World War I briefly

About the first world war in brief 1914 - 1918

Pervaya mirovaya vo yna

The beginning of the first world war
Stages of the First World War

Results of the First World War

The First World War, in short, is one of the largest and most difficult military conflicts of the 20th century.

Causes of military conflict

In order to understand the causes of the First World War, it is necessary to briefly consider the balance of power in Europe. Three major world powers - the Russian Empire, Great Britain and England by the 19th century had already divided spheres of influence among themselves. Until a certain point, Germany did not aspire to a dominant position in Europe; it was more concerned with its economic growth.

But everything changed at the end of the 19th century. Having strengthened economically and militarily, Germany began to urgently need a new living space for a growing population and markets for its goods. Colonies were needed, which Germany did not have. To achieve this, it was necessary to start a new redistribution of the world by defeating the allied bloc of three powers - England, Russia and France.

By the end of the 19th century, Germany's aggressive plans became completely clear to her neighbors. In response to the German threat, the Entente alliance was created, consisting of Russia, France and England that joined them.

In addition to the desire of Germany to win back its living space and colonies, there were other reasons for the First World War. This question is so complex that there is still no single point of view on this matter. Each of the main countries participating in the conflict puts forward its own reasons.

The First World War, in short, began because of the irreconcilable contradictions between the countries of the Entente and the Central Union, primarily between Great Britain and Germany. Other states also had their claims to each other.

Another reason for the war is the choice of the path of development of society. And here again two points of view clashed - Western European and Central-South European.
Could the war have been avoided? All sources unanimously say that it is possible if the leadership of the countries participating in the conflict would really want it. Germany was most interested in the war, for which she was fully prepared, and made every effort to start it.

Main contributors

The war was fought between the two largest political blocs at the time - the Entente and the Central Bloc (formerly the Triple Alliance). The Entente included the Russian Empire, England and France. The central block consisted of the following countries: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy. The latter later joined the Entente, and the Triple Alliance included Bulgaria and Turkey.
In total, 38 countries participated in the First World War, in short.

Reason for war

The beginning of the military conflict was associated with the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The killer was a member of the Yugoslav revolutionary youth organization.

The beginning of the war 1914

This event was enough for Austria-Hungary to start a war with Serbia. In early July, the Austrian authorities announced that Serbia was behind the assassination of the Archduke and put forward an ultimatum that could not be fulfilled. Serbia, however, agrees to all of its terms except one. Germany, for which the war was urgently needed, stubbornly pushed Austria-Hungary to declare war. At this time, all three countries are mobilizing.
On July 28, Austria-Hungary announces that Serbia has not fulfilled the conditions of the ultimatum, begins shelling the capital and sends troops into its territory. Nicholas II calls in a telegram to Wilhelm I for a peaceful resolution of the situation with the help of the Hague Conference. The German authorities are silent in response.
On July 31, Germany already announces an ultimatum to Russia and demands to stop mobilization, and on August 1, the official declaration of war comes.
It must be said that none of the participants in these events imagined that the war, which was planned to end within a few months, would drag on for more than 4 years.

The course of the war

It is easier and more convenient to divide the course of the war into five periods, according to the years during which it was going on.
1914 - hostilities unfolded on the Western (France) and Eastern (Prussia, Russia) fronts, the Balkans and colonies (Oceania, Africa and China). Germany quickly captured Belgium and Luxembourg, and launched an offensive against France. Russia led a successful offensive in Prussia. In general, in 1914, none of the countries managed to fully realize their plans.
1915 - Fierce fighting took place on the Western Front, where France and Germany were desperate to turn the tide in their favor. On the Eastern Front for the Russian troops, the situation has changed for the worse. Due to supply problems, the army began to retreat, losing Galicia and Poland.
1916 - during this period, the most bloody battle took place on the Western Front - Verdun, during which more than a million people died. Russia, seeking to help the allies and pull the forces of the German army towards itself, made a successful attempt at a counteroffensive - the Brusilovsky breakthrough.
1917 - the success of the Entente troops. The USA joins them. As a result of revolutionary events, Russia is actually withdrawing from the war.
1918 - the conclusion by Russia on extremely unfavorable and difficult conditions of peace with Germany. The rest of Germany's allies conclude peace with the Entente countries. Germany remains alone and in November 1918 agrees to surrender.

The results of the war 1918

Before World War II, this military conflict was the most widespread, affecting almost the entire globe. The shocking number of victims (taking into account the loss of those killed among the military and civilians, as well as the wounded) is about 80 million people. During the 5 years of the war, such empires as the Ottoman, Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian collapsed.

World War I began on August 1, 1914. It lasted more than 4 years (ended on November 11, 1918), 38 states participated in it, over 74 million people fought on its fields, of which 10 million were killed and 20 million were maimed. This war led to the collapse of the most powerful European states and the formation of a new political situation in the world.

On the eve of the war, relations between the strongest countries, England and Germany, worsened. Their rivalry turned into a fierce struggle for dominance in the world, for the capture of new territories. There were also alliances of states that were at enmity with each other.

The reason for the war was the assassination on June 28, 1914 in the city of Sarajevo (in Bosnia on the Balkan Peninsula) of the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand. As a result, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia a month later. On August 1 Germany declared war on Russia, on August 3 on France and Belgium, and on August 4 England declared war on Germany. Most of the countries of the world were involved in the war. On the side of the Entente (England, France, Russia) - 34 states, on the side of Germany and Austria - 4. Military operations covered the territory of Europe, Asia and Africa, were conducted on all oceans and many seas. The main land fronts in Europe, on which the outcome of the war was decided, were the Western (in France) and Eastern (in Russia).

In August 1914, German troops were almost near Paris, where bloody battles were fought. From the border of Switzerland to the North Sea stretched a continuous front line. But Germany's reckoning on a quick defeat of France failed. Japan declared war on Germany on August 23, and Turkey entered the war on Germany's side in October. It became clear that the war was taking on a protracted character.

In the rear in many countries, people are faced with poverty, there is no longer enough food. The situation of the peoples, especially the belligerent states, has deteriorated sharply. To change the course of the war, Germany decided to use a new type of weapon - poisonous gases.

It was very difficult to fight on two fronts. In October 1917, a revolution took place in Russia, and she withdrew from the war by signing a peace treaty with Germany. But this did not help Germany much; its offensive on the Western Front in 1918 failed.

In August-September, the Allied armies, using their superiority in troops and equipment (in March 1918, troops from the United States, which entered the war in 1917, began to arrive on the Western Front), went on the offensive and forced the German troops to leave France.

At the beginning of October, Germany's position became hopeless. Defeats at the fronts, devastation led to a revolution in Germany. On November 9, the monarchy in it was overthrown, and on November 11, Germany recognized itself as defeated. The final terms of the peace treaties with Germany and its allies were signed at the Paris Conference of 1919-20. Germany paid the victors large sums in compensation for damage (except for Russia, which withdrew from the Entente after the October Revolution). In 1918, Austria-Hungary also collapsed.

The First World War changed the whole map of Europe.

In what year did World War I start? This question is quite important in view of the fact that the world has really changed in before and after. Before this war, the world did not know such a mass death of people who died literally for every inch of the front.

After the First World War, Oswald Spengler wrote the famous book "The Decline of Europe", in which he predicted the decline of Western European civilization. After all, the First World War, in which Russia was involved and will be unleashed between the Europeans.

Also, this event will be the true beginning of the 20th century. It is not for nothing that historians say that the 20th century was the shortest historical century: from 1914 to 1991.

Start

World War I began on July 28, 1914, one month after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

How did it all start?

On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Austria-Hungary is old from the beginning to consider this situation as an opportunity to establish its influence in the Balkans. She demanded from Serbia not to fulfill a number of requirements that infringed on the independence of this small Slavic country. The most painful was that Serbia had to agree to the Austrian police investigating this case. All these demands were framed in the so-called July ultimatum, which Austria-Hungary sent to Serbia July 23, 1914.

Serbia agreed with all the demands (to purge the state apparatus of nationalists or someone else), except for the point to allow the Austrian police into its territory. Realizing that this is actually a threat of war, Serbia began to mobilize the army.

For those who don’t know, all states switched to a conscription army recruitment structure after the Franco-Prussian war of the early 1870s, when the Prussian army defeated the French in a couple of weeks.

26 July Austria-Hungary began a retaliatory mobilization. Austrian troops began to concentrate on the border between Russia and Serbia. Why Russia? Because Russia has long positioned itself as a defender of the Balkan peoples.

July 28th due to failure to comply with the conditions of the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia has declared that it will not allow a military invasion of Serbia. But the actual declaration of war is considered the beginning of the First World War.

July 29 Nicholas II suggested that Austria resolve the issue amicably by referring it to the Hague International Court. But Austria could not allow the Russian emperor to dictate his terms to the Austrian empire.

July 30 and 31 mobilizations were carried out in France and in Russia. To the question of who fought with whom and where does France, you ask? Despite the fact that Russia and France entered into a number of military alliances back in the 19th century, and since 1907 England joined them, as a result of which the Entente was formed - a military bloc opposing the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)

August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. On the same date, inglorious hostilities began. By the way, about them you can. In what year did it end: in 1918. Everything is written in more detail in the article on the link.

In total, 38 states were involved in this war.

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

This unprecedented war must be brought to complete victory.
Whoever thinks about peace now, who desires it, is a traitor to the Fatherland, his traitor.

August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia. The First World War (1914-1918) began, which became the second Patriotic War for our Motherland.

How did it happen that the Russian Empire was drawn into the First World War? Was our country ready for it?

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IVI RAS), President of the Russian Association of Historians of the First World War (RAIPMV) Evgeny Yuryevich Sergeev told Foma about the history of this war, about what it was for Russia.

Visit to Russia of French President R. Poincaré. July 1914

What the masses don't know about

Evgeny Yurievich, World War I (WWI) is one of the main areas of your scientific activity. What influenced the choice of this topic?

This is an interesting question. On the one hand, the significance of this event for world history leaves no doubt. This alone can inspire a historian to engage in WWI. On the other hand, this war still remains, to a certain extent, “terra incognita” of Russian history. The Civil War and the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) overshadowed it, relegated it to the background in our minds.

No less important are the extremely interesting and little-known events of that war. Including those whose direct continuation we find during World War II.

For example, there was such an episode in the history of WWI: On August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany., being in alliance with Russia and with other countries of the Entente, supplied weapons and military equipment to Russia. These deliveries went through the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). The Germans organized an entire expedition (sabotage team) there in order to blow up the tunnels and bridges of the CER and interrupt this communication. Russian counterintelligence officers intercepted this expedition, that is, they managed to prevent the elimination of the tunnels, which would have caused significant damage to Russia, because an important supply artery would have been interrupted.

- Marvelous. How is it, Japan, with which we fought in 1904-1905 ...

By the time the WWI began, relations with Japan were different. Relevant agreements have already been signed. And in 1916, an agreement on a military alliance was even signed. We had a very close collaboration.

Suffice it to say that Japan gave us, although not free of charge, three ships that Russia lost during the Russo-Japanese War. "Varangian", which the Japanese raised and restored, was among them. As far as I know, the Varyag cruiser (the Japanese called it Soya) and two other ships raised by the Japanese were bought by Russia from Japan in 1916. On April 5 (18), 1916, the Russian flag was raised over the Varyag in Vladivostok.

At the same time, after the victory of the Bolsheviks, Japan participated in the intervention. But this is not surprising: after all, the Bolsheviks were considered accomplices of the Germans, the German government. You yourself understand that the conclusion of a separate peace on March 3, 1918 (Brest peace) was essentially a stab in the back of the allies, including Japan.

Along with this, of course, there were quite specific political and economic interests of Japan in the Far East and Siberia.

- But were there other interesting episodes in WWI?

Certainly. It can also be said (few people know about this) that the military convoys known from the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 were also in the WWII, and also went to Murmansk, which in 1916 was specially built for this. A railroad connecting Murmansk with the European part of Russia was opened. The deliveries were quite significant.

Together with the Russian troops, a French squadron operated on the Romanian front. Here is the prototype of the squadron "Normandie - Neman". British submarines fought in the Baltic Sea alongside the Russian Baltic Fleet.

Cooperation on the Caucasian front between the corps of General N. N. Baratov (who, as part of the Caucasian army, fought there against the troops of the Ottoman Empire) and British forces is also a very interesting episode of WWI, one might say, a prototype of the so-called “meeting on the Elbe” during the Second World War . Baratov made a march and met with British troops near Baghdad, in what is now Iraq. Then it was the Ottoman possessions, of course. As a result, the Turks were squeezed into pincers.

Visit to Russia of French President R. Poincaré. Photo 1914

Great plans

- Evgeny Yurievich, but who is still to blame forunleashing the First World War?

The blame clearly lies with the so-called Central Powers, that is, with Austria-Hungary and Germany. And even more in Germany. Although WWI began as a local war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, but without the firm support that was promised to Austria-Hungary from Berlin, it would not have acquired first a European, and then a global scale.

Germany needed this war very much. Its main goals were formulated as follows: to eliminate the hegemony of Great Britain on the seas, to seize its colonial possessions and to acquire "living space in the East" (that is, in Eastern Europe) for the rapidly growing German population. There was a geopolitical concept of "Middle Europe", according to which the main task of Germany was to unite European countries around itself into a kind of modern European Union, but, of course, under the auspices of Berlin.

For the ideological support of this war in Germany, a myth was created about the "encirclement of the Second Reich by a ring of hostile states": from the West - France, from the East - Russia, on the seas - Great Britain. Hence the task: to break through this ring and create a prosperous world empire with its center in Berlin.

- In the event of its victory, what role did Germany assign to Russia and the Russian people?

In case of victory, Germany hoped to return the Russian kingdom to the borders of about the 17th century (that is, before Peter I). Russia, in the German plans of that time, was to become a vassal of the Second Reich. The Romanov dynasty was supposed to be preserved, but, of course, Nicholas II (and his son Alexei) would have been removed from power.

- How did the Germans behave in the occupied territories during WWI?

In 1914-1917, the Germans managed to occupy only the extreme western provinces of Russia. They behaved quite reservedly there, although, of course, they carried out requisitions of the property of the civilian population. But there was no mass deportation of people to Germany or atrocities directed against civilians.

Another thing is 1918, when German and Austro-Hungarian troops occupied vast territories in the conditions of the actual collapse of the tsarist army (I remind you that they reached Rostov, the Crimea and the North Caucasus). Mass requisitions for the needs of the Reich had already begun here, and resistance detachments appeared, created in Ukraine by nationalists (Petlyura) and Socialist-Revolutionaries, who came out sharply against the Brest Peace. But even in 1918, the Germans could not particularly turn around, since the war was already coming to an end, and they threw their main forces on the Western Front against the French and British. However, the partisan movement against the Germans in 1917-1918 in the occupied territories was nevertheless noted.

World War I. Political poster. 1915

Session of the III State Duma. 1915

Why did Russia get involved in the war

- What did Russia do to prevent war?

Nicholas II hesitated to the end - whether to start a war or not, offering to resolve all controversial issues at a peace conference in The Hague through international arbitration. Such offers from Nicholas were made to Wilhelm II, the German emperor, but he rejected them. And therefore, to say that the blame for the outbreak of the war lies with Russia is absolute nonsense.

Unfortunately, Germany ignored Russian initiatives. The fact is that German intelligence and the ruling circles were well aware that Russia was not ready for war. And Russia's allies (France and Great Britain) were not quite ready for it, especially Great Britain in terms of ground forces.

Russia in 1912 began to carry out a large program of rearmament of the army, and it should have ended only by 1918-1919. And Germany actually completed preparations for the summer of 1914.

In other words, the "window of opportunity" was quite narrow for Berlin, and if you start a war, then it should have started in 1914.

- How justified were the arguments of the opponents of the war?

The arguments of the opponents of the war were quite strong and clearly formulated. There were such forces among the ruling circles. There was a fairly strong and active party that opposed the war.

A note is known from one of the major statesmen of that time - P. N. Durnovo, which was filed at the beginning of 1914. Durnovo warned Tsar Nicholas II about the perniciousness of the war, which, in his opinion, meant the death of the dynasty and the death of imperial Russia.

There were such forces, but the fact is that by 1914 Russia was in allied relations not with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but with France, and then with Great Britain, and the very logic of the development of the crisis associated with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the heir to Austria -Hungarian throne, brought Russia to this war.

Speaking about the possible fall of the monarchy, Durnovo believed that Russia would not be able to withstand a large-scale war, that a supply crisis and a crisis of power would arise, and this would ultimately lead not only to the disorganization of the political and economic life of the country, but also to the collapse of the empire. , loss of control. Unfortunately, his prediction came true in many respects.

- Why did the anti-war arguments, for all their validity, clarity and clarity, not have the proper impact? Russia could not help but enter the war, even despite such clearly expressed arguments of its opponents?

Allied debt on the one hand, on the other hand, the fear of losing prestige and influence in the Balkan countries. After all, if we did not support Serbia, it would be disastrous for Russia's prestige.

Of course, the pressure of certain forces set up for war also had an effect, including those associated with certain Serbian circles at the court, with Montenegrin circles. The well-known "Montenegrins", that is, the spouses of the Grand Dukes at court, also influenced the decision-making process.

It can also be said that Russia owed significant amounts of money received as loans from French, Belgian and English sources. The money was received specifically for the rearmament program.

But the question of prestige (which was very important for Nicholas II) I would still put in the foreground. We must give him his due - he always advocated maintaining the prestige of Russia, although, perhaps, he did not always understand this correctly.

- Is it true that the motive for helping the Orthodox (Orthodox Serbia) was one of the decisive factors that determined Russia's entry into the war?

One of the most important factors. Maybe not decisive, because - I emphasize again - Russia needed to maintain the prestige of a great power and not turn out to be an unreliable ally at the very beginning of the war. This is probably the main motive.

The sister of mercy writes down the last will of the dying. Western front, 1917

Myths old and new

WWI became the Patriotic War for our Motherland, the Second Patriotic War, as it is sometimes called. In Soviet textbooks, the WWI was called "imperialist". What is behind these words?

Giving WWI an exclusively imperialist status is a serious mistake, although this moment is also present. But first of all, we must look at it as the Second Patriotic War, bearing in mind that the First Patriotic War was the war against Napoleon in 1812, and we had the Great Patriotic War back in the 20th century.

Taking part in WWI, Russia defended itself. After all, it was Germany that declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914. The First World War became the Second Patriotic War for Russia. In support of the thesis about the main role of Germany in unleashing WWI, one can also say that at the Paris Peace Conference (which was held from 01/18/1919 to 01/21/1920), the Allied Powers, among other requirements, set the condition for Germany to agree with the article on "war crime and acknowledge their responsibility for starting the war.

The whole people then rose up to fight against the foreign invaders. War, I emphasize again, was declared to us. We didn't start it. And not only active armies took part in the war, where, by the way, several million Russians were called up, but the whole people. The rear and the front acted together. And many of the trends that we later observed during the Great Patriotic War originate precisely in the period of WWI. Suffice it to say that partisan detachments were active, that the population of the rear provinces actively showed itself when they helped not only the wounded, but also refugees from the western provinces fleeing the war. The sisters of mercy were active, the clergy who were at the forefront and often raised troops on the attack showed themselves very well.

It can be said that the designation of our great defensive wars by the terms: “First Patriotic War”, “Second Patriotic War” and “Third Patriotic War” is the restoration of that historical continuity that was broken in the period after WWI.

In other words, whatever the official goals of the war, there were ordinary people who perceived this war as a war for their Fatherland, and died and suffered precisely for this.

- And what, from your point of view, are the most common myths about WWI now?

We have already named the first myth. It is a myth that the WWI was unequivocally imperialistic and was conducted solely in the interests of the ruling circles. This is probably the most common myth that has not yet been eliminated even on the pages of school textbooks. But historians are trying to overcome this negative ideological legacy. We are trying to take a different look at the history of WWI and explain to our students the true essence of that war.

Another myth is the idea that the Russian army only retreated and suffered defeat. Nothing like this. By the way, this myth is widespread in the West, where, in addition to the Brusilov breakthrough, that is, the offensive of the troops of the Southwestern Front in 1916 (spring-summer), even Western experts, not to mention the general public, no major victories of Russian weapons in WWI they cannot name.

In fact, excellent examples of Russian military art were demonstrated in WWI. Say, on the Southwestern Front, on the Western Front. This is the Battle of Galicia, and the Lodz operation. One defense of Osovets is worth something. Osowiec is a fortress located on the territory of modern Poland, where the Russians defended themselves from superior German forces for more than six months (the siege of the fortress began in January 1915 and lasted 190 days). And this defense is quite comparable with the defense of the Brest Fortress.

You can give examples with Russian pilots-heroes. One can recall the sisters of mercy who saved the wounded. There are many such examples.

There is also a myth that Russia fought this war in isolation from its allies. Nothing like this. The examples I gave earlier debunk this myth.

The war was coalition. And we received significant assistance from France, Great Britain, and then the United States, which entered the war later, in 1917.

- Is the figure of Nicholas II mythologized?

In many ways, of course, mythologized. Under the influence of revolutionary agitation, he was branded almost as an accomplice of the Germans. There was a myth according to which Nicholas II allegedly wanted to conclude a separate peace with Germany.

Actually, it wasn't. He was a sincere supporter of waging war to a victorious end and did everything in his power for this. Already in exile, he extremely painfully and with great indignation took the news that the Bolsheviks had concluded a separate Brest Peace.

Another thing is that the scale of his personality as a statesman was not quite adequate for Russia to be able to go through this war to the end.

None I emphasize , none documentary evidence of the desire of the emperor and empress to conclude a separate peace not found. He didn't even think about it. These documents do not exist and could not exist. This is another myth.

As a very vivid illustration of this thesis, one can cite Nicholas II’s own words from the Act of Abdication (March 2 (15), 1917 at 15:00): "In the days of the greatstruggle with an external enemy who has been striving to enslave our homeland for almost three years, the Lord God was pleased to send Russia a new ordeal. The outbreak of internal popular unrest threatens to have a disastrous effect on the further conduct of the stubborn war.The fate of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the good of the people, the whole future of our dear Fatherland demand that the war be brought to a victorious end at all costs. <...>».

Nicholas II, V. B. Frederiks and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich at Headquarters. 1914

Russian troops on the march. Photo 1915

Defeat a year before victory

The First World War - is, as some believe, a shameful defeat of the tsarist regime, a catastrophe or something else? After all, as long as the last Russian tsar remained in power, the enemy could not enter the Russian Empire? Unlike the Great Patriotic War.

You are not quite right that the enemy could not enter our borders. He nevertheless entered the Russian Empire as a result of the offensive of 1915, when the Russian army was forced to retreat, when our opponents transferred virtually all their forces to the Eastern Front, to the Russian front, and our troops had to retreat. Although, of course, the enemy did not enter the deep regions of Central Russia.

But I would not call what happened in 1917-1918 a defeat, a shameful defeat of the Russian Empire. It would be more correct to say that Russia was forced to sign this separate peace with the Central Powers, that is, with Austria-Hungary and Germany and with other members of this coalition.

This is a consequence of the political crisis in which Russia found itself. That is, the reasons for this are internal, and by no means military. And we must not forget that the Russians actively fought on the Caucasian front, and the successes were very significant. In fact, the Ottoman Empire was dealt a very serious blow by Russia, which later led to its defeat.

Although Russia has not fully fulfilled its allied duty, it must be admitted, it certainly made its significant contribution to the victory of the Entente.

Russia lacked literally a year of some kind. Maybe a year and a half in order to adequately end this war as part of the Entente, as part of a coalition

And how was the war generally perceived in Russian society? The Bolsheviks, representing an overwhelming minority of the population, dreamed of the defeat of Russia. But what was the attitude of ordinary people?

The general mood was quite patriotic. For example, women of the Russian Empire were most actively involved in charitable assistance. A lot of people signed up as sisters of mercy, even without being professionally trained. They took special short courses. A lot of girls and young women from different classes participated in this movement - from members of the imperial family to the most ordinary people. There were special delegations of the Russian Red Cross Society who visited POW camps and observed their content. And not only in Russia, but also abroad. Traveled to Germany, Austria-Hungary. Even in war conditions, this was feasible through the mediation of the international Red Cross. We traveled through third countries, mainly through Sweden and Denmark. During the Great Patriotic War, such work, unfortunately, was impossible.

By 1916, medical and social assistance to the wounded was systematized and took on a purposeful character, although initially, of course, much was done on a private initiative. This movement to help the army, to help those who were in the rear, the wounded, had a nationwide character.

Members of the royal family also took an active part in this. They collected parcels for prisoners of war, donations in favor of the wounded. A hospital was opened in the Winter Palace.

By the way, one cannot but mention the role of the Church. She provided great assistance both to the army in the field and in the rear. The activities of regimental priests at the front were very versatile.
In addition to their immediate duties, they were also involved in compiling and sending "funerals" (death notices) to relatives and friends of the fallen soldiers. Many cases have been recorded when priests walked at the head or in the forefront of the advancing troops.

The priests had to do the work, as they would say now, of psychotherapists: they conducted conversations, calmed them down, tried to remove the feeling of fear that is natural for a person in the trenches. It's at the front.

In the rear, the Church provided assistance to the wounded and refugees. Many monasteries set up free hospitals, collected parcels for the front, and organized the dispatch of charitable aid.

Russian infantry. 1914

Remember everyone!

Is it possible, given the current ideological chaos in society, including in the perception of WWI, to present a sufficiently clear and precise position on WWI that would reconcile everyone in relation to this historical phenomenon?

We, professional historians, are just now working on this, striving to create such a concept. But this is not easy to do.

In fact, we are now making up for what Western historians did back in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century - we are doing work that, due to the peculiarities of our history, we did not do. The whole emphasis was on the October Socialist Revolution. The history of WWI was hushed up and mythologized.

Is it true that the construction of a temple in memory of the soldiers who died in WWI is already planned, just as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built at one time with public money?

Yes. This idea is being worked on. And there is even a unique place in Moscow - a fraternal cemetery near the Sokol metro station, where not only Russian soldiers who died here in the rear hospitals, but also prisoners of war of the enemy armies were buried. That is why it is fraternal. Soldiers and officers of different nationalities are buried there.

At one time, this cemetery occupied a fairly large space. Now, of course, the situation is completely different. Much has been lost there, but the memorial park has been recreated, there is already a chapel, and restoring the temple there would probably be a very correct decision. Just like opening a museum (with a museum, the situation is more complicated).

You can announce a fundraiser for this temple. The role of the Church is very important here.

In fact, we can put an Orthodox church at the crossroads of these historical roads, just as we used to put chapels at the crossroads, where people could come, pray, and remember their dead relatives.

Yes, absolutely right. Moreover, almost every family in Russia is associated with WWI, that is, with the Second Patriotic War, as well as with the Great Patriotic War.

Many fought, many ancestors somehow took part in this war - either in the rear, or in the army. Therefore, it is our sacred duty to restore the historical truth.

The starting point in the history of the war, later called World War I, is considered to be 1914 (July 28), and the end is 1918 (November 11). Many countries of the world took part in it, divided into two camps:

Entente (a block originally consisting of France, England, Russia, which, after a certain period of time, were also joined by Italy, Romania, and many other countries)

Quadruple Alliance (Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire).

If we briefly describe the period of history known to us as the First World War, then it can be divided into three stages: the initial one, when the main participating countries entered the arena of actions, the middle one, when the situation turned in favor of the Entente, and the final one, when Germany and its the allies finally lost their positions and capitulated.

First stage

The war began with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Habsburg Empire) and his wife by the Serbian nationalist terrorist Gavrila Princip. The assassination led to a conflict between Serbia and Austria, and, in fact, served as a pretext for starting a war that had long been brewing in Europe. Germany supported Austria in this war. This country entered the war with Russia on August 1, 1914, and two days later - with France; further, the German army broke into the territory of Luxembourg and Belgium. The enemy armies advanced towards the sea, where the line of the Western Front eventually closed. For some time the situation here remained stable, and France did not lose control over its coast, which the German troops unsuccessfully tried to capture. In 1914, namely in mid-August, the Eastern Front opened: here the Russian army attacked and quickly captured territories in the east of Prussia. The Battle of Galicia, victorious for Russia, took place on August 18, temporarily putting an end to fierce clashes between the Austrians and Russians.

Serbia recaptured Belgrade, previously captured by the Austrians, after which there were no particularly active battles. Japan also turned against Germany, seizing its island colonies in 1914. This secured the eastern borders of Russia from invasion, but from the south it was attacked by the Ottoman Empire, which acted on the side of Germany. At the end of 1914, she opened the Caucasian front, which cut off Russia from convenient communication with the allied countries.

Second phase

The Western Front became more active: here in 1915 fierce battles between France and Germany resumed. The forces were equal, and the front line remained almost unchanged at the end of the year, although both sides suffered significant damage. On the Eastern Front, the situation changed for the worse for the Russians: the Germans made the Gorlitsky breakthrough, having won Galicia and Poland from Russia. By autumn, the front line had stabilized: now it ran almost along the pre-war border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia.

In 1915 (May 23), Italy entered the war. First, she announced the war of Austria-Hungary, but soon Bulgaria also joined the fighting, opposing the Entente, which eventually led to the fall of Serbia.

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun took place, one of the largest battles in this war. The operation lasted from late February to mid-December; during this confrontation between the German troops, who lost 450,000 soldiers, and the Anglo-French forces, who suffered losses of 750,000 people, the flamethrower was used for the first time. On the Western Russian front, Russian troops made the Brusilovsky breakthrough, after which Germany transferred most of its troops there, which played into the hands of England and France. Fierce battles were also fought on the water at this time. So, in the spring of 1916, a major Battle of Jutland took place, which strengthened the positions of the Entente. At the end of the year, the Quadruple Alliance, having lost its dominant position in the war, proposed a truce, which the Entente rejected.

Third stage

In 1917, the United States joined the allied forces. The Entente was close to victory, but Germany held a strategic defense on land, and also tried to attack the forces of England with the help of a submarine fleet. Russia in October 1917, after the Revolution, had already almost completely withdrawn from the war, absorbed in internal problems. Germany liquidated the Eastern Front by signing an armistice with Russia, Ukraine and Romania. In March 1918, the Brest Peace Treaty was concluded between Russia and Germany, the terms of which turned out to be extremely difficult for Russia, but this agreement was soon canceled. Under Germany, the Baltic states, part of Belarus and Poland still remained; The country transferred the main military forces to the west, but, together with Austria (the Habsburg Empire), Bulgaria and Turkey (Ottoman Empire), was defeated by the Entente troops. Finally exhausted, Germany was forced to sign the Act of Surrender - it happened in 1918, on November 11th. This date is considered the end of the war.

The Entente troops won a final victory in 1918.

After the war, the economies of all participating countries suffered greatly. A particularly deplorable state of affairs was in Germany; in addition, this country lost an eighth of the territories that belonged to it before the war, which went to the Entente countries, and the banks of the Rhine River remained occupied by the victorious allied forces for 15 years. Germany was obliged to pay reparations to the allies for 30 years, imposed strict restrictions on all types of weapons and on the size of the army - it should not exceed 100 thousand military personnel.

However, the victorious member countries of the Entente bloc also suffered losses. Their economy was extremely depleted, all branches of the national economy suffered a severe decline, the standard of living deteriorated sharply, and only the military monopolies found themselves in an advantageous position. The situation in Russia has also become extremely destabilized, which is explained not only by internal political processes (primarily the October Revolution and the events that followed it), but also by the country's participation in the First World War. The United States suffered the least - mainly because military operations were not conducted directly on the territory of this country, and its participation in the war was not long. The US economy experienced a real boom in the 1920s, which was replaced only in the 1930s by the so-called Great Depression, but the war that had already passed and did not greatly affect the country had nothing to do with these processes.

And, finally, about the losses that the First World War brought, briefly: human losses are estimated at 10 million soldiers and about 20 million civilians. The exact number of victims of this war has not been established. The lives of many people were claimed not only by armed conflicts, but also by famine, epidemics of disease, and extremely difficult living conditions.