World War I (1914–1918)
Causes, Course & Consequences
The "war to end all wars" — how imperial rivalries, alliance systems, and a single assassination plunged the world into four years of industrial slaughter.
MAIN Causes of WWI
Historians use the acronym MAIN to organise the long-term causes of WWI:
| Letter | Cause | Key Examples |
|---|---|---|
| M | Militarism | Germany's army doubled 1870–1914; Anglo-German naval race (Dreadnoughts); conscription across Europe |
| A | Alliance System | Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) vs. Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain) |
| I | Imperialism | Morocco Crises (1905, 1911); colonial rivalry in Africa and Asia; competition for raw materials |
| N | Nationalism | Pan-Slavism in Balkans; German nationalism; Austro-Hungarian multi-ethnic tensions; Balkan Wars 1912–13 |
Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente
| Alliance | Members | Became (in War) |
|---|---|---|
| Triple Alliance (1882) | Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy | Central Powers (Italy defected 1915; joined Entente) |
| Triple Entente (1907) | France, Russia, Britain | Allied Powers |
| Later additions (Allied) | Italy (1915), USA (1917), Japan | — |
| Later additions (Central) | Ottoman Empire (1914), Bulgaria (1915) | — |
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand — heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne — was assassinated in Sarajevo (Bosnia) by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Serbian nationalist group Black Hand. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and issued an ultimatum; Serbia's partial acceptance was rejected. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia (28 July 1914), triggering the alliance system — Russia mobilised to defend Serbia; Germany declared war on Russia; then France; Germany invaded Belgium; Britain declared war on Germany (4 August 1914) under the Treaty of London (1839) which guaranteed Belgian neutrality.
Key Events & Battles 1914–1918
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 1914 | Schlieffen Plan fails at Battle of Marne | Germany fails to knock out France quickly; war becomes two-front |
| 1914–18 | Trench warfare on Western Front | Stalemate; 700km of trenches; poison gas (Germany first used April 1915) |
| Apr–Dec 1915 | Gallipoli Campaign | Allied failure to open Dardanelles; 250,000 Allied casualties; ANZAC legend |
| Jul–Nov 1916 | Battle of the Somme | 60,000 British casualties on Day 1 (1 July); first use of tanks (September 1916) |
| Feb–Dec 1916 | Battle of Verdun | ~700,000 casualties; longest battle of WWI; France-Germany |
| May 1916 | Battle of Jutland | Largest naval battle; British vs. German fleet; strategic British victory |
| Apr 1917 | USA enters war | Triggered by unrestricted submarine warfare + Zimmermann Telegram |
| Nov 1917 | Balfour Declaration | Britain promises Jewish homeland in Palestine — shapes Middle East conflict |
| Mar 1918 | Treaty of Brest-Litovsk | Russia exits war; Germany shifts forces to Western Front |
| 11 Nov 1918 | Armistice — Germany surrenders | End of WWI; 11th hour, 11th day, 11th month 1918 |
Treaty of Versailles (28 June 1919)
Signed exactly five years after the assassination that started the war, the Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh terms on Germany:
- War guilt clause (Article 231): Germany accepted sole responsibility for the war.
- Reparations: £6.6 billion (finalized 1921 London Schedule) — not paid in full until October 2010.
- Territorial losses: Alsace-Lorraine to France; Rhineland demilitarised; Polish Corridor created; Danzig made a Free City; all colonies lost.
- Military restrictions: Army capped at 100,000; no Air Force; no submarines.
- League of Nations: Created (Wilson's 14th Point); USA ironically did NOT join (Senate rejection).
India's Role in World War I
- India contributed 1.5 million soldiers to the Allied war effort — the largest volunteer force in history at that time.
- Indians fought in Flanders, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, East Africa, and Palestine.
- The Indian National Congress and Bal Gangadhar Tilak initially supported the war effort — expecting post-war reforms in return.
- The Montagu Declaration (20 August 1917) promised "increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration" — the first formal statement of eventual self-government.
- Instead, the Rowlatt Act (21 March 1919) continued wartime emergency powers without trial — the betrayal that transformed Gandhi into a mass leader.
- Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919) — General Dyer's order to fire on unarmed civilians at Amritsar during Baisakhi festival.
- The Khilafat Movement arose from WWI's destruction of the Ottoman Caliphate — linking Muslim political consciousness with Indian nationalism.
Previous Year Questions
Q. Consider the following about the Treaty of Versailles:
1. It established the League of Nations.
2. The United States was a founding member of the League of Nations.
3. Germany was required to accept full responsibility for the war.
Which is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) — Statement 2 is wrong. The USA proposed the League (Wilson's 14 Points) but the Senate refused to ratify US membership. Statements 1 (Part I of Versailles Treaty = League Covenant) and 3 (Article 231 "war guilt clause") are correct.
Q. The Zimmermann Telegram (1917) was a secret communication from Germany to:
(a) Austria-Hungary proposing naval strategy (b) Mexico proposing an alliance against the USA (c) Russia offering a separate peace (d) Britain proposing armistice
Answer: (b) — Germany's Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to Mexico proposing that if the USA entered the war, Mexico should attack the USA in return for German support to recover Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. British intelligence intercepted it; its publication helped turn American public opinion toward entering the war.