World War I - Summary on a Map

World War I - Summary on a Map

World War I - Summary on a Map

Let’s retrace on a map a summary of WWI, the so-called “Great War”. This video summarises the period since the rise of nationalism in the middle of the 19th century until the signing of peace treaties after 1918.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geohistory
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Rahul Venkit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1X…
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Original French version:    • La Première Guerre mondiale - Résumé …  
Russian version:    • Первая мировая война - на карте  
Arabic version:    • الحرب العالمية الأولى-النسخة الممتدة  
Spanish version:    • La Primera Guerra Mundial - Resumen e…  
Portuguese version (Brazil):    • A Primeira Guerra Mundial  
Japanese version:    • 第一次世界大戦  
German version:    • Der Erste Weltkrieg - Zusammenfassung…  
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Music:
True Messiah - DJ Freedem (YouTube Library)
Two Face - Causmic (YouTube Library)
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Software used for editing: Adobe After Effects
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Sources:
- Universalis
- Atlas de la Première Guerre mondiale (Yves Buffetaut)
- Atlas de la Première Guerre mondiale (Christophe Clavel)
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Chapter
00:00 Rise of nationalism in Europe
01:29 Triple Entente
02:38 Trigger
03:37 World War I
04:43 The Schlieffen Plan
06:14 Total war
07:15 The Ottoman Empire
08:32 New participants
10:15 Allied counter-attack
11:19 War fatigue
12:17 Russia and the United States
13:44 Falling Empires
14:54 The Treaty of Versailles
16:20 Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire
17:04 Consequences

#geohistory #history #wwi #worldwar #worldwari


Content

0.34 -> We begin in the middle of the 19th century.
3.52 -> In Europe, the rise of nationalism undermines the dominant powers.
7.9 -> The Kingdom of Sardinia, allied to France, defeats the Austrian empire and obtains Italian unification.
15.12 -> Prussia, which eyes the German confederation,
18.04 -> also defeats the Austrians to create the North German Confederation.
22.58 -> 5 years later, it allies with the southern German states,
26.464 -> defeats France and obtains the creation of the German Empire which is proclaimed in Versailles.
33.25 -> The new country takes over Alsace Lorraine.
36 -> To discourage French revenge attacks, Germany moves diplomatically closer to Austria-Hungary and Russia.
43.08 -> And it rapidly develops its industry and army.
46.46 -> In the southeast of the continent, insurgencies threaten the Ottoman Empire.
51.2 -> Russia, its historical enemy, takes advantage of the situation and after a war
56.74 -> sparks the independence of Balkan states, and seizes territories.
61.3 -> However, Russia’s rising status is frowned upon by Western powers,
66.1 -> who meet in Berlin to review the treaty.
68.96 -> This worsens Russian public opinion about Germany.
72.64 -> The latter then signs a defensive military alliance with Austria-Hungary.
77.4 -> Italy joins the alliance, after France seizes Tunisia, which it long covets.
83.06 -> The three parties form the Triplice or the Triple Alliance.
91.34 -> Germany, now a major power, embarks upon a colonial policy.
96.24 -> The country brings together European powers in Berlin
99.26 -> to establish rules around colonization, then seizes territories in Africa and Asia.
105.74 -> This causes friction with the British and French colonial empires.
111.02 -> Faced with growing German power, France and Russia sign a secret military alliance.
116.62 -> France then obtains from Italy a secret treaty of neutrality,
121.06 -> which would avoid it having to manage a second front in the event of war.
126.229 -> The United Kingdom also feels threatened by Germany’s rise,
129.888 -> especially by its military fleet which can compete with its Royal Navy.
135.56 -> Moreover, Germany moves diplomatically closer to the Ottoman Empire,
140.289 -> notably by building a railway line to link Berlin to Baghdad and facilitating access to Mesopotamian oil,
147.78 -> coveted by the British Empire.
150.54 -> France, the United Kingdom and Russia then sign a military alliance and create the Triple Entente.
161.44 -> The alliances risk dragging the entire continent into war.
165.48 -> Major powers embark upon an arms race and prepare military plans.
170.28 -> In the south east of the continent, the Ottoman Empire is weakened by a revolution.
175.5 -> Austria-Hungary takes advantage and annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina.
180.5 -> This move is opposed by Russia, and especially Serbia which dreams of uniting the Slavic peoples of the South.
187.88 -> Then, two Balkan wars push the Ottoman Empire to the borders of the continent.
193.22 -> On June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, the heir to the Austrian throne François-Ferdinand
200.06 -> and his wife are assassinated by a bosnian Serb nationalist.
204.84 -> Austria-Hungary accuses Serbia of having organized the attack.
209.08 -> Russia defends Serbia, while Germany, now the world's leading military power,
214 -> supports its Austro-Hungarian ally.
221.44 -> On July 28, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
226.22 -> Russia reacts by decreeing a general mobilisation of its troops, triggering Germany to launch its military plan.
233.72 -> To avoid having to fight simultaneously on two fronts,
237.062 -> Germany plans to quickly defeat France by bypassing its armies by launching a surprise attack from the north.
244.06 -> It would then focus on Russia, whose troops would take more time to mobilize.
248.86 -> Germany declares war on Russia, invades Luxembourg and issues an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding
255.18 -> right of passage for its troops.
257.54 -> Belgium refuses insisting upon its neutrality.
261.18 -> The following day, Germany declares war on France and launches the offensive.
266.28 -> The United Kingdom, which guarantees Belgian neutrality, in turn declares war on Germany
271.84 -> and sends its troops to France.
274.14 -> In a few days, all European powers, as well as Montenegro, go to war.
279.06 -> Only Italy remains neutral at this stage.
285.9 -> In Asia, Japan -- which is allied with the United Kingdom -- declares war on Germany
291.12 -> and prepares for an invasion of its colonies in China and the north Pacific Ocean.
296.92 -> On the eastern front, Russia launches its offensive earlier than Germany expects
301.94 -> but fails to gain ground in East Prussia, while further south, Austria-Hungary retreats.
308.19 -> In the West, the Allied armies cannot hold back the German advance.
312.47 -> The Franco-British armies retreat to Marne where they reorganize,
316.26 -> while the French government flees the capital to take refuge in Bordeaux.
321.08 -> But the first German army holding the flank pivots away from Paris
324.96 -> to join with the second army and continue surrounding Allied forces.
329.58 -> The Parisian reserve army attacks further north, stopping in its tracks the German advance.
335.42 -> With this breach in the ranks, Allied forces rush in and force a German retreat.
340.62 -> This is the failure of the Schlieffen plan.
344.3 -> When the front stabilizes, the two camps attempt to outflank each other and embark upon a race to the sea.
351.64 -> For Germany, it is also a question of isolating Belgium
355.42 -> and seizing ports where British reinforcements and supplies land.
360.21 -> The Belgian army barely succeeds in joining the deadlocked warfront.
364.51 -> Networks of trenches are dug on both sides for about 700km between the North Sea and the Swiss border.
376.76 -> Now that the Western front is frozen, both sides use full force to attack the enemy:
382.06 -> the war becomes total.
384.18 -> The mighty Royal Navy imposes a naval blockade on Germany,
388.6 -> while German submarines are sent to British waters to sink all ships and vessels.
394.55 -> Aviation, which is still a recent invention, is first used for observations.
399.89 -> Planes would then gradually be used for bombing and air combat.
404.2 -> The Germans use zeppelin airships to bomb Paris twice and England around 50 times.
410.34 -> Both sides use lethal gases to attack the enemy in the trenches.
415 -> Behind the frontlines, entire populations participate in the war effort,
419.62 -> including women who are involved in arms factories.
423.56 -> Around the world, European colonies and British dominions are engaged in war.
428.66 -> They seize German colonies and supply large reinforcements of soldiers to the frontlines.
438.02 -> On the Eastern Front, Russia is in trouble with Austro-German troops.
442.64 -> The Ottoman Empire seizes the opportunity to go to war alongside the Central Powers.
448.42 -> A new front opens in the Caucasus as Britain lands an Indian army in Mesopotamia
454.18 -> with the goal to take the control of oil resources.
457.46 -> In reaction, the Central Powers launch an offensive towards the Suez Canal
461.72 -> to cut supply lines from India, but are stopped in their advance.
466.4 -> In the Caucasus, after the failure of the Ottoman offensive,
470.08 -> the government accuses the Armenian people of having supported Russia.
474.54 -> In retaliation, more than half of the Armenian population would be massacred in what is today
480.42 -> recognized as genocide by 32 countries, but not by Turkey.
485.56 -> To support geographically isolated Russia, Allies want to open a sea supply route via the Dardanelles Strait.
493.08 -> Franco-British ships enter the strait to bomb Ottoman forts,
497.06 -> but find the waters full of sea mines, forcing a retreat.
501.24 -> A month later, on April 25, Allies organize a military landing,
506.24 -> but Ottoman defenses hold steady, creating another deadlocked warfront.
515.28 -> During its submarine war, Germany sinks the British ship Lusitania
519.74 -> causing 1,200 civilian victims, including 128 US citizens.
526.5 -> The United States, officially neutral until that point, registers protest.
531.06 -> To prevent the US from going to war, Germany slows its submarine warfare.
536.05 -> Italy, after negotiating with the Triple Entente to annex new territories,
540.52 -> declares war on Austria-Hungary and launches an offensive around the Isonzo river.
546.36 -> On the Eastern Front, Russia completes its retreat and stabilizes the battle front.
552.08 -> Bulgaria, which wishes to recover Balkan territories, joins the Central Powers.
557.24 -> Together with Austro-German forces, they invade Serbia.
561.14 -> In reaction, the Allies violate the neutrality of Greece by using Salonica to land reinforcements
568.14 -> coming from fronts such as Dardanelles, where Ottoman victory is complete.
572.82 -> But it is too late for the overwhelmed Serbian army that flees via Albania.
578.34 -> Troops are landed on the island of Corfu,
580.94 -> from where they will be gradually brought back to the Macedonian front.
585.1 -> On the Western front, Germany launches a massive offensive in Verdun.
590.04 -> The German artillery pounds French trenches, which resists as best they can.
595.6 -> In the south of the continent, Portugal, allied with the United Kingdom, confiscates German ships in its ports.
602.78 -> In response, Germany declares war on Portugal,
605.76 -> who then sends troops to France and to its colonies in Africa,
610 -> where only German East Africa still resists the Allied offensives.
618.3 -> In Mesopotamia, the United Kingdom after losing its besieged army in Kut, seeks support in the region.
625.34 -> It secretly negotiates with France the partition of Ottoman territories at the end of the war.
631.14 -> The two powers then support an Arab nationalist revolt which starts in Mecca by promising them independence.
638.8 -> In the North Sea, German and British fleets face off in one of the largest naval battles in history.
645.76 -> Despite heavy losses on the British side, the Germans -- small in number --
650.44 -> during the night take refuge in their port.
653.44 -> While the Battle of Verdun is still ongoing and Italy is under pressure from Austria-Hungary,
659.3 -> Russia attempts to relieve its allies by launching a massive offensive
663.78 -> that succeeds in piercing through opposition defenses.
668.02 -> In the West, another great offensive is launched along the Somme with Britain spearheading the attack.
674.46 -> They would use tanks for the first time, but to no avail.
682.04 -> While Romania joins the Entente, the Brusilov offensive in the East,
686 -> and the battles of the Somme and Verdun,
688.72 -> all end after having caused tremendous human casualties on both sides.
693.42 -> Troops are exhausted and demoralized.
696.54 -> In Germany, the war effort and the Allied trade embargo prevent the country from getting enough food,
702.58 -> causing widespread famine.
704.7 -> Western powers, on the other hand, can count on a supply of resources via the Atlantic,
710.1 -> mainly from the United States, towards whom they are in debt.
714.58 -> In response, Germany relaunches unrestricted submarine warfare,
718.96 -> with the objective of sinking all commercial and military ships.
723.19 -> In addition, Germany sends a telegram to Mexico offering an alliance against the United States.
729.52 -> The message is intercepted by Britain and transmitted to the United States, which then prepares to go to war.
740 -> In Russia, the war effort exhausts the population, who revolt and cause the Tsar to abdicate.
746.62 -> A provisional government is put in place, which chooses to continue the war.
751.58 -> The United States in turn declares war on Germany,
754.52 -> but it would take several months for the first troops to join the frontlines.
759.32 -> Greece, which is under pressure from the Allies, joins the Entente.
763.66 -> In both camps, exhausted soldiers begin mutinies.
767.68 -> On the Isonzo front, 11 similar Italian offensives yield little result at the cost of many lives,
774.72 -> further affecting troop morale.
776.73 -> Austro-German troops counterattack and push back the front line.
781.34 -> At the gates of Gaza, after a victory, British armies prepare to enter Palestine.
786.839 -> To gain the support of the Jewish community,
789.36 -> British prime minister Arthur Balfour publishes a statement addressing Lord Rothschild,
794.86 -> a leader of the British Zionist Federation, promising a state for Jewish people in Palestine.
801.04 -> In Russia, the Bolsheviks organize a second revolution and seize power.
805.82 -> They sign an armistice with Germany.
807.88 -> But after the breakdown of negotiations, war resumes.
812.02 -> Austro-German forces put the Russian army out of action,
815.44 -> forcing the country to accept a peace treaty and recognize the independence of new states.
821.24 -> Russia then sees the start of a civil war.
827.7 -> With Russia out of the game,
829.48 -> Germany concentrates on the Western front to win before US troops grow in strength.
835 -> A large-scale offensive is launched lasting 4 months, and German troops push their way to Marne again.
841.68 -> But a powerful Allied counter offensive forces German troops to retreat.
846.56 -> In parallel, the Allies launch an offensive on the Macedonian front
850.72 -> which quickly forces Bulgaria to sign an armistice.
854.56 -> The Ottoman Empire finds itself isolated, while Arab-British forces reach Damascus,
860.18 -> as the French land in Beirut.
862.56 -> Austria-Hungary retreats to the Balkans and to Italy.
866.24 -> The empire is also weakened by minority separatists who proclaim their independence.
872.02 -> The Ottoman Empire, followed by Austria-Hungary, sign an armistice with the Entente.
877.62 -> In Germany, sailors refuse to fight the Royal Navy and start a mutiny which turns into a popular revolt.
884.82 -> The Kaiser is forced to abdicate, and Germany’s new government requests an armistice
889.94 -> which is signed on November 11, 1918.
897.08 -> Over a period of 6 months, victors of the war meet in Paris to draw up peace treaties
902.86 -> without inviting Bolshevik Russia who signed a separate peace treaty with Germany.
908.36 -> The United States proposes a peace plan which includes the creation of the League of Nations.
914.249 -> The United Kingdom and especially France, whose northern territory is devastated,
918.82 -> want to weaken Germany and make it pay heavy reparations.
923.2 -> June 28, 1919 proves to be a symbolic date because 5 years after the assassinations at Sarajevo,
930.54 -> a peace treaty is signed between Germany and the Allies at Versailles,
935.12 -> in the same room where the German Empire had been proclaimed in 1871.
940.52 -> The measures imposed on Germany are severe.
943.12 -> The country loses 20% of its territory and 10% of its population,
948.14 -> mainly to the benefit of Poland which is recreated and which obtains access to the sea.
953.94 -> Germany is cut in two while the Saar region, rich in coal, is brought under international control for 15 years.
961.32 -> German colonies are carved up among the victors.
964.52 -> The country's army is severely dismantled.
967.68 -> Finally, Germany and its allies are considered solely responsible for war damages
972.94 -> and must pay all reparations.
975.46 -> The treaty is considered a humiliation by the German people.
982.86 -> Austria-Hungary is completely dismantled.
985.79 -> Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes are created.
991.009 -> Italy feels aggrieved as it does not obtain all the territories it was promised.
995.889 -> Austria, which is entirely German-speaking, is denied the right to be attached to Germany.
1001.79 -> The Ottoman Empire is also dismembered during the Treaty of Sèvres.
1006.18 -> The UK struggles to keep its word, having promised land to the French, the Zionist Jews,
1011.52 -> and independence to the Arabs.
1014.2 -> The Turks refuse the treaty and take up arms again.
1017.28 -> They gain some territories, then sign in Lausanne a treaty fixing the new borders of Turkey.
1026.96 -> The First World War -- or the so-called Great War --
1030.236 -> was then the deadliest ever, with just under 18 million dead, including 8 million civilians.
1037.05 -> The weakened population was then hit hard by the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.
1042.549 -> Economically, European powers find themselves heavily indebted,
1046.72 -> to the benefit of neutral countries and the United States,
1050.08 -> which strengthens its status as the leading economic power.
1054.26 -> Russia becomes the USSR, a country exhausted by war and frustrated by the loss of many European territories.
1062.46 -> In Palestine, tensions mount between Arabs and the Zionist Jews who migrate there.
1068.2 -> The new European borders disgruntle many.
1071.32 -> The fact that some German populations are now living in Poland and Czechoslovakia
1076.16 -> would contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwsVJb-ckqM