Few events have defined the course of our history, like the Great War, better known as the First World War, its bloody four years, would completely transform Europe and the world, a turn of 180 degrees for the history of The humanity.
The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the great pretext to start the war that would drag the whole of Europe and break the fragile balance of power. However, tensions and cravings for conflict would begin years ago.
The constant technological innovation facilitated an arms race that would test the European alliance system, whose tensions became increasingly evident. This difficult situation would be accompanied by the crisis in the Balkans, aggravated by the constant aggression of Austria-Hungary towards Bosnia Herzegovina.
This barrel of gunpowder could be contained by the great European powers for long years, however, after the assassination of the Archduke the accumulation of tensions and rivalries originated the expected conflict.
During the conflict they faced two large blocks in general. A first block called "Allies" in which were the forces of France, Britain and Russia, in front of a second block called "Centrales" composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.
The geographic location of each force involved originated a struggle of several forts, among which the conflicts of the eastern and western front stand out.
The eastern front was characterized by the great offensive of the Russian Empire, who quickly invaded the territories controlled by Germany (Prussia and Poland), however this great effort was minimized in the battle of Tannenberg, where the troops of Germany and Austria would slow down considerably your progress
The Western front on the other hand was characterized by the wear of the German troops against France and England. The famous war of the trenches that spread throughout the front and significantly slow down the advance of German troops, who bet on a quick victory.
This great war, allowed to test the technological advances of the navy, especially by Germany, who would dare to face the supremacy of the British Empire at sea with the use of submarines.
The First World War would accelerate great sociopolitical changes in Europe throughout the continent, its consequences were not limited to the military field whose technological leap forever changed the conception of war.
After his step, the Great War not only dragged the lives of more than 16 million people, including civilians and soldiers (a huge number considering the historical context), but large imperial dynasties such as Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Turkey. Likewise, it will allow the rapid expansion of pandemic diseases such as the Spanish flu, responsible at least for the death of 20 to 50 million people.
The great war, gave to the world the first signs of the horror that large-scale conflicts can generate. However, the rancor and the revenge that accumulated during the interwar period, would unleash 20 years later a war of greater proportions and whose course would change the destiny of humanity.
I really recommend the photography collection of “The Atlantic” about the World War I
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