The Great War

The industrial revolution triggered the economic expansion towards the colonies, particularly those in the African continent. Nationalism, imperialism and militarism had provoked different colonial conflicts among the European powers, which however managed to maintain a period of tranquillity known as "Peace through strength", which broke irreparably on the 28th of June of 1914.

This was the first year of war. On the Western front, the Germans had managed to establish firm positions and in the East, after the success of last year in Tannenberg, the Kaiser's forces looked at the Russian army with contempt. The Italians and Austro-Hungarians clashed in the battles of the Isonzo River, while the British troops suffered a disaster in Gallipoli in a battle with the Turks.

Throughout the year, the Allies deployed a huge military force in the areas of the Ottoman Empire in Mesopotamia, Arabia and Palestine. In the Italian front the activity focused on the battles at River Isonzo and on the Austro-Hungarian counteroffensive at Trentino. On the Eastern front the Russian troops had withdrawn. The main German objective lay, nonetheless, in the Western sector.

The Russian revolution was a decisive development for both fronts. Up to that time, the alliances and the fighting between countries had been due to economic issues and resentment between them, with no ideological motives. However, the Russian revolution and the entry of the US into the war shifted the world conflict towards an ideological stance.

The armies of the European Empires were exhausted, as well as the French and British troops. On the Eastern front, the Russians withdrew from the fight and the Germans moved their forces towards the Western front, where they attempted several desperate offensives. As the war ended, four empires disappeared, Russia had become a communist state and the German population was bitter with rancour.