Essay on Casualties of World War I

Over 200 million deaths estimated in just three wars. There are many factors that could play into these death tolls. The amount of deaths in each war over the years with the more and more advanced technology is different than the wars in the earlier years with different weapons but more hostile actions and a longer time period.

     World War I was the result of leaders' aggression towards other countries which was supported by the rising nationalism of the European nations. Economic and imperial competition and fear of war prompted military alliances and an arms race, which further escalated the tension contributing to the outbreak of war. One cause of the World War was militarism, which is a policy in which military preparedness is of primary significance to a situation. Another cause of the World War was nationalism. Nationalism is the pride and devotion form one towards his/her country. It played a great part in the causes of World War 1 because citizens wanted to stand up for their country, and fight for them. The third

Soldiers did not die only from warfare casualties,especially the war atmosphere in the trenches brought health issues and diseases which caused most of the death during WW1.Some of this diseases were caused because of weather change , lack of hygiene and the filthy environment.Many of this diseases were insignificant colds but others were deadly as Shell Shock or Trench Foot.

Following the conclusion of the First World War, America began to flourish, especially through changes in technology, morality, and civil rights. Accompanying these developments came widespread discontent. Some argued with the old adage, “'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,”, while others insisted that constant advancements would lead to a better future for all. Best put by Donald Rea Hanson, to pick out reason for America’s prosperity “...would be difficult, if not impossible” (Doc C).

Have you ever planned something to protect against a problem but it backfired? The intended use became a major reason that the situation went horribly wrong. For instance, say you do homework early so you don’t stress out later. When you go through it right away, you accidentally missed important directions. After you finish the project, you feel accomplished until find out that you did it wrong. Now you have even less time than if you just procrastinated before, and you don’t know how to fix your original project or start all over. That’s pretty much what happened to cause World War I. Alliances and treaties, nationalism, and quick reactions led to a series of events that started World War I.

MP1 One of the Carl Von Clausewitz’s central issues that describes war’s dynamic is the concept of “culminating point of victory.” Clausewitz advocated the idea that an offensive should be focused on the defender’s collapse, otherwise there is a “culminating point”, a momentum where the attacker loses his advantage for strategic victory. As he mentioned, “every attack which does not lead to peace must necessarily end up as a defense.” Military history has been enriched by battles of commanders with an overestimating self-confidence and high spirit who failed to identify this momentum. As a result, they lost the tactical advantage and they were defeated. Classical example in the World War II

World War One was many years in the making with separate incidences occurring between the empires that ultimately lead up to war beginning. With many powerful empires on edge and wanting to be the most powerful, they did whatever they could to make this happen. The First World War was not sparked by one event or motive, but in turn was started due to many major factors. The war’s blame can be placed on all of the countries involved, rather than solely Germany. These factors from World War One were the product of each empire and their long-term needs such as nationalism, imperialism, militarism and the alliances. The short-term event that was the final push to start the war was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

Vimy Ridge is considered a defining moment for Canada, this was when the country first proved that it was truly capable of greatness. The ridge was situated in Southern-France; it was a 47 kilometre long well-fortified mountain-top. The hill was significant, due to the fact that the Central Powers could identify the Ally soldiers from kilometres away and therefore easily prepare for battle. Vimy Ridge is significant to our understanding of Canada because this was the event where Canada showed that they were worthy of independence from Britain. The Canadians proved to be an effective and formidable group that deserved sovereignty and respect.

There were over 16 million Americans in the armed forces, who served in the war. The infantry represented 14% of the troops overseas. Training could not have prepared them for these hardships that they faced. The shoes were in terrible conditions, the clothes were in bad shape too. The families at home were also worried about the soldiers in the army, because most of the families feared getting the news that their soldier had died in war. The soldiers were also asked to do physical work, on top of them already having to worry about fighting in war. Most of the soldiers had no education, they only hoped that the war would be over soon. The soldiers in the war had to carry everything, so they really didn´t have anything with them. The soldiers

Leading into the Fall of 1914, tactics on both sides of the line involved the rapid mobilization, maneuver and envelopment of the opposing side.10 Pre-1914 doctrine took little into account the effects of emerging new technology and their impact on both defensive and offensive operations. This disconnect between doctrine and technology contributed to the failure of early offensive operations in the Fall of 1914 and resulted in staggering casualties.11 Both sides developed doctrine that took into effect the unique terrain and technology that had been developed prior and during World War I. However by the end of the war, a combination of flexibility, decentralized control, and counterattack at every echelon made the German defensive system the most effective.12 This “elastic defense” had three unique characteristics; dedicated counter-attack force at all levels, decentralized command and control, fluid defensive belts and integrated artillery support at the Division level. Under this new doctrine, Corps headquarters had the role sustaining subordinate units, but not directing their actions during battle.13 This defense-in-depth and the lessons learned during the Verdun battles of 1918 were so successful that British forces adopted many of the German tactics with a special emphasis on their counterattack capability.10 Utilizing the new doctrine, by August 1918, Germany had made substantial gains, however had

The French, looking at a series of disasters, resulting from the offensives of 1914, 1915, and 1917, wrote off anything other than the most stylized, tightly-controlled “methodical battle.” This form of evaluation coupled with doctrine review being accomplished by a small group, created a misuse of history during their doctrine review. Although the French studied the war seriously throughout the interwar period, they did not broaden their study beyond a narrow focus on a few carefully selected battles that had occurred in 1918.

WORLD WAR ONE      There has always been wars, and there will always be wars. Most wars leave a huge impact on the history of that nation, especialy if it involves more than one. In 1914, long-standing rivalries among European nations exploded into war. World War one, as it is now called, cost millions of lives. Such a war, has left a deep intentaion on the American history.

Furthermore, I will describe how French troops retreated to defend Paris from the German advance. The Germans imagined that their advancement would be speedy and France would not be able to defend. Nevertheless, France was able to actually relocate their troops very quickly and effectively. France had a war plan, it was called Plan XVII and it was essentially offensive form the Maginot line into Alsace-Lorraine. Eventually, over 300,000 French soldiers were killed within two weeks. The French generals then abandoned Plan XVII, they ordered their forces to return to protect Paris. The mobilisation of the French troops were done by train, taxis and marching, together with help from Britain and Belgium to slow German advancement. This enabled France to succeed in mobilisation of their troops. The German greatly underestimated how well France would be able to do this. By te time the Germans arrived in france the french troops were there already waiting for them, France force were ready and well prepared.

World War I was rising Nazi feeling across Europe, colonial and economic rivalries, which contributed to growing international tension. The main spark that started World War I was the assassination of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914. The heart of the conflict were the Central Powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary, and the Allied Powers, Britain, France, and Russia; Italy joined later in 1915, and then United States joined in 1917. World War I was the first war to be fought on land, at sea, and in the air. World War I brought more technological innovations than any conflict in history. Machine guns, battleships, land mines, barbed wire, engine-driven transport vehicles, and other

While we are always reminded of the negative effects of war, it is not everyday that we learn to understand the deeper factors of war that can turn a small conflict into an international outbreak. World War I was said to have been sparked by the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand but there are various deeper reasons that contributed to the commencement of the Great War. These factors include militarism, imperialism and the alliance systems.