F/ Static warfare and war economy

- the opponents had to face a long-lasting war due to perfected arms, machine guns, trenches and the fact
that the defence was as developed as the attack
- due to the general conscription millions were mobilised, even horses, cars, it increased casualties
- soldiers had to be fed, the injured ones cured, these were solved by the hinterland
- civilians were involved in the war more than ever before
- women often replaced men in even e.g. ammunition factories or in other professions
- compulsory delivery was introduced in agriculture to provide supply and also rationing started due to
shortage of food
- the war economy first was used in Germany, meaning that the state took control over the economy
- it was in charge of production, and also resources were subordinated to war supply, the system was
centralised
- other countries also introduced these methods

G/ The events of 1915 and 1916

- the aim of the Central Powers was to defeat Russia, so they attacked
- in May 1915 the Austro-Hungarian army broke the frontline at Gorlice in Galicia
- the front was pushed to the east by some hundreds of kilometres, but then static warfare continued
- in May Italy joined the Entente, as they promised Italy to get South Tyrol and Dalmatia
- with troops from the east the Dual Monarchy stopped Italy at River Isonzo (11 battles) at the third
front
- in October Bulgaria joined the Central Powers having been promised lands in Serbia, so Serbia got crashed
- also, the Entente started the Gallipoli Campaign at the straits this year against the Turks, but after a year
the Entente gave it up
- in 1916 both sides wanted a decisive victory
- but both the German offensive at the fortress of Verdun (Verdun Massacre)
- and the British counterattack at river Somme failed, more than 1.5 million soldiers died or got injured
- in August after a secret agreement Romania joined the Entente and broke into Transylvania
- but the German and the Austro-Hungarian counterattack took Bucharest by December, so Romania
asked for peace (signed in 1918)
10/ The features and effects of the Great War
A/ New types of arms
- the pre-war technical development affected arms as well, but it transformed warfare only in WW2
- aeroplane: first it was used for observation like airship, then they were equipped with machine gun
which technique was invented by Roland Garros
- tank: was a British invention, but it was slow and not effective
- poison gas: first was used in 1915 at Ypern/Ypres by the Germans, but the usage was problematic it
was weather dependent; also gas mask spread
- submarine (U-boat, Unterseeboot): the British neglected its development
- the Germans developed them to stop the supply and the blockade of the Entente
- unarmed trading ships were given warnings until 1917, while warships were sunk without it
from the beginning
(e.g. the case of British Lusitania with American passengers in 1915, but it was not followed by
a war declaration)

B/ The Russian revolutions and Russia’s quitting the war

- among the Great Powers the tsarist Russia:
- had the weakest economy which was mostly based on agriculture, also tense social situation and
despotic form of politics
→ the tsarist family became more and more and unpopular due to war defeats, economic crisis, the
lack of reforms, shortage of food and fuel, etc.
- strikes, demonstrations started, then, according to the Orthodox calendar, in February 1917 a bourgeois
revolution overthrew the reign of the Romanov dynasty in Petrograd (=today’s Saint Petersburg; 1914-
1924: Petrograd; 1924-1991: Leningrad)
- but the new government failed to solve problems, even the offensive launched by Kerensky, minister
of war, failed in the summer of 1917
→ the well-organized, disciplined Communists (Bolsheviks) took advantage of the situation and by an
armed putsch they gained power in October 1917
(the Gregorian calendar instead of the Orthodox one was adapted only from 1918 in Russia)
- civil war started with the takeover
- but to quit the Great War Bolsheviks asked for peace and signed the treaty in March 1918 at Brest-
Litovsk