WWI - "WWI - The war will be over by Christmas" (1918, that is.) (Lesson)

"The war will be over by Christmas" (1918, that is.)

Watch this overview to review the causes of WWI and how the war began. It may take a moment to load.

 

When the war broke out, many believed it would be a quick affair, much like the wars Europe had seen up until that point. Thousands of young men rush to join their nation's armies, hoping to see action before the war was over "by Christmas." Unfortunately, many factors aligned to keep the war going for an interminable amount of years.

Germany faced a two front war with France in the west and Russia in the east.

In 1890's German General Alfred Von Schlieffen devised a plan to fight such a war:

Map of the Schlieffen Plan.Schlieffen Plan.

  • Entire German army would go west to knock out France before the Russians could arrive on the eastern front as it was expected to take Russia a long time to mobilize.
  • Because breaking through the French border would take a long time, the Germans choose to go through Belgium into France's northern border.
  • Going through the North would allow them to swoop down into France, take Paris and sweep the remaining soldiers into Germany to fight before marching straight to Russia.
  • Belgium's border was unprotected.
  • Germany demanded that Belgium allow them to march through.
  • Belgium refused as it was a neutral nation
    • they had a policy stating they were not supporting either side.
    • Status as neutral nation had been guaranteed by all the Great Powers since 1839.
  • Germany violated Belgium's neutrality on August 4th.

Belgium turns to Great Britain

  • Great Britain is concerned because of the closeness of Belgium ports.
  • Great Britain declares war on Germany.

At this point the battle lines are drawn

  • Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary
  • Allied Powers - Great Britain, France, and Russia

By October, the Ottomans joined the Central Powers; one year later Bulgaria joined Central Powers.

Italy joined the Allies nine months later

  • Although a member of the Triple Alliance, Italy was able to bow out of supporting the war, because Austria was the one who began it. Italy saw it as a war of aggression on behalf of Austria. They changed to the Allied side in 1915 with the promise of land gains after the war was over.

Throughout August, 1.5 million German soldiers marched through Belgium. They were met at the northern border by approximately the same number of French soldiers as well as additional British. The unexpected battles in Belgium as well as the British joining the war caused the planned invasion of France to get bogged down. The German plan was dependent upon a quick victory in France, and thus the war took an entirely different course than the Germans predicted.

The two sides formed a battle line known as the Western Front

  • By September 2nd, the German army was nearing Paris.
  • Russia was mobilizing more quickly than Germany had expected.
  • The German high command had no choice but to send troops to the east, thus weakening the Western Front.

On September 6th, the Allies struck at a gap in the German lines near the Marne River, outside of Paris. All resources available were used to advance French troops including requisitioning all the taxicabs in Paris to bring troops to the front. By Sept. 12, the German army retreated, thus Paris was saved, making the First Battle of the Marne one of the most important battles of the war. But it also demonstrated that a quick victory on the Western Front would not be possible as both sides began digging in, quite literally as they began building trenches. The war had settled into stalemate.

That first Christmas? A one day truce was called and both sides spilled into No Man's Land, sang Christmas carols and exchanged Christmas cards. The next day, they took up arms and began fighting again.

 

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