History

• In the 20th century, human beings experienced two large-scale wars known as the World Wars.
• A World War involves battles fought in multiple countries across the world, with millions of military and civilian casualties, fought in the mode of total war, and using political propaganda, such as posters and leaflets.
• The main aims of the Treaty of Versailles were to punish Germany, ensure peace in Europe, and stop the spread of communism.
• The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were very harsh for the Germans.
• Germany decided to take revenge against the Allies, which led to another World War.
• The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to cede territories such as Alsace-Lorraine and demilitarize the Rhineland.
• Germany was also required to pay reparations under the Treaty of Versailles.
• The Treaty of Versailles was controlled by the victorious powers, specifically the United States, Great Britain, and France
• The First World War (WWI) (1914-1918) was the first war ever fought on a global scale in the history of mankind, involving not just the European countries but 31 countries from around the world, and originating from factors such as alliances, imperialism, and militarism.
• After the Crimean War (1853-56), the Ottoman Empire had influence in Europe, while Russia was defeated and focused on expansion.
• After the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Italy unified, while weak Germany defeated France and established the German Empire, rising rapidly and becoming one of the European great powers.
• Britain adopted a policy of giving up 'splendid isolation' to seek allies, to avoid isolation under the rise of Germany.
• France took a hostile stance on Germany and ended isolation, while Germany was turning away from isolation and seeking alliances, having conflicts of interest with other countries.
• The Second Moroccan Crisis (1911) broke out in Morocco where Germany backed down again.
• In the early 20th century, there were one international crisis and two regional wars in the Southeastern European Balkan Peninsula.
• Military expenditure was spent on the following items: Russia, Austria and Germany.
• The war was on the brink of an outbreak.
• The First Moroccan Crisis (1905-1906) was situated in North Africa with strategic value of linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.
• North Africa had been a place that the European powers aimed at due to its geographical and strategic significance.
• The great powers actively designed and developed new weapons to increase their military strength.
• The European powers held a resistant attitude in disarmament conferences due to the fear of being attacked anytime.
• The Bosnian Crisis (1908) was a result of Serbia's desire to unite with Bosnia to form a greater Serbia, which was opposed by Austria-Hungary.
• Austria-Hungary expanded towards the Balkans, suppressing the aspirations of the Slavs in the country.
• The armaments race among the great powers could not make them feel safe and increased the tension among them.
• In the early 20th century, the tension among the great powers became more frequent and their hostility could not be eased.
• After the Bosnian Crisis, the relations between Serbia and Austria-Hungary worsened further, leading to the First Balkan War (1912-1913) where Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and other Balkan states defeated the Ottoman Empire.
• The Italian-Turkish War (1911-1912) broke out between Italy and the Ottoman Empire over the control of Tripoli.
• Before the outbreak of WWI, there were two international crises and one regional war in North Africa.
• Italy was seeking allies, hoping to expand but its power was not as strong as that of Germany.
• The Allies also fought battles at sea and in other regions during WWI.
• In September, Britain began using tanks on the Western Front, making trench warfare less effective.
• Between September and early November 1918, the Central Powers surrendered one after the other, leading to the end of WWI on November 11.
• In 1916, both Britain and Germany started to use aircraft in 1916, marking a new pattern of warfare.
• The Central Powers in WWI consisted of 4 countries: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
• The period of stalemate in WWI lasted from 1914 to 1917, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, leading to the First World War.
• In 1915, Germany and Austria-Hungary defeated Russia on the Eastern Front but failed to make it surrender.
• In April 1917, the Russian Empire declared war on Germany, leading to the October Revolution in November.
• The Western Front of WWI was fought in France, where the two sides dug trenches along the Swiss border to the English Channel.
• In February, Germany carried out 'unrestricted submarine warfare' to block Britain, sinking several ships and leading to the US declaring war on Germany in 1917.
• The Eastern Front of WWI was fought in Russia, where Russian generals were incompetent for lack of equipment.