World War One Introduction

 

World War One was the first major conflict of the 20th Century. The main catalyst was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie by Gavrilo Princip, on the morning of Sunday 28th of June 1914, in the Bosnian town of Sarajevo, the then capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of Austria-Hungary’s provinces. Gavrilo Princip and his fellow conspirators were young Serbian nationalists, who resented the recent absorption of Serbia into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They hoped their action would free Serbians, Croatians and Bosnians from Austrian control. The Austrian government believed that Serbia was behind the killing and declared war (English Online, 2017).

 

Many nations in Europe were locked in a complicated series of political alliances, diplomatic arrangements and military agreements which meant they were obligated to go to war if an ally was threatened. The growing military tension saw countries escalating their manufacturing of armaments in preparation for an imminent war. Additionally, there was extreme territorial competition for colonies which saw countries eager to gain greater power and control more land. General distrust and suspicion and little international openness between countries contributed to the beginning of World War One (BBC, 2014).

The Allied Powers ultimately comprised of 25 nations (Mtholyoke, 2007). In 1917, the United States entered the war. It supported the Allies, and brought the soldiers resources and war material that they required to win the war (English Online, 2017). Bulgaria was the first of the Central Powers to surrender, on the 29th of September 1918. Nine million soldiers and 6 million civilians lost their lives in the war (Spark Notes, 2017).

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Australians became involved in World War One after Britain declared war on Germany.

As many in Australian society had family in Britain, most felt it was their duty to help; in fact they were enthusiastic and keen to participate (Returned services league Australia, 2014). There were many reasons why young Australian men were eager to enlist in the war, not least of all because it provided a chance to fight for their country. Not only were they proud, they also saw it as a chance for adventure. Those whose family members had migrated to Australia from Britain saw enlistment as a chance to catch up with relatives. Another principal reason for enlistment was the wages they could earn. At the time lack of employment was a major issue, and wages for soldiers was considerably higher compared to what men were used to. The thought of war not only intrigued them it triggered their excitement even more, little did they know that many of them would never see their families again. While the men knew that they would have to fight, they had no idea how traumatic it would actually be (Toby, 2014.) The majority of young men enlisted in 1914 and initially sailed to Egypt where they then travelled by train to Cairo. After 4 months of training they departed for Gallipoli. The campaign at Gallipoli was horrific, with thousands of men losing their lives but will always be acknowledged for their bravery; by the end of World War One Australians had developed a very different view of war (Australian War Memorial, 2017). As Australians today we continue to honour and remember all the men that have fought for our country.

 

 

 

Reference List

 

English Online, 2017. World War 1- Introduction. http://www.english-online.at/history/world-war-1/world-war-i-index.htm Accessed: Tuesday 5th September 2017.

 

Mtholyoke, 2007. World War 1: Beginnings and the Aftermath. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~raina20s/ww1/play.html. Accessed: Tuesday 5th September 2017.

 

Spark Notes, 2017. The Collapse of the Central Powers. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/ww1/section11.rhtml. Accessed: Wednesday 6th September 2017.

 

Ducksters, 2017. Allied Powers. http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/allied_powers.php Accessed: Wednesday 6th September 2017.

 

BBC, 2017. Long-term Underlying Causes of War. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/underlyingcausesrev1.shtml. Accessed: Tuesday 5th September 2017.

 

 

Australian War Memorial (2017), “First World War 1914-18” The Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war (Accessed 5/9/17)

 

Toby Thacker (2014), “‘Your country needs you’: why did so many volunteer in 1914?” The Conversation https://theconversation.com/your-country-needs-you-why-did-so-many-volunteer-in-1914-30443 (Accessed 5/9/17)

 

 

Returned Services League Australia (2014), “The First World War” RSL

http://rslnsw.org.au/commemoration/heritage/the-first-world-war (Accessed 6/9/17)

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Weebly (2017) World War 1 Facts. Available at: https://worldwar1historyfacts.weebly.com/ (Accessed 5 December 2017).