THE First World War occurred in the 20th century. From 1914 to 1918, the European continent was the “stage” of the horrors caused by the war, which was motivated, according to some scholars, by the expansionism,Imperialist exploration of Africa and Asia (from the end of the 19th century to the mid-1960s), arms race and alliance policy.
It is a consensus among many scholars that the beginning (fuse) of the war occurred after the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Francisco Ferdinando. It should be noted that this fact was not the preponderant factor that made the war happen, but an event that motivated the explosion of the powder keg – a metaphor that describes the diplomatic tensions between European countries before the war.
World War I was analyzed and interpreted by several scholars and was the inspiration for several cinematographic productions (in fact, only World War II had more cinematographic productions that represented the conflict). The Great War, as it was also described, was divided into a few phases.
Phases of the First War
→ Movement War
THE first phase took place from August to November 1914 and became known as the movement war, when Germany carried out aggressive attacks against France. The Germans invaded Belgium, defeated the French and walked towards Paris. Immediately, the capital and the French government were transferred to the city of Bordeaux, and the French managed to contain the attacks of the Germans, who withdrew the offensive in September 1914.
Mind Map: World War I
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In the first phase of the war, the policy of alliances was already practically consolidated, but some countries still closed agreements, which triggered the formation of the two enemy blocs during the second phase of the war: the Triple Entente, formed by France, Belgium, Great Britain, Russia, USA, among others; and the Triple Alliance, made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
→ War of Positions
THE second level World War I took place from November 1914 to March 1918. This phase was known as the War of Positions, a time when the greatest military strategies took place (the advances of the armies cost thousands of lives). At that moment, the call started trench warfare, when armies buried themselves in ditches for the purpose of protection.
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THE United States entry in WWI occurred during the second phase. The main reasons for the US entry into the conflict were the promise of support to European countries that bought goods of US industries (neutrality became difficult) and German submarine attacks on US merchant marine USA. On April 6, 1917, the Americans declared war on Germany. Another important fact of this phase was the exit from russia, in 1917, of the War, due to the Russian Socialist Revolution. At such a time, the Triple Alliance had gained two allies, Bulgaria and Turkey; and the Triple Entente was joined by Romania, Portugal, Japan, Argentina and Brazil.
Read more: Brazil in the First War
→ Offensives of 1918
At 1918 offensives constituted as the third phase of the First World War. New weapons were used in the conflict, in addition to the use of tanks and fighter planes for bombing and also the arrival of a large contingent of US soldiers (approximately 1.2 million of soldiers).
The entrance of the USA reinforced the military capacity of the Entente, however, the exit of Russia made possible the invasion of Italy and France by Germany. The military force of the Triple Entente achieved fundamental victories over the Triple Alliance in French territories.
By the end of 1918, Germany had no chance of winning the war, and the German population forced Emperor Wilhelm II to abdicate the throne. Later the republic was installed in Germany and its military defeat was decreed. World War I killed an estimated 8 million people and disabled approximately 20 million.
By Me. Leandro Carvalho
*Mental Map by Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
OAK, Leandro. "Stages of the First World War"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/fases.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
