In the conditions of crisis and defeat at the end of 1918, the civilian leadership of Germany found itself demoralized and confused. Germany's military defeat caused the collapse of the Imperial Government, the virtually accidental proclamation of a republic and the establishment of a government whose authority was not recognized even on the streets of Berlin. Outwardly it seemed that the army was in the same position. Rear units took part in the overthrow of the monarchy, and the field armies returned home and demobilized. Behind the scenes, however, the High Command and the General Staff were not as confused and uncertain as the civilian leadership. Even before the civil war ended in Berlin and Munich, the General Staff began to learn the lessons of the First World War and rebuild the army. His realistic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses demonstrated by the German army during the war allowed him to change its organization and tactical principles.

Any sensible assessment of economic, foreign policy and military-historical factors showed that Germany did not have the slightest chance of winning the First World War. It was a situation of Germany versus the rest of the world: Germany, supported by three weak allies - Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, was pitted against France, Russia, the British Empire, the United States, Italy and many other nations. Despite the odds, Germany came close to victory on the battlefield. Already in June 1918, the German Army was on the offensive, pushing back the Allied armies in France. The Germans fought so well and were so often victorious that when the collapse came, five months later, some generals - most notably Erich von Ludendorff - refused to accept the fact of the defeat of the Imperial Army on the battlefield, attributing it to "betrayal" by traitorous politicians and civilians in the rear.

Most generals and experienced officers did not share Ludendorff's views. They accepted that the Imperial Army had been defeated on the battlefield, but even this understanding could not obscure the idea that Germany could and should have won the war. Because a defeated army has greater incentive to learn the lessons of war, many German officers began to write histories, memoirs, studies, and articles full of criticism and justification of the actions of the military leadership, as well as tactical and strategic ideas. The General Staff's training system traditionally emphasized the study of military history, and before the smoke cleared from the battlefields, officers were already analyzing the lessons of the war. Thus, after the end of the First World War, consensus on the strategic, tactical and technological lessons learned from army experience had to be found within the corps of General Staff officers. These conclusions had to be supported by further research, discussion and reflection.

History lesson topic: Causes, occasion and beginning of the First World War

Computer science lesson topic: Computer presentation. Slide presentation development

The purpose of the history lesson:

Describe the reasons anddThe First World War, as well as the strategic plans of the participating states;

Trace the process of the outbreak of hostilities in 1914;

To form in students an idea of ​​the goals and motives of European states in the First World War;

Develop students’ skills to analyze historical events;

Explain to students the tragedy of such a process as war for the population of warring states.

The purpose of the computer science lesson:

To form a high level of responsibility in the process of studying the issues of the lesson topic, self-educational competence of students;

Strengthen the skills of creating and demonstrating presentations usingMSPowerPoint;

Develop students' independence and creativity;

Develop the ability to work independently.

History Lesson Plan:

The reason for the First World War.

Causes of the First World War.

Opposing parties.

The nature of the First World War.

Gradual allies of the Triple Alliance and the Entente.

Sequence of declaration of war by participating states.

Theater of combat operations.

Computer Science Lesson Plan:

Using the documentMicrosoft Word.

Creating a presentation yourselfMicrosoftPowerPoint2007 with elements of design application and inserts.

Presentation of a presentation created usingMicrosoftPowerPoint 2007.

Lesson type: integrated, combined practical lesson.

Equipment: textbook, multimedia presentation, lesson notes, computers with operating systemWINDOWS 7, MicrosoftPowerPoint2007, instructions for safety and health.

During the classes

Organization of educational activities

Checking those present, as well as the students’ readiness for the lesson, familiarizing themselves with the objectives of the lesson.

Checking homework

Questions for the history class:

Explain historical concepts and terms: “military-political bloc”, “arms race”, “chauvinism”.

What world crises took place at the beginning of the 20th century?

Describe the process of creating the Triple Alliance and the Entente.

Analyze evidence 2 on page 67. Do you think this statement is true or not? Give reasons for your answer/opinion.

Analyze evidence 4 on page 69. Express your own attitude to this evidence: agree/disagree with this evidence.

Do you agree that an arms race can keep countries from going to war (testimony 4). Justify your answer.

Frontal survey of students:

Multimedia project (presentation)

A program that allows you to create a presentation (PowerPoint)

Presentation design (design)

Command to create a new slide (insert)

A way to “revive” a presentation (animation)

Electronic presentation page (slide)

Presentation demonstration (show)

Motivation for learning activities

History lesson question: Do you think it was possible to avoid an armed conflict between the two military-political blocs?

Motivation for educational activities of a computer science lesson: The created presentation on the topic “The Beginning of the First World War: the occasion, reasons, plans of the participating states” should be demonstrated to middle school students as part of a thematic history week.

Learning new material

History teacher's word : The First World War (August 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918) began as a result of the aggravation of contradictions between the developed countries of the world at the beginning of the 20th century. The power of weapons increased every year, chauvinistic propaganda did its job - it unleashed national hatred, the ruling circles became more and more eager to implement their plans for conquest.

The reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the assassination on June 28, 1914 in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, by a member of the Mlada Bosna organization, Gavril Princip. The Archduke was the commander-in-chief of the army of Austria-Hungary and arrived in Sarajevo to participate in military maneuvers that were to take place on the border with Serbia. For the Serbs, June 28 was a day of national mourning. On this day, the memory of the Serbs who died in the battle with the Turks on Kosovo in 1389 was honored. Serbian national circles regarded this visit as an insult.

After the death of the Archduke, the German Emperor Wilhelm II proposed to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph to “finish off the Serbs,” using the Sarajevo murder as a pretext for declaring war. The Austro-Hungarian government gave Serbia 48 hours to comply with a series of ultimatums.

Working with a historical document (The text of the ultimatum is posted in the documentMicrosoftWord).

Conditions of the Austria-Hungary ultimatum to the leadership of Serbia:

Ban publications promoting hatred of Austria-Hungary and violation of its territorial integrity

Close the “Narodna Odobrena” society and all other unions and organizations conducting propaganda against Austria-Hungary

Eliminate anti-Austrian propaganda from public education

Dismiss from military and civil service all officers and officials involved in anti-Austrian propaganda

Cooperate with the Austrian authorities in suppressing movements directed against the integrity of Austria-Hungary

Conduct an investigation against each of the participants in the Sarajevo murder with the participation of the Austrian government in the investigation

Arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and Milan Ciganović, involved in the Sarajevo murder

Take effective measures to prevent the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Austria, arrest the border guards who helped the murderers cross the border

Make an explanation about the hostile statements of Serbian officials towards Austria-Hungary in the period after the assassination

Without delay, inform the Austrian government of the measures taken in accordance with the previous paragraphs.

Questions for the historical document:

What did Austria want more: to start a war or to establish agreement and peacefully resolve the murder?

Did Austria-Hungary violate Serbia's sovereignty? (When answering this question, define “sovereignty”).

History teacher's word (the teacher accompanies his story with a demonstration of a multimedia presentation): After active actions on the part of Austria-Hungary, European states took a wait-and-see position so as not to become accused of interfering in the conflict and supporting one of the parties.

10 minutes before the end of the ultimatum, Serbia announced that it accepted its terms, except for one thing - the participation of the Austrian police in the investigation on Serbian territory.

This statement of refusal to fulfill one of the points became the reason for Austria-Hungary to sever diplomatic relations with Serbia and declare war. And on the night of July 28-29, an artillery bombardment of Belgrade occurred. And this marked the beginning of hostilities.

World War I

Opposing parties

in the First World War

Character of the First World War

Goals of participating states

Germany	The desire to redivide the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium in their favor Establishing leadership-dominance in Europe and the world as a whole Capture of large territories in Europe, especially at the expense of France and the possessions of the Russian Empire (Poland, Ukraine, Baltic states) Weakening of France and Russia
Austria - Hungary	Establishment of complete dominance in the Balkans Suppression of national liberation movements of Slavic peoples Capture of Serbia, Volyn and Podolia Establishing control over Romanian oil fields
Italy	Establishing control over Dalmatia and Albania (Adriatic coast) Return of Savoy and Nice from France Conquest of Tunisia and East Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya) Annexation of Tyrol
Russia	Weakening of Germany Establishing dominance in the Balkans and the Bosporus and Dardanelles Annexation of Galicia and East Prussia
France	Weakening and dismemberment of Germany into several independent states Return of Alsace and Lorraine Seizure of part of German land holdings
England	Weakening of Germany Seizure of part of German colonial landholdings Distribution of the Ottoman Empire's possessions Maintaining your supremacy at sea

Opponents' strategic plans

Working with historical terms and concepts (students write down the concept under the teacher’s dictation in a notebook).

Blitzkrieg - translated from German - lightning war - a plan for waging a fleeting war, according to which victory is achieved in just a few days and months.

Working with a textbook/independent work of students.

Using the textbook material on p. 76, determine the strategic plans of the opponents in the First World War. (After 5 minutes of working with the material of the paragraph, students voice the strategic plans of their opponents, accompanied by a demonstration of a multimedia presentation by the teacher).

Germany	She hoped that England would remain neutral in the war According to the blitzkrieg plan, General A. Schlieffen and H. Moltke were supposed to launch a lightning strike in the West against France through Luxembourg and Belgium, while simultaneously conducting defensive defensive battles in the East against Russia After the defeat of France, it should have been Russia's turn even before the Russian army completed mobilization
Austria-Hungary	She planned to wage a war on two fronts: against Russia and in the Balkans
France	The French war plan called for a rapid advance towards the Ruhr Valley, the industrial heart of Germany, which would deprive Germany of the resources to fight a long war and force it to capitulate.
Russia	She planned to attack in two directions at once: the north-west against Germany and the south-west against Austria-Hungary with a force of 800 thousand bayonets.

History teacher's word (the teacher accompanies his story with a demonstration of a multimedia presentation): Thus, the war first acquired a pan-European and, over time, a global character.

Gradual supporters of the Entente

Gradual supporters of the Triple Alliance

Declaration of war by states

1914	Austria-Hungary declared warSerbia
914	Russia began partial mobilization in order to put pressure onAustria-Hungary
1914	Germany declared warRussia
1914	Germany declared warFrance (start of implementation of the Schlieffen Plan)
1914	England declared warGermany
1914	Austria-Hungary declared warRussia , in response to thisEngland AndFrance declared warAustria-Hungary
	Japan declared warGermany

History teacher's word (the teacher accompanies his story with a demonstration of a multimedia presentation): The outbreak of war caused an unprecedented scale of militant sentiment in the warring countries, and those who opposed the war were killed by war fanatics. This is how the French socialist Jean Jaurès was killed.

From the very beginning of the First World War, the territories covered by the battles, so to speak, the theater of operations, were clearly established:Western Front(western border of Germany),Eastern front(on the eastern border of Germany), Northern Italy, Balkans, Turkey and German colonies

Theaters of combat in 1914

Group independent work of students.

History teacher's words: Having received information about the beginning, reason, reasons and plans of the states participating in the First World War, you will be divided into thematic groups to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

1st group - “The reason for the outbreak of the First World War”

2nd group - “Causes of the First World War”

3rd group - “Plans of participating states”

4th group - “Sequence of declaring war”

Word from a computer science teacher: In the last lesson, you were asked to prepare a list of sites that contain material on the topic “The Beginning of the First World War: the occasion, reasons, plans of the participating countries”), using this list, select material for your multimedia presentations. Using a browser for Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, go online, copy and save this material to a storage device (“Flash drive”), creating a folder called “Material for creating a presentation on history.” Close the Internet Explorer window and create a multimedia presentation usingMicrosoftPowerPoint2007, using downloaded information saved on a flash drive.

Presentation requirementsMicrosoftPowerPoint(creation time 15 - 20 minutes):

Use of graphic pictures.

Applying different font styles.

Applying green, blue, orange, yellow, black text and background colors.

Using list numbering.

The total number of slides is at least 5, including the title slide and content.

Reinforcing the material learned

Word from a computer science teacher: Present your multimedia presentations in a thematic sequence.PowerPointexplaining the sequence of work and the commands used.

Summarizing

History lesson question: Do you think it was possible to avoid an armed conflict between two military-political blocs? -answers from 3-5 students with arguments for their opinions.

Questions to reinforce the topic of a computer science lesson:

What new did you learn today?

Where can I use multimedia presentations?

What did you like about the computer science lesson and what didn’t you?

What difficulties did you experience while doing practical work?

History teacher's words: As a result of the struggle between states competing for leadership in the world, the First World War began. It was aggressive in nature for all participating states except Belgium and Serbia, which became victims. Despite Germany's aggressive and confident attitude, the plan for a brilliant war was thwarted. And already in the fall of 1914, on all fronts of the First World War, the initiative passed to the Entente states. In the next lessons, we will continue to study this topic, focusing on military operations in more detail.

Assessing students' educational achievements for homework and work in history and computer science lessons .

Homework

The World History

Learn concepts and terms.

Prepare a report about the Russian general Alexander Brusilov (prepared by 1 student).

Computer science

Prepare a multimedia presentationPowerPointon a self-selected topic.

Topic: Forgotten War. Russia in the First World War 1914-1918

Goals: Assess the role of the Russian Empire during the First World War; identify the reasons for Russia's involvement in the war; trace the progress of military operations on the eastern front; to form an idea of ​​the outcome of the war for Russia and our country’s contribution to the victory of the Entente.

Tasks:

a) educational:

find out the goals of the warring parties and determine the nature of the war

b) developing:

develop the ability to highlight the main thing, establish cause-and-effect relationships, draw conclusions, develop the ability to work in a group

c) educational

to cultivate an interest in history, patriotism, pride in courage, bravery, fortitude of Russian soldiers and officers, the unbending will and sacrifice of the Russian people

Lesson equipment:

Multi-projector, presentation, handouts

Decor:

Exhibition of books about the First World War, posters, newspapers made by students

Study plan:

1) Reasons, reason, nature of the war

2) The beginning of the war. Entry of states into war. Scale of the war

3) The course of military operations on the Western and Eastern fronts 1914-1916, 1917-1918.

4) The final stage of the war. Russia's exit from the war. Truce of Compiègne

5) Heroes of the First World War

6) Signing peace treaties:

a) Paris Peace Conference and its decisions

b) Washington Conference. The folding of the Versailles-Washington system

7) Results of the war. Consequences of the war for Russia and other countries

8. Summing up the lesson. Reflection

Introductory speech by the teacher.

Dear friends, guests, student parents. The topic of today's lesson is The Forgotten War. The first quarter of the 20th century. the flames of war burned. Contemporaries called it the Great, Second Patriotic, German, Imperialist and Forgotten. Big war.

In Russian history they didn’t write about her, they didn’t remember her exploits, and they didn’t mention the names of her heroes. So what kind of war was this? The war, which involved 38 states and 1.5 billion people (3/4 of the world's population), covered an area of ​​4 million square kilometers; military operations took place in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, China, and 4 oceans.

The war, which sacrificed 10 million people, is more than in the entire previous 1000-year history of mankind.

This is World War I!

Slide 1. Forgotten war. Russia in the First World War. 1914-1918

Theater of operations: Europe, Africa, Middle East, China, Pacific Islands, 4 world oceans.

38 states, 1.5 billion people, 4 million square kilometers took part.

Any war has reasons: conflicts, contradictions, confrontations.

Slide 2. Opposing forces.

The reason for this war was the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophia.

Slide 3. Reason for the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia

Each participating country had its own reasons and interests. On the tables in front of you are documents characterizing the goals of the participants in the war; analyze and name the reasons (work in groups of experts). These reasons can be combined into general reasons.

Slide 4. Each participating country had its own reasons. Which can be combined:

1. The desire to weaken competing states in economic and military development (England, Germany)

2. Controversies over colonies, spheres of influence, markets

3. The desire to resolve internal problems through war

4. The widespread strengthening of nationalist sentiments

Based on these reasons, draw a conclusion about the nature. Students working with notebooks take lesson notes.

Slide 5-6. Chronology of declaration of war on countries:

Russia entered the war on July 19, 1914 without completing mobilization. Blok’s poem “The Petrograd sky was clouded with rain” is heard

Slide 7. Progress of hostilities

Company 1914

Plans of Germany (Schlieffen plan - portrait, map of Germany with the direction of military operations)

Western Front.

Eastern front.

Germany's plans are the Schlieffen plan. A student speaks with a story about the plans. Companies 1914

Western Front:

September 4-9 - Battle of the Marne. 2 million people participated on both sides. Victory of the Entente. Transition to trench warfare (you can define trench warfare)

Assignment for students: start filling out the chronological table.

Eastern front:

August 23 September 3 - offensive in Galicia. Lviv was occupied. Przemysl was blocked. Austria-Hungary lost 400 thousand people

Results of the 1914 campaign

1. The plan for a quick war failed. Germany was drawn into a difficult, exhausting, costly war on two fronts.

Slide 8-9. 1915 Campaign

Germany's plans: transition to strategic defense on the Western Front.

In the East, Russia's withdrawal from the war.

Western Front:

Positional warfare on the entire front.

Merciless submarine war against the Entente (the death of passenger ships - the liner Lusitania with 1200 passengers)

Chemical attack near Ypres (Belgium): 15 thousand people were sent, 5 thousand people died

Italy's entry into the war on the side of the Entente

Eastern front.

German offensive in Galicia and the north of the Eastern Front. We approached Riga

Retreat of the Russian army, abandonment of Galicia, Poland, Lithuania

Reasons for retreat:

1.Acute shortage of weapons and ammunition

2. The superiority of German forces (60% of all forces on the Eastern Front).

3. Passive position of the Allies on the Western Front

Results of the 1915 campaign

1. The Eastern Front has not been liquidated

2. Russia retained the ability to fight

Slide 10. 1916 Campaign

German goals: take France out of the war

Western Front

February 21 - December 17 - siege of the Verdun fortress. The Entente lost 750 thousand people, Germany 450 thousand people Students give a brief summary of the siege of the fortress.

Eastern front

Students talk about the operation on the Eastern Front under the command of General Brusilov.

Results of the 1916 campaign

1. Romania’s entry into the war on the side of the Entente

2. The strategic initiative passed to the Entente

Slide 11-12. Campaign 1917-1918

German goals: decisive blow, submarine warfare against England

Entente: transition to a general offensive

Western Front:

1. US entry into the war

2. Germany’s submarine war against England more ships were sunk in 3 months than in the entire 1916.

3.March 1918 The last German offensive near Arras and the Marne, a turning point in favor of the Entente

Eastern front:

1. Revolutions in Russia in February and October 1917, the fall of the monarchy, the Bolsheviks coming to power

3. Withdrawal from the war of Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire

I give students a brief summary.

During the war, Russian soldiers performed miracles of heroism and courage and thereby gained the respect of even their German enemies

Slide 13 . Heroes of War:

First St. George Knight Don Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov

Nurse Rimma Ivanova is the only woman awarded the officer's Order of St. George, IV degree

The defenders of the Osowiec fortress went down in war history as the “Attack of the Dead”

There is a story about war heroes. There is an episode in the history of the war that is called “Attack of the Dead.”

Students talk about the feat of the defenders of the Osovets fortress.

The teacher summarizes:

Heroes of the First World War - officers, warrant officers, generals, soldiers and sailors, nurses, military priests... Courageous, selfless, faithful to the oath and military duty. Their heroism and exploits, fortitude and military valor are evidenced by orders, award weapons, St. George's Crosses and medals "For Bravery" of all 4 degrees.

The first St. George Knight of the first year of the war was the Don Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov and the only woman awarded the officer Order of St. George, IV degree - Rimma Ivanova and many other heroes of Russia.

Slide 14. Results of the war:

Signing of peace treaties:

Creation of the League of Nations

Results of the war.

On January 18, 1919, the Paris Conference opened in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles, in which 27 states participated, more than 10,000 thousand delegates gathered. The main task is to develop peace treaties between the victorious countries and the defeated countries

What agreements were signed and under what conditions?

The idea was worked on in groups with the texts of agreements

Students evaluate them and draw conclusions

On November 12, 1921 - February 6, 1922, a conference opened in Washington under the pretext of maritime disarmament; it was attended by (USA, England, France, Italy, Japan, Belgium, China, the Netherlands, Portugal)

Who do you think was missing at this conference, which country, whose interests in the Pacific were not taken into account? Yes, Russia

Washington Conference

Agreements were signed:

"Four Power Treaty" (England, USA, France, Japan)

"Treaty of Five Powers" (England, USA, France, Japan, Italy)

“Nine Power Treaty” (England, USA, France, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, China)

The combination of treaties four, five and nine made up the Washington System. But in the end, all the agreements determined the system for organizing the post-war world - the Versailles-Washington system, which did not preserve peace for long.

As Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch said, “The Treaty of Versailles is not peace, but a truce for 20 years.”

Was he right?

What event will happen in 20 years?

Slide 16. Results:

1. Total losses - 10 million people

2. Civilian casualties are unknown, but approximately 20 million people

3. Collapse of empires: Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman

4. Territorial changes in Europe

Slide 17. “Even a victorious war is an evil that must be prevented by the wisdom of nations”

Otto von Bismarck

Summarizing. Reflection: During the lesson I learned...

It was interesting…….

I would like to know……..

First World War (1914 - 1918)

The Russian Empire collapsed. One of the goals of the war has been achieved.

Chamberlain

The First World War lasted from August 1, 1914 to November 11, 1918. 38 states with a population of 62% of the world took part in it. This war was quite controversial and extremely contradictory in modern history. I specifically quoted Chamberlain’s words in the epigraph in order to once again emphasize this inconsistency. A prominent politician in England (Russia's war ally) says that by overthrowing the autocracy in Russia one of the goals of the war has been achieved!

The Balkan countries played a major role in the beginning of the war. They were not independent. Their policies (both foreign and domestic) were greatly influenced by England. Germany had by that time lost its influence in this region, although it controlled Bulgaria for a long time.

• Entente. Russian Empire, France, Great Britain. The allies were the USA, Italy, Romania, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Triple Alliance. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire. Later they were joined by the Bulgarian kingdom, and the coalition became known as the “Quadruple Alliance”.

The following major countries took part in the war: Austria-Hungary (27 July 1914 - 3 November 1918), Germany (1 August 1914 - 11 November 1918), Turkey (29 October 1914 - 30 October 1918), Bulgaria (14 October 1915 - 29 September 1918). Entente countries and allies: Russia (August 1, 1914 - March 3, 1918), France (August 3, 1914), Belgium (August 3, 1914), Great Britain (August 4, 1914), Italy (May 23, 1915), Romania (August 27, 1916) .

One more important point. Initially, Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance. But after the outbreak of World War I, the Italians declared neutrality.

Causes of the First World War

The main reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the desire of the leading powers, primarily England, France and Austria-Hungary, to redistribute the world. The fact is that the colonial system collapsed by the beginning of the 20th century. The leading European countries, which had prospered for years through the exploitation of their colonies, could no longer simply obtain resources by taking them away from Indians, Africans and South Americans. Now resources could only be won from each other. Therefore, contradictions grew:

• Between England and Germany. England sought to prevent Germany from increasing its influence in the Balkans. Germany sought to strengthen itself in the Balkans and the Middle East, and also sought to deprive England of maritime dominance.
• Between Germany and France. France dreamed of regaining the lands of Alsace and Lorraine, which it had lost in the war of 1870-71. France also sought to seize the German Saar coal basin.
• Between Germany and Russia. Germany sought to take Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states from Russia.
• Between Russia and Austria-Hungary. Controversies arose due to the desire of both countries to influence the Balkans, as well as Russia's desire to subjugate the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

The reason for the start of the war

The reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the events in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand of the Young Bosnia movement, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, so the resonance of the murder was enormous. This was the pretext for Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia.

The behavior of England is very important here, since Austria-Hungary could not start a war on its own, because this practically guaranteed war throughout Europe. The British at the embassy level convinced Nicholas 2 that Russia should not leave Serbia without help in the event of aggression. But then the entire (I emphasize this) English press wrote that the Serbs were barbarians and Austria-Hungary should not leave the murder of the Archduke unpunished. That is, England did everything to ensure that Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia did not shy away from war.

Important nuances of the casus belli

In all textbooks we are told that the main and only reason for the outbreak of the First World War was the assassination of the Austrian Archduke. At the same time, they forget to say that the next day, June 29, another significant murder took place. The French politician Jean Jaurès, who actively opposed the war and had great influence in France, was killed. A few weeks before the assassination of the Archduke, there was an attempt on the life of Rasputin, who, like Zhores, was an opponent of the war and had great influence on Nicholas 2. I would also like to note some facts from the fate of the main characters of those days:

• Gavrilo Principin. Died in prison in 1918 from tuberculosis.
• The Russian Ambassador to Serbia is Hartley. In 1914 he died at the Austrian embassy in Serbia, where he came for a reception.
• Colonel Apis, leader of the Black Hand. Shot in 1917.
• In 1917, Hartley’s correspondence with Sozonov (the next Russian ambassador to Serbia) disappeared.

This all indicates that in the events of the day there were a lot of black spots that have not yet been revealed. And this is very important to understand.

England's role in starting the war

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 2 great powers in continental Europe: Germany and Russia. They did not want to openly fight against each other, since their forces were approximately equal. Therefore, in the “July crisis” of 1914, both sides took a wait-and-see approach. British diplomacy came to the fore. She conveyed her position to Germany through the press and secret diplomacy - in the event of war, England would remain neutral or take Germany's side. Through open diplomacy, Nicholas 2 received the opposite idea that if war broke out, England would take the side of Russia.

It must be clearly understood that one open statement from England that it would not allow war in Europe would be enough for neither Germany nor Russia to even think about anything like that. Naturally, under such conditions, Austria-Hungary would not have dared to attack Serbia. But England, with all its diplomacy, pushed European countries towards war.

Russia before the war

Before the First World War, Russia carried out army reform. In 1907, a reform of the fleet was carried out, and in 1910, a reform of the ground forces. The country increased military spending many times over, and the total peacetime army size was now 2 million. In 1912, Russia adopted a new Field Service Charter. Today it is rightly called the most perfect Charter of its time, since it motivated soldiers and commanders to show personal initiative. Important point! The doctrine of the army of the Russian Empire was offensive.

Despite the fact that there were many positive changes, there were also very serious miscalculations. The main one is the underestimation of the role of artillery in war. As the course of events of the First World War showed, this was a terrible mistake, which clearly showed that at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian generals were seriously behind the times. They lived in the past, when the role of cavalry was important. As a result, 75% of all losses in the First World War were caused by artillery! This is a verdict on the imperial generals.

It is important to note that Russia never completed preparations for war (at the proper level), while Germany completed it in 1914.

The balance of forces and means before and after the war

Artillery

	Number of guns	Of these, heavy guns
Austria-Hungary
Germany

According to the data from the table, it is clear that Germany and Austria-Hungary were many times superior to Russia and France in heavy weapons. Therefore, the balance of power was in favor of the first two countries. Moreover, the Germans, as usual, created an excellent military industry before the war, which produced 250,000 shells daily. By comparison, Britain produced 10,000 shells per month! As they say, feel the difference...

Another example showing the importance of artillery is the battles on the Dunajec Gorlice line (May 1915). In 4 hours, the German army fired 700,000 shells. For comparison, during the entire Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), Germany fired just over 800,000 shells. That is, in 4 hours a little less than during the entire war. The Germans clearly understood that heavy artillery would play a decisive role in the war.

Weapons and military equipment

Production of weapons and equipment during the First World War (thousands of units).

	Strelkovoe	Artillery
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austria-Hungary

This table clearly shows the weakness of the Russian Empire in terms of equipping the army. In all main indicators, Russia is much inferior to Germany, but also inferior to France and Great Britain. Largely because of this, the war turned out to be so difficult for our country.

Number of people (infantry)

Number of fighting infantry (millions of people).

	At the beginning of the war	By the end of the war	Casualties
Great Britain
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
Germany
Austria-Hungary

The table shows that Great Britain made the smallest contribution to the war, both in terms of combatants and deaths. This is logical, since the British did not really participate in major battles. Another example from this table is instructive. All textbooks tell us that Austria-Hungary, due to large losses, could not fight on its own, and it always needed help from Germany. But notice Austria-Hungary and France in the table. The numbers are identical! Just as Germany had to fight for Austria-Hungary, so Russia had to fight for France (it is no coincidence that the Russian army saved Paris from capitulation three times during the First World War).

The table also shows that in fact the war was between Russia and Germany. Both countries lost 4.3 million killed, while Britain, France and Austria-Hungary together lost 3.5 million. The numbers are eloquent. But it turned out that the countries that fought the most and made the most effort in the war ended up with nothing. First, Russia signed the shameful Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, losing many lands. Then Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, essentially losing its independence.

Progress of the war

Military events of 1914

July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. This entailed the involvement of the countries of the Triple Alliance, on the one hand, and the Entente, on the other hand, into the war.

Russia entered World War I on August 1, 1914. Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (Uncle of Nicholas 2) was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

In the first days of the war, St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd. Since the war with Germany began, the capital could not have a name of German origin - “burg”.

Historical reference

German "Schlieffen Plan"

Germany found itself under the threat of war on two fronts: Eastern - with Russia, Western - with France. Then the German command developed the “Schlieffen Plan”, according to which Germany should defeat France in 40 days and then fight with Russia. Why 40 days? The Germans believed that this was exactly what Russia would need to mobilize. Therefore, when Russia mobilizes, France will already be out of the game.

On August 2, 1914, Germany captured Luxembourg, on August 4 they invaded Belgium (a neutral country at that time), and by August 20 Germany reached the borders of France. The implementation of the Schlieffen Plan began. Germany advanced deep into France, but on September 5 it was stopped at the Marne River, where a battle took place in which about 2 million people took part on both sides.

Northwestern Front of Russia in 1914

At the beginning of the war, Russia did something stupid that Germany could not calculate. Nicholas 2 decided to enter the war without fully mobilizing the army. On August 4, Russian troops, under the command of Rennenkampf, launched an offensive in East Prussia (modern Kaliningrad). Samsonov's army was equipped to help her. Initially, the troops acted successfully, and Germany was forced to retreat. As a result, part of the forces of the Western Front was transferred to the Eastern Front. The result - Germany repulsed the Russian offensive in East Prussia (the troops acted disorganized and lacked resources), but as a result the Schlieffen plan failed, and France could not be captured. So, Russia saved Paris, albeit by defeating its 1st and 2nd armies. After this, trench warfare began.

Southwestern Front of Russia

On the southwestern front, in August-September, Russia launched an offensive operation against Galicia, which was occupied by troops of Austria-Hungary. The Galician operation was more successful than the offensive in East Prussia. In this battle, Austria-Hungary suffered a catastrophic defeat. 400 thousand people killed, 100 thousand captured. For comparison, the Russian army lost 150 thousand people killed. After this, Austria-Hungary actually withdrew from the war, since it lost the ability to conduct independent actions. Austria was saved from complete defeat only by the help of Germany, which was forced to transfer additional divisions to Galicia.

The main results of the military campaign of 1914

• Germany failed to implement the Schlieffen plan for lightning war.
• No one managed to gain a decisive advantage. The war turned into a positional one.

Map of military events of 1914-15

Military events of 1915

In 1915, Germany decided to shift the main blow to the eastern front, directing all its forces to the war with Russia, which was the weakest country of the Entente, according to the Germans. It was a strategic plan developed by the commander of the Eastern Front, General von Hindenburg. Russia managed to thwart this plan only at the cost of colossal losses, but at the same time, 1915 turned out to be simply terrible for the empire of Nicholas 2.

Situation on the northwestern front

From January to October, Germany waged an active offensive, as a result of which Russia lost Poland, western Ukraine, part of the Baltic states, and western Belarus. Russia went on the defensive. Russian losses were gigantic:

• Killed and wounded - 850 thousand people
• Captured - 900 thousand people

Russia did not capitulate, but the countries of the Triple Alliance were convinced that Russia would no longer be able to recover from the losses it had suffered.

Germany's successes on this sector of the front led to the fact that on October 14, 1915, Bulgaria entered the First World War (on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary).

Situation on the southwestern front

The Germans, together with Austria-Hungary, organized the Gorlitsky breakthrough in the spring of 1915, forcing the entire southwestern front of Russia to retreat. Galicia, which was captured in 1914, was completely lost. Germany was able to achieve this advantage thanks to the terrible mistakes of the Russian command, as well as a significant technical advantage. German superiority in technology reached:

• 2.5 times in machine guns.
• 4.5 times in light artillery.
• 40 times in heavy artillery.

It was not possible to withdraw Russia from the war, but the losses on this section of the front were gigantic: 150 thousand killed, 700 thousand wounded, 900 thousand prisoners and 4 million refugees.

Situation on the Western Front

"Everything is calm on the Western Front." This phrase can describe how the war between Germany and France proceeded in 1915. There were sluggish military operations in which no one sought the initiative. Germany was implementing plans in eastern Europe, and England and France were calmly mobilizing their economy and army, preparing for further war. No one provided any assistance to Russia, although Nicholas 2 repeatedly turned to France, first of all, so that it would take active action on the Western Front. As usual, no one heard him... By the way, this sluggish war on Germany’s western front was perfectly described by Hemingway in the novel “A Farewell to Arms.”

The main result of 1915 was that Germany was unable to bring Russia out of the war, although all efforts were devoted to this. It became obvious that the First World War would drag on for a long time, since during the 1.5 years of the war no one was able to gain an advantage or strategic initiative.

Military events of 1916

"Verdun Meat Grinder"

In February 1916, Germany launched a general offensive against France with the goal of capturing Paris. For this purpose, a campaign was carried out on Verdun, which covered the approaches to the French capital. The battle lasted until the end of 1916. During this time, 2 million people died, for which the battle was called the “Verdun Meat Grinder”. France survived, but again thanks to the fact that Russia came to its rescue, which became more active on the southwestern front.

Events on the southwestern front in 1916

In May 1916, Russian troops went on the offensive, which lasted 2 months. This offensive went down in history under the name “Brusilovsky breakthrough”. This name is due to the fact that the Russian army was commanded by General Brusilov. The breakthrough of the defense in Bukovina (from Lutsk to Chernivtsi) happened on June 5. The Russian army managed not only to break through the defenses, but also to advance into its depths in some places up to 120 kilometers. The losses of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians were catastrophic. 1.5 million dead, wounded and prisoners. The offensive was stopped only by additional German divisions, which were hastily transferred here from Verdun (France) and from Italy.

This offensive of the Russian army was not without a fly in the ointment. As usual, the allies dropped her off. On August 27, 1916, Romania entered the First World War on the side of the Entente. Germany defeated her very quickly. As a result, Romania lost its army, and Russia received an additional 2 thousand kilometers of front.

Events on the Caucasian and Northwestern fronts

Positional battles continued on the Northwestern Front during the spring-autumn period. As for the Caucasian Front, the main events here lasted from the beginning of 1916 to April. During this time, 2 operations were carried out: Erzurmur and Trebizond. According to their results, Erzurum and Trebizond were conquered, respectively.

The result of 1916 in the First World War

• The strategic initiative passed to the side of the Entente.
• The French fortress of Verdun survived thanks to the offensive of the Russian army.
• Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente.
• Russia carried out a powerful offensive - the Brusilov breakthrough.

Military and political events 1917

The year 1917 in the First World War was marked by the fact that the war continued against the background of the revolutionary situation in Russia and Germany, as well as the deterioration of the economic situation of the countries. Let me give you the example of Russia. During the 3 years of the war, prices for basic products increased on average by 4-4.5 times. Naturally, this caused discontent among the people. Add to this heavy losses and a grueling war - it turns out to be excellent soil for revolutionaries. The situation is similar in Germany.

In 1917, the United States entered the First World War. The position of the Triple Alliance is deteriorating. Germany and its allies cannot effectively fight on 2 fronts, as a result of which it goes on the defensive.

The end of the war for Russia

In the spring of 1917, Germany launched another offensive on the Western Front. Despite the events in Russia, Western countries demanded that the Provisional Government implement the agreements signed by the Empire and send troops on the offensive. As a result, on June 16, the Russian army went on the offensive in the Lvov area. Again, we saved the allies from major battles, but we ourselves were completely exposed.

The Russian army, exhausted by the war and losses, did not want to fight. The issues of food, uniforms and supplies during the war years were never resolved. The army fought reluctantly, but moved forward. The Germans were forced to transfer troops here again, and Russia's Entente allies again isolated themselves, watching what would happen next. On July 6, Germany launched a counteroffensive. As a result, 150,000 Russian soldiers died. The army virtually ceased to exist. The front fell apart. Russia could no longer fight, and this catastrophe was inevitable.

People demanded Russia's withdrawal from the war. And this was one of their main demands from the Bolsheviks, who seized power in October 1917. Initially, at the 2nd Party Congress, the Bolsheviks signed the decree “On Peace,” essentially proclaiming Russia’s exit from the war, and on March 3, 1918, they signed the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty. The conditions of this world were as follows:

• Russia makes peace with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
• Russia is losing Poland, Ukraine, Finland, part of Belarus and the Baltic states.
• Russia cedes Batum, Kars and Ardagan to Turkey.

As a result of its participation in the First World War, Russia lost: about 1 million square meters of territory, approximately 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of arable land and 3/4 of the coal and metallurgical industries were lost.

Historical reference

Events in the war in 1918

Germany got rid of the Eastern Front and the need to wage war on two fronts. As a result, in the spring and summer of 1918, she attempted an offensive on the Western Front, but this offensive had no success. Moreover, as it progressed, it became obvious that Germany was getting the most out of itself, and that it needed a break in the war.

Autumn 1918

The decisive events in the First World War took place in the fall. The Entente countries, together with the United States, went on the offensive. The German army was completely driven out of France and Belgium. In October, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria concluded a truce with the Entente, and Germany was left to fight alone. Her situation was hopeless after the German allies in the Triple Alliance essentially capitulated. This resulted in the same thing that happened in Russia - a revolution. On November 9, 1918, Emperor Wilhelm II was overthrown.

End of the First World War

On November 11, 1918, the First World War of 1914-1918 ended. Germany signed a complete surrender. It happened near Paris, in the Compiègne forest, at the Retonde station. The surrender was accepted by the French Marshal Foch. The terms of the signed peace were as follows:

• Germany admits complete defeat in the war.
• The return of the province of Alsace and Lorraine to France to the borders of 1870, as well as the transfer of the Saar coal basin.
• Germany lost all its colonial possessions, and was also obliged to transfer 1/8 of its territory to its geographical neighbors.
• For 15 years, Entente troops were on the left bank of the Rhine.
• By May 1, 1921, Germany had to pay members of the Entente (Russia was not entitled to anything) 20 billion marks in gold, goods, securities, etc.
• Germany must pay reparations for 30 years, and the amount of these reparations is determined by the winners themselves and can be increased at any time during these 30 years.
• Germany was prohibited from having an army of more than 100 thousand people, and the army had to be exclusively voluntary.

The terms of the “peace” were so humiliating for Germany that the country actually became a puppet. Therefore, many people of that time said that although the First World War ended, it did not end in peace, but in a truce for 30 years. That’s how it ultimately turned out...

Results of the First World War

The First World War was fought on the territory of 14 states. Countries with a total population of over 1 billion people took part in it (this is approximately 62% of the entire world population at that time). In total, 74 million people were mobilized by the participating countries, of whom 10 million died and another 20 million were injured.

As a result of the war, the political map of Europe changed significantly. Such independent states as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Albania appeared. Austria-Hungary split into Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Romania, Greece, France, and Italy have increased their borders. There were 5 countries that lost and lost territory: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia.

Map of the First World War 1914-1918

One of the tasks that the organizers set for themselves is commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the beginning First World War- is to return to our society the knowledge of forgotten pages of history. There is hope that along with such knowledge will come understanding history lessons. Rossiyskaya Gazeta talks about one of these events.

Professional discussions of historians, learned by politicians, can influence the resolution of many modern conflicts and disputes, the State Duma speaker is convinced Sergey Naryshkin. “After all, large ‘fires’ in world history have flared up more than once from similar conflicts. And their roots lay not only in economics, but in the very misunderstanding of peoples, in ignorance of each other’s culture,” Naryshkin said, opening a discussion at the international round table"The First World War: Culture and Memory", organized by UNESCO And Russian Historical Society V Paris.

Not everyone in the current situation believed in the success of this event. But at the round table were authoritative historians, parliamentarians, cultural figures not only from Russia and France, but also Serbia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Great Britain, and Poland.

Many countries in the world are rethinking the lessons of the First World War, Naryshkin noted, expressing great respect for those who, “despite all the pressure and rabid propaganda, continue to develop international contacts.” The Chairman of the State Duma believes that “in today’s conditions, against the backdrop of well-known events in international politics, there is a deep political crisis that is currently tearing apart Ukraine", such meetings are extremely important. “Only dialogue, joint, without confrontation, understanding of both the past and the present will open the way for us to a truly common future, to the creation of a Europe without dividing lines."

The speaker of the State Duma told what Russia is doing on the eve of a significant date for the whole world: August 1 became the Day of Remembrance of Soldiers who died in 1914-1918, preparations for installation are being completed Monument to the Unknown Soldier of the First World War, the digitization of the card index of losses on the fronts of this war has begun, a project is being implemented, the purpose of which is to collect materials from family archives, and educational and scientific conferences are being held.

Director of the State Archive of Russia Sergey Mironenko reported on preparations multimedia exhibition, which will show the history of the war “with photographic accuracy.” Head of the Federal Archival Agency Andrey Artizov reported the news - on military historical archive website secret documents from that war have been posted - all inventory records - “this is a complete set of the old Russian army,” available in Moscow and Warsaw - everywhere.

The participants in the discussion, among whom were descendants of those who fought on the fronts of the First World War, argued that the war caused irreparable spiritual damage to all of Europe. In 1914, each of the hostile camps went to the First World War “under the flag of “national defense,” recalled Sergei Naryshkin. Artists and scientists from different countries, who had collaborated amicably before the war, broke ties, blamed each other, foreign states and peoples. “It’s impossible.” forget also that it was interwar Europe that became the place where Nazi ideology emerged,” Naryshkin emphasized, noting that the popularity of such views was not limited to the borders of one country - “at that time, fascist movements were not uncommon.”

“I would like to hope that the modern world has learned the main lessons of the past. And the task of those who are responsible for culture will always be to bring peoples closer together, and not to pit them against each other,” the speaker said, noting that, at least, this is evidenced activities of organizations such as UNESCO. Naryshkin believes that this organization deserves the most serious support. Our country has provided it for six decades and will continue to do so in the future.

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