When the First World War was going on. Important dates and events of the First World War

Russia got nothing as a result of the war, and this is one of the biggest historical injustices of the 20th century

fighting World War I ended November 11, 1918. The Compiègne truce, concluded by the Entente and Germany, ended one of the bloodiest wars in the history of mankind.

The final result was summed up later, the division of trophies between the winners was officially fixed by the Versailles Peace Treaty of June 28, 1919. However, already in November 1918 it was clear to everyone that Germany had suffered a complete defeat. Her allies withdrew from the war even earlier: Bulgaria on September 29, Turkey on October 30, and finally Austria-Hungary on November 3.

The winners, primarily England and France, received significant acquisitions. Reparations, territories in Europe and beyond, new economic markets. But most of the other members of the anti-German coalition were not left without prey.

Romania, which entered the war only in 1916, was defeated in two and a half months and even managed to sign an agreement with Germany, increased dramatically in size. Serbia, completely occupied by enemy troops during the hostilities, has become a large and influential state, at least in the Balkans. Belgium, defeated in the very first weeks of 1914, received something, and Italy also ended the war to its advantage.

Russia got nothing, and this is one of the biggest historical injustices of the 20th century. The Russian army completed the campaign of 1914 on enemy territory, in the most difficult year of 1915, the year of retreat, the Germans were still able to stop along the Riga-Pinsk-Ternopil line, and inflict heavy defeats on Turkey on the Caucasian front.

The year 1916 was a turning point on the Russian front, throughout the year Germany and Austria-Hungary, exerting all their strength, barely held back the powerful attacks of our army, and the Brusilovsky breakthrough shook our enemy to the ground. In the Caucasus, the Russian army won new victories.

With great anxiety and even fear, the German generals looked at Russia's preparations for 1917.

Paul von Hindenburg, Chief of the German General Staff, admitted in his memoirs: “We should have expected that in the winter of 1916-1917, as in previous years, Russia would successfully compensate for losses and restore its offensive capabilities. We did not receive any information that would testify to serious signs of the decomposition of the Russian army. We had to take into account that the attacks of the Russians could once again lead the Austrian positions to collapse.

There were no doubts about the overall victory of the Entente even then.

On the results of 1916 and the prospects for 1917, the English General Knox, who was with the Russian army, spoke more than definitely: “Troop control improved every day. The army was strong in spirit ... There is no doubt that if the rear had rallied ... the Russian army would have won new laurels for itself in the 1917 campaign of the year and, in all likelihood, would have developed pressure that would have made possible the Allied victory by the end of this year.

By that time, Russia had put up ten millionth, the most numerous army of the First World War. Its supply has improved dramatically compared to 1915, the production of shells, machine guns, rifles, explosives and much more has noticeably increased. In addition to this, significant reinforcements were expected in 1917 from foreign military orders. New factories that worked for defense were built at a rapid pace, and those already built were re-equipped.

In the spring of 1917, a general offensive of the Entente was planned in all directions. Famine reigned in Germany at that time, Austria-Hungary was hanging by a thread, and victory over them could indeed be won as early as 1917.

This was also understood in Russia. Those who had real information about the situation on the fronts and in the economy understood. The fifth column could rage as much as they wanted on the topic of "talentless tsarism", for the time being they could be believed by the noisy public, but an early victory put an end to this. All the senselessness and absurdity of the accusations against the tsar will become obvious to everyone and everyone, because it was he, as the Supreme Commander, who led Russia to success.

The oppositionists were well aware of this as well. Their chance was to overthrow the legitimate government before the spring offensive of 1917, and then they would have the laurels of the winners. A number of generals also thought that it was their time to redistribute power in their favor and took part in the February Revolution. Some of the king's relatives did not stand aside, those of them who dreamed of the throne.

External and internal enemies, united in a powerful anti-Russian force, struck in February 1917. Then came a chain of well-known events that unbalanced state administration. Discipline in the army fell, desertion increased, the economy began to stumble.

The crooks who came to power in Russia did not have any authority in the world, and the Western allies no longer had obligations to them. England and France were not going to fulfill the agreements signed with the tsarist government.

Yes, they had to delay their victory, but London and Paris knew that the United States was ready to join the war on their side, which means that Germany could not avoid defeat anyway. However, the Russian front, although weakened, still continued to exist. Despite the revolutionary chaos, neither the Germans nor the Austro-Hungarians still managed to get Russia out of the war. Even in October 1917, on the eve of the Bolsheviks coming to power, Germany alone kept 1.8 million people on the Eastern Front, not counting the armies of Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

Even in conditions of noticeable desertion and a semi-paralyzed economy, by October 1, 1917, on 100 miles of the Russian front, there were 86 thousand infantry bayonets from Russia, against 47 thousand from the opponents, 5 thousand checkers against 2 thousand, 263 light guns against 166, 47 howitzers against 61 and 45 heavy guns to 81. Note that the enemy refers to the combined forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary. It is no coincidence that the front still stood at a distance of 1000 km from Moscow, and 750 from Petrograd.

It seems incredible, but in December 1917 the Germans were forced to keep 1.6 million of their soldiers and officers in the East, and in January 1918 - 1.5 million. For comparison, in August 1915, during the powerful German-Austrian offensive against Russia Germany fielded 1.2 million troops. It turns out that even at the beginning of 1918, the Russian army forced them to reckon with themselves.

No doubt, under the sad rule of a gang of interim ministers, together with the political adventurer Kerensky, the situation in Russia has deteriorated sharply. But the inertia of pre-revolutionary development was so great that for almost a year Germany and Austria-Hungary could not achieve any obvious successes on the eastern front. But it was vitally important for them to get the southern Russian provinces rich in bread. But the front stubbornly stood not far from Riga, Pinsk and Ternopil. Even a small part of Austria-Hungary remained in the hands of our army, which, it would seem, is quite unbelievable, given the realities of the end of 1917.

The sharp collapse of the eastern front happened only under the Bolsheviks. In fact, having disbanded the army to their homes, they then declared that they had no other opportunity than to sign the obscene Brest Treaty.

The Bolsheviks promised peace to the peoples. But, of course, no peace came to Russia. Huge territories were occupied by the enemy, who tried to squeeze everything he could out of them, in the vain hope of saving the lost war.

And soon the Civil War began in Russia. Europe stopped fighting, and in our country bloody chaos and famine reigned for several more years.

This is how Russia lost to the losers: Germany and its allies.

World War I- this is a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, the USA, etc.; a total of 34 states).

Causes of World War I

The reason for the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 was the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist, a member of the Young Bosnia organization, Gavrilo Princip. However, from the very beginning of the First World War, historians have been concerned about a more significant question: what were the reasons for its start?

The reasons for the outbreak of the First World War are likely to be many:

1. Weak peace forces (weak labor movement).

2. Revolutionary movement in a period of recession (except Russia).

3. Desire to strangle the revolutionary movement (Russia).

4. The desire to divide the world.

But most historians are inclined to regard the main of them as the competing interests of the largest European powers. What were these interests from the point of view of historians?

Great Britain (as part of the Entente)

Fearing a potential German threat, she abandoned the country's traditional policy of "isolation" and switched to the policy of forming an anti-German bloc of states.

She did not want to put up with the penetration of Germany into areas that she considered "her own": East and South-West Africa. And she also wanted to take revenge on Germany for supporting the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. In this connection, she was already waging an undeclared economic and trade war against Germany and was actively preparing in case of aggressive actions from Germany.

France (as part of the Entente)

She wanted to recoup the defeat inflicted on her by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

She wanted to return Alsace and Lorraine, separated from France in 1871.

She could not come to terms with her losses in traditional markets due to competition with German goods.

Feared a new German aggression.

Russia (as part of the Entente)

She demanded a revision in her favor of the regime of control over the Dardanelles, because she wanted to have free passage for her fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.

She assessed the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway (1898) as an act unfriendly to Germany. Russia saw this construction as an infringement on its rights in Asia. Although, as historians note, in 1911 these differences with Germany were settled by the Potsdam Agreement.

She did not want to put up with the Austrian penetration into the Balkans and the fact that Germany was gaining strength and began to dictate its terms in Europe.

She wanted to dominate all the Slavic peoples, therefore she supported the anti-Austrian and anti-Turkish sentiments among the Serbs and Bulgarians in the Balkans.

Serbia (as part of the Entente)

Having gained full independence only in 1878, she sought to establish herself in the Balkans as the leader of the Slavic peoples of the peninsula.

She wanted to form Yugoslavia, including all the Slavs living in the south of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Unofficially supported the nationalist organizations that fought against Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

German Empire (Triple Alliance)

As an economically developed country, it aspired to military, economic and political dominance on the European continent.

Since Germany needed markets, and entered the struggle for colonies only after 1871, joining the struggle for colonies only after 1871, she longed to gain equal rights in the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.

In the Entente, she saw an alliance against herself in order to undermine her power.

Austria-Hungary (Triple Alliance)

Due to its multinationality, it played the role of a permanent hotbed of instability in Europe.

She fought to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina captured by her in 1908.

Opposed to Russia, because Russia took on the role of defender of all Slavs in the Balkans, and Serbia.

USA (supported the Entente)

Here historians do not express themselves specifically, citing only the fact that before the First World War the United States was the world's largest debtor, and after the war became the sole world creditor.

These are the causes of the First World War cited by historians.

Main events of the First World War

June Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

July Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. July 28 - World War I officially begins.

August Germany declares war on Russia, France, Luxembourg, Belgium. The German and Ottoman Empires sign a secret alliance treaty. The British Empire declares war on Germany.

Montenegro declares war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

Serbia and Montenegro declare war on Germany. France and the British Empire declare war on Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium. Japan declares war on Germany. Japan declares war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

November Entente countries declare war on the Ottoman Empire. Britain begins a naval blockade of Germany.

February Germany begins major offensive operations on the Eastern Front.

April During the Second Battle of Ypres, German troops used chemical weapons. London agreement between the Entente and Italy.

May Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.

October Bulgaria declares war on Serbia, in response to Bulgaria all the countries of the Entente declare war.

March Germany declares war on Portugal.

June The Brusilovsky breakthrough begins. Arab revolution.

August Italy declares war on Germany.

September The Central Powers create a unified military command. The British used tanks for the first time in history. The Brusilovsky breakthrough ends with the expected success of the Russian troops.

February – April German troops retreat to the Hindenburg line.

March February Revolution in Russia. Emperor Nicholas II abdicates the throne. Power passes to the Provisional Government. Soldiers' committees are being created in the troops, which leads to the disintegration of the Russian army.

April The United States of America declares war on Germany.

June Greece enters the war on the side of the Entente.

July– October China, Siam, Liberia and Brazil declare war on Germany.

November, 7 October Revolution in Russia. The Bolsheviks who came to power immediately adopted the Decree on Peace.

December The US declares war on Austria-Hungary. Soviet Russia signs an armistice with Germany.

February The Ukrainian People's Republic signs a peace treaty with the Central Powers. Germany, having failed to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, resumes hostilities on the Eastern Front.

March, 3 In Brest-Litovsk, Leon Trotsky signs a peace treaty with Germany.

September– October Battle of the Hindenburg Line, phase of the Hundred Days Offensive. The Allies break through the German defenses. Bulgaria signs an armistice with the Allies.

November Revolution in Germany, a republic was proclaimed there.

November 11 At 5 am, Germany signs the Armistice of Compiègne. End of hostilities at 11.00.

Austria is proclaimed a republic and announces its accession to Germany.

Czechoslovakia is proclaimed a republic. The fighting in East Africa is coming to an end.

10 September The Saint-Germain Treaty was signed, prohibiting the unification of Germany and Austria.

On January 10, the Treaty of Versailles enters into force. The official end of the First World War.

The results of the war

Political results

The results of the First World War were the February and October revolutions in Russia and the November revolution in Germany, the liquidation of three empires: the Russian, Ottoman empires and Austria-Hungary. Germany was cut down territorially and weakened economically. The Civil War began in Russia.

Military totals

Tanks, chemical weapons, gas masks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns were used for the first time. Airplanes, machine guns, mortars, submarines, and torpedo boats were widely used. The firepower of the troops increased sharply. New types of artillery appeared.

Appeared "trench tactics" of warfare in order to exhaust the enemy and deplete his economy, working on military orders.

Economic results

The scale and protracted nature of the First World War led to the militarization of the economies of the industrial states. This resulted in: strengthening state regulation and planning of the economy, the formation of military-industrial complexes, accelerating the development of national economic infrastructures (energy systems, a network of paved roads), and an increase in the share of defense production.

On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire. The First World War (1914-1918) became the second Patriotic War for Russia.

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.

From the farewell address of Nicholas II to the troops(March 8, 1917)

In that war, the Russian Empire saved Europe, but did not reach the Victory. The reasoning of Churchill, a direct participant in the events, is well known: “Fate has not been so cruel to any country as to Russia. Her ship sank with the harbor in sight. She had already weathered the storm when everything collapsed. All the sacrifices have already been made, all the work is done. The selfless impulse of the Russian armies that saved Paris in 1914; overcoming a painful, shellless retreat; slow recovery; Brusilov's victories; Russia's entry into the 1917 campaign invincible, stronger than ever. With victory already in her hands, she fell to the ground. There is truth in these arguments. The line of Russian history in October 1917 (and, possibly, even earlier, after the abdication of the emperor) diverged from the logic of the great war. Tragedy? Undoubtedly.

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 World War I Historians (RAIPMV) Evgeny Sergeev spoke 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, the First World War (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 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

Grand plans

- Evgeny Yurievich, but who is still to blame for unleashing 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.

There is a note 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. . 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 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?

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

A war between two coalitions of powers - the Entente and the countries of the Central Block - for the redistribution of the world, colonies, spheres of influence and capital investment.

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