The use of trenches was one of the characteristics of the First World War.
The First World War was a military conflict that lasted four years (1914-1918 ) . The main European powers of the time, as well as other nations , participated in the conflict.
Initially, this conflict was known simply as the World War or the Great War . Later, after the development of another international conflict of enormous proportions between 1939 and 1945 , it began to be called the First World War to distinguish it from what was the Second World War .
Causes of World War I
Historians point to imperialism , by encouraging rivalry and competition between the powers of Europe , as the main reason for the outbreak of the First World War . However, the assassination of the Archduke of Austria by a Serbian nationalist is singled out as a specific event.
The crime took place on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo . Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , was there with his wife Sophie Chotek when they both fell victim to an attack perpetrated by a revolutionary group known as Young Bosnia . The person responsible for the death of the archduke was Gavrilo Princip .
Following the attack , the Austro-Hungarian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Serbia and finally launched an invasion on 28 July . Following this action , the various international alliances established in the previous years came into play and thus many countries joined the belligerence . The Russian Empire , for example, soon mobilized against the Austro-Hungarian Empire .
Multiple air raids were carried out during the First World War.
Warring factions
In the First World War, two major sides faced each other: the Central Powers and the Allies . Both coalitions arose from the aforementioned alliances that had been forged in previous decades.
The Central Powers were led by the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the German Empire , later joined by the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria . The Allies included the Russian Empire , France , the British Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia , with the Kingdom of Italy and the United States , among others, later joining.
Military actions in the First World War
The First World War was characterized by innovative strategies and the use of previously unused technological resources. On land, trench warfare was particularly advanced by the proliferation of firearms compared to previous conflicts.
The deployment of submarines and aircraft on a large scale was also a novelty. Despite their ban, chemical weapons were frequently used, especially mustard gas and chlorine .
The end of the conflict and its consequences
The First World War began to end with the triumph of the Russian Revolution , which led to the establishment of a peace agreement between the revolutionary government and the Central Powers in March 1918. Months later, the Austro-Hungarian Empire accepted an armistice , while Germany did the same and sealed the Allied victory.
With the end of the conflict , the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the German Empire , the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire dissolved. This led to the disappearance, independence, restructuring and creation of multiple nations .
It is worth mentioning that the First World War left no fewer than 16 million people dead. This figure reflects that nearly 1% of all humanity died in the fateful conflagration .