World War I: From Trench Warfare to Global Conflict
From Trench Warfare to the Globalization of Conflict
The French managed to stabilize the defensive front, which stretched from the Swiss border to the North Sea. The German army was more substantial, defeating Russian troops. Trench warfare, also known as position warfare, was long and hard and became the symbol of the First World War. In the Battle of Verdun, the Germans started with the aim of breaking the Allied front, but the French soldiers endured attacks from German troops without dropping an inch of ground. The Allies tried the Somme offensive but had no success.
The Eastern Front
On the Eastern Front, the Russians initially surprised the Germans, but they were quickly blocked by the push of the German armies commanded by Hindenburg.
The Globalization of the Conflict
The contenders tried hard to bring the war to new battlefields. The intervention of Italy alongside the Allies opened a new front for Austria-Hungary, achieving an important victory in Caporetto. Moreover, the entrance into the war of the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria alongside the Central Powers extended the conflict to the Balkans. The intervention of some other countries alongside the key Allies did not make changes to the extent of the conflict.
Colonial Participation
The participation of colonial territories was becoming increasingly important. Colonial troops and volunteers were involved in fighting alongside each side. The colonies offered economic resources and a workforce to replace the damaged European economies and serve as auxiliary forces. The war also extended to the sea. The great naval battle of Jutland had no clear winners or losers, and it was very important.
The United States Enters the War
A British liner carrying American citizens was sunk by a German submarine. The United States, which had supported the Allies with loans and materials, protested energetically. Submarine warfare and the attack on American ships were decisive events for the course and outcome of the war. The United States declared war on the Central Powers, sending two million soldiers to fight in service of the war and the Allies.
A New Kind of War
The Great War was also a conflict that involved all resources and the entire population, both civil and military. First, the advance of armies caused the exodus of millions of civilians due to fear of looting or destruction from reprisals. This led to a major refugee movement, the largest motivated by a conflict in the contemporary world. The male civilian population of military age and the disasters of the war affected the population in a generalized manner.
Propaganda and the War Economy
The first use of propaganda to mobilize public opinion allowed each side of the country to use the exaltation of the enemy in order to engage the entire population in the conflict. A real war economy was established with strong state intervention. Factories had to work to make weapons, and any complaint from an entrepreneur was considered a betrayal. The female population and men not recruited were involved in this production. The war was also paid for by Allied governments borrowing, especially from the United States.
The Crisis of 1917 and the End of the War
The war seemed endless. Hunger and misery were rampant in the rear, and the patriotic enthusiasm of the first moments of the conflict was disappearing. Protests began to spread.