Explain the course of World War I.

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. The war was primarily fought between the Allied Powers, which included countries such as France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, and the Central Powers, which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

The war began in July 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist. This event triggered a series of alliances and treaties that led to a chain reaction of declarations of war between the major European powers.

The early stages of the war saw rapid advances and retreats on the Western Front, with both sides digging in and establishing trench warfare. The war also saw significant fighting on the Eastern Front, in the Middle East, and in other theaters of conflict.

Over the course of the war, new technologies such as tanks, airplanes, and chemical weapons were introduced, leading to unprecedented levels of destruction and casualties. The war also saw the mobilization of millions of soldiers and civilians, as well as the implementation of total war strategies by both sides.

The war came to an end in November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice of Compiègne, which led to the surrender of the Central Powers and the eventual signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The treaty imposed harsh penalties on Germany and its allies, leading to economic hardship and political instability in the years that followed.

Overall, World War I had a profound impact on the course of history, leading to the collapse of empires, the redrawing of national borders, and the rise of new ideologies and political movements. It also set the stage for the even deadlier conflict of World War II.

Outbreak and Early Stages (1914)

- June 28, 1914: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo.
- July 19, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
- August 1, 1914: Germany declares war on Russia, which had mobilized in support of Serbia.
- August 3, 1914: Germany declares war on France, opening the Western Front.
- August 4, 1914: Germany invades neutral Belgium, bringing Great Britain into the war.

Stalemate on the Western Front (1914-1917)

- Both sides dug in along a heavily fortified line of trenches stretching from the Swiss border to the North Sea.
- Millions of troops were killed or wounded in a series of costly offensives and counteroffensives.
- New technologies such as poison gas and machine guns made trench warfare particularly brutal.

Other Fronts and Theaters

- Eastern Front: Heavy fighting between Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire).
- Balkans: Serbia and other Balkan states fought against Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
- Middle East: The British Empire fought the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, including the Gallipoli Campaign.
- Africa: German colonies were attacked by British and French forces.

American Involvement (1917-1918)

- April 6, 1917: The United States declares war on Germany after a series of German U-boat sinkings.
- American troops arrived in France in large numbers, bolstering the Allied cause.

Collapse of the Central Powers (1918)

- March 1918: German army launches a major offensive on the Western Front, but is eventually stopped by the Allies.
- September 1918: Allied forces launch a counteroffensive that breaks through the German lines.
- October 1918: Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire surrender.

Armistice and Treaty of Versailles (1918-1919)

- November 11, 1918: Germany signs an armistice, ending the war.
- January 1919: The Paris Peace Conference opens to negotiate the peace treaty.
- June 28, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed, imposing harsh terms on Germany and placing the blame for the war on the Central Powers.