The events leading up to World War I proved to be disastrous, both diplomatically and technologically. With the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungary Empire by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914, the sentiment between European powers was already on the brink of war. An increasingly militaristic German Empire sought to expand their boundaries and diplomatic alliances were failing at an alarming rate between the European powers, shifting military alliances between two sects. The Central Powers, primarily the German, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman, and Bulgarian Empires, were in an all-out war against various Allied Powers, in which the bulk of the offensive was made by the French, British, and Russian Empires,
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Under the military prose of Alfred von Schlieffen, the Schlieffen Plan was executed during the French and Belgium invasion on August 4, 1914. The German military executed this plan successfully throughout the Battle of the Frontiers, successfully defeating a combination of French, British, and Belgium troops on Allied territory in just over a one-month period. This success set the stage for the trench warfare that would come to realization throughout the rest of the war. The Schlieffen Plan was more than a military strategy, it was the understanding of the German Empire that they were surrounded by Allied Powers and in order to achieve victory, must execute multiple divisions in a manner that could swiftly bring the opponent to capitulation. The Plan was developed nearly a decade before Frontiers, and the Allied Powers would find it highly difficult to defend against. The swiftness of the Plan demanded that millions of soldiers be mobilized and able to fight across various types of landforms, including the Rhine River, mountainous terrain, and ultimately better organization of trench warfare. However, both sides are guilty of respecting the technological advances of war, with the Germans using poor communication techniques and the French not adapting to advances in artillery use. The latter would prove to be more costly. …show more content…
Although all nations have depleted men, ammunition, provisions and such, war sentiment is alive in each empire. Nationalism, public opinion, and total control of the empires by large governments contributed to the continuation of war efforts. Although 1917 would be the year that Russia would pull out due to a revolution and lose a significant amount of land to the German Empire, the Germans were finding it difficult to feed their army, altering their advances. This required the increasing German implementation of submarine warfare, hoping to prevent the British Empire and France from receiving imports. However, it was this move - along with the Zimmerman Telegram - which built public support for American intervention, and which ultimately led to the United States declaration of war on the German Empire on April 6,
Under the military prose of Alfred von Schlieffen, the Schlieffen Plan was executed during the French and Belgium invasion on August 4, 1914. The German military executed this plan successfully throughout the Battle of the Frontiers, successfully defeating a combination of French, British, and Belgium troops on Allied territory in just over a one-month period. This success set the stage for the trench warfare that would come to realization throughout the rest of the war. The Schlieffen Plan was more than a military strategy, it was the understanding of the German Empire that they were surrounded by Allied Powers and in order to achieve victory, must execute multiple divisions in a manner that could swiftly bring the opponent to capitulation. The Plan was developed nearly a decade before Frontiers, and the Allied Powers would find it highly difficult to defend against. The swiftness of the Plan demanded that millions of soldiers be mobilized and able to fight across various types of landforms, including the Rhine River, mountainous terrain, and ultimately better organization of trench warfare. However, both sides are guilty of respecting the technological advances of war, with the Germans using poor communication techniques and the French not adapting to advances in artillery use. The latter would prove to be more costly. …show more content…
Although all nations have depleted men, ammunition, provisions and such, war sentiment is alive in each empire. Nationalism, public opinion, and total control of the empires by large governments contributed to the continuation of war efforts. Although 1917 would be the year that Russia would pull out due to a revolution and lose a significant amount of land to the German Empire, the Germans were finding it difficult to feed their army, altering their advances. This required the increasing German implementation of submarine warfare, hoping to prevent the British Empire and France from receiving imports. However, it was this move - along with the Zimmerman Telegram - which built public support for American intervention, and which ultimately led to the United States declaration of war on the German Empire on April 6,