HOw it began
The killing of Franz Ferdinand was a match that set off a much larger power keg. The killing itself was really a trivial little side deed that just sparked a World War. In response Austro-Hungary threatened Serbia to give Princip up or else, but the Serbians didn't know who had killed Franz so could do nothing, Russia threatened Austro-Hungary not to invade, in turn the German Empire (who had a treaty with Austro-Hungary) threatened Russia, Britain and France threatened Germany as Britain and France had a treaty with Russia, Japan also helped Britain under the 1905 Anglo-Japanese Treaty. That was how it became a World War, the countries fell like a line of dominoes, that is what treaties can do.
TIMELINE: June 28th, 1914- August 3rd 1914
June 28th - Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian empire, in Sarajevo, Bosnia
July 28th - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
July 29th - Austria-Hungary repeatedly invades Serbia but is repeatedly repulsed
August 1st - Outbreak of war - Germany declares war on Russia
August 3rd - Germany declares war on France
June 28th - Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian empire, in Sarajevo, Bosnia
July 28th - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
July 29th - Austria-Hungary repeatedly invades Serbia but is repeatedly repulsed
August 1st - Outbreak of war - Germany declares war on Russia
August 3rd - Germany declares war on France
ww1 ended up into a stalemate?
First off, a stalemate is a situation where no one can win. In regards to WW1, it refers to the 'trench-warfare' which consisted of miles of trenches cut into the earth which were supported by machine guns and artillery. If either side tried to move forward, they would be mowed down by the machine guns. So many people had to die to take a few feet of ground that it was considered a stalemate. The advent of Tanks neutralized this since it allowed for something to hide behind while advancing. Trench life was terrible. The enemy would throw grenades and bombs that would make craters in the trenches. When it rained, the craters would fill up with water and get all soggy causing high fevers, colds and other horrible illnesses. One common symptom from water was trench foot. That's like athlete's foot but worse.
Here are some quotes from soldiers who experienced trench warfare:
“Whilst asleep during the night, we were frequently awakened by rats running over us. When this happened too often for my liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger on my legs; then violently heave my legs upwards, throwing the rat into the air. Occasionally, I would hear a grunt when the rat landed on a fellow victim.”
(R L Venables)
“If you have never had trench foot described to you, I will explain. Your feet swell to two to three times their normal size and go completely dead. You can stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are lucky enough not to lose your feet and the swelling starts to go down, it is then that the most indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and scream with pain and many have had to have their feet and legs amputated. I was one of the lucky ones, but one more day in that trench and it may have been too late.”
(Harry Roberts)
“To get a ‘cushy’ one is all the old hands think about. A bloke in the Camerons wanted a ‘cushy’ bad! Fed up and far from home he was. He puts his finger over the top and gets his trigger finger taken off and two more besides. “I’m off to bonny Scotland!” he says laughing. But on the way down to the dressing station, he forgets to stoop low where an old sniper is working. He gets it through the head.”
(Robert Graves)
"We must looked out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat - the kind we call corpse-rats. They have shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long, nude tails."
Erich Maria Remarque
“We slept in our clothes and cut our hair short so that it would tuck inside our caps. Dressing simply meant putting on our boots. There were times when we had to scrape the lice off with the blunt edge of a knife and our underclothes stuck to us. “
(Elizabeth de T’Serclaes – a nurse on the front line)
Here are some quotes from soldiers who experienced trench warfare:
“Whilst asleep during the night, we were frequently awakened by rats running over us. When this happened too often for my liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger on my legs; then violently heave my legs upwards, throwing the rat into the air. Occasionally, I would hear a grunt when the rat landed on a fellow victim.”
(R L Venables)
“If you have never had trench foot described to you, I will explain. Your feet swell to two to three times their normal size and go completely dead. You can stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are lucky enough not to lose your feet and the swelling starts to go down, it is then that the most indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and scream with pain and many have had to have their feet and legs amputated. I was one of the lucky ones, but one more day in that trench and it may have been too late.”
(Harry Roberts)
“To get a ‘cushy’ one is all the old hands think about. A bloke in the Camerons wanted a ‘cushy’ bad! Fed up and far from home he was. He puts his finger over the top and gets his trigger finger taken off and two more besides. “I’m off to bonny Scotland!” he says laughing. But on the way down to the dressing station, he forgets to stoop low where an old sniper is working. He gets it through the head.”
(Robert Graves)
"We must looked out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat - the kind we call corpse-rats. They have shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long, nude tails."
Erich Maria Remarque
“We slept in our clothes and cut our hair short so that it would tuck inside our caps. Dressing simply meant putting on our boots. There were times when we had to scrape the lice off with the blunt edge of a knife and our underclothes stuck to us. “
(Elizabeth de T’Serclaes – a nurse on the front line)
battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was in August 1914 a decisive engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I, fought by the Russian First and Second Armies and the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army. A series of follow-up battles destroyed the majority of the First Army as well, and kept the Russians off-balance until the spring of 1915. The battle is notable particularly for a number of rapid movements of complete German corps by train, allowing a single German Army to present a single front to both Russian Armies. The Russian invasion of East Prussia began before the Russian army was fully mobilized (which is why it failed disastrously). The 2 German corps transferred from the Western Front didn't arrive until after the battle of Tannenberg, so had no effect on the outcome.
battle of somme
Battle of The Somme (July 1st - November 18th, 1916)was a major British offensive on the Western Front during WW1. The purpose of the offensive was twofold;firstly, to take the pressure off the French army,which had been under attack from the Germans since February at Verdun, and was close to breaking.Secondly, the British commander, Haig, claimed the Somme offensive would break through the German lines, enabling the British to defeat the German army completely and win the war with one blow.
The offensive was a disastrous failure, the British suffering some 418,000 casualties, 60,000 of them (including 20,000 dead) on the first day. Far from breaking through the German lines and winning the war, the ground gained by the British consisted of a strip of territory 20 miles long and, at its furthest penetration, 7 miles deep. Further, although the Germans also suffered heavy casualties, they were able to contain the offensive with locally available reserves, so didn't have to withdraw any of their troops from Verdun to deal with the British attack.
The offensive was a disastrous failure, the British suffering some 418,000 casualties, 60,000 of them (including 20,000 dead) on the first day. Far from breaking through the German lines and winning the war, the ground gained by the British consisted of a strip of territory 20 miles long and, at its furthest penetration, 7 miles deep. Further, although the Germans also suffered heavy casualties, they were able to contain the offensive with locally available reserves, so didn't have to withdraw any of their troops from Verdun to deal with the British attack.
New weapons used in ww1
The stalemate on the western and southern fronts reflected technological developments that favored defensive tactics. Barbed wire, which had confined cattle in America's Great Plains, proved highly effective in frustrating the advance of soldiers across "no-mans land", the deadly territory between opposing trenches. Some of the new weapons that were used were poisonous gas, tanks, and airplanes.
Poisonous gas
Poisonous gas was probably the most unconventional weapon in WW1. The most hated gas was Mustard Gas, a liquid agent, when exposed to air, it turned in to noxious yellow gas, hence why it's named Mustard. The effects of this gas did not appear for some 12 hours following exposure, but then it rotted the body from both within and without. It would blister the skin, damage the eyes and strip off the mucous membrane if you breathed it in. Death would occur in 4 to 5 weeks. The picture on the left shows a man who was injured by mustard gas.
Tanks
The British first introduced tanks in late 1915, and the Allies deployed them to break down defensive trenches and to restore fighting. Despite its proven short-term effectiveness during the final offenses of the war, the tank did not produce the longed-for strategic advantage. As a rule, German counterattacks quickly regained the ground won by tanks. The picture shows a tank that was used during the global war.
Airplanes
A recent origin in WW1 was the airplane, still in its infancy in 1914. Constantly refined and improved as the war progressed, the airplane by the end of the war showed dramatic improvements in speed, range, and altitude. However, because airplanes couldn't carry enough weapons to do traumatic damage, their real asset was aerial reconnaissance. This picture on the left shows an airplane from WW1.