The First World War and its Consequences

1. Causes and Motivations

It is no accident that the First World War is called by that name.

This was the first time countries came into conflict on such a scale, and

the first time so many had died in such a short period. The war

extended beyond the edges of Europe as well, and was fought with the

most modern weapons available at the time. In its wake, new countries

were created; defeats suffered here, and the frustration that went with

them, would set the stage for the Second World War also.

There were several reasons for the outbreak of the war, But

primary among them were the ethnic and national tensions throughout

Europe. There were many who wished to break out of the old

framework (primarily in reference to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy),

desirous to unite with their own already-existing nation-states.

Furthermore there were countless power rivalries between the French

and the Germans, the Germans and the English, the Russians and the

English, with the parties involved trying to expand their influence and

sphere of interest at the other's expense. There had already been a

series of international conflicts before the Great War resulting in various

power alliances: first the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1892, then the

Franco-English rapprochement of 1904, and finally the Anglo-Russian

Convention of 1907 that was joined by Serbia, Belgium, Italy, and later

Romania (these last two joining during the war). On the other side,

there were Bulgaria and Turkey joining the German-Austrian-Hungarian

alliance. Preceding the war, just to keep things interesting, were the

annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Italo-Turkish War, and two

conflicts in the Balkans.

2. The Outbreak and Course of the War

The immediate "reason" for the outbreak of the was the

assassination of the heir to the Hapsburg crown, Franz Ferdinand in

Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The Monarchy issued an ultimatum to

Serbia, followed by a declaration of war, and Russia mobilized troops,

then Germany declared war on the Czarist Empire on the first of August,

1914, followed by declarations of war on France and Belgium. This

aroused the wrath of the English, bringing them in turn to make a

similar declaration against Germany. The initial German offensive soon

bogged down in the West, as well as in the East at the Marne in

September of 1914. The situation had deteriorated into a static war in

East Prussia and several places in Serbia. The years that followed

brought victories and defeats by turns. In 1915, the Germans used

poison gas, another "revolutionary" step in human history. The Russian

counterattack stalled at Gorlice, and a static war had developed

between the Entente and Central Powers near Verdun in 1916. Because

of the Revolution, Russia in 1917 was not yet involved in the war, but

the United States, because of German U-boat warfare, entered the

conflict in April of 1917 on the side of the Entente, which substantially

altered the balance of forces involved. The Germans tried to squeeze

some advantage out of the situation after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in

1918, but these efforts were unfruitful and led to Germany's slow but

sure loss. The Armistice at Compiègne marked the end of military

operations.

In Russia, as we have previously mentioned, a Revolution had

broken out. A dual power structure had established itself in February of

1917, with the Provisional Committee exercising power in name only;

the real power was held by the Soviets, under strong Bolshevik

influence. On October 25, 1917 (November 7 by the Gregorian

Calendar), the Bolsheviks seized power. Though this seizure was

"accompanied" by various decrees on the preserving the peace and

land distribution, a civil war was to follow that lasted several years.

One of the Bolsheviks' first steps was to disband the Constitutional

Assembly, from which it was obvious that the country was not breaking

with its dictatorial traditions, but merely reestablishing them in new

form.

Consequences of the War

The dissolution of the Monarchy was an important consequence

of the Great War. Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats

and Serbs were established, while Romania extended its borders with

extensive territories inhabited by Hungarians. In Vienna and Budapest,

republics were proclaimed.

One repeated scenario that left its mark were various attempts

at revolution that later consolidated into retrograde regimes. In

Hungary, to counterbalance the new territorial demands, power fell to

the Communists on March 21, 1919; they joined forces with the Social

Democrats to form the Socialist Party and embarked on wide-scale state

expropriation. At the head of the power structure was the Council of

People's Commissars, led by Béla Kun. In Germany, too, there were

small council governments in several regions, but these were not viable

without international support, and soon failed. Germany consolidated

itself within the so-called Weimar Republic, but behind these fragile

scenes, right-wing movements were already organizing, aiming to

exploit the issues of loss in the war and the pain of steep reparations

paid.