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The Great War was fought between two sides on primarily four European fronts. The members of the Triple Entente – Britain, France, and Russia – were called the Allies, and were immediately joined by Belgium. The Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers because of their location in Europe. Italy did not initially join the war, claiming its treaty with Germany and Austria-Hungary demanded that Italy fight only in the case of a defensive war, and Germany and Austria-Hungary had declared war first. So, the war alliances were as follows: Central Powers: Germany AustriaHungary Bulgaria Ottoman Empire Allied Powers: Britain France Russia Belgium Italy ( joined in 1915) United States (joined in 1917) Notes: The War Alliances: Allies: Britain, France, Russia (left war in 1917), Belgium, Italy, United States (entered 1917) Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria The Western Front: Germany, France, Britain, and Belgium fought along the Western Front. This 475-mile-long front was created by Germany’s plan for a quick, all-out attack on France through the lowlands of Belgium. The Germans didn’t want to fight a war on two fronts, so the plan was to capture France then turn their attention to Russia. Even if the slow-moving Russians mobilized their troops and hurried them to the front, the lack of Russian rail lines and modern road systems would keep Russia from a rapid invasion of the eastern part of Germany. So, in August 1914, Germany attacked Belgium. Within one month the Germans had advanced to within 50 miles of Paris and the war appeared as if it would end quickly. The First Battle of the Marne As the German armies neared Paris between September 6-8, 1914, the French capital prepared itself for a siege. The defending French forces and the British - were at the point of exhaustion, having retreated continuously for 10-12 days under repeated German attack. Paris was only saved on September 7 by the aid of 6,000 French reserve infantry troops ferried from Paris in streams of taxi cabs, 600 in all. The Germans, however, made mistakes, which allowed the French to regroup, and the Western Front stabilized along the French-Belgian border. Battles Along the Western Front: Fighting on the Western Front was characterized by long battles that took hundreds of thousands of lives and gained almost no ground for either side. 1916 was the year of two major offensives: the Battle of Verdun, which lasted six months and created 680,000 casualties. The second was the Battle of the Somme, which also lasted six months and ended with more than a million casualties. 1917 was marked the entry of the United States into the war in April, and the Russian Revolution in November. Once Russia pulled out of the war, Germany was able to concentrate its war effort on the west. However, this wasn’t a true advantage, because of the United States’ entry into the war. By 1918 an allied naval blockade of the Central Powers had created dramatic shortages of food and raw materials in Germany and Austria. On August 8, the German lines were finally broken. Notes: The Western Front: Germany tried to take France quickly, then planned to fight Russia. Instead, the battle lines formed in North East France and changed little. Battles Along the Western Front Long, bloody battles: Verdun: 680,000 casualties Somme: over 1 million casualties The Eastern Front: In 1914 Russia sent its enormous army against the Germans and Austrians along the Eastern front, which eventually stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The Russians experienced early victories, but after the Battle of Tannenberg the Germans marched eastward to victory after victory. Russia lacked modern technology, which meant its troops were under-supplied and poorly equipped. One quarter of the Russian troops went into battle without weapons. They were instructed to follow behind the armed troops and to pick up the rifles off their dead comrades. By 1917 the morale of the Russian troops was very low. In November, Vladimir Lenin led a revolution that overthrew the government and immediately took Russia out of the war. Lenin signed the BrestLitovsk Treaty with the Central Powers. This treaty caused Russia to lose about 25% of its land and population. The Italian Front: In May 1915, Italy joined the Allies after it was promised Austrian lands it had long wanted. The Italian Front was opened, and fighting began between the Italians and the Austrians until October 1917. At this point, the Germans reinforced the Austrians, and the combined forces broke though the Italian lines at the Battle of Caporetto. French and British reinforcements stopped the attack, but not before the Central Powers had moved to within 50 miles of Venice. Notes: The Eastern Front The lack of modern technology caused Russia enormous defeats. Treaty signed with revolutionary government (Lenin – 1917) lost ¼ of the country. The Balkan Front The Allies abandoned attempts to land in the Balkans after losing. The Italian Front Italians joined the Allies in 1915 and fought Austria- Hungary. The War Ends: The war ended quickly in 1918. Bulgaria surrendered first after British/French forces were victorious in Greece. Then, the Ottoman Empire gave up in October after defeat in the Middle East. Austria-Hungary then felt the pressure of renewed attacks from Italy. In addition, the Allies promised independence to the Poles, Czechs, Slovaks and Croats if they joined the fight against Austria-Hungary. The combination of these factors resulted in the end of the Austria-Hungary Empire on November 4, 1918. Then, on November 9, Germans in Berlin revolted and the Kaiser was overthrown. A German republic was proclaimed and the new German leaders signed the Armistice, which ended the Great War. The Armistice was signed on November 11, at 11 A.M., 1918 11/11 at 11 What holiday is currently celebrated on November 11? Notes: The War Ends: Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were the first Central Powers to be defeated. Revolts inside Austria-Hungary and Germany helped end the war quickly. Armistice November 11, 1918 at 11 am.