The First World War is the first military conflict on a global scale, in which 38 of the 59 independent states that existed at that time were involved.

The main reason for the war was the contradictions between the powers of two large blocs - the Entente (a coalition of Russia, England and France) and the Triple Alliance (a coalition of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy).

The reason for the start of an armed clash, a member of the Mlada Bosna organization, a high school student Gavrilo Princip, during which on June 28 (all dates are given according to the new style) 1914 in Sarajevo, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed.

On July 23, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia, in which it accused the country's government of supporting terrorism and demanded that its military formations be allowed into the territory. Despite the fact that the note of the Serbian government expressed readiness to resolve the conflict, the Austro-Hungarian government declared that it was not satisfied and declared war on Serbia. On July 28, hostilities began on the Austro-Serbian border.

On July 30, Russia announced a general mobilization, fulfilling its allied obligations to Serbia. Germany used this occasion to declare war on Russia on August 1, and on August 3 on France, as well as on neutral Belgium, which refused to allow German troops to pass through its territory. On August 4, Great Britain with its dominions declared war on Germany, on August 6, Austria-Hungary on Russia.

In August 1914, Japan joined the hostilities, in October, Turkey entered the war on the side of the Germany-Austria-Hungary bloc. In October 1915, Bulgaria joined the bloc of the so-called Central States.

In May 1915, under diplomatic pressure from Great Britain, Italy, which initially took a position of neutrality, declared war on Austria-Hungary, and on August 28, 1916, on Germany.

The main land fronts were the Western (French) and Eastern (Russian) fronts, the main maritime theaters of military operations were the North, Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.

Hostilities began on the Western Front - German troops acted according to the Schlieffen plan, which involved a large offensive against France through Belgium. However, Germany's calculation of a quick defeat of France turned out to be untenable; by mid-November 1914, the war on the Western Front took on a positional character.

The confrontation went along a line of trenches with a length of about 970 kilometers along the German border with Belgium and France. Until March 1918, any, even minor changes in the front line were achieved here at the cost of huge losses on both sides.

The eastern front during the maneuverable period of the war was located on the strip along the border of Russia with Germany and Austria-Hungary, then - mainly on the western border strip of Russia.

The beginning of the 1914 campaign on the Eastern Front was marked by the desire of the Russian troops to fulfill their obligations to the French and pull the German forces from the Western Front. During this period, two major battles took place - the East Prussian operation and the Battle of Galicia, during these battles the Russian army defeated the Austro-Hungarian troops, occupied Lvov and pushed the enemy back to the Carpathians, blocking the large Austrian fortress of Przemysl.

However, the losses of soldiers and equipment were colossal, due to the underdevelopment of transport routes, replenishment and ammunition did not have time to arrive on time, so the Russian troops could not build on their success.

On the whole, the 1914 campaign ended in favor of the Entente. German troops were defeated on the Marne, Austrian - in Galicia and Serbia, Turkish - at Sarykamysh. In the Far East, Japan captured the port of Jiaozhou, the Caroline, Mariana and Marshall Islands, which belonged to Germany, British troops captured the rest of Germany's possessions in the Pacific.

Later, in July 1915, British troops captured German South West Africa (a German protectorate in Africa) after protracted fighting.

The First World War was marked by the testing of new means of warfare and weapons. On October 8, 1914, the first air raid was carried out: British aircraft equipped with 20-pound bombs attacked the German airship workshops in Friedrichshafen.

After this raid, aircraft of a new class, bombers, began to be created.

The defeat ended the large-scale Dardanelles landing operation (1915-1916) - a naval expedition that the Entente countries equipped in early 1915 with the aim of taking Constantinople, opening the Dardanelles and Bosporus for communication with Russia through the Black Sea, withdrawing Turkey from the war and attracting allies to the side Balkan states. On the Eastern Front, by the end of 1915, German and Austro-Hungarian troops had driven the Russians out of almost all of Galicia and most of Russian Poland.

On April 22, 1915, during the battles near Ypres (Belgium), Germany used chemical weapons for the first time. After that, poison gases (chlorine, phosgene, and later mustard gas) began to be used regularly by both warring parties.

In the 1916 campaign, Germany again shifted its main efforts to the West in order to withdraw France from the war, but a powerful blow to France during the Verdun operation ended in failure. This was largely facilitated by the Russian Southwestern Front, which broke through the Austro-Hungarian front in Galicia and Volhynia. The Anglo-French troops launched a decisive offensive on the Somme River, but, despite all efforts and the involvement of huge forces and means, they could not break through the German defenses. During this operation, the British used tanks for the first time. At sea, the largest battle of Jutland in the war took place, in which the German fleet failed. As a result of the military campaign of 1916, the Entente seized the strategic initiative.

In late 1916, Germany and its allies first began to talk about the possibility of a peace agreement. The Entente rejected this proposal. During this period, the armies of the states actively participating in the war numbered 756 divisions, twice as many as at the beginning of the war, but they lost the most qualified military personnel. The bulk of the soldiers were reserve older ages and youth of early conscription, poorly prepared in military and technical terms and not physically trained enough.

In 1917, two major events radically influenced the balance of forces of the opponents. On April 6, 1917, the United States, which had long been neutral in the war, decided to declare war on Germany. One of the reasons was an incident off the southeastern coast of Ireland, when a German submarine sank the British liner Lusitania, sailing from the USA to England, carrying a large group of Americans, 128 of them died.

Following the United States in 1917, China, Greece, Brazil, Cuba, Panama, Liberia and Siam also entered the war on the side of the Entente.

The second major change in the confrontation of forces was caused by Russia's withdrawal from the war. On December 15, 1917, the Bolsheviks who came to power signed an armistice agreement. On March 3, 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded, according to which Russia renounced its rights to Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, part of Belarus, Latvia, Transcaucasia and Finland. Ardagan, Kars and Batum went to Turkey. In total, Russia has lost about one million square kilometers. In addition, she was obliged to pay Germany an indemnity of six billion marks.

The major battles of the 1917 campaign, the Nivelle operation and the Cambrai operation, showed the value of using tanks in battle and laid the foundation for tactics based on the interaction of infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft on the battlefield.

On August 8, 1918, in the battle of Amiens, the German front was torn apart by the Allied forces: entire divisions surrendered almost without a fight - this battle was the last major battle of the war.

On September 29, 1918, after the Entente offensive on the Thessaloniki front, Bulgaria signed a truce, Turkey capitulated in October, and Austria-Hungary on November 3.

In Germany, popular unrest began: on October 29, 1918, in the port of Kiel, a team of two warships broke out of obedience and refused to go to sea on a combat mission. Mass mutinies began: the soldiers intended to establish councils of soldiers' and sailors' deputies in northern Germany on the Russian model. On November 9, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and a republic was proclaimed.

November 11, 1918 at the Retonde station in the Compiègne forest (France), the German delegation signed the Compiègne truce. The Germans were ordered to liberate the occupied territories within two weeks, establish a neutral zone on the right bank of the Rhine; transfer guns and vehicles to the allies, release all prisoners. The political provisions of the agreement provided for the abolition of the Brest-Litovsk and Bucharest peace treaties, the financial ones - the payment of reparations for the destruction and the return of valuables. The final terms of the peace treaty with Germany were determined at the Paris Peace Conference at the Palace of Versailles on June 28, 1919.

The First World War, which for the first time in the history of mankind engulfed the territories of two continents (Eurasia and Africa) and vast sea areas, radically redrawn the political map of the world and became one of the largest and bloodiest. During the war, 70 million people were mobilized into the ranks of the armies; of these, 9.5 million were killed and died of wounds, more than 20 million were injured, 3.5 million were left crippled. The greatest losses were suffered by Germany, Russia, France and Austria-Hungary (66.6% of all losses). The total cost of the war, including property losses, was estimated at between $208 billion and $359 billion.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

CHAPTER SEVEN

FIRST WAR WITH GERMANY

July 1914 - February 1917

Illustrations can be viewed in a separate window in PDF:

1914- the beginning of the First World War, during which, and largely thanks to it, there was a change in the political system and the collapse of the Empire. The war did not stop with the fall of the monarchy; on the contrary, it spread from the outskirts into the interior of the country and stretched out until 1920. Thus, the war, in total, was six years.

As a result of this war, the political map of Europe ceased to exist THREE EMPIRES at once: Austro-Hungarian, German and Russian (see map). At the same time, a new state was created on the ruins of the Russian Empire - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

By the time the World War began, Europe had not known large-scale military conflicts for almost a hundred years, since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. All European wars of the period 1815 - 1914 were predominantly local. At the turn of the XIX - XX centuries. the illusory thought hovered in the air that war would be irrevocably banished from the life of civilized countries. One of the manifestations of this was the Hague Peace Conference of 1897. It is noteworthy that the opening of the Peace Palace.

On the other hand, at the same time, the contradictions between the European powers grew and deepened. Since the 1870s, military blocs have been forming in Europe, which in 1914 will oppose each other on the battlefields.

In 1879, Germany entered into a military alliance with Austria-Hungary against Russia and France. In 1882, Italy joined this union, and the military-political Central Bloc was formed, also called Trinity alliance.

In contrast to him in 1891 - 1893. a Russo-French alliance was concluded. Great Britain concluded an agreement with France in 1904, and in 1907 with Russia. The bloc of Great Britain, France and Russia was named Hearty consent, or Entente.

The immediate cause for the start of the war was the assassination by Serbian nationalists June 15 (28), 1914 in Sarajevo, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, issued an ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia accepted most of the terms of the ultimatum.

Austria-Hungary was dissatisfied with this, and began military operations against Serbia.

Russia supported Serbia and announced first partial and then general mobilization. Germany presented Russia with an ultimatum demanding to cancel the mobilization. Russia refused.

July 19 (August 1), 1914 Germany declared war on her.

This day is considered the date of the beginning of the First World War.

The main participants in the war from the side of the Entente were: Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, Romania, USA, Greece.

They were opposed by the countries of the Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria.

Military operations were going on in Western and Eastern Europe, in the Balkans and Thessaloniki, in Italy, in the Caucasus, in the Middle and Far East, in Africa.

The First World War was on a scale never seen before. At its final stage, it involved 33 states (out of 59 existing then independent states) population, accounting for 87% the population of the entire planet. The armies of both coalitions in January 1917 numbered 37 million people. In total, during the war, 27.5 million people were mobilized in the Entente countries, and 23 million people in the countries of the German coalition.

Unlike previous wars, World War I was all-out. Most of the population of the states participating in it was involved in it in one form or another. It forced the enterprises of the main branches of industry to be transferred to military production, and the entire economy of the belligerent countries to serve it. The war, as always, gave a powerful impetus to the development of science and technology. Previously non-existent types of weapons appeared and began to be widely used: aviation, tanks, chemical weapons, etc.

The war lasted 51 months and 2 weeks. The total losses amounted to 9.5 million people killed and died from wounds and 20 million people were wounded.

The First World War was of particular importance in the history of the Russian state. It became a difficult test for the country, which lost several million people on the fronts. Its tragic consequences were revolution, devastation, civil war and the death of old Russia.

PROGRESS OF BATTLE OPERATIONS

Emperor Nikolai appointed his uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., as commander-in-chief on the Western Front. (1856 - 1929). From the very beginning of the war, Russia suffered two major defeats in Poland.

East Prussian operation lasted from August 3 to September 2, 1914. It ended with the encirclement of the Russian army near Tannenberg and the death of General of Infantry A.V. Samsonov. Then there was a defeat on the Masurian lakes.

The first successful operation was the offensive in Galicia September 5-9, 1914, as a result of which Lvov and Przemysl were taken, and the Austro-Hungarian troops were pushed back across the San River. However, already on April 19, 1915, on this sector of the front the retreat began Russian army, after which Lithuania, Galicia and Poland came under the control of the German-Austrian bloc. By mid-August 1915, Lvov, Warsaw, Brest-Litovsk and Vilna were abandoned, and thus the front moved to Russian territory.

August 23, 1915 of the year, Emperor Nicholas II deposed the leader. book. Nikolai Nikolaevich from the post of commander in chief and assumed authority. Many military leaders considered this event fatal for the course of the war.

October 20, 1914 Nicholas II declared war on Turkey, and hostilities began in the Caucasus. General of Infantry N.N. was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front. Yudenich (1862 − 1933, Cannes). Here, in December 1915, the Sarakamysh operation began. On February 18, 1916, the Turkish fortress of Erzurum was taken, and on April 5, Trebizond was taken.

May 22, 1916 year, the offensive of Russian troops began on the South-Western Front under the command of cavalry general A.A. Brusilov. It was the famous "Brusilov breakthrough", but the neighboring commanders of neighboring fronts, Generals Evert and Kuropatkin, did not support Brusilov, and on July 31, 1916 he was forced to stop the offensive, fearing the encirclement of his army from the flanks.

This chapter uses documents and photographs from state archives and publications (Nicholas II's Diary, A. Brusilov's Memoirs, Verbatim Records of State Duma meetings, V. Mayakovsky's verses). Based on materials from the home archive (letters, postcards, photographs), one can get an idea of ​​how this war affected the lives of ordinary people. Some fought at the front, those who lived in the rear participated in helping the wounded and refugees in the institutions of such public organizations as the Russian Red Cross Society, the All-Russian Zemstvo Union, the All-Russian Union of Cities.

It's a shame, but just during this most interesting period in our Family Archives, no one's diaries, although, perhaps, at that time no one led them. It's good that grandma saved letters those years that her parents wrote from Chisinau and sister Xenia from Moscow, as well as several postcards by Yu.A. Korobina from the Caucasian front, which he wrote to his daughter Tanya. Unfortunately, the letters written by her herself have not been preserved - from the front in Galicia, from Moscow during the Revolution, from Tambov provinces during the Civil War.

In order to somehow make up for the lack of daily records from my relatives, I decided to look for published diaries of other participants in the events. It turned out that the diaries were regularly kept by Emperor Nicholas II, and they are "posted" on the Internet. It is boring to read his Diaries, because day after day the same small everyday details are repeated in the records (as got up, "walked" received reports, had breakfast, walked again, bathed, played with children, dined and drank tea, and in the evening "dealt with documents" In the evening playing dominoes or dice). The emperor describes in detail the reviews of troops, ceremonial marches and ceremonial dinners given in his honor, but speaks very sparingly about the situation on the fronts.

I want to remind you that the authors of diaries and letters, unlike memoirists, don't know the future, and for those who read them now, their "future" has become our "past", and we know what awaits them. This knowledge leaves a special imprint on our perception, especially because their "future" turned out to be so tragic. We see that the participants and witnesses of social catastrophes do not think about the consequences and therefore do not know what awaits them. Their children and grandchildren forget about the experience of their ancestors, which is easy to see when reading the diaries and letters of contemporaries of the following wars and "perestroika". In the world of politics, too, everything repeats itself with amazing monotony: after 100 years, the newspapers again write about Serbia and Albania, someone again bombing Belgrade and fighting in Mesopotamia, again caucasian wars are going on, and in the new Duma, as in the old one, members are engaged in verbiage ... As if you are watching remakes of old movies.

PREPARATION FOR WAR

The diary of Nicholas II serves as a background for the publication of letters from the Family Archive. The letters are printed in the places where they coincide chronologically with the entries from his Diary. The text of the entries is given with abbreviations. Italic highlighted daily used verbs and phrases. Subtitles and notes provided by the compiler.

Since April 1914, the royal family lived in Livadia. Ambassadors, ministers and Rasputin, whom Nicholas II calls in his diary, came to the tsar there Gregory. It is noticeable that Nicholas II attached special importance to meetings with him. Unlike world events, he certainly noted them in his diary. Here are some typical entries in May 1914.

DIARY OF NICHOLASII

May 15th.Walked in the morning. had breakfast Georgy Mikhailovich and several lancers, on the occasion of the regimental holiday . Happy played tennis. Read[documents] before lunch. Evening spent with Gregory, who yesterday arrived in Yalta.

May 16th. Went for a walk quite late; it was hot. Before breakfast accepted Bulgarian military agent Sirmanov. Had a good game of tennis during the day. We drank tea in the garden. Completed all papers. After dinner there were regular games.

May 18th. In the morning I went with Voeikov and examined the area of ​​​​the future large carriageway. After lunch was Sunday breakfast. Played during the day. At 6 1/2 took a walk with Alexei on a horizontal path. After lunch ride in the motor in Yalta. seen Gregory.

Tsar's visit to Romania

May 31, 1914 Nicholas II left Livadia, moved to his yacht Shtandart and, accompanied by a convoy of 6 warships, went on a visit to Ferdinand von Hohenzollern(b. in 1866), who became in 1914 Romanian king. Nicholas and the Queen were relatives along the line Saxe-Coburg-Gotha At home, the very one to which she belonged, both the ruling dynasty in the British Empire, and the Russian Empress (Nicholas's wife) on her mother's side.

Therefore he writes: "In the pavilion of the Queen family breakfast». In the morning 2 June Nicholas arrived in Odessa, and in the evening got on the train and went to Chisinau.

VISIT CHISINAU

June 3rd. We arrived in Chisinau at 9 1/2 on a hot morning. They traveled around the city in carriages. The order was exemplary. From the cathedral with a religious procession they went to the square, where the solemn consecration of the monument to Emperor Alexander I took place in memory of the centenary of the annexation of Bessarabia to Russia. The sun was hot. accepted right there all the volost foremen of the province. Then let's go to the appointment to the nobility; from the balcony watched the gymnastics of boys and girls. On the way to the station we visited the zemstvo museum. At 20 min. left Chisinau. had breakfast in great spirits. Stopped at 3 o'clock in Tiraspol, Where made a review [hereinafter, the listing of parts is omitted]. Received two deputations And got on the train when the refreshing rain started. Until the evening read papers .

Note N.M. Father of Nina Evgenievna, E.A. Belyavsky, a nobleman and a real state councilor, served in the Excise Administration of the Bessarabian province. Together with other officials, he probably participated in “the celebrations of the consecration of the monument and in the reception of the nobility,” but my grandmother never told me about this. But at that time she lived with Tanya in Chisinau.

June 15 (28), 1914 in Serbia, and in the city of Sarajevo, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed by a terrorist Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Note N.M. From 7 (20) to 10 (23) July the visit of the President of the French Republic Poincaré to the Russian Empire took place. The President had to persuade the Emperor to go to war with Germany and its allies, and in return he promised the help of the allies (England and France), to whom the Emperor had been indebted since 1905, when bankers from the USA and Europe gave him a loan of 6 billion rubles under 6% per annum. In his Diary, Nicholas II, of course, does not write about such unpleasant things.

Strange, but Nicholas II did not mention the murder of the Archduke in Serbia in his Diary, therefore, when reading his diary, it is not clear why Austria issued an ultimatum to this country. On the other hand, he describes Poincaré's visit in detail and with obvious pleasure. Writes , how “a French squadron entered the small roadstead of Kronstadt”, with what honor the president was greeted, how a ceremonial dinner with speeches took place, after which he names his guest "kind president." The next day they go with Poincaré "to review the troops."

10 (23) July, Thursday, Nicholas escorts Poincare to Kronstadt, and in the evening of the same day.

THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR

1914. DIARY OF NICHOLASII.

July 12th. On Thursday evening Austria issues ultimatum to Serbia with requirements, of which 8 are unacceptable for an independent state. Obviously, we talk everywhere only about this. From 11 am to 12 pm I had a meeting with 6 ministers on the same subject and on the precautions we should take. After talking, I went with my three older daughters to [Mariinsky] theater.

July 15 (28), 1914. Austria declared war on Serbia

July 15th.accepted representatives of the congress of the naval clergy with his father Shavelsky at the head. Played tennis. At 5 o'clock. go with daughters to Strelnitsa to Aunt Olga and drank tea with her and Mitya. At 8 1/2 accepted Sazonov, who reported that This afternoon Austria declared war on Serbia.

July 16th. In the morning accepted Goremykina [Chairman of the Council of Ministers]. Happy played tennis. But the day was unusually restless. I was constantly called to the telephone by Sazonov, or Sukhomlinov, or Yanushkevich. In addition, he was in urgent telegraphic correspondence with Wilhelm. In the evening read[documents] and more accepted Tatishchev, whom I am sending tomorrow to Berlin.

July 18th. The day stood gray, the same was the inner mood. At 11 o'clock. A meeting of the Council of Ministers was held at the Farm. After breakfast I took the German ambassador. took a walk with daughters. Before lunch and in the evening was doing.

July 19 (Aug. 1), 1914. Germany declared war on Russia.

July 19th. Called after breakfast Nicholas and announced to him his appointment as supreme commander until my arrival in the army. Ride with Alix to the Diveevo monastery. Walked with the children. Upon returning from there learned, What Germany declared war on us. had dinner… arrived in the evening English ambassador Buchanan with a telegram from George. Long made up together with him answer.

Note N.M. Nikolasha - uncle of the king, led. book. Nikolai Nikolaevich. George - Cousin of the Empress, King George of England. Starting a war with a cousin "Willy" caused Nicholas II to "lift the spirit", and, judging by the entries in the diary, he maintained such a mood to the end, despite the constant setbacks at the front. Did he remember what the war he started and lost with Japan led to? After all, after that war, the first Revolution happened.

July 20th. Sunday. A good day, especially in the sense uplifting spirit. At 11 went to dinner. had breakfast alone. Signed a manifesto declaring war. From Malahitovaya we went out to the Nikolaevskaya hall, in the middle of which the manifesto was read and then a prayer service was served. The whole hall sang “Save, Lord” and “Many Years”. Said a few words. On their return, the ladies rushed to kiss their hands and battered Alix and me. Then we went out onto the balcony on Alexander Square and bowed to the huge mass of people. We returned to Peterhof at 7 1/4. The evening was spent quietly.

July 22nd. Yesterday Mom A came to Copenhagen from England via Berlin. 9 1/2 to one continuously took. The first to arrive was Alek [Grand Duke], who returned from Hamburg with great difficulties and barely reached the border. Germany declared war on France and directs the main onslaught on it.

July 23rd. Learned in the morning good[??? – comp.] message: England announced to the warrior of Germany because the latter attacked France and violated the neutrality of Luxembourg and Belgium in the most unceremonious manner. The best way from the outside for us the campaign could not start. Took all morning and after breakfast until 4 o'clock. The last one I had French Ambassador Palaiologos, who came to officially announce the break between France and Germany. Walked with the children. The evening was free[Department - comp.].

July 24 (Aug. 6), 1914. Austria declared war on Russia.

July 24th. Today, Austria finally, declared war on us. Now the situation is completely determined. Since 11 1/2 I have had meeting of the Council of Ministers. Alix went into town in the morning and returned with Victoria and Ella. Walked.

Historic meeting of the State Duma July 26, 1914 With. 227 - 261

VERNOGRAPHIC REPORT

Greeting Emperor NicholasII

State Council and State Duma,

Interim's word Chairman of the State Council Golubev:

“Your Imperial Majesty! The Council of State casts before you, Great Sovereign, loyal feelings imbued with boundless love and all-submissive gratitude... The unity of the beloved Sovereign and the population of His Empire aggravates its power... (etc.)”

Word of the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko: "Your Imperial Majesty! With a deep sense of delight and pride, all of Russia listens to the words of the Russian Tsar, calling His people to complete unity .... Without a difference of opinions, views and convictions, the State Duma, on behalf of the Russian land, calmly and firmly says to its Tsar: hold on, my lord the Russian people are with you ... (etc.) "

At 3 hours 37 minutes. the meeting of the State Duma began.

M.V. Rodzianko exclaims: "Long live the Sovereign Emperor!" (Long-lasting clicks: cheers) and invites gentlemen Members of the State Duma standing to listen to the Supreme Manifesto of 20 July 1914(Everybody get up).

Supreme Manifesto

by the Grace of God,

WE ARE NICHOLAS THE SECOND,

Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia,

Tsar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland and others, and others, and others.

“We declare to all Our faithful subjects:

<…>Austria hurriedly went over to an armed attack, opening the bombardment of defenseless Belgrade... Forced, due to the circumstances, to take the necessary precautions, We ordered to bring army and navy on martial law. <…>Allied to Austria, Germany, contrary to Our hopes for a century of good neighborliness and not heeding Our assurance that the measures taken have no hostile aims, began to seek their immediate cancellation and, meeting with a refusal, suddenly declared war on Russia.<…>In the terrible hour of trial, may internal strife be forgotten. Let it get stronger unity of the king with his people…

Chairman M.V. Rodzianko: Sovereign Emperor hurray! (Long-lasting clicks: hooray).

Ministerial explanations on the measures taken in connection with the war follow. Speakers: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Goremykin, Foreign Secretary Sazonov, Minister of Finance Barque. Their speeches were often interrupted stormy and prolonged applause, voices and clicks: "bravo!"

After a break, M.V. Rodzianko invites the State Duma to listen standing second manifesto of 26 July 1914

Supreme Manifesto

“We declare to all Our faithful subjects:<…>Now Austria-Hungary has declared war on Russia, which saved it more than once. In the forthcoming war of nations, We [that is, Nicholas II] are not alone: ​​together with Us [with Nicholas II], Our [Nicholas II] valiant allies stood up, also forced to resort to force of arms in order to finally eliminate the eternal threat of the German powers to the common world and calmness.

<…>May the Lord Almighty Our [Nicholas II] and our allied weapons, and may all of Russia rise to the feat of arms with iron in hand, with a cross in the heart…»

Chairman M.V. Rodzianko:Long live the Sovereign Emperor!

(Long-lasting clicks: hooray; voice: Hymn! Members of the State Duma sing national anthem).

[AFTER 100 YEARS MEMBERS OF THE DUMA OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ALSO GLORIFY THE "SOVER" AND SING THE ANTHEM!!! ]

Discussions on government clarifications begin. The Social Democrats are the first to speak: from the Labor Group A.F. Kerensky(1881, Simbirsk -1970, New York) and on behalf of the RSDLP Khaustov. After them, various “Russians” (Germans, Poles, Little Russians) spoke with assurances of their loyal feelings and intentions to “sacrifice life and property for the unity and greatness of Russia”: Baron Fölkersam and Goldman from Courland province., Yaronsky from Kletskaya, Ichas and Feldman from Kovno, Lutz from Kherson. Speeches were also made: Milyukov from St. Petersburg, Count Musin-Pushkin from the Moscow province., Markov 2nd from the Kursk province., Protopopov from the Simbirsk province. and others.

Against the background of loyal verbiage, which gentlemen Members of the State Duma were engaged in that day, the speeches of the socialists look like the exploits of the Gracchi brothers.

A.F. Kerensky (Saratov province): The Labor Group instructed me to issue the following statement:<…>The responsibility of the governments of all European states, in the name of the interests of the ruling classes, who pushed their peoples into a fratricidal war, is inexcusable.<…>Russian citizens! Remember that you have no enemies among the working classes of the warring countries.<…>Defending to the end everything native from attempts to capture by the hostile governments of Germany and Austria, remember that this terrible war would not have happened if the great ideals of democracy - freedom, equality and fraternity - guided the activities of governments all countries».

―――――――

Poems:“Already all of you are freezing, / Far from ours.

Sausage cannot be compared // With Russian black porridge.

Notes of a Petrograd man in the street during the Russian-German war. P.V. With. 364 - 384

August 1914.“The Germans are waging this war like the Huns, Vandals and desperate super-villains. They take out their failures on the defenseless population of the areas they occupy. The Germans ruthlessly plunder the population, impose monstrous indemnities, shoot men and women, rape women and children, destroy monuments of art and architecture, and burn precious book depositories. To confirm this, we present a number of excerpts from correspondence and telegrams for this month.

<…>The news from the Western Front is confirmed that the German troops set fire to the town of Badenville, shooting women and children in it. One of the sons of Emperor Wilhelm, arriving in Badenville, delivered a speech to the soldiers in which he said that the French were savages. "Exterminate them as much as you can!" the prince said.

Belgian envoy cites irrefutable evidence that the Germans mutilate and burn alive the villagers, kidnap young girls, and rape children. Near the village of Lencino there was a battle between the Germans and the Belgian infantry. Not a single civilian took part in this battle. Nevertheless, the German units that invaded the village destroyed two farms, six houses, gathered the entire male population, put them in a ditch and shot them.

London newspapers full of details about the terrible atrocities of the German troops in Louvain. The pogrom of the civilian population continued without interruption. Moving from house to house, German soldiers indulged in robbery, violence and murder, sparing neither women, nor children, nor the elderly. The surviving members of the city council were herded into the cathedral and stabbed there with bayonets. The famous local library, which contained 70,000 volumes, was burned."

It's done. Rock with a harsh hand

He lifted the veil of time.

Before us are the faces of a new life

They worry like a wild dream.

covering capitals and villages,

Soared, raging, banners.

Through the pastures of ancient Europe

The last war is underway.

And everything about what with a fruitless fervor

Ages have been arguing.

Ready to kick

Her iron hand.

But listen! In the hearts of the oppressed

Summon the tribes of the enslaved

Breaks into a war cry.

Under the clatter of armies, the thunder of guns,

Under the Newports, a buzzing flight,

Everything we talk about is like a miracle

Dreaming, maybe getting up.

So! too long we've languished

And they continued Belshazzar's feast!

Let, let from the fiery font

The world will be transformed!

Let it fall into a bloody hole

The structure is shaky for centuries, -

In the false illumination of glory

The world to come will be new!

Let the old vaults crumble

Let the poles fall with a roar;

The beginning of peace and freedom

Let there be a terrible year of struggle!

V. MAYAKOVSKY. 1917.TO ANSWER!

The war drum rumbles and rumbles.

He calls for iron to be stuck alive.

From every country for a slave to a slave

they throw a bayonet on the steel.

For what? The earth is trembling, hungry, undressed.

Evaporated humanity in a bloodbath

just to someone somewhere

got hold of Albania.

The anger of human packs grappled,

falls on the world for blow blow

only in order to free the Bosphorus

there were some trials.

Soon the world won't have an unbroken rib.

And take out the soul. And trample on A m of it

just for that so that someone

took over Mesopotamia.

In the name of what does the boot trample the earth, creaking and rude?

Who is above the sky of fighting - freedom? God? Ruble!

When you stand up to your full height,

you who give your life Yu them?

When you throw a question in their face:

what are we fighting for?

The horrors of the worldwide slaughter of 1939-1945 made us think of the previous, World War I, as a relatively small conflict. Indeed, the losses among the armies of the warring countries and their civilian population were then many times less, although they were calculated in multimillion figures. However, it should be remembered that the warring parties actively used combat and the participation in combat operations of submarine, surface and air fleets, as well as tanks, indicates that the nature of the First World War is as close as possible to modern ideas about strategy and tactics.

On June 28, 1914, a terrorist attack occurred in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, as a result of which members of the august Austro-Hungarian family, Archduke Ferdinand and Sophia, his wife, were killed. The perpetrators were subjects of the empire, but their nationality gave reason to accuse the Serbian government of supporting terrorists, and at the same time to blame this country for inflating separatism.

When it started, even those who started it did not imagine that it would drag on for four years, cover vast expanses from the Arctic to South America, and lead to such massive losses. Serbia, experiencing internal and weakened by two in a row, was a practically defenseless victim, and defeating her was not a problem. The question was which countries would react to this attack and how.

Despite the fact that the Serbian government accepted almost all the conditions of the ultimatum presented to it, this was no longer taken into account. When the First World War began, the government of Austria-Hungary announced mobilization, enlisting the support of Germany and assessing the combat readiness of possible opponents, as well as the degree of their interest in the territorial redistribution. As subsequent events showed, not all factors were taken into account.

Exactly one month after the Sarajevo assassination, hostilities began. At the same time, the German Empire informed France and Russia of its intentions to support Vienna.

In the days when the First World War began, the population of both Austria-Hungary and Germany was seized by a single patriotic impulse. The subjects of the enemy countries did not lag behind in the desire to "teach a lesson" to the enemy. The mobilized soldiers were flooded with flowers and treats on both sides of the border, which soon became the front line.

When the First World War began, plans were made in the general staffs for swift offensives, seizures and encirclement of the enemy army groupings, but soon the hostilities acquired a pronounced positional character. For all the time there was only one breakthrough of the layered defense, it was named after General Brusilov, who commanded this operation. The winners in such conditions were determined not so much by the quality of equipment or the talents of the command staff, but by the economic potential of the warring countries.

The Austro-Hungarian and German empires were weaker. Exhausted by a four-year confrontation, despite a favorable one for them with Russia, they suffered a defeat, the result of which was the Heroes of the First World War, both in Russia, engulfed in the flames of revolution, and in Germany, and in Austria, turned out to be unnecessary human material rejected by society.

World War I (1914 - 1918)

The Russian Empire collapsed. One of the goals of the war is solved.

Chamberlain

The First World War lasted from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918. 38 states with a population of 62% of the world took part in it. This war was rather ambiguous and extremely contradictory described in modern history. I specifically cited Chamberlain's words in the epigraph to once again emphasize this inconsistency. A prominent politician in England (Russia's ally in the war) says that one of the goals of the war has been achieved by overthrowing the autocracy in Russia!

The Balkan countries played an important role in the beginning of the war. They were not independent. Their policy (both foreign and domestic) was greatly influenced by England. Germany by that time had lost its influence in this region, although it controlled Bulgaria for a long time.

• Entente. Russian Empire, France, Great Britain. The allies were the USA, Italy, Romania, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
• Triple Alliance. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire. Later, the Bulgarian kingdom joined them, and the coalition became known as the Quadruple Union.

The following major countries took part in the war: Austria-Hungary (July 27, 1914 - November 3, 1918), Germany (August 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918), Turkey (October 29, 1914 - October 30, 1918), Bulgaria (October 14, 1915 - 29 September 1918). Entente countries and allies: Russia (August 1, 1914 - March 3, 1918), France (August 3, 1914), Belgium (August 3, 1914), Great Britain (August 4, 1914), Italy (May 23, 1915), Romania (August 27, 1916) .

Another important point. Initially, a member of the "Triple Alliance" was Italy. But after the outbreak of the First World War, the Italians declared neutrality.

Causes of World War I

The main reason for the outbreak of the First World War is the desire of the leading powers, primarily England, France and Austria-Hungary, to redistribute the world. The fact is that the colonial system collapsed by the beginning of the 20th century. The leading European countries, which had prospered for years by exploiting the colonies, were no longer allowed to obtain resources simply by taking them away from the Indians, Africans and South Americans. Now resources could only be won back from each other. Therefore, contradictions arose:

• Between England and Germany. England sought to prevent the strengthening of German influence in the Balkans. Germany sought to gain a foothold in the Balkans and the Middle East, and also sought to deprive England of naval dominance.
• Between Germany and France. France dreamed of regaining the lands of Alsace and Lorraine, which she had lost in the war of 1870-71. France also sought to seize the German Saar coal basin.
• Between Germany and Russia. Germany sought to take Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states from Russia.
• Between Russia and Austria-Hungary. Contradictions arose because of the desire of both countries to influence the Balkans, as well as the desire of Russia to subjugate the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.

Cause to start a war

The events in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) served as the reason for the start of the First World War. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand organization of the Young Bosnia movement, assassinated Archduke Frans Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, so the resonance of the murder was enormous. This was the reason for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia.

The behavior of England is very important here, since Austria-Hungary could not start a war on its own, because this practically guaranteed a war throughout Europe. The British, at the level of the embassy, ​​convinced Nicholas 2 that Russia, in the event of aggression, should not leave Serbia without help. But then all (I emphasize this) the English press wrote that the Serbs were barbarians and Austria-Hungary should not leave the murder of the Archduke unpunished. That is, England did everything so that Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia did not shy away from war.

Important nuances of the reason for war

In all textbooks we are told that the main and only reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the assassination of the Austrian Archduke. At the same time, they forget to say that the next day, June 29, another significant murder took place. The French politician Jean Jaures, who actively opposed the war and had great influence in France, was killed. A few weeks before the assassination of the Archduke, there was an attempt on Rasputin, who, like Zhores, was an opponent of the war and had a great influence on Nicholas 2. I also want to note some facts from the fate of the main characters of those days:

• Gavrilo Principin. He died in prison in 1918 from tuberculosis.
• Russian Ambassador to Serbia - Hartley. In 1914 he died at the Austrian embassy in Serbia, where he came for a reception.
• Colonel Apis, leader of the Black Hand. Shot in 1917.
• In 1917 Hartley's correspondence with Sozonov (the next Russian ambassador to Serbia) disappeared.

All this indicates that there were a lot of black spots in the events of the days, which have not yet been revealed. And this is very important to understand.

The role of England in starting the war

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 2 great powers in continental Europe: Germany and Russia. They did not want to openly fight against each other, since the forces were approximately equal. Therefore, in the "July crisis" of 1914, both sides took a wait-and-see attitude. English diplomacy came to the fore. By means of the press and secret diplomacy, she conveyed to Germany the position - in the event of war, England would remain neutral or take the side of Germany. By open diplomacy, Nicholas 2 heard the opposite idea that in the event of a war, England would take the side of Russia.

It must be clearly understood that one open statement by England that she will not allow war in Europe would be enough for neither Germany nor Russia to even think about anything of the kind. Naturally, under such conditions, Austria-Hungary would not have dared to attack Serbia. But England, with all her diplomacy, pushed the European countries to war.

Russia before the war

Before the First World War, Russia reformed the army. In 1907, the fleet was reformed, and in 1910 the land forces were reformed. The country increased military spending many times over, and the total number of the army in peacetime was now 2 million people. In 1912, Russia adopts a new Field Service Charter. Today it is rightfully called the most perfect Charter of its time, since it motivated soldiers and commanders to take personal initiative. Important point! The doctrine of the army of the Russian Empire was offensive.

Despite the fact that there were many positive changes, there were also very serious miscalculations. The main one is the underestimation of the role of artillery in the war. As the course of events of the First World War showed, this was a terrible mistake, which clearly showed that at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian generals were seriously behind the times. They lived in the past when the role of the cavalry was important. As a result, 75% of all the losses of the First World War were caused by artillery! This is a sentence to the imperial generals.

It is important to note that Russia never finished preparing for the war (at the proper level), while Germany completed it in 1914.

The balance of forces and means before and after the war

Artillery

	Number of guns	Of these, heavy weapons
Austria-Hungary
Germany

According to the data from the table, it can be seen that Germany and Austria-Hungary were many times superior to Russia and France in terms of heavy guns. Therefore, the balance of power was in favor of the first two countries. Moreover, the Germans, as usual, before the war created an excellent military industry, which produced 250,000 shells daily. For comparison, Britain produced 10,000 shells a month! As they say, feel the difference...

Another example showing the importance of artillery is the battles on the Dunajec Gorlice line (May 1915). In 4 hours, the German army fired 700,000 shells. For comparison, during the entire Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Germany fired just over 800,000 shells. That is, in 4 hours a little less than in the entire war. The Germans clearly understood that heavy artillery would play a decisive role in the war.

Armament and military equipment

Production of weapons and equipment during the First World War (thousand units).

	Shooting	Artillery
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austria-Hungary

This table clearly shows the weakness of the Russian Empire in terms of equipping the army. In all major indicators, Russia is far behind Germany, but also behind France and Great Britain. Largely because of this, the war turned out to be so difficult for our country.

Number of people (infantry)

The number of fighting infantry (millions of people).

	At the beginning of the war	By the end of the war	Losses killed
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austria-Hungary

The table shows that the smallest contribution, both in terms of combatants and in terms of deaths, was made by Great Britain to the war. This is logical, since the British did not really participate in major battles. Another example from this table is illustrative. We are told in all textbooks that Austria-Hungary, due to heavy losses, could not fight on its own, and it always needed Germany's help. But pay attention to Austria-Hungary and France in the table. The numbers are identical! Just as Germany had to fight for Austria-Hungary, so Russia had to fight for France (it is no coincidence that the Russian army saved Paris from capitulation three times during the First World War).

The table also shows that in fact the war was between Russia and Germany. Both countries lost 4.3 million killed, while Britain, France and Austria-Hungary together lost 3.5 million. The numbers are telling. But it turned out that the countries that fought the most and made the most efforts in the war ended up with nothing. First, Russia signed the shameful Brest peace for itself, losing a lot of land. Then Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, in fact, having lost its independence.

The course of the war

Military events of 1914

July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. This entailed the involvement in the war of the countries of the Triple Alliance, on the one hand, and the Entente, on the other.

Russia entered World War I on August 1, 1914. Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (uncle of Nicholas 2) was appointed supreme commander.

In the first days of the beginning of the war, Petersburg was renamed Petrograd. Since the war with Germany began, and the capital could not have a name of German origin - "burg".

Historical reference

German "Schlieffen Plan"

Germany was under the threat of a war on two fronts: East - with Russia, West - with France. Then the German command developed the "Schlieffen plan", according to which Germany should defeat France in 40 days and then fight with Russia. Why 40 days? The Germans believed that this is how much Russia would need to mobilize. Therefore, when Russia mobilizes, France will already be out of the game.

On August 2, 1914, Germany captured Luxembourg, on August 4 they invaded Belgium (a neutral country at that time), and by August 20 Germany had reached the borders of France. The implementation of the Schlieffen plan began. Germany advanced deep into France, but on September 5 was stopped at the Marne River, where a battle took place, in which about 2 million people participated on both sides.

Northwestern front of Russia in 1914

Russia at the beginning of the war made a stupid thing that Germany could not calculate in any way. Nicholas 2 decided to enter the war without fully mobilizing the army. On August 4, Russian troops, under the command of Rennenkampf, launched an offensive in East Prussia (modern Kaliningrad). Samsonov's army was equipped to help her. Initially, the troops were successful, and Germany was forced to retreat. As a result, part of the forces of the Western Front was transferred to the Eastern. The result - Germany repelled the Russian offensive in East Prussia (the troops acted disorganized and lacked resources), but as a result, the Schlieffen plan failed, and France could not be captured. So, Russia saved Paris, though by defeating its 1st and 2nd armies. After that, a positional war began.

Southwestern Front of Russia

On the southwestern front in August-September, Russia launched an offensive operation against Galicia, which was occupied by the troops of Austria-Hungary. The Galician operation was more successful than the offensive in East Prussia. In this battle, Austria-Hungary suffered a catastrophic defeat. 400 thousand people were killed, 100 thousand captured. For comparison, the Russian army lost 150 thousand people killed. After that, Austria-Hungary actually withdrew from the war, as it lost the ability to conduct independent operations. Austria was saved from complete defeat only by the help of Germany, which was forced to transfer additional divisions to Galicia.

The main results of the military campaign of 1914

• Germany failed to implement the Schlieffen plan for blitzkrieg.
• No one managed to win a decisive advantage. The war turned into a positional one.

Map of military events in 1914-15

Military events of 1915

In 1915, Germany decided to shift the main blow to the eastern front, directing all its forces to the war with Russia, which was the weakest country of the Entente, according to the Germans. It was a strategic plan developed by the commander of the Eastern Front, General von Hindenburg. Russia managed to thwart this plan only at the cost of colossal losses, but at the same time, 1915 turned out to be simply terrible for the empire of Nicholas 2.

The situation on the northwestern front

From January to October, Germany waged an active offensive, as a result of which Russia lost Poland, western Ukraine, part of the Baltic states, and western Belarus. Russia went into deep defense. Russian losses were gigantic:

• Killed and wounded - 850 thousand people
• Captured - 900 thousand people

Russia did not capitulate, but the countries of the "Triple Alliance" were convinced that Russia would not be able to recover from the losses it had received.

Germany's successes in this sector of the front led to the fact that on October 14, 1915, Bulgaria entered the First World War (on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary).

The situation on the southwestern front

The Germans, together with Austria-Hungary, organized the Gorlitsky breakthrough in the spring of 1915, forcing the entire southwestern front of Russia to retreat. Galicia, which was captured in 1914, was completely lost. Germany was able to achieve this advantage thanks to the terrible mistakes of the Russian command, as well as a significant technical advantage. German superiority in technology reached:

• 2.5 times in machine guns.
• 4.5 times in light artillery.
• 40 times in heavy artillery.

It was not possible to withdraw Russia from the war, but the losses on this sector of the front were gigantic: 150,000 killed, 700,000 wounded, 900,000 prisoners and 4 million refugees.

The situation on the western front

All is calm on the Western Front. This phrase can describe how the war between Germany and France in 1915 proceeded. There were sluggish hostilities in which no one sought the initiative. Germany was implementing plans in Eastern Europe, while England and France were calmly mobilizing the economy and the army, preparing for further war. No one provided any assistance to Russia, although Nicholas 2 repeatedly appealed to France, first of all, so that she would switch to active operations on the Western Front. As usual, no one heard him ... By the way, this sluggish war on the western front for Germany is perfectly described by Hemingway in the novel “Farewell to Arms”.

The main result of 1915 was that Germany was unable to withdraw Russia from the war, although all forces were thrown at it. It became obvious that the First World War would drag on for a long time, since in 1.5 years of the war no one was able to gain an advantage or a strategic initiative.

Military events of 1916

"Verdun meat grinder"

In February 1916, Germany launched a general offensive against France, with the aim of capturing Paris. For this, a campaign was carried out on Verdun, which covered the approaches to the French capital. The battle lasted until the end of 1916. During this time, 2 million people died, for which the battle was called the Verdun Meat Grinder. France survived, but again thanks to the fact that Russia came to its rescue, which became more active on the southwestern front.

Events on the southwestern front in 1916

In May 1916, Russian troops went on the offensive, which lasted 2 months. This offensive went down in history under the name "Brusilovsky breakthrough". This name is due to the fact that the Russian army was commanded by General Brusilov. The breakthrough of defense in Bukovina (from Lutsk to Chernivtsi) happened on June 5th. The Russian army managed not only to break through the defense, but also to advance into its depths in places up to 120 kilometers. German and Austro-Hungarian losses were catastrophic. 1.5 million dead, wounded and captured. The offensive was stopped only by additional German divisions, which were hastily transferred here from Verdun (France) and from Italy.

This offensive of the Russian army was not without a fly in the ointment. They threw it, as usual, the allies. On August 27, 1916, Romania enters the First World War on the side of the Entente. Germany very quickly inflicted a defeat on her. As a result, Romania lost its army, and Russia received an additional 2,000 kilometers of front.

Events on the Caucasian and Northwestern fronts

Positional battles continued on the North-Western Front in the spring-autumn period. As for the Caucasian front, here the main events continued from the beginning of 1916 to April. During this time, 2 operations were carried out: Erzumur and Trebizond. According to their results, Erzurum and Trebizond were conquered, respectively.

Outcome of 1916 in World War I

• The strategic initiative went over to the side of the Entente.
• The French fortress of Verdun survived thanks to the advance of the Russian army.
• Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente.
• Russia launched a powerful offensive - the Brusilovsky breakthrough.

Military and political events of 1917

The year 1917 in the First World War was marked by the fact that the war continued against the background of the revolutionary situation in Russia and Germany, as well as the deterioration of the economic situation of the countries. I will give an example of Russia. During the 3 years of the war, prices for basic products increased by an average of 4-4.5 times. Naturally, this caused discontent among the people. Add to this heavy losses and a grueling war - it turns out excellent ground for revolutionaries. The situation is similar in Germany.

In 1917, the United States enters World War I. The positions of the "Triple Alliance" are deteriorating. Germany with allies cannot effectively fight on 2 fronts, as a result of which it goes on the defensive.

End of the war for Russia

In the spring of 1917, Germany launched another offensive on the Western Front. Despite the events in Russia, the Western countries demanded that the Provisional Government implement the agreements signed by the Empire and send troops on the offensive. As a result, on June 16, the Russian army went on the offensive in the Lvov region. Again, we saved the allies from major battles, but we set ourselves up completely.

The Russian army, exhausted by the war and losses, did not want to fight. Issues of provisions, uniforms and supplies during the war years have not been resolved. The army fought reluctantly, but moved forward. The Germans were forced to re-deploy troops here, and Russia's Entente allies again isolated themselves, watching what would happen next. On July 6, Germany launched a counteroffensive. As a result, 150,000 Russian soldiers died. The army actually ceased to exist. The front has collapsed. Russia could no longer fight, and this catastrophe was inevitable.

People demanded that Russia withdraw from the war. And this was one of their main demands on the Bolsheviks, who seized power in October 1917. Initially, at the 2nd Party Congress, the Bolsheviks signed the Decree "On Peace", in fact declaring Russia's withdrawal from the war, and on March 3, 1918, they signed the Brest Peace. The conditions of this world were as follows:

• Russia makes peace with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
• Russia is losing Poland, Ukraine, Finland, part of Belarus and the Baltic states.
• Russia cedes Batum, Kars and Ardagan to Turkey.

As a result of its participation in the First World War, Russia lost: about 1 million square meters of territory, about 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of arable land and 3/4 of the coal and metallurgical industry were lost.

Historical reference

Events in the war in 1918

Germany got rid of the Eastern Front and the need to wage war in 2 directions. As a result, in the spring and summer of 1918, she attempted an offensive on the Western Front, but this offensive had no success. Moreover, in its course it became obvious that Germany was squeezing the maximum out of herself, and that she needed a break in the war.

Autumn 1918

The decisive events in the First World War took place in the autumn. The Entente countries, together with the United States, went on the offensive. The German army was completely ousted from France and Belgium. In October, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria signed a truce with the Entente, and Germany was left to fight alone. Her position was hopeless, after the German allies in the "Triple Alliance" essentially capitulated. This resulted in the same thing that happened in Russia - a revolution. On November 9, 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II was deposed.

End of World War I

On November 11, 1918, the First World War of 1914-1918 ended. Germany signed a complete surrender. It happened near Paris, in the forest of Compiègne, at the Retonde station. The surrender was accepted by the French Marshal Foch. The terms of the signed peace were as follows:

• Germany recognizes complete defeat in the war.
• The return of France to the province of Alsace and Lorraine to the borders of 1870, as well as the transfer of the Saar coal basin.
• Germany lost all its colonial possessions, and also pledged to transfer 1/8 of its territory to its geographical neighbors.
• For 15 years, the Entente troops are located on the left bank of the Rhine.
• By May 1, 1921, Germany had to pay the members of the Entente (Russia was not supposed to do anything) 20 billion marks in gold, goods, securities, etc.
• For 30 years, Germany must pay reparations, and the amount of these reparations is set by the victors themselves and can increase them at any time during these 30 years.
• Germany was forbidden to have an army of more than 100 thousand people, and the army was obliged to be exclusively voluntary.

The terms of "peace" were so humiliating for Germany that the country actually became a puppet. Therefore, many people of that time said that the First World War, although it ended, did not end with peace, but with a truce for 30 years. And so it eventually happened ...

Results of the First World War

The First World War was fought on the territory of 14 states. Countries with a total population of over 1 billion people took part in it (this is approximately 62% of the total world population at that time). In total, 74 million people were mobilized by the participating countries, of which 10 million died and another 20 million were injured.

As a result of the war, the political map of Europe changed significantly. There were such independent states as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Albania. Austria-Hungary split into Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Increased their borders Romania, Greece, France, Italy. There were 5 countries that lost and lost in the territory: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia.

Map of the First World War 1914-1918