In what year did the First World War begin? This question is quite important in view of the fact that the world has really changed into before and after. Before this war, the world did not know such a mass death of people who died literally for every inch of the front.

After the First World War, Oswald Spengler will write the famous book "The Decline of Europe", which predicts the decline of Western European civilization. After all, the First World War, in which Russia was involved and will be unleashed between the Europeans.

Also, this event will become the true beginning of the 20th century. It is not for nothing that historians say that the 20th century was the shortest historical century: from 1914 to 1991.

Start

World War I began on July 28, 1914, one month after the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

How did it all start?

On June 28, 1914, in the town of Sarajevo, Franz Ferdinand was killed by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

Austria-Hungary was early to see this situation as an opportunity to establish its influence in the Balkans. She demanded from Serbia not to fulfill a number of demands that infringed upon the independence of this small Slavic country. The most painful thing was that Serbia had to agree to the Austrian police to investigate the case. All these requirements were formalized in the so-called July ultimatum, which Austria-Hungary sent to Serbia. July 23, 1914.

Serbia agreed with all the demands (to clear the state apparatus of nationalists or anyone else), except for the point to allow the Austrian police to enter its territory. Realizing that this is actually a threat of war, Serbia began to mobilize the army.

Who does not know, all states switched to the draft structure of recruiting the army after the Franco-Prussian war in the early 1870s, when the Prussian army defeated the French in a couple of weeks.

26 July Austria-Hungary began a reciprocal mobilization. Austrian troops began to concentrate on the border between Russia and Serbia. Why Russia? Because Russia has long positioned itself as the protector of the Balkan peoples.

July 28th due to non-fulfillment of the conditions of the ultimatum, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia has stated that it will not allow a military invasion of Serbia. But the actual declaration of war is considered the beginning of the First World War.

July 29 Nicholas II offered Austria to resolve the issue peacefully, transferring it to the Hague International Court. But Austria could not allow the Russian emperor to dictate his terms to the Austrian empire.

July 30 and 31 mobilizations were carried out in France and in Russia. To the question of who fought with whom and where does France have to do with it, you ask? Despite the fact that Russia and France entered into a number of military alliances back in the 19th century, and England joined them in 1907, as a result of which the Entente was formed - a military bloc opposing the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)

August 1, 1914 Germany has declared war on Russia. On the same date, the inglorious military operations began. By the way, about them you can. In what year it ended: in 1918. For more details, see the link article.

In total, 38 states were involved in this war.

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

It is one of the longest and most significant wars in history, characterized by tremendous bloodshed. It lasted for more than four years, it is interesting that thirty-three countries (87% of the world's population) took part in it, which at that time had

The beginning of the First World War (start date - June 28, 1914) gave impetus to the formation of two blocs: the Entente (England, Russia, France) and (Italy, Germany, Austria). The war began as a result of the uneven development of the capitalist system at the stage of imperialism, as well as as a result of the Anglo-German conflict.

The reasons for the outbreak of the First World War are as follows:

2. Mismatch of interests of Russia, Germany, Serbia, as well as Great Britain, France, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.

Russia sought to gain access to the seas, England - to weaken Turkey and Germany, France - to return Lorraine and Alsace, in turn, Germany had the goal of capturing Europe and the Middle East, Austria-Hungary - to control the movement of ships at sea, and Italy - to gain dominance in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

As indicated above, it is generally accepted that the outbreak of the First World War falls on June 28, 1914, when the direct heir to the throne, Franz, was killed in Serbia. Interested in unleashing the war, Germany incited the Hungarian government to present an ultimatum to Serbia, which allegedly infringed on its sovereignty. This ultimatum coincided with mass strikes in St. Petersburg. It was here that the President of France arrived to push Russia to war. In turn, Russia advises Serbia to fulfill the ultimatum, but on July 15, Austria declared war on Serbia. This was the beginning of the First World War.

At the same time, a mobilization was announced in Russia. , however, Germany demanded that these measures be canceled. But the tsarist government refused to fulfill this demand, so on July 21, Germany declared war on Russia.

In the coming days, the main states of Europe are entering the war. So, on July 18, France, the main ally of Russia, enters the war, and then England declares war on Germany. Italy saw fit to declare neutrality.

We can say that the war instantly becomes pan-European, and later world.

The beginning of the First World War can be characterized by an attack by German troops on the French army. In response to this, Russia introduces two armies into the offensive to capture This offensive began successfully, already on August 7, the Russian army won the battle at Gumbinem. However, the Russian army soon fell into a trap and was defeated by the Germans. This is how the best part of the Russian army was destroyed. The rest was forced to retreat under enemy pressure. It should be said that these events helped the French to defeat the Germans in the battle on the river. Marne.

It is necessary to note the role in the course of the war. In 1914, major battles took place in Gilicia between the Austrian and Russian units. The battle lasted twenty-one days. At first, the Russian army was very difficult to withstand the pressure of the enemy, but soon the troops went on the offensive, and the Austrian troops had to retreat. Thus, the Battle of Galicia ended with the complete defeat of the Austro-Hungarian troops, and until the end of the war, Austria could not retreat from such a blow.

Thus, the beginning of the First World War falls on 1914. It lasted four years; 3/4 of the world's population took part in it. As a result of the war, four great empires disappeared: Austro-Hungarian, Russian, German and Ottoman. Almost twelve million people were lost, including civilians, fifty-five million were injured.

CHAPTER SEVEN

FIRST WAR WITH GERMANY

July 1914 - February 1917

Illustrations can be seen in a separate window in PDF:

1914 year- the beginning of the First World War, during which and, in many respects, thanks to it, there was a change in the state system and the collapse of the Empire. The war did not end with the fall of the monarchy, on the contrary, it spread from the outskirts to the interior of the country and lasted until 1920. Thus, the war, in total, went on six years.

As a result of this war, the political map of Europe ceased to exist at once THREE EMPIRE: Austro-Hungarian, German and Russian (see map). At the same time, a new state was created on the ruins of the Russian Empire - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

By the time the World War began, Europe had not known large-scale military conflicts for almost a hundred years, since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. All European wars of the period 1815 - 1914 were predominantly local in nature. At the turn of the XIX - XX centuries. the illusory thought was in the air that war would be irrevocably banished from the life of civilized countries. One of the manifestations of this was the Hague Peace Conference of 1897. Noteworthy, in May 1914 in The Hague, in the presence of delegates from numerous countries, the opening Peace Palace.

On the other hand, at the same time, the contradictions between the European powers grew and deepened. Since the 1870s, military blocs have been forming in Europe, which in 1914 will oppose each other on the battlefields.

In 1879 Germany entered into a military alliance with Austria-Hungary against Russia and France. In 1882, Italy joined this alliance, and the military-political Central Bloc was formed, also called Triple alliance.

In contrast to him in 1891 - 1893. the Russian-French alliance was concluded. Great Britain entered into an agreement in 1904 with France, and in 1907 - with Russia. The block of Great Britain, France and Russia was named Of heartfelt consent, or Entente.

The immediate reason for the start of the war was the murder by Serb nationalists 15 (28) June 1914 in Sarajevo, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, presented an ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia accepted most of the terms of the ultimatum.

Austria-Hungary remained dissatisfied with this, and began military operations against Serbia.

Russia supported Serbia and announced first partial and then general mobilization. Germany presented Russia with an ultimatum demanding that the mobilization be canceled. Russia refused.

July 19 (August 1) 1914 Germany declared war on her.

This day is considered the date of the beginning of the First World War.

The main participants in the war from the Entente were: Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, Romania, USA, Greece.

They were opposed by the countries of the Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria.

Military operations took place in Western and Eastern Europe, in the Balkans and in Thessaloniki, in Italy, in the Caucasus, in the Middle and Far East, in Africa.

The First World War was notable for its unprecedented scale. At its final stage, it was attended by 33 states (out of 59 existing then independent states) with population of 87% population of the entire planet. The armies of both coalitions in January 1917 totaled 37 million people... During the war, 27.5 million people were mobilized in the Entente countries, and 23 million in the countries of the German coalition.

Unlike previous wars, the First World War was total in nature. Most of the population of the states participating in it was involved in it in one form or another. It forced the transfer of enterprises of the main branches of industry to war production, and put the entire economy of the belligerent countries into service. The war, as always, gave a powerful impetus to the development of science and technology. Previously non-existent types of weapons appeared and began to be widely used: aviation, tanks, chemical weapons, etc.

The war lasted 51 months and 2 weeks. The total losses amounted to 9.5 million killed and died from wounds and 20 million injured.

The First World War was of particular importance in the history of the Russian state. It became an ordeal for the country, which lost several million people on the fronts. Its tragic consequences were revolution, devastation, civil war and the death of old Russia. "

PROGRESS OF COMBAT OPERATIONS

Emperor Nicholas appointed his uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., commander-in-chief on the Western Front. (1856 - 1929). From the very beginning of the war, Russia suffered two major defeats in Poland.

East Prussian operation lasted from August 3 to September 2, 1914. It ended with the encirclement of the Russian army at Tannenberg and the death of the general from infantry A.V. Samsonov. Then there was a defeat in the Masurian Lakes.

The first successful operation was the offensive in Galicia September 5-9, 1914, as a result of which Lvov and Przemysl were taken, and the Austro-Hungarian troops were pushed back across the San River. However, already on April 19, 1915, on this sector of the front retreat began Russian army, after which Lithuania, Galicia and Poland came under the control of the German-Austrian bloc. By mid-August 1915, Lviv, Warsaw, Brest-Litovsk and Vilno were abandoned, and, thus, the front moved to the territory of Russia.

August 23, 1915 year Emperor Nicholas II removed the lead. book Nikolai Nikolaevich from the post of commander-in-chief and took over the powers. Many military leaders considered this event fatal for the course of the war.

October 20, 1914 year Nicholas II declared war on Turkey, and hostilities began in the Caucasus. The commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Front was appointed Infantry General N.N. Yudenich (1862 - 1933, Cannes). Here, in December 1915, the Sarakamysh operation began. On February 18, 1916, the Turkish fortress Erzurum was taken, and on April 5, Trebizond was taken.

May 22, 1916 years on the Southwestern Front, the offensive of Russian troops began under the command of cavalry general A.A. Brusilov. It was the famous "Brusilov Breakthrough", but the neighboring commanders of neighboring fronts, Generals Evert and Kuropatkin, did not support Brusilov, and on July 31, 1916, he was forced to stop the offensive, fearing the encirclement of his army from the flanks.

This chapter uses documents and photographs from state archives and publications (Diary of Nicholas II, Memoirs of A. Brusilov, Verbatim records of State Duma meetings, verses by V. Mayakovsky). Using materials from home archives (letters, postcards, photographs), you can get an idea of ​​how this war affected the lives of ordinary people. Some fought at the front, those living in the rear participated in helping the wounded and refugees in the institutions of such public organizations as the Russian Red Cross Society, the All-Russian Zemstvo Union, the All-Russian Union of Cities.

It's a shame, but just during this most interesting period in our Family Archives, no one has survived diaries, although perhaps no one was leading them at the time. It's good that my grandmother kept letters those years that her parents wrote from Chisinau and sister Ksenia from Moscow, as well as several postcards by Yu.A. Korobyina from the Caucasian front, which he wrote to his daughter Tanya. Unfortunately, the letters written by herself have not survived - from the front in Galicia, from Moscow during the Revolution, from Tambov province during the Civil War.

To somehow make up for the lack of everyday records of my relatives, I decided to search the published diaries of other participants in the events. It turned out that the Diaries were regularly kept by Emperor Nicholas II, and they are "posted" on the Internet. Reading his Diaries is boring, because from day to day the same small everyday details are repeated in the entries (like got up, "Took a walk" took reports, had breakfast, walked again, swam, played with the children, dined and drank tea, and in the evening "Dealt with documents", in the evening played dominoes or dice)... The emperor describes in detail the reviews of troops, ceremonial marches and ceremonial dinners given in his honor, but speaks very sparingly of the situation on the fronts.

I want to remind you that the authors of diaries and letters, unlike memoirists, don't know the future, and for those who read them now, their "future" has become our "past", and we know what awaits them. This knowledge leaves a special imprint on our perception, especially because their "future" turned out to be so tragic. We see that the participants and witnesses of social catastrophes do not think about the consequences and therefore do not know what awaits them. Their children and grandchildren forget about the experience of their ancestors, which is easy to see when reading the diaries and letters of contemporaries of the following wars and "perestroika". In the world of politics, too, everything is repeated with amazing monotony: after 100 years, the newspapers again write about Serbia and Albania, again someone bombs Belgrade and fights in Mesopotamia, again there are Caucasian wars, and in the new Duma, as in the old, members are engaged in verbiage ... It's like watching remakes of old films.

PREPARATION FOR WAR

The diary of Nicholas II serves as a background for the publication of letters from the Family Archive. The letters are printed in the places where they chronologically coincide with the entries from his Diary. The text of the records is given with abbreviations. Italic highlighted daily used verbs and phrases. Subheadings and footnotes are provided by the originator.

Since April 1914, the royal family lived in Livadia. Ambassadors, ministers and Rasputin, whom Nicholas II calls in his diary, came there to the Tsar. Gregory... It is noticeable that Nicholas II attached special importance to meetings with him. Unlike world events, he certainly noted them in his diary. Here are some typical entries from May 1914.

DIARY OF NICHOLASII

May 15th.Walked in the morning. Had breakfast Georgy Mikhailovich and several lancers, on the occasion of the regimental holiday ... In the afternoon played tennis. Was reading[documents] before lunch. The evening was spent with Gregory, who arrived in Yalta yesterday.

May 16th. Went for a walk quite late; it was hot. Before breakfast accepted Bulgarian military agent Sirmanov. Played good tennis in the afternoon. We drank tea in the garden. Graduated from all papers. After lunch, there were the usual games.

May 18th. In the morning I went with Voeikov and examined the terrain of the future large carriageway. After mass was Sunday breakfast. Played during the day. B 6 1/2 took a walk with Alexey along the horizontal path. After lunch ride in the motor in Yalta. Have seen Gregory.

THE KING'S VISIT TO ROMANIA

May 31, 1914 Nicholas II left Livadia, moved to his yacht "Standart" and, accompanied by a convoy of 6 warships, went on a visit to Ferdinand von Hohenzollern(b. in 1866), which became in 1914 Romanian king... Nikolai and Koroleva were relatives along the line Saxe-Coburg-Gotha At home, the same one to which both the ruling dynasty in the British Empire and the Russian Empress (Nikolai's wife) belonged on the mother's side.

Therefore, he writes: "In the pavilion of the Queen had breakfast as a family». In the morning 2 June Nikolay arrived in Odessa, and in the evening got on the train and went to Chisinau.

VISITING CHISINAU

3rd June... Arrived in Chisinau at 9 1/2 on a hot morning. We rode around the city in carriages. The order was exemplary. From the cathedral with a procession, they went to the square, where the solemn consecration of the monument to Emperor Alexander I in memory of the centenary of the annexation of Bessarabia to Russia took place. The sun was hot. Accepted there and then all the volost elders of the province. Then let's go to the reception to the nobility; from the balcony they watched the gymnastics of boys and girls. On the way to the station, we visited the Zemsky Museum. In an hour 20 minutes. left Chisinau. Had breakfast in great stuffiness. At 3 o'clock we stopped in Tiraspol, where made a review [hereinafter, the listing of parts is omitted]. Received two deputations and got on the train when the refreshing rain began. Until the evening read papers .

Note by N.M. Nina Evgenievna's father, E.A. Belyavsky, a nobleman and a full state councilor, served in the Excise Department of the Bessarabian province. Together with other officials, he probably participated in the “celebrations of the consecration of the monument and in the reception of the nobility,” but my grandmother never told me about this. But at that time she also lived with Tanya in Chisinau..

June 15 (28) 1914 in Serbia, and the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was killed by a terrorist in the city of Sarajevo Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Note N.M... From 7 (20) to 10 (23) July the visit of the President of the French Republic Poincaré to the Russian Empire took place. The President had to persuade the Emperor to enter the war with Germany and her allies, and for this he promised the help of the allies (England and France), to whom the Emperor was in an irrevocable debt since 1905, when the bankers of the United States and Europe gave him a loan of 6 billion rubles under 6% per annum. In his Diary, Nicholas II, naturally, does not write about such unpleasant things.

Strange, but Nicholas II did not note in his Diary the assassination of the Archduke in Serbia, therefore, when reading his diary, it is not clear why Austria presented this country with an ultimatum. But he describes Poincaré's visit in detail and with obvious pleasure. Writes , how "a French squadron entered the small raid of Kronstadt", with what honor the president was greeted, how the ceremonial dinner with speeches took place, after which he names his guest "Kind president ". The next day they ride with Poincaré "For review to the troops."

July 10 (23), Thursday, Nicholas escorts Poincaré to Kronstadt, and in the evening of the same day.

THE START OF THE WAR

1914. NICHOLAS'S DIARYII.

July 12th. On Thursday evening Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia with requirements, of which 8 are unacceptable for an independent state. Obviously, everywhere we talk is only about this. From 11:00 to 12:00 I had a meeting with 6 ministers on the same issue and on the precautions we should take. After talking, I went with my three older daughters to the [Mariinsky] theatre.

15 (28) July 1914. Austria declared war on Serbia

July 15th.Accepted representatives of the congress of the naval clergy with his father Shavelsky at the head. Played tennis... At 5 o'clock. let's go with our daughters to Strelnitsa to aunt Olga and drank tea with her and Mitya. B 8 1/2 accepted Sazonov, who said that Austria declared war on Serbia at noon today.

July 16th. In the morning accepted Goremykina [Chairman of the Council of Ministers]. In the afternoon played tennis... But the day was unusually restless... I was constantly called to the phone by Sazonov, or Sukhomlinov, or Yanushkevich. In addition, he was in urgent telegraphic correspondence with Wilhelm. In the evening was reading[documents] and more accepted Tatishchev, whom I am sending to Berlin tomorrow.

July 18th. The day was gray, the same was the inner mood. At 11 o'clock. a meeting of the Council of Ministers took place at the Farm. After breakfast I took German ambassador. Walked with daughters. Before lunch and in the evening was engaged.

July 19 (Aug 1) 1914. Germany declared war on Russia.

19th July. After breakfast I called Nikolash and announced to him about his appointment as supreme commander in the future before my arrival in the army. Went with Alix to the Diveyevo monastery. Walked with the children. Upon returning from there learned, what Germany has declared war on us. Dined... In the evening I arrived English Ambassador Buchanan with telegram from Georgie. Long was together with him answer.

Note by N.M. Nikolasha - the uncle of the king, led. book Nikolai Nikolaevich. Georgie - Cousin of the Empress, King George of England. The beginning of the war with the cousin "Willie" caused Nicholas II to "lift his spirits", and, judging by the entries in his diary, this mood persisted to the end, despite constant setbacks at the front. Did he remember what the war with Japan that he had started and lost had led to? After all, after that war, the first Revolution took place.

20th July. Sunday. A good day, especially in the sense uplifting... At 11 went to mass. Had breakfast alone. Signed a manifesto to declare war... From Malakhitova they went out into the Nikolaevskaya hall, in the middle of which the manifesto was read and then a prayer service was served. The whole audience sang “Save, Lord” and “Many Years”. He said a few words. On their return, the ladies rushed to kiss their hands and battered Alix and me. Then we went out onto the balcony on Alexandrovskaya Square and bowed to a huge mass of people. We returned to Peterhof at 7 1/4. We spent the evening calmly.

July 22nd. Yesterday Mom a came to Copenhagen from England via Berlin. From 9 1/2 to 1 o'clock continuously took... The first to arrive was Alec [the Grand Duke], who returned from Hamburg with great difficulty and barely reached the border. Germany declared war on France and directs the main onslaught on her.

July 23rd. I learned in the morning kind[??? – comp.] message: England declared war on Germany for the fact that the latter attacked France and in the most unceremonious manner violated the neutrality of Luxembourg and Belgium. The campaign could not begin in the best possible way for us. Took all morning and after breakfast until 4 o'clock. The last one I had French Ambassador Palaeologus, came to officially announce the break between France and Germany. Walked with the children. The evening was free[Department - comp.].

July 24 (Aug 6) 1914. Austria declared war on Russia.

July 24th. Today Austria, finally, declared war on us. Now the situation has been completely determined. From 11 1/2 I had meeting of the Council of Ministers... Alix went to town in the morning and returned with Victoria and Ella. I took a walk.

Historical meeting of the State Duma July 26, 1914 with. 227 - 261

STENOGRAPHIC REPORT

Greeting Emperor NicholasII

The State Council and the State Duma,

Acting Speech Chairman of the State Council Golubev:

“Your Imperial Majesty! The Council of State casts down before you, the Great Sovereign, loyal feelings imbued with boundless love and all-subject thanksgiving ... The unity of the beloved Sovereign and the population of His Empire aggravates its power ... (and so on) "

Speaker of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko: “Your Imperial Majesty! With a deep sense of delight and pride, all of Russia listens to the words of the Russian Tsar, calling his people to complete unity .... Without differences of opinion, views and convictions, the State Duma on behalf of the Russian land calmly and firmly says to its Tsar: dare, Sire, the Russian people are with you ... (etc.) "

At 3 hours 37 minutes. the meeting of the State Duma began.

M.V. Rodzianko exclaims: "Long live the Sovereign Emperor!" (Long incessant clicks: hooray) and invites Messrs. Members of the State Duma standing to listen to the Supreme Manifesto of 20 July 1914(Everybody gets up).

Supreme Manifesto

By God's Grace,

WE ARE NICHOLAS II,

Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia,

The Tsar of Poland, the Grand Duke of Finland and so on, and so on, and so on.

“We declare to all our loyal subjects:

<…>Austria hastily launched an armed attack, opening the bombardment of defenseless Belgrade... Forced, due to the circumstances, to take the necessary precautions, We ordered to bring army and navy to martial law. <…>Germany, allied to Austria, contrary to Our hopes for a century-long good neighborhood and not heeding Our assurance that the measures taken by no means have hostile goals, began to seek their immediate cancellation and, having met with a refusal, suddenly declared war on Russia.<…>In the terrible hour of trial, let internal strife be forgotten. May it be strengthened even more closely the union of the King with His people…

Chairman M.V. Rodzianko: Hurray to the Emperor! (Long incessant clicks: Hurrah).

Clarifications of the ministers about the measures taken in connection with the war follow. Speakers: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Goremykin, Foreign Secretary Sazonov, Minister of Finance Barque. Their speeches were often interrupted. stormy and prolonged applause, voices and clicks: "Bravo!"

After the break M.V. Rodzianko invites the State Duma standing to listen second manifesto of July 26, 1914

Supreme Manifesto

“We declare to all our loyal subjects:<…>Now Austria-Hungary has declared war on Russia, which has saved it more than once. In the upcoming war of nations, We [that is, Nicholas II] are not alone: ​​together with Us [with Nicholas II] stood our valiant allies [Nicholas II], also forced to resort to force of arms in order to finally eliminate the eternal threat of the German powers to the common world and calmness.

<…>May the Lord Our Almighty bless [Nicholas II] and our allied weapon, and may all of Russia rise to the feat of arms with an iron in his hands, with a cross in his heart…»

Chairman M.V. Rodzianko:Long live the Emperor!

(Long incessant clicks: Hurrah; voice: Hymn! Members of the State Duma sing folk anthem).

[AFTER 100 YEARS THE MEMBERS OF THE DUMA OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ARE ALSO GLORIFIED "STATE" AND SING ANTHEM !!! ]

Discussion begins on the clarifications of the government. The Social Democrats are the first to speak: from the Labor Group A.F. Kerensky(1881, Simbirsk -1970, New York) and on behalf of the RSDLP Khaustov... After them, various “Russians” (Germans, Poles, Little Russians) spoke out with assurances of their loyal feelings and intentions “to sacrifice life and property for the unity and greatness of Russia”: Baron Felkersam and Goldman from Kurland province, Yaronsky from Kletskaya, Ichas and Feldman from Kovenskaya, Lutz from Kherson. Speeches were also made: Milyukov from St. Petersburg, Count Musin-Pushkin from Moscow province., Markov 2nd from Kursk province., Protopopov from Simbirsk province. other.

Against the background of the loyal verbiage that gentlemen Members of the State Duma were engaged in that day, the performances of the socialists look like the exploits of the Gracchus brothers.

A.F. Kerensky (Saratov province): The labor group instructed me to read out the following statement: “<…>The responsibility of the governments of all European states is inescapable, in the name of the interests of the ruling classes, which have pushed their peoples into a fratricidal war.<…>Russian citizens! Remember that you have no enemies among the working classes of the belligerent countries.<…>Protecting to the end everything that is native from attempts at capture by the hostile governments of Germany and Austria, remember that this terrible war would not have happened if the great ideals of democracy - freedom, equality and brotherhood - guided the activities of governments all countries».

―――――――

Poems:“You are all cold, // Far from ours.

Can't be compared to sausage // Съ Russian black porridge.

Notes of a Petrograd inhabitant during the Russian-German war. P.V. with. 364 - 384

August 1914.“The Germans are waging this war like the Huns, vandals and desperate super-scoundrels. They take out their failures on the defenseless population of the regions they occupy. The Germans mercilessly rob the population, impose monstrous indemnities, shoot men and women, rape women and children, destroy monuments of art and architecture, burn precious book depositories. In support of this, we cite a number of excerpts from correspondence and telegrams for this month.

<…>Confirmed is the news from the Western Front that German troops set fire to the town of Badenville, shooting women and children in it. One of the sons of Emperor Wilhelm, arriving in Badenville, delivered a speech to the soldiers, in which he said that the French are savages. "Exterminate them as much as you can!" Said the prince.

Belgian envoy cites irrefutable evidence that the Germans maim and burn the villagers alive, kidnap young girls, and rape children. About Lensino villages there was a battle between the Germans and the Belgian infantry. Not a single civilian took part in this battle. Nevertheless, the German units invading the village destroyed two farms, six houses, gathered the entire male population, put them in a ditch and shot them.

London newspapers full of details about the terrible atrocities of the German troops in Louvain. The pogrom of the civilian population continued incessantly. Moving from house to house, German soldiers indulged in robbery, violence and murder, sparing neither women, nor children, nor the elderly. The surviving members of the city council were herded into the cathedral and stabbed there with bayonets. The famous local library, containing 70,000 volumes, was burned. "

It is done. Rock with a harsh hand

Raised the veil of time

Before us are the faces of a new life

Worried like a wild dream.

Covering capitals and villages

The banners flew up, raging.

According to the pastures of ancient Europe

The last war is going on.

And everything about which with barren heat

Fearfully they argued for centuries.

Ready to give a blow

Her iron hand.

But listen carefully! In cramped hearts

Summon the Tribes of the Enslaved

Bursts into a war cry.

Under the stomp of armies, thunder of guns,

A buzzing flight underneath the Newports,

All that we talk about, like a miracle,

Dreamed, maybe it gets up.

So! for too long we stagnated

And Belshazzar's feast continued!

Let, let from the fiery font

The world will be transformed!

Let the bloody fall

The shaky structure of centuries, -

In the wrong illumination of glory

The world to come new!

Let the old vaults collapse

Let the pillars fall with a roar;

The beginning of peace and freedom

Let there be a terrible year of struggle!

V. MAYAKOVSKY. 1917.TO ANSWER!

The drum is thundering and thundering.

Calls iron to stick alive.

From every country for a slave to a slave

throw a bayonet on the steel.

For what? The earth trembles hungry, stripped.

Vaporized humanity in a bloodbath

just to someone somewhere

got hold of Albania.

The anger of the pack of men clasped,

falls on the world after blow blow

only in order to free the Bosphorus

someone's trial took place.

Soon the world will have no unbroken rib.

And they will pull out the soul. And they will trample t a m her

just for so someone

I took control of Mesopotamia.

In the name of what does a boot trample the ground with its creaking and rude?

Who is freedom above the skies of battles? the God? Ruble!

When you get up to your full height,

you who give your life NS them?

When you throw a question in their face:

what are we fighting for?

Today no one remembers when I was World War I who fought with whom and why the conflict itself began. But millions of soldiers' graves throughout Europe and modern Russia do not allow us to forget about this bloody page of history, including that of our state.

Causes and inevitability of war.

The beginning of the last century was quite tense - revolutionary sentiments in the Russian Empire with regular demonstrations and terrorist attacks, local military conflicts in southern Europe, the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the exaltation of Germany.

All this did not happen in one day, the situation developed and intensified over the decades and no one knew how to “blow off steam” and at least postpone the start of hostilities.

By and large, each country had unfulfilled ambitions and claims to its neighbors, which they wanted to solve in the old fashioned way with the help of force of arms. Just a little did not take into account the moment that technological progress has put into human hands real "hellish machines", the use of which led to a bloody massacre. It was with these words that veterans described many battles of that period.

The alignment of forces in Europe.

But in a war there are always two conflicting parties who are trying to get their way. During WWI, these were Entente and Central Powers.

In unleashing a conflict, it is customary to place all the blame on the losing side, so let's start with that. The list of Central Powers at different stages of the war included:

• Germany.
• Austria-Hungary.
• Turkey.
• Bulgaria.

There were only three states in the Entente:

• Russian empire.
• France.
• England.

Both alliances were formed at the end of the nineteenth century, and for some time balanced political and military forces in Europe.

Awareness of the inevitable major war on several fronts at the same time often stopped them from making hasty decisions, but the situation could not continue for a long time.

How did the First World War begin?

The first state to declare the beginning of hostilities was Austro-Hungarian Empire... As enemy spoke Serbia, which sought to unite under its rule all the Slavs in the southern region. Apparently, this policy did not particularly like the restless neighbor, who did not want to get a powerful confederation at his side, capable of jeopardizing the very existence of Austria-Hungary.

The reason for declaring war served as the murder of the heir to the imperial throne, who was shot by Serbian nationalists. Theoretically, this would be the end - this is not the first time two countries in Europe have declared war on each other and conducted offensive or defensive actions with varying success. But the fact is that Austria-Hungary was only a protégé of Germany, which had long wanted to reshape the world order in its favor.

The reason was failed colonial policy of the country who got involved in this struggle too late. One of the advantages of having a huge number of dependent states was the sales market, which was practically unlimited. Industrialized Germany desperately needed such a bonus, but couldn't get it. It was impossible to resolve the issue peacefully, the neighbors were happily receiving their profits and were not eager to share with anyone.

But the defeat in hostilities and the signing of the surrender could somewhat change the situation.

Allied member countries.

From the above lists, it can be decided that no more than 7 countries, but why then is the war called World War? The fact is that each of the blocks had allies who entered the war or left it at certain stages:

1. Italy.
2. Romania.
3. Portugal.
4. Greece.
5. Australia.
6. Belgium.
7. Empire of Japan.
8. Montenegro.

These countries did not make a decisive contribution to the overall victory, but we must not forget their active participation in the war on the side of the Entente.

In 1917, the United States joined this list, after another attack by a German submarine on a passenger ship.

Results of the war for the main participants.

Russia was able to fulfill the minimum plan for this war - to ensure the protection of the Slavs in Southern Europe... But the main goal was much more ambitious: control over the Black Sea straits could make our country a truly great maritime power.

But the then leadership did not succeed in dividing the Ottoman Empire and getting some of its most "tasty" fragments. And given the social tension in the country and the subsequent revolution, slightly different problems arose. The Austro-Hungarian Empire also ceased to exist - the worst economic and political consequences for the initiator.

France and England were able to gain a foothold in a leading position in Europe, thanks to impressive contributions from Germany. But Germany was waiting for hyperinflation, abandonment of the army, a severe crisis with the fall of several regimes. This led to a desire for revenge and the NSDAP at the head of state. But the United States was able to capitalize on this conflict, having suffered minimal losses.

Do not forget about what the First World War is, who fought with whom and what horrors it brought to society. Growing tensions and conflicts of interest can once again lead to similar irreparable consequences.

Video about the First World War

Almost 100 years ago, an event took place in world history that turned the entire world order, captured almost half of the world in a whirlpool of hostilities, which led to the collapse of powerful empires and, as a result, to a wave of revolutions - the Great War. In 1914, Russia was forced to enter the First World War, into a fierce confrontation in several theaters of war. In a war marked by the use of chemical weapons, the first large-scale use of tanks and aircraft, a war with a huge number of human casualties. The outcome of this war became tragic for Russia - a revolution, a fratricidal civil war, a split in the country, loss of faith and millennial culture, a split of the whole society into two irreconcilable camps. The tragic collapse of the state system of the Russian Empire overturned the age-old way of life of all strata of society without exception. A series of wars and revolutions, like an explosion of colossal power, shattered the world of Russian material culture into millions of pieces. The history of this catastrophic war for Russia, for the sake of the ideology that reigned in the country after the October Revolution, was viewed as a historical fact and as an imperialist war, and not a war "For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland."

And now our task is to revive and preserve the memory of the Great War, about its heroes, about the patriotism of the entire Russian people, about its moral and spiritual values, and its history.

It is quite possible that the world community will widely celebrate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. And most likely the role and participation of the Russian army in the Great War at the beginning of the twentieth century, as well as the history of the First World War, will be forgotten today. In order to counteract the facts of distortion of the national history of the ROO "Academy of Russian Symbolism" MARS "opens a memorial public project dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

Within the framework of the project, we will try to objectively illuminate the events of 100 years ago with the help of newspaper publications and photographs of the Great War.

Two years ago, the people's project "Fragments of Great Russia" was launched, the main task of which is to preserve the memory of the historical past, the history of our country in the objects of its material culture: photographs, postcards, clothes, signs, medals, household items and household items, all kinds of everyday little things and other artifacts that made up the integral environment of the citizens of the Russian Empire. Formation of a reliable picture of the everyday life of the Russian Empire.

The origin and beginning of the great war

Entering the second decade of the 20th century, European society was in an alarming state. The vast sections of it experienced the extreme burden of military conscription and military taxes. It was found that by 1914 the expenditures of large powers for military needs had grown to 121 billion, and they absorbed about 1/12 of the total income received from wealth and the work of the population of cultural countries. Europe was clearly at a loss for itself, burdening all other types of earnings and profits with expenditure on extermination funds. But at a time when the majority of the population seemed to be protesting with all its might against the growing demands of an armed peace, well-known groups wanted militarism to continue or even intensify. Such were all the suppliers to the army, navy and fortresses, iron-making, steel and machine factories, which produced weapons and shells, the numerous technicians and workers employed in them, as well as bankers and holders of papers, who provided loans to the government for equipment. Moreover, the leaders of this type of industry got so into the taste of huge profits that they began to seek a real war, expecting even more orders from it.

In the spring of 1913, Reichstag deputy Karl Liebknecht, son of the founder of the Social Democratic pariah, exposed the intrigues of war supporters. It turned out that the Krupp firm systematically bribes employees in the military and naval departments in order to learn the secrets of new inventions and attract government orders. It turned out that French newspapers, bribed by the director of the German rifle factory, Gontard, spread false rumors about French weapons in order to make the German government want to take on more and more weapons in turn. It turned out that there are international companies that benefit from the supply of weapons to various states, even those at war with each other.

Under pressure from the same circles interested in the war, the governments continued their armaments. At the beginning of 1913, there was an increase in the number of active army personnel in almost all states. In Germany, they decided to increase the figure to 872,000 soldiers, and the Reichstag gave a one-time contribution of 1 billion and an annual new tax of 200 million for the maintenance of the surplus units. On this occasion, in England, supporters of a militant policy began to talk about the need to introduce universal military service so that England could catch up with the land powers. The position of France was especially difficult, almost painful in this matter, owing to the extremely weak growth of the population. Meanwhile, in France from 1800 to 1911, the population increased only from 27.5 million. to 39.5 million, in Germany over the same period it rose from 23 million. up to 65. With such a relatively weak increase, France could not keep up with Germany in the size of the active army, although it took 80% of the draft age, while Germany was limited to only 45%. The radicals dominating in France, in agreement with the conservative nationalists, saw only one outcome - to replace the two-year service, introduced in 1905, with a three-year one; under this condition, the number of soldiers under arms could be increased to 760,000. In order to carry out this reform, the government tried to stir up militant patriotism; by the way, Minister of War Milliran, a former socialist, put on brilliant parades. Socialists, large groups of workers, entire cities, for example, Lyon, protested against the three-year service. Realizing, however, the need to take measures in view of the impending war, succumbing to common fears, the socialists proposed introducing a nationwide militia, meaning universal armament while maintaining the civilian character of the army.

It is not difficult to point out the direct perpetrators and organizers of the war, but it is very difficult to describe its distant reasons. They are rooted primarily in the industrial rivalry of peoples; the industry itself grew out of military conquest; it remained a merciless conquering force; where she needed to create a new space for herself, she made weapons work for herself. When the military masses were formed in its interests, they themselves became dangerous weapons, as it were, a defiant force. Huge military reserves cannot be kept with impunity; the car becomes too expensive, and then there is only one thing - to put it into action. In Germany, due to the peculiarities of its history, the most accumulated military elements. It was necessary to find official places for 20 too royal and princely families, for the Prussian landowning nobility, it was necessary to give way to arms factories, it was necessary to open a field for the application of German capital in the abandoned Muslim east. The economic conquest of Russia was also a tempting task, which the Germans wanted to alleviate by political weakening, pushing it inland from the seas beyond the Dvina and the Dnieper.

These military-political plans were undertaken by William II and the Archduke of France Ferdinant, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. Independent Serbia presented a considerable obstacle to the desire of the latter to gain a foothold on the Balkan Peninsula. Economically, Serbia was completely dependent on Austria; now on the agenda was the destruction of its political independence. Franz Ferdinand intended to annex Serbia to the Serbo-Croatian provinces of Austria-Hungary, i.e. to Bosnia and Crozia, as a satisfaction of the national idea, he came up with the idea of ​​creating within the state Greater Serbia on an equal footing with the two former parts, Austria and Hungary; power from dualism had to pass to trialism. In turn, Wilhelm II, taking advantage of the fact that the children of the archduke were deprived of the right to the throne, directed his idea to create an independent dominion for himself in the east by seizing the Black Sea and Transnistria from Russia. From the Polish-Lithuanian provinces, as well as the Baltic region, it was planned to create another state in vassal dependence on Germany. In the upcoming war with Russia and France, William II hoped for the neutrality of England in view of the extreme aversion of the British to ground operations and the weakness of the British army.

The course and features of the great war

The explosion of the war was accelerated by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, which occurred when he visited Sarajevo, the main city of Bosnia. Austria-Hungary took the opportunity to indict the entire Serbian people for preaching terror and demand the admission of Austrian officials to Serbian territory. When, in response to this and to protect the Serbs, Russia began mobilizing, Germany immediately declared war on Russia and began military action against France. Everything was done by the German government with extraordinary haste. Only with England did Germany try to negotiate the occupation of Belgium. When the British ambassador in Berlin referred to the Belgian neutrality treaty, Chancellor Bethmann-Holweg exclaimed: "But this is a piece of paper!"

The occupation of Belgium by Germany caused a declaration of war by England. The plan of the Germans consisted, apparently, in crushing France and then attacking Russia with all its might. In a short time, all of Belgium was captured, and the German army occupied northern France, moving towards Paris. In a great battle on the Marne, the French halted the advance of the Germans; but the subsequent attempt by the French and British to break through the German front and drive the Germans out of France failed, and from that time on, the war in the west took on a protracted nature. The Germans erected a colossal line of fortifications along the entire length of the front from the North Sea to the Swiss border, which abolished the former system of isolated fortresses. The opponents turned to the same method of artillery warfare.

At first, the war was fought between Germany and Austria, on the one hand, and Russia, France, England, Belgium and Serbia, on the other. The powers of the tripartite accord established a treaty between themselves not to conclude a separate peace with Germany. With the passage of time, new allies appeared on both sides, and the theater of war expanded enormously. Japan, Italy, separated from the triple alliance, Portugal and Romania joined the triple agreement, and Turkey and Bulgaria joined the union of the central states.

Military operations in the east began along a large front from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathian islands. The actions of the Russian army against the Germans and especially the Austrians were at first successful and led to the occupation of most of Galicia and Bukovina. But in the summer of 1915, due to a lack of ammunition, the Russians had to retreat. There followed not only the cleansing of Galicia, but also the occupation of the Kingdom of Poland, Lithuanian and part of the Belarusian provinces by the German troops. Here, on both sides, a line of impregnable fortifications was established, a formidable continuous rampart, beyond which not one of the opponents dared to cross; only in the summer of 1916 did the army of General Brusilov advance into the corner of eastern Galicia and slightly changed this line, after which a fixed front was again defined; with the accession to the powers of the consent of Romania, it extended to the Black Sea. During 1915, as Turkey and Bulgaria entered the war, hostilities began in Western Asia and on the Balkan Peninsula. Russian troops occupied Armenia; the British, advancing from the Persian Gulf, fought in Mesopotamia. The English fleet tried unsuccessfully to break through the fortifications of the Dardanelles. After that, the Anglo-French troops landed in Thessaloniki, where the Serbian army was transported by sea, forced to surrender their country to the capture of the Austrians. Thus, in the east, a colossal front stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Persian Gulf. At the same time, the army operating from Thessaloniki and the Italian forces that occupied the entrances to Austria near the Adriatic Sea constituted the southern front, the significance of which is that it cuts off the alliance of the central powers from the Mediterranean Sea.

At the same time, there were great battles at sea. The stronger British fleet destroyed the German squadrons that had appeared on the high seas and locked the rest of the German fleet in the harbors. This achieved the blockade of Germany and cut off the supply of supplies and shells to her by sea. At the same time, Germany lost all of its overseas colonies. Germany responded with submarine attacks, destroying both military transports and enemy merchant ships.

Until the end of 1916, Germany and her allies held the overall advantage on land, while the powers of consent retained dominance at sea. Germany occupied the entire strip of land that it had outlined for itself in the plan for "Central Europe" - from the North and Baltic Seas through the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor to Mesopotamia. She had a concentrated position for herself and the ability, using an excellent network of communications, to quickly transfer her forces to places threatened by the enemy. On the other hand, its disadvantage was the limitation of means of food due to being cut off from the rest of the World, while opponents enjoyed freedom of sea movement.

The war that began in 1914, in its size and ferocity, far surpasses all wars that have ever been waged by mankind. In previous wars, only active armies appeared only in 1870, in order to defeat France, the Germans used reserve cadres. In the great war of our time, the active armies of all peoples constituted only a small part, one weighty or even one tenth of the total composition of the mobilized forces. England, which had an army of 200-250 thousand volunteers, introduced universal military service during the war itself and promised to bring the number of soldiers to 5 million. In Germany, not only almost all men of military age were taken, but also young men 17-20 years old and elderly people over 40 and even over 45 years old. The number of people conscripted under arms throughout Europe has reached, perhaps, up to 40 million.

Losses in battles are correspondingly great; never have so few people been spared as in this war. But its most striking feature is the predominance of technology. In the first place in it are cars, aircrafts, armored vehicles, colossal guns, machine guns, suffocating gases. The Great War is predominantly an engineering and artillery competition: people bury themselves in the ground, create labyrinths of streets and villages there, and when storming fortified lines they throw an incredible amount of shells at the enemy. So, during the attack of the Anglo-French on the German fortifications at the river. Somme in the fall of 1916, on both sides in a few days, up to 80 mil. shells. The cavalry is hardly used at all; and the infantry cares very little. In such battles, the one of the opponents decides who has the best equipment and a lot of material. Germany wins over its opponents with its military training, which took place over 3-4 decades. The fact that since 1870 the richest iron country, Lorraine, was in its possession was also unusually important. With their rapid onslaught in the fall of 1914, the Germans prudently took possession of two areas of iron production, Belgium and the rest of Lorraine, which was still in the hands of France (all of Lorraine provides half of the total amount of iron produced by Europe). Germany also possesses enormous deposits of coal, which is necessary for the processing of iron. These circumstances are one of the main conditions for the stability of Germany in the struggle.

Another feature of the great war is its merciless nature, plunging cultural Europe into the depths of barbarism. In the wars of the XIX century. did not touch the civilian population. Back in 1870, Germany announced that it was fighting only with the French army, but not with the people. In modern war, Germany not only ruthlessly takes away all the supplies from the population of the occupied territories of Belgium and Poland, but it itself is reduced to the position of convict slaves who are driven to the most difficult work of erecting fortifications for their victors. Germany brought the Turks and Bulgarians into the battle, and these semi-savage peoples brought their cruel manners: they do not take prisoners, they destroy the wounded. No matter how the war ends, European peoples will have to deal with the desolation of vast expanses of the earth and the decline of cultural habits. The position of the working people will be more difficult than it was before the war. Then European society will show whether it retains enough art, knowledge and courage to revive a deeply disturbed way of life.