World War I (German Context)
World War I (1914-1918) fundamentally transformed Germany and Europe. For Germany, the war began with the July Crisis following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, during which Germany offered Austria-Hungary a "blank cheque" of support against Serbia. The German military strategy was based on the Schlieffen Plan, which aimed to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France before turning east to Russia. The plan's failure led to four years of devastating trench warfare on the Western Front. On the home front, the initial patriotic unity (Burgfrieden) gave way to severe hardships as the British naval blockade caused food shortages and the war economy (Hindenburg Programme) demanded increasing sacrifices. By 1917-1918, growing antiwar sentiment, labor strikes, and political dissent undermined the war effort. Germany's military collapse in late 1918 followed the failed Spring Offensive and the entry of American forces. The war cost Germany approximately two million dead, four million wounded, and led to the fall of the monarchy, the birth of the Weimar Republic, and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which would profoundly shape Germany's subsequent political and economic development.
Timeline and Overview
World War I (1914-1918) fundamentally transformed Germany and Europe. For Germany, the war began with the July Crisis following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, during which Germany offered Austria-Hungary a "blank cheque" of support against Serbia. The German military strategy was based on the Schlieffen Plan, which aimed to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France before turning east to Russia. The plan's failure led to four years of devastating trench warfare on the Western Front. On the home front, the initial patriotic unity (Burgfrieden) gave way to severe hardships as the British naval blockade caused food shortages and the war economy (Hindenburg Programme) demanded increasing sacrifices. By 1917-1918, growing antiwar sentiment, labor strikes, and political dissent undermined the war effort. Germany's military collapse in late 1918 followed the failed Spring Offensive and the entry of American forces. The war cost Germany approximately two million dead, four million wounded, and led to the fall of the monarchy, the birth of the Weimar Republic, and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which would profoundly shape Germany's subsequent political and economic development.