Major World War I battles

ANDl 20th century was characterized, among other things, by the large number of global wars that followed, receiving some of them the nickname of "world", being the first of these the First World War or Great War. There were an enormous number of battles in this war, but not all of them were equally relevant. That is why today in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about Major World War I battles.

The First World War o Great War, it was a great warlike confrontation that happened all over the world, although it mainly took place in Europe. The war began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. In the conflict, the lives of 1% of the world's population were lost, being one of the wars where more people have died in all history.

The Great War faced both sides, the Triple Alliance, formed by the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and on the other side the Triple Entente, formed by the Russian Empire, France and the United Kingdom. Other relevant countries that joined these sides are the United States and Japan that joined the Triple Entente, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria that joined the Triple Alliance. The Triple Alliance and its allies were called the Central Powers, while the Triple Entente and its allies were called the Allies.

To understand this war you must understand the Causes that led to it, among which are the following:

• The arms race of European countries during the 20th century, which also caused the military to gain increasing leadership power.
• The control that European countries had achieved over resources from various Asian and African countries. This supposed conflicts between the European countries, on which state had to control each one.
• The expansion of nationalisms, which increased hatred between the countries.
• The alliances between countries, which were quite similar to the sides in the war.
• The murder of Archduke Francisco Fernando. Considered the final cause of the beginning of the conflict, the murder of the heir to the crown Austro-Hungarian provoked a series of reactions that would end up being the triggers of the First World War.

Image: Slideshare

To continue with this article on the major WWI battles, we must talk about what these battles were, and try to place them geographically in a context determined. Some of the main battles were the following:

• First Battle of the Marne: This battle took place east of Paris and lasted 7 days in 1914. The battle was a counteroffensive by the French and British, who blocked Germany's advance and drove them back north. It was the first great victory of the allied bloc, and it is one of the most remembered battles by the French, who consider it the battle in which their country was saved.
• Battle of the Dardanelles or Gallipoli: This battle took place in a strait between Turkey and the Black Sea. Its beginning took place in an offensive of France and the United Kingdom against the Ottomans, which failed due to a great defense on the part of the Ottoman Empire. This battle was very important for Australians and New Zealanders, as they fought for the first time with the colors of their national flags.
• Battle of Verdun:The longest battle of the entire war and one of those that caused the greatest deaths. The battle lasted 10 months and faced the French and German armies. The objective of this battle was to block the German invasion of the French country, which the Gallic state achieved after months of hard battles.
• Battle of the Somme: The battle of the war that caused the most deaths, with more than one million casualties. The French and English armies tried to break through the defenses of Germany, to try to distract the Germans from the Battle of Verdun. It is known for being the battle in which the highest number of English casualties occurred in the entire history of the British Army.
• Battle of Cambrai: The first battle in which used tanks as a massive weapon. The battle resulted in a surprising German victory.
• Kaiserschlacht: The last great German attack in WWI. It is nicknamed by the English as "The Great Retreat of March."
• The second battle of the Marne: The victory of the Allies in this battle caused a spectacular advance, and shortly after the surrender of the Germans.

Image: World War I

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