeared with Mostonov (the next Ambassador of Russia in Serbia).

This all indicates that in the events days there were a lot of black spots that were not revealed so far. And it is very important to understand.

The role of England in the unleashing of war

In the early 20th century in continental Europe there were 2 large powers: Germany and Russia. They did not want to fight against each other, because the forces were about equal. Therefore, in the "July crisis" of 1914, both parties have taken an expectant position. English diplomacy came to the foreground. It was submitted to Germany to Germany for Germany and secret diplomacy - in the event of war, England will retain neutrality or takes the side of Germany. The open diplomacy Nicholas 2 came the reverse idea that in the event of the beginning of the war, England will fall on the side of Russia.

It is necessary to clearly understand that one open statement of England, that it will not allow war in Europe, it would be enough so that neither Germany, nor Russia, for anything like that and did not think. Naturally, in such conditions and Austria-Hungary would not have solved to attack Serbia. But England pushed European countries with all his diplomacy.

Russia in front of the war

Before World War I, Russia conducted the army reform. In 1907, fleet reform was carried out, and in 1910 the reform of the land forces. The country has increased military spending repeatedly, and the total number of army in peacetime was now 2 million people. In 1912, Russia accepts a new charter of the field service. Today, he is rightly called the most advanced charter of his time, as he motivated the soldiers and commanders to manifest personal initiative. Important moment! The doctrine of the army of the Russian Empire was offensive.

Despite the fact that there were many positive changes, there were very serious miscalculations. The main one is underestimating the role of artillery in the war. As the course of the events of the First World War showed, it was a terrible mistake, which clearly showed that at the time of the beginning of the 20th century, Russian generals were seriously behind time. They lived in the past when the role of cavalry was important. As a result, 75% of all losses of the First World War were applied by artillery! This is a sentence to the imperial general.

It is important to note that Russia has not completed the preparation for war (at the proper level), and Germany completed it in 1914.

The ratio of forces and means of PERD War and after it

Artillery

According to data from the table, it can be seen that Germany and Austria-Hungary are repeatedly superior to Russia and France. Therefore, the ratio of forces was in favor of the first two countries. Moreover, the Germans, as usual, before the war, created an excellent military industry, which has been produced daily 250,000 shells. For comparison, Britain produced 10,000 shells per month! As they say, feel the difference ...

Another example showing the importance of artillery, these are fighting on the line of Duner Gorlice (May 1915). For 4 hours, the German army released 700,000 shells. For comparison, for the entire Franco-Prussian war (1870-71), Germany has released a little over 800,000 shells. That is 4 hours a little less than for the whole war. The Germans clearly understood that heavy artillery will play a decisive role in the war.

Armament and military equipment

Production of weapons and techniques during the first world (thousands of units).

This table clearly shows the weakness of the Russian Empire in terms of the army. In all major indicators, Russia is greatly inferior to Germany, but also inferior to France with Great Britain. In many ways, because of this war, it turned out to be so complicated for our country.

Number of people (infantry)

The number of warring infantry (millions of people).

The table shows that the smallest contribution, both in terms of warming up and in terms of the victims, in the war was introduced by the United Kingdom. It is logical, since the British in large battles really did not participate. Another example is indicative of this table. We tell us in all textbooks that Austria-Hungary could not fight independently because of big losses, and she always needed help in Germany. But pay attention to Austria-Hungary and France in the table. Figures identical! Just as Germany, I had to fight for Austria-Hungary and Russia had to fight for France (it was not by chance that the Russian army was attended three times over the years in the first world by their actions from Paris from surrender).

Also, the table shows that in fact war went between Russia and Germany. Both countries have lost 4.3 million people, and the United Kingdom, France and Austria-Hungary have lost 3.5 million people together. Figures eloquent. But it turned out that the countries that the most fought and put their efforts in the war were with nothing. At first, Russia signed the infirmity of the Brest world, losing many land. Then Germany signed the Versailles world, in essence, losing autonomy.

The course of war

Military events of 1914

On July 28, Austria-Hungary declares war of Serbia. This entailed to retract into the war of the countries of the Trirtless Union, on the one hand, and the Entente, on the other hand.

Russia entered the First World War on August 1, 1914. Nikolai Nikolayevich Romanov (Uncle Nicholas 2) was appointed Supreme Commander.

In the first days of the beginning of the war, St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd. Since the war began with Germany, and the capital could not have the name of German origin - "Burg".

Historical reference

German "Schlöffen Plan"

Germany was under threat of war on two fronts: East - with Russia, West - with France. Then the German command developed "Schlofen's plan", according to which Germany should defeat France in 40 days and then fight with Russia. Why 40 days? The Germans believed that it would be so much to be needed to make mobilization. Therefore, when Russia is unmocated, France will already be out of the game.

On August 2, 1914, Germany seizes Luxembourg, August 4 invaded Belgium (neutral country at that time), and by August 20, Germany came out to the borders of France. The implementation of the Schliffen Plan began. Germany moved deep into France, but on September 5, he was stopped at the Marna River, where the battle happened, in which about 2 million people participated on both sides.

North-West Front of Russia in 1914

Russia at the beginning of the war made stupidity, which Germany could not calculate in any way. Nikolay 2 decided to enter the war, without making a completely army completely. On August 4, the Russian troops, under the command of Rennespf, \u200b\u200bbegan an offensive in East Prussia (modern Kaliningrad). To help her was equipped with Samsonov's army. Initially, the troops were successful, and Germany was forced to retreat. As a result, part of the forces of the Western Front was transferred to the Eastern. The result - Germany beat off the offensive of Russia in Eastern Prussia (the troops were really inorganized and lacked resources), but as a result, the plan of Schliffene failed, and France could not capture. So, Russia saved Paris, though by defeating its 1st and 2nd army. After that, the position war began.

Southwest Front of Russia

In the south-western front in August-September, Russia made an offensive operation on the Galicia, which was occupied by the troops of Austria-Hungary. The Galic operation was more successful than the offensive in Eastern Prussia. In this battle, Austro-Hungary failed a catastrophic defeat. 400 thousand people killed, 100 thousand captives. For comparison, the Russian army lost 150 thousand people killed. After that, Austria-Hungary actually came out of the war, because he lost the opportunity to conduct independent actions. From the complete defeat of Austria, only the help of Germany was saved, which was forced to transfer additional divisions to Galia.

The main results of the military company in 1914

• Germany failed to realize the plan of Schliffen on the lightning war.
• No one managed to conquer the decisive advantage. War turned into a positional.

Map of military events 1914-15

Military events of 1915

In 1915, Germany decided to postpone the bulk to the Eastern Front, sending all the forces to the war with Russia, which was the most weak country of Entente, according to Germans. It was a strategic plan developed by the Eastern Front Commander - General Von Hindenburg. Russia managed to disrupt this plan only at the price of colossal losses, but at the same time, 1915 turned out for the Empire Nikolai 2 just terrible.

North-West Front

From January to October, Germany led an active offensive, as a result of which Russia lost Poland, Western Ukraine, part of the Baltic States, Western Belarus. Russia went into deep defense. Russian losses were gigantic:

• Killed and injured - 850 thousand people
• Captured - 900 thousand people

Russia did not capitulate, but the countries of the "Triple Union" had a conviction that Russia was no longer able to recover from the lost losses.

Germany's successes in this section of the front led to the fact that on October 14, 1915, Bulgaria (on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary) enters the first world war.

Position on the southwestern front

The Germans, together with Austria-Hungary, in the spring of 1915, organized a Gorlitsky breakthrough, forcing the entire South-West Front of Russia to retreat. Galicia, which captured in 1914, was completely lost. Germany was able to achieve this advantage thanks to the terrible mistakes of the Russian command, as well as a significant technical advantage. German superiority in the technique reached:

• 2.5 times in machine guns.
• 4.5 times in light artillery.
• 40 times in heavy artillery.

It was not possible to bring Russia from the war, but the losses and the front of the front were giant: 150 thousand killed, 700 thousand wounded, 900 thousand prisoners and 4 million refugees.

Position on the Western Front

"On the Western Front, everything is calm." This phrase can characterize how the war between Germany and France proceeded in 1915. There were sluggish hostilities in which no one was striving for the initiative. Germany implemented plans in Eastern Europe, and England with France calmly mobilized the economy and the army, preparing for the future war. Nobody reap care for Russia, although Nikolai 2 has repeatedly applied to France, first of all, that she moved to active actions on the West Front. It, as usual, no one has heard ... By the way, this sluggish war on Western for Germany is perfectly described by Hemingway in the novel "Goodbye weapons."

The main outcome of 1915 - Germany was not able to withdraw from the war Russia, although all the forces were thrown on it. It became obvious that the First World War will be delayed for a long time, because for 1.5 years of the war, no one managed to get a reselle or strategic initiative.

Military events of 1916

"Verdinskaya meat grinder"

In February 1916, Germany began the general attack on France, in order to master Paris. For this, a visit to Verden, who covered the approaches to the French capital was carried out. The battle lasted until the end of 1916. During this time, 2 million people died, for which the battle was called "Verden Meat Grinder". France resisted, but again due to the fact that Russia came to the revenue, which was intensified on the south-western front.

Events on the southwestern front in 1916

In May 1916, Russian troops switched to the offensive, which lasted 2 months. In history, this offensive was included in the name "Brusilovsky breakthrough". This name is due to the fact that General Brusilov commanded the Russian army. A breakthrough of defense on Bukovina (from Lutsk to Chernivtsi) happened on June 5th. The Russian army managed not only to break through the defense, but also to move into its departures to 120 kilometers. The losses of the Germans and the Austro-Hungarians were catastrophic. 1.5 million dead wounded and prisoners. The offensive was stopped only by additional German divisions, which hastily moved here from Verden (France) and from Italy.

In this offensive of the Russian army, it was not without a spoon of tar. They threw it, as found, allies. On August 27, 1916, Romania enters the first world war on the side of the Antena. Germany very quickly inflicted her defeat. As a result, Romania lost the army, and Russia received an additional 2 thousand kilometers of the front.

Events in the Caucasian and Northwestern Fronts

In the north-western front, positional battles continued during the spring-autumn period. As for the Caucasian Front, here the main events continued from the beginning of 1916 to April. During this time, 2 operations were held: Erzurmur and Trapezund. According to their results, Erzurum and Trapezund were conquered, respectively.

The result of 1916 in the First World War

• The strategic initiative has passed on the side of the Entente.
• The French fortress Verden rested due to the onset of the Russian army.
• Romania joined the war on the side of the Entente.
• Russia held a powerful offensive - Brusilovsky breakthrough.

Military and political events 1917

1917 in the First World War was marked by the fact that the war continued against the background of the revolutionary situation in Russia and Germany, as well as the deterioration of the economic situation of countries. I will give an example of Russia. For 3 years of war, prices for major products increased by an average of 4-4.5 times. Naturally, it caused displeasure to the people. We add large losses to this and the grueling war - it turns out excellent soil for revolutionaries. Similar situation in Germany.

In 1917, the United States is entering the first world. The positions of the "Triple Union" worsen. Germany with allies cannot effectively fight on 2 fronts, as a result of which proceeds to defense.

The end of the war for Russia

In the spring of 1917, Germany undertook another offensive on the Western Front. Despite the events in Russia, Western countries demanded that the Interim Government performed agreements signed by the Empire and sent troops to the offensive. As a result, on June 16, the Russian army moved to the offensive in the area of \u200b\u200bLviv. Again, we saved the allies from large battles, but they themselves substantially.

The Russian army, exhausted by war and losses, did not want to fight. Questions of the province, uniforms and providing supplies during the war years have not been solved. The army fought reluctantly, but forward promoted. The Germans were forced to again transfer the troops here, and the Allies of Russia on Antante again isolated themselves, watching what would happen next. July 6, Germany moved to counteroffensive. As a result, 150,000 Russian soldiers died. The army actually ceased to exist. The front collapsed. Russia could no longer fight, and this catastrophe was inevitable.

People demanded the exit of Russia from the war. And it was one of their main requirements for the Bolsheviks, who in October 1917 captured power. Initially, at the 2nd Congress of the Bolshevik Party, the decree "On the World" decree, actually proclaiming the exit of Russia from the war, and on March 3, 1918, signed the Brest world. The conditions of this world were as follows:

• Russia enters into peace with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
• Russia loses Poland, Ukraine, Finland, part of Belarus and the Baltic States.
• Russia is inferior to Turkey Batum, Kars and Ardagan.

As a result of his participation in the First World War, Russia lost: about 1 million square meters of the territory, lost about 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of pashneval lands and 3/4 of the coal and metallurgical industries.

Historical reference

Events in the war in 1918

Germany got rid of the Eastern Front and from the need to lead the war on a 2-mind directions. As a result, in the spring and summer of 1918, she made an attempt at the Western Front, but no success was not successful. Moreover, in his go, it became obvious that Germany squeezes the maximum of themselves, and that she was needed in the war.

Autumn 1918

Decisive events in the First World War occurred in autumn. Entente countries together with the United States have passed into the offensive. The German army was completely displaced from France and Belgium. In October, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria concluded a truce with the Entente, and Germany remained to fight alone. Her position was hopeless, after the German allies in the "Thieves Union" were essentially capitulated. It turned out at the same thing what happened in Russia - the revolution. On November 9, 1918, Emperor Wilhelm 2 was overthrown.

The end of the First World War

On November 11, 1918, the First World War of 1914-1918 ended. Germany signed a complete surrender. It happened under Paris, in the compi forest, at the station Retund. The capitulation took French Marshal Foc. The conditions of the signed world were as follows:

• Germany recognizes a complete defeat in the war.
• France's refund of Alsace Province and Lorraine to the 1870 borders, as well as the transfer of the Saari coal basin.
• Germany lost all its colonial possessions, and also obliged to transfer the 1/8 part of its territory with geographical neighbors.
• For 15 years, the Armanta troops are located on the left bank of the Rhine.
• By May 1, 1921, Germany was supposed to pay the members of the Entente (Russia did not relieve anything) 20 billion grades of gold, goods, securities, etc.
• For 30 years, Germany must pay reparations, and the magnitude of these repairs establishes the winners themselves and can increase them at any time during these 30 years.
• Germany was forbidden to have an army, the number above 100 thousand people, and the army was obliged to be exclusively voluntary.

The conditions of the "World" were so humiliating for Germany that the country actually became a puppet. Therefore, many people of that time said that the First World War was though ended, but he was not over the world, but a truce for 30 years. So it ultimately happened ...

The results of the First World War

The First World War was conducted in the territory of 14 states. It took part in it, with the total population of 1 billion people (this is about 62% of the total population of the world at that time). And 74 million people were mobilized by the participating countries, of which 10 million were killed and another 20 million were injured.

As a result of the war, the political map of Europe has changed significantly. Such independent states appeared as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Albania. Austrian Hungary broke up to Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Increased their borders of Romania, Greece, France, Italy. Losers and lost in the territory were 5 countries: Germany, Authorso-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia.

Map of the First World War 1914-1918

"Powder barrel of Europe."The contradictions of two hostile blocks were especially sharp in the Balkans, which have long been called the "powder barrel of Europe". The main applicants for the role of the "hosts" of this region were Russia and Austria-Hungary. It was sought to strengthen their position and young Balkan states that have recently been part of the Ottoman Empire.

A serious conflict broke out in 1908, when Austria-Hungary announced the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was already 30 years old (by decision of the Berlin Congress of 1878) were occupied by Austrian troops. This caused a sharp protest of Russia and Slavic states of the Balkans. But the Austrian action was supported by Germany, and Russia had to recognize the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, soon the situation in the Balkans again aggravated. In 1911-1912 In the course of the short Italy-Turkish war, Italy captured Libya (Tripoli). The defeat of Turkey decided to take advantage of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. By concluding the Balkan Union, they began war against Turkey in October 1912. Allies quickly defeated the Turkish army, Turkey lost almost all possessions in Europe, retaining only Istanbul and its surroundings. Exodus 1st Balkan Wardecided in less than a month, although the world was signed only in May 1913

The main part of the former Ottoman territories went to Bulgaria, and this caused her discontent of her yesterday's allies. They formed a new block to which Romania joined. Bulgaria decided not to wait for the attacks and at the end of June 1913 the first attacked Serbia and Greece. But Turkey unexpectedly spoke on the side of the latter. And Germany and Austria-Hungary, in words of supported by Bulgarians support, chose not to get involved in the conflict. They feared that one of the main opponents of Bulgaria, Serbia, will support its powerful alliance of Russia. Left alone, Bulgarians suffered defeat. According to a peace treaty (August 1913), they lost not only all the recent acquisitions, but also part of their old lands.

Nevertheless, the balls of Balkan contradictions confused even stronger. After 2nd Balkan WarBulgaria has come close to Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as with their enemy opponents - Turks. And Serbia, encouraged by success, took part of Albania, created on the lands released from Ottomans in November 1912. True, after the decisive ultimatum of Austria-Hungary, Serbam had to take their troops. The beginning of the war once again was delayed, but before it was already just over nine months.

The beginning of the First World War.On June 28, 1914, the Serbian student, a member of the terrorist organization "Black Hand" G. Principle shot the heir to the Austrian throne of Ertzgertzog Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This happened in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which Serbian nationalists considered "their own." It would seem that Austria-Hungary and Germany received a convenient chance to defeat Serbia and strengthen in the Balkans. But Serbia patronized Russia, supporting it this time.

After the deviation of Austrians, Austrians, an offensive ultimatum Austria-Hungary declared the Serbam War (July 28). In response to Russia, universal mobilization was launched. Germany demanded to cancel it and, having received a refusal, on August 1 declared war war. And on August 3, declaring the war of France, the Germans began an offensive on her through the territory of neutral Belgium. Faithful to allied obligations, England declared war in Germany on August 4. So began the first in the history of mankind worldthe war in which the 34 countries on the side of the Entente and four powers were gradually turned out to be drawn up - on the side of the opposite block (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria).

This war was destined to shake the foundations of the world of the world, to make a coup in the consciousness of hundreds of millions of people. In the summer of 1914, no one in the world would simply believe what sacrifices, destruction and changes in the usual strict life will bring war. It will take many years, and the Russian poet of Arseny Tarkovsky, recalling the serene the last pre-war days, will write:

It seemed that this home home

Forever in your pre-war Europe

What was not, no, and there will be no Sarayev,

And where are they, these Mazursa fops? ..

But Sarajevo was already, and to the terrible Mazursa Tops, where in September 1914 g. destined to die two Russian armies, remained very long. The new era began.

Performing strategic schlifen Plan(The former chief of the General Staff of Germany), German troops, rapidly passing through the territory of Belgium, broke into France and moved to Paris. President Poincaré and the government left the capital. But at that time, Russia, saving an ally, launched an offensive in Eastern Prussia. The Germans had to transfer several divisions there from the Western Front, and the Russian offensive, started without proper training, was stopped. By mid-September, the Germans managed to defeat two Russian army, nominated too far ahead.

And yet the Russian soldiers and officers who died in the Mazury swamps did their job. The lightning throw of the German troops to Paris was ripped. Already in early September, the Anglo-French armies moved to the counteroffensive on the Marne River and soon they pushed the Germans. It is probably precisely then the outcome of the war was predetermined, although she lasted four more years. After all, Germany could count on victory only in the case of the rapid defeat of France. For a long war of exhaustion in Germany and its allies, there were significantly less forces and resources than the countries of the Entente. In addition, the powerful British fleet is reliably compartment in Germany from its colonies and markets, i.e. from imported raw materials and food.

Germany was waiting for other "surprises." Italy unexpectedly refused to fulfill obligations under the tripartite alliance and announced its neutrality, and then in May 1915 he entered the war on the side of the Entente. Japan came against Germany. True, she limited himself to the seizure of small Germanic possessions in China and in the Pacific Ocean. But Bulgaria, which Germans and Austrians promised territories in the Balkans, entered the war on their side (October 1915).

By this time, everything was clear to everyone that the war took a protracted character. On the Western Front, after fierce fighting, a long-lasting calm came on Marne, and on the Eastern Germans and the Austrians managed to seriously press Russian troops, especially in the central and northern sections. From October 1914, military actions developed in Transcaucasia, where Russian troops in a number of seats wedged into Turkish territory.

Goal of warring parties. All major participants in the war have their own goals, which, as far as possible, was consistent with the allies. According to secret agreements with England and France, Russia in the event of victory in the war should have received Istanbul with Black Sea Straits, as well as some territories in the Transcaucasus and in its Western border. True, in this case, Russia agreed to the concession of the Polish lands that were part of its composition, since England and France insisted on the reconstruction of independent Poland. The British and French themselves were calculated to divide the German possessions in Africa and Ottoman - in the Middle East. They also planned to take away territory in Europe in Europe in favor of France (Alsace and Lorraine), Denmark and Belgium. Bosnia and Herzegovina captured by Austrians were planned to transfer Serbia. Italians for their entry into the war on the side of the Entente were promised the south-western lands of Austria-Hungary, as well as Albania.

They built plans and countries of the German bloc. The Germans hoped to take possession of English and French colonies in Africa and Asia, to achieve the protectorate over Belgium and part of the territory of France with access to the Atlantic. Austria-Hungary counted on the territorial acquisitions in the Balkans and the north of Italy. In addition, the leading countries, of course, thought about obtaining trade and economic privileges.

Military actions in 1916. After relatively calm 1915, the battles broke out with a new force. Germany, the resources of which were steadily depleted, again undertaken a desperate attempt to bring France from the war. On February 21, the Germans began a powerful attack on the city-fortress Verdin, the capture of which would open them the road to Paris. The battles were dragged for four months, both sides carried colossal losses. It seemed that the English-French front was about to collapse under the scary Natius.

And again, as and two years ago, Russia came to help allies. On June 4, the Russian troops broke through the Austrian front to a depth of more than 100 km. The offensive continued until the beginning of the fall. The Austrians suffered huge losses, only about 400 thousand people were in Russian captivity. This offensive entered the story entitled Brusilovsky breakthroughby the name of Talented General A. A. Brusylov who commanded the southwestern front.

To support Austria-Hungary, the Germans had to transfer part of the troops from the Verden region to the Eastern Front. Fights under the vertigue have lost sharpness, and on June 22, the Anglo-French troops were able to start counteroffensive on another section of the front, on the Somme River. The cost of huge losses the Germans did not give to minimize their defense. By October, fights and battles in Somme. In their last days, September 15, the British for the first time applied Dotol unknown powerful armored cars - tanks.

In 1916, another event was marked by another event: May 31 - June 1, the largest marine battle was held at the Peninsula of Jutland in the North Sea. The English fleet lost 14 ships, German - 11. But if such damage was not too large for the British, then for the Germans he bordered with a catastrophe.