Guided Reading Activity 8-3 the Road to World War 1

It is more than 106 years since Britain'southward entry into the Offset World War, one of the bloodiest conflicts in history.

Tensions had been brewing throughout Europe for years, particularly in the Balkan region of the southeast, before World War I really bankrupt out.

A number of alliances involving European states, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in Bosnia and Serbia threatened to destroy those agreements.

Amid these ascension tensions, with hindsight the world seemed poised for conflict, simply the scale of that disharmonize and its impact would become larger than any that had ever come before information technology.

World War One would involve 32 nations across its four years, with empires falling and new states being built-in.

More than than 1.i million people would die serving the British Empire.

The Spark Which Ignited War

While the reasons for the Slap-up War were varied and circuitous, ane event has been argued to be the decisive trigger that began it all.

On 28 June 1914 the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Republic of hungary's throne, was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Princip and other nationalists in his group, the Black Hand, were attempting to stop the rule of Republic of austria-Republic of hungary over Bosnia Herzegovina.

A surviving Mark Iv tank on the Amiens Route at the Western Front (Motion picture: PA).

What followed for the next 37 days became known every bit the July Crisis, a diplomatic frenzy which saw events across Europe escalate quickly.

The assassination was blamed by Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, on the Serbian Authorities and it was hoping to apply information technology as a justification to settle the question of Serbian nationalism.

Russia'due south support for Serbia, meant that Austria-hungary waited to declare war until they were sure they had the support of Federal republic of germany.

Without the back up of German leader Kaiser Wilhelm Ii Austria's leaders feared that a Russian intervention would involve Russia's marry, French republic, and potentially Dandy Britain as well.

On 5 July, Kaiser Wilhelm gave the land a "blank check" balls of German bankroll in any coming war.

With that reassurance Austro-hungarian empire provided Serbia with an ultimatum with terms so harsh acceptance was all but impossible.

Under increasing pressure and fearing state of war, the Serbian government mobilised its army and appealed to Russian federation for aid.

Austro-hungarian empire would declare war on Serbia on 28 July, with Globe War One following soon after.

German infantry troops march through conquered territory forth the Western Front end (Picture: PA).

What Brought Britain Into The War?

Germany shortly alleged war on French republic, war machine allies of Russia since 1894, and on 3 August employed the Schlieffen Plan.

It was an aggressive military programme designed to bolster Frg's chances in the confront of a war on two fronts, Russian federation in the Eastward and France in the Due west.

Named for its mastermind Alfred von Schlieffen, it required the German language army to invade France via Belgium, ignoring the Treaty of London that had guaranteed Belgian neutrality since 1839.

Germany anticipated little resistance from Belgium and referred to the treaty equally simply 'a scrap of paper'.

As one of the treaty's signatories Britain issued Germany an ultimatum to retreat from Kingdom of belgium by midnight on 3 August 1914 or Great britain would declare war in defence force of Belgium's neutrality.

With no response given late on 4 August 1914, Britain alleged war with Frg and officially entered the war on the side of the Allies.

The thought that neutrality might not be respected, that powers would simply ignore it, was something that alarmed the British.

Breaking that primal principle led to a worry that information technology may gear up a troubling precedent for other countries, in part because the UK had often been neutral themselves.

This coupled with the prospect of the whole of the opposite seacoast being controlled by a hostile ability, as well as crucial waterways that led into Europe, was more plenty motivation.

Soldiers going over the peak at the Somme (Film: PA).

Central Moments Involving Britain During World State of war Ane

• 28 June 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated.
• 28 July 1914: Austro-hungarian empire declares war on Serbia, beginning Showtime World War.
• 2-7 Baronial 1914: Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium. French republic invades Alsace. British forces arrive in France.
• x August 1914: Austria-hungary invades Russia.
• 9 September 1914: Allied forces halt German accelerate into France during First Boxing of the Marne.
• eighteen February 1915: Deutschland begins naval blockade of Great Uk.
• 25 April 1915: Allied forces country on the Gallipoli Peninsula of the Ottoman Empire.
• 23 May 1915: Italy declares state of war on Austria-hungary.
• 21 February 1916: Germany begins the attack on Verdun.
• 31 May 1916: Naval Battle of Jutland takes place between British and German language fleets.
• 1 July 1916: Allied offensive begins the Battle of the Somme.

• xviii Dec 1916: Battle of Verdun ends with 550,000 French and 450,000 German language casualties.
• 3 February 1917: United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany.
• 6 April 1917: The United States declares war on Germany.
• 24 June 1917: American gainsay forces arrive in France.
• 15 December 1917: Russia signs ceasefire with Germany.
• 3 March 1918: Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany.
• 21 March 1918: Germany begins its final offensive of the state of war.
• 2 June 1918: American forces terminate German attempt to cross the Marne River at Chateau-Thierry.
• 26 September 1918: Allied forces begin the attack at Meusse-Argonne, the last offensive of the war.
• 11 November 1918: Germany signs the Armistice at Compiègne, ending World War One.
• 1 December 1918: British and American forces enter Germany.
• fourteen February 1919: Draft of the covenant of the League of Nations is completed.
• 28 June 1919: Centrolineal and German language representatives sign the Treaty of Versailles.
• 10 January 1920: Treaty of Versailles takes outcome.

Graves of British soldiers who fought at the Somme at Connaught Cemetery in northern French republic (Picture: PA).

The Human Cost Of The War

World War 1 lasted nigh four years and its human being cost was immense.

Its casualties dwarfed all conflicts that came before it. Some 8,500,000 soldiers died equally a consequence of wounds and/or illness, according to statistics from Britannica.

The increased mechanisation of the war meant that even on quiet days on the Western Front hundreds of soldiers on both sides would die.

The heaviest loss on a single twenty-four hours happened on 1 July 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, when the British Ground forces suffered 57,470 casualties.

Statistics from the Britannica show the number of casualties for the Allied and Associated Powers:

• Russia - 1,700,000
• British Empire - 908,371
• France - 1,357,800
• Italian republic - 650,000
• The states - 116,516
• Japan - 300
• Romania - 335,706
• Serbia - 45,000
• Kingdom of belgium - 13,716
• Greece - 5,000
• Portugal - vii,222
• Montenegro - 3,000

The Central Powers also suffered big losses:

• Deutschland - 1,773,700
• Austria-Republic of hungary - 1,200,000
• Turkey - 325,000
• Bulgaria - 87,500

Encompass image: Earth War One British soldiers in a trench at the Western Front end in France (Motion picture: PA).

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Source: https://www.forces.net/news/ww1-why-did-britain-join-first-world-war

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