The war was fought between the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Entente (Russia, England, France). During the war, Turkey (1914) and Bulgaria (1915) joined the Triple Alliance, Italy (1915), Romania (1916), and the USA (1917) joined the Entente.

Causes of the war: the desire of all countries to seize new territories, divide colonies and eliminate competitors; the desire of countries to divert the attention of the people from internal problems; each country pursued its own goal:

Germany sought to expand its possessions and establish dominance in world politics.

France wanted to return Alsace and Lorraine back, as well as seize the Saar coal basin.

Austria-Hungary had territorial claims to Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and Russia, and also sought to suppress the national liberation movement.

England sought to destroy Germany as its main rival in trade, and also to take oil-rich lands from Turkey.

Italy sought to expand its dominance in the Balkan Peninsula.

Russia wanted to capture Constantinople, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, and also to stop the revolution brewing in Russia.

The immediate cause for the start of the war was the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Bosnia, and his wife by the Serbian nationalist Gavrila Princip.

Russian army before the war

first world war russian

The Russian army was predominantly peasant. Its composition was as follows: 80% peasants, 10% workers, 10% other classes. This is quite understandable, because Russia was an agrarian state, and the class that prevailed in the population of the country had to prevail in its armed forces.

The Russian army was multinational, the main part of it were Russians. There were no problems with national intolerance. This state cannot even be compared with Astro-Hungary, where the ruling Swabian-Modyars looked at the Slav soldiers as representatives of an inferior race; or with Germany, where, not to mention the bullying of the Poles, the Prussian officers sent to the south, with undisguised contempt, treated soldiers who came from southern Germans.

The Russian soldier lived in a poor and harsh environment. They slept on straw mattresses and the same pillows without pillowcases. They covered themselves with an overcoat, dirty after the exercises, wet after the rain. Only in 1905 was the supply of bed linen and blankets introduced for the troops.

The uniform of the Russian army had one major drawback: it was the same for all latitudes - for Arkhangelsk and for the Crimea.

The soldier's food was modest. A typical daily menu for an ordinary soldier: in the morning - tea with rye bread (about 1200 grams of bread a day), at lunch - borscht or soup with 200 grams of meat or fish (after 1905 - 300 grams) and porridge, for dinner - thin gruel, seasoned fat. But in terms of the number of calories and taste, the food was quite satisfactory. The soldier's stomach was the subject of special concern for commanders and chiefs at all levels. "Sample" of soldiers' food was a traditional rite performed by the highest commanders, even the king, when visiting the barracks.

It should be noted that Russian legislation earlier than others did away with corporal punishment (1860s), although even in the British army they were abolished in 1880, and in the English navy - in 1906.

In general, Russian legislation, the punitive system and the attitude towards the soldier were much more humane than in foreign first-class armies. In the German army, for example, exceptional cruelty and rudeness reigned. This was indignantly spoken not only by the press, but also by official orders. During the year 1909 alone, 583 sentences were handed down by military courts for the cruel treatment of soldiers by commanders.

In our army, punishments were established: arrest, assignment not to the queue for work, prohibition of leave, removal to lower positions, etc. There was also rudeness, but only as the wrong side of barracks life - hidden, condemned and persecuted. But again, this could not be compared with the life of the German army. There was no division between privates and officers. This is confirmed by cases when from under the bullets and enemy wire obstacles, risking their lives, they pulled out their wounded - an officer's soldier, a soldier's officer.

Military science was difficult for a peasant soldier, due to illiteracy, lack of pre-conscription training and sports. Before the First World War, up to 40% of illiterates were drafted into the troops. And the army, which introduced compulsory literacy training in 1902, itself filled this gap, annually releasing up to 200,000 spares who learned to read and write in the service.

The soldier of the Russian army was brave, hardy, unpretentious and disciplined.

World War I

1914 - 1918 years

The reason for the First World War was the assassination on June 15 (28), 1914 in Sarajevo (Bosnia) by Serbian nationalists of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Germany decided to use the favorable moment to start a war. Under pressure from Germany, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia on July 10 (23) and, despite the agreement of the Serbian government to fulfill almost all of its demands, on July 12 (25) broke off diplomatic relations with it, and on July 15 (28) declared war on it. Serbian capital Belgrade came under artillery fire. On July 16 (29) Russia began mobilization in the military districts bordering Austria-Hungary, and on July 17 (30) announced general mobilization. Germany on July 18 (31) demanded that Russia stop mobilization and, having received no answer, on July 19 (August 1) declared war on her. July 21 (August 3) Germany declared war on France and Belgium; On July 22 (August 4), Great Britain declared war on Germany, with which its dominions entered the war - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa and the largest colony of India. On August 10 (23) Japan declared war on Germany. Italy, while formally remaining part of the Triple Alliance, declared its neutrality on July 20 (August 2), 1914.

Was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand the cause or cause of the First World War?

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Austrian heir apparent Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo and his wife. It is believed that this incident was the reason for the outbreak of the First World War.

Historians' opinions.

Konstantin Zalessky, historian

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is not the cause of the First World War, but only an excuse. And the reason is not very good. To unleash the war, they used the case that appeared at that moment. Moreover, the assassination of Frans Ferdinand was not the work of a Serbian organization, but an organization that secretly operated on the territory of Austria-Hungary. Although certain circles in Serbia could be involved in the murder, however, not the ruling circles. The Serbs quite decently responded to the ultimatum of Austria-Hungary. And after the response of Serbia, in principle, it followed that there was no reason for starting a war. As for whether Gavrilo Princip acted on his own initiative or was a puppet in the hands of others, I think that he acted solely for reasons of patriotism. That is, Princip shot at Franz Ferdinand and then at his wife, solely believing that this terrorist act would help the liberation of the southern Slavs from the power of Austria-Hungary. Another thing is that the entire organization was under the influence of certain terrorist and ultra-radical circles of the Serbian leadership. But I emphasize that not the ruling circles in Serbia, but those who sought to unleash the conflict. For his part, Princip acted honestly, he had an exclusively patriotic idea. Although, a terrorist is a terrorist, even if he acts with good intentions. And he, in principle, was not a puppet in the hands of others. This whole group, which organized the assassination attempt on Frans Ferdinand, acted absolutely consciously.

Andrey Zubov, historian

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand certainly triggered World War I. If this were the cause, then the problem could be solved quite easily. And, in general, the incident could be exhausted. Historians are well aware that Austria consulted with Germany, and Germany believed that the war might start now or never start. That is why military programs, including the program of Russia, went forward. And a plan for a quick rout French army on the Western Front, followed by the transfer of troops to Eastern front and the defeat of Russia failed for a number of technical reasons. Consequently, Germany and Austria were extremely interested in starting the war as soon as possible. As for how Gavrilo Princip acted, he acted on behalf of Serbian nationalists. That is, he represented those people who believed that all Slavic lands should be united. Indeed, the movement was quite powerful then, so it is possible that the Principle acted completely sincerely, and was not a double agent.

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. the redivision of the world between the leading capitalist countries was completed. Germany, USA, Japan were rapidly developing countries. They demanded their share.

V late XIX-beginning of the XX century. In Europe, preparations began for a war for a new redivision of the world. The main opponents in the upcoming war: Germany and England. The contradictions between them arose first in the field of industrial competition, and then because of the colonies. They began to recruit allies. Thus, two hostile blocs, two coalitions of states were formed: Entente (England, France, Russia) and Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy).

By 1914, a complex and intricate knot of imperialist contradictions had formed, which the war was called upon to cut.

World War I (August 1, 1914 - November 11, 1918)

Reasons for the war:

1) the struggle for the redivision of the world.

2) to suppress the growing revolutionary movement in their countries.

This war covered the territory of Europe, Asia and Africa. The population of the states involved in the war was 3/4 of the world's population. 38 countries took part. For the working masses, the war turned into torrents of blood, incalculable disasters. In this war, 10 million people were killed and died from wounds. 20 million were maimed and millions more died of starvation and disease. Combat operations by aviation and submarines, and chemical weapons were added to the armed struggle on land. The birth rate has fallen by 21 million people.

Character World War I - an unjust, predatory war of conquest for all states participating in it. The goal is to conquer foreign territories.

The Russian government, finally, wanted to resolve the "Eastern" issue, to prevent the strengthening of German influence in Turkey, in the Balkans and, to seize the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, Galicia, which belonged to Austria-Hungary.

Reason for war was the assassination of the heir to the Austrian and Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia an ultimatum. Serbia was unable to fulfill all of its points and on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia could not stand aside, since giving Serbia to Austria-Hungary meant allowing the establishment of domination by the Austro-German bloc over the entire Balkan Peninsula. On July 31, mobilization began in Russia to help Serbia. Germany demanded that Russia stop mobilizing troops. Russia did not do this, and then Germany, as an ally of Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia on August 1. So on August 1, 1914, the first World War. During the war years, the city of Petersburg was renamed Petrograd.

Our army and country were not ready for war. In the summer of 1914, we had just developed a large program to strengthen the army. The Russian army had good small arms, but was inferior to Germany and Austria-Hungary in terms of the number of artillery. The telephone and radio were barely beginning to take root. In general, Russia was sharply inferior to the enemy in military and economic terms. There were few military factories. Many types of weapons were not produced.

First months of the war Russian army achieved success. The war became protracted.

At the end of 1914, the first signs of an economic crisis were already visible.

The work of railway transport was upset. There were not enough locomotives, wagons, rails. The metal almost entirely went to the production of weapons.

fuel crisis. With the beginning of the war, the supply of English and German coal, which was used by the industry of Petrograd and the Baltic states, was stopped. Then Polish coal was lost. The only source is the Donetsk coal basin. But there were not enough wagons to transport coal.

A crisis began in the metallurgical industry. Due to the lack of coal in the Southern Metallurgical District, blast furnaces began to stop.

The collapse of transport has brought the Russian economy to a state of complete ruin. Steam locomotives and wagons purchased in England arrived in Russia belatedly and did not at all cover the needs of the country.

While in the center of Russia people were literally starving, significant food supplies accumulated in the Don, the Urals, and Siberia. Donbass was littered with coal that had not been exported, while Petrograd and Moscow froze due to a lack of fuel. Due to the lack of wagons, the supply of the army with ammunition and food was disrupted.

In connection with the advance of the Germans, in the spring of 1915, the evacuation of industrial enterprises from the western provinces began. However, this case was poorly organized. The government entrusted the evacuation to the entrepreneurs themselves, who received special funds for this. But due to the lack of control, some firms associated with the Germans did not think about exporting their enterprises. And the evacuated enterprises were mounted in new places very slowly.

The state tried to intervene in the affairs of private industry and establish a centralized distribution of all raw materials and fuel and energy resources among Russian enterprises. To this end, the government created "Special Meetings" to regulate the distribution of fuel, food, transportation. But all these "Special Meetings" were not able to carry out any real regulation in the conditions of the feudal-bureaucratic state system and the economic backwardness of the country.

At the initiative of the leaders of the big bourgeoisie, military-industrial committees were created in the country to assist the government in the development of military production. They took orders that did not correspond to the capacity and profile of their enterprises. These orders were not fulfilled either in volume or in time. On the whole, the restructuring of industry on a war footing did not meet the requirements of the war. In 1916, armament production increased, but this was not enough.

The mobilization of millions of men to the front caused an acute shortage of manpower. Almost half of the able-bodied population of the village was in the army. The war also swallowed up many horses - the main draft force of peasant farms. The undermining of the productive forces of the countryside led to a reduction in sown areas and yields. Agriculture fell into a state of complete decline.

In industry, the number of enterprises that produced peaceful products (glass, soap, matches, textiles) decreased. There was an acute shortage of essentials in the country. Prices have gone up. Speculation has begun.

For the working class, the war brought only hunger, an increase in the length of the working day, forced overtime work.

The war completely paralyzed the country's financial system. Inflation has begun. 1 ruble = 27 pre-war kopecks. To finance the war, the tsarist government resorted to internal and external loans. The government's debt was 80 billion rubles, which = 2/3 of the country's national wealth. Russia's dependence on Western countries has increased.

There were heavy casualties in the army.

In the fall of 1915, the Triple Alliance turned into the Quadruple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria), and Italy passed to the Entente and the Quadruple Accord (England, France, Russia, Italy) arose.

In the spring of 1916, the German army sent the main attack on the French city of Verdun, however, was not successful. For 8 months of the siege, the losses amounted to 950 thousand people ("Verdun meat grinder"). Russian troops provided assistance to the allies. The Brusilovsky breakthrough was carried out (May 22 - July 31, 1916). The commander of the Southwestern Front, Brusilov, using the tactics of attacking in "waves", made significant progress, liberated a large territory, forcing the enemy to transfer large reserves from France to our front.

Continuation of participation in the war turned out for Russia February Revolution, during which the main slogans were: "Down with the war!" "Of bread!"

The provisional government, which replaced the autocracy, did not withdraw Russia from the war. On the contrary, the Provisional Government launched a new offensive on the Southwestern Front, which ended in defeat and the death of 60,000 people.

The Soviet government brought Russia out of World War I. On March 3, 1918, a separate Brest peace was signed. Our allies did not like the fact that we withdrew from the war. After Russia's withdrawal from the war, this war did not last long. After all, before the main front was the Russian-German front. World War I ended in November 1918.

This name was established in historiography only after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. In the interwar period, the name " Great War" (eng. The Great War, fr. La Grande guerre), in Russian Empire it was sometimes called the "Second Patriotic War", and also informally (both before the revolution and after) - "German"; then in the USSR - "imperialist war".

The immediate reason for the war was the Sarajevo assassination on June 28, 1914 of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the nineteen-year-old Serbian high school student Gavrilo Princip, who was one of the members of the terrorist organization Mlada Bosna, which fought for the unification of all South Slavic peoples into one state.

As a result of the war, four empires ceased to exist: Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman. The participating countries lost about 12 million people killed, 55 million were injured.

The purpose of the work is to consider the causes of the First World War.

In this section, two problems will be solved:

– the main causes and the beginning of the First World War are considered;

– the main economic blocs of the countries participating in the war and their spheres of interest are characterized.

1 Causes and start of World War I

Early 20th century characterized by aggravation between the leading European countries, the intensification of their struggle for spheres of influence. The main contradictions served as the causes of the First World War: the Anglo-German rivalry for leadership in Europe and maritime communications; Franco-German tensions over Alsace-Lorraine; Russian rivalry with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans.

At the beginning of the XX century. two opposing blocs of states finally took shape: the Entente (led by Russia, England, France) and the Quadruple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria). The countries of both blocs intensively began to prepare for war.

The events in the Balkans in the summer of 1914 served as the reason for the unleashing of a world war, when on June 15 (28) the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was killed in Sarajevo by Serbian nationalists. July 13 (28), 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia announced a general mobilization. On July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia, and two days later on France. Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Turkey and other countries entered the war.

Russia entered the war unprepared: it was only by 1917 that the country's military program was to be completed.

Russian military operations unfolded in East Prussia against Germany and on the Southwestern Front against Austria-Hungary. In December 1914, Russian troops defeated the Turkish army in the Caucasus. However, in the spring and summer of 1915, due to big losses on the fronts, inconsistency in the actions of the Russian command, and most importantly, an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition, the course of hostilities was unsuccessful for the Russian troops. German troops occupied Galicia, Poland, Lithuania, part of the Baltic states and Belarus.

In 1916, only the offensive of the Russian army on the Southwestern Front under the command of General A.A. was successful. Brusilov (1853-1926). But the "Brusilovsky breakthrough", during which the Russian army reached the Carpathians, was not supported by other fronts. Not having received resources and ammunition, Brusilov went on the defensive in Galicia, success was not developed.

2 Economic characteristics of the countries participating in the First World War and the scope of their interests

Long before the war in Europe, contradictions were growing between the great powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, Russia.

At the end of the XIX-beginning of the XX centuries. the movement of the economy has changed its pace. The highest rates of economic development were shown by the young capitalist states - the USA and Germany. England lost its industrial monopoly, and its commercial hegemony was greatly shaken. This was due to the following reasons:

- moral and physical deterioration of equipment during the industrial revolution;

– increased competition in the foreign market;

- the world agrarian crisis of 1874-1894;

- insufficient capacity and weak concentration of power plants;

- an increase in the export of capital.

The lack of funds within the country led to the need to mobilize them with the help of joint-stock companies. Preconditions for the monopolization of industry, mainly in the form of cartels, are taking shape in the country. At the same time, the tendency towards the emergence of monopolies was stronger in new industries than in old ones.

At the end of the XIX century. in world industrial production, the share of France is also decreasing. The following factors affected its economic situation:

1) the usurious nature of capitalism, associated with the Malthusian model of development and aimed at minimizing risk, at simple reproduction;

2) defeat in the Franco-Prussian war (rejection of Alsace and Lorraine, export of valuables, payment of indemnity, etc.). The total is 13 billion francs;

3) moral and physical deterioration of the equipment;

4) the export of capital, which contributed to the preservation of the usurious nature of the economy;

5) lack of raw materials and fuel;

6) undeveloped agricultural sector.

The structure of the economy was also backward in France, where, unlike other developed countries, the leading place was occupied by the production of consumer goods, oriented to the external market. In connection with the beginning of the militarization of the economy in the early XX century. in the economic development of the country there are serious changes associated with the development of heavy industry and the beginning of the process of concentration of production. The most typical forms of monopoly associations in France were cartels and syndicates, but concerns also arose.

In Japan, despite the active and purposeful development of heavy industry, the textile industry occupied a dominant position. The country remained agrarian-industrial, and in its national production, industry occupied 40%. At the same time, the military industry played a special role, receiving state subsidies and subsidies and contributing to an aggressive foreign policy. The process of concentration of production and capital continued, but monopolistic associations accounted for only 0.4% of the total number of companies operating in the country.

The economic development of the United States and Germany in the period under review is characterized by a significant acceleration in growth rates, which allowed these countries to take the place of leading industrial powers. For the American economy, this was explained by the following factors:

The presence of natural resources;

High level of accumulation of national capital;

Rapid population growth due to the influx of immigrants from other countries;

The prudent protectionist policy of the state;

Remoteness from the main competitors;

The late completion of the industrial revolution.

Industrialization of the late XIX-early XX century. unlike the previous period, it relied on the internal capabilities of the United States. In industry, along with the use of the achievements of world experience, emphasis was placed on their own technical ideas (inventions of T. Edison, A. Bell, etc.). The USA became the birthplace of trusts, the first of which, the Standard Oil Trust association, was created in 1879 by Rockefeller. Of great importance for the formation of new forms of organizational and economic structure of the economy was the separation of management functions from executors that arose at the level of trusts, which formed the basis of the ideas of "scientific management" - F.W. Taylor's managerialism.

Equally rapid was the economic development of Germany, united into a single state. In the last third of the XIX century. industry began to play a major role in the economic life of the country, at the beginning of the 20th century. 43% of the population was already employed there against 29% employed in agriculture. The technical level of the German, relatively new industry was higher than the English and French old ones. Therefore, the German industry practically did not know the problem of rearmament. Significantly slower than heavy industry, the light and food industries developed, which was determined by the insufficient capacity of the domestic market. The industrial rise was accompanied by a significant concentration of production and capital. monopoly associations in Germany had their own characteristics:

- the dominance of cartels and trusts;

- more complete, but not deep;

– less political weight;

– earlier and faster terms of creation.

The discrepancy between the development of production and the paying capacity of the domestic market, as well as the country's lack of certain types of raw materials (especially oil), forced the German monopolies to actively operate on the world market. In 1910, there were already about 100 international monopolies with the participation of Germany. However, the German trade balance was passive, because. the cost of imported raw materials and food exceeded the cost of exports industrial goods. The trade balance deficit was covered by profits from foreign investment of German capital in developing countries.

The transition to a new level of industrial production increased the unevenness of economic development, especially since the distribution of sales markets and sources of raw materials did not correspond to the real role of countries in the world economy. This led to an increase in contradictions between developed states, which led to the First World War

The German Empire, formed after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, sought political and economic dominance on the European continent. Having joined the struggle for colonies only after 1871, Germany wanted to redistribute the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal in its favor.

Russia, France and Great Britain sought to counteract Germany's hegemonic aspirations. Why was the Entente formed?

Austria-Hungary, being a multinational empire, was a constant hotbed of instability in Europe due to internal ethnic conflicts. She tried to hold on to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which she captured in 1908 (see: The Bosnian Crisis). It opposed Russia, which took on the role of the defender of all Slavs in the Balkans, and Serbia, which claimed to be the unifying center of the southern Slavs.

In the Middle East, the interests of almost all powers clashed, striving to be in time for the division of the crumbling Ottoman Empire (Turkey). According to the agreements reached between the members of the Entente, at the end of the war, all the straits between the Black and Aegean seas would go to Russia, thus Russia would receive under full control Black Sea and Constantinople.

The confrontation between the Entente countries on the one hand and Germany with Austria-Hungary on the other led to the First World War, where the enemies of the Entente: Russia, Great Britain and France, and its allies were the bloc of the Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, - in which Germany played a leading role. By 1914, two blocks had finally taken shape:

The Entente bloc (formed by 1907 after the conclusion of the Russian-French, Anglo-French and Anglo-Russian allied treaties):

Russian empire;

Great Britain;

Block Triple Alliance:

Germany;

Austria-Hungary;

Italy, however, entered the war in 1915 on the side of the Entente - but Turkey and Bulgaria joined Germany and Austria-Hungary during the war, forming the Quadruple Alliance (or block of the Central Powers).

The reasons for the war mentioned in various sources include economic imperialism, trade barriers, the arms race, militarism and autocracy, the balance of power, local conflicts that took place the day before (the Balkan wars, the Italo-Turkish war), orders for general mobilization in Russia and Germany, territorial claims and allied obligations of the European powers.

The First World War shook the economic system of the capitalist world to its foundations and revealed the close relationship between war and the economy. The course of hostilities largely depended on the solution of economic problems. For the first time in history, the decisive factor in the war was the military-industrial potential, which was an integral part of the entire complex National economy each of its members. The transition of the economy of the belligerent states to a military footing was carried out in emergency conditions. Their impact at the first stage of the war led to the disruption of the pre-war economic system, a sharp reduction in industrial production (except for the military sector), the closure of many commercial enterprises, which in turn led to a sharp reduction in international economic ties. The war, in turn, confronted the allies in the war with the problem of coordinating their military-economic measures.

New trends have given new content to international economic relations, bringing to life unprecedented phenomena of interstate regulation of the economy within the framework of the Entente. On the one hand, and the Quarter Union, on the other. The joint discussion of issues of military-economic cooperation, the creation of interstate economic bodies, attempts to implement interstate accounting and control in the distribution of material resources for supplying the army are becoming the most important elements in the relationship between the allies.

In Russia, the military-industrial potential was relatively small due to the weak development of mechanical engineering; machines and equipment had for the most part import from abroad. Despite the fact that over the past few decades, Russia has managed to significantly reduce its economic gap, relying both on internal resources and on the technological knowledge and capital of entrepreneurs from industrialized countries, it was significantly inferior in preparedness for war compared to both allies and especially with its main adversary, Germany. The First World War dealt a tangible blow to world economic ties, severed numerous threads international exchange, financing, supply of raw materials and food. The world economy, which at the beginning of the 20th century turned into a single economic mechanism, broke up into a number of more or less isolated regions. The disruption or disorganization of traditional foreign economic relations posed complex problems for the economies of the warring states.

There is no doubt that the influence of the war on the state of the national economy had some common features. In all European belligerent countries, the ratio between imports and exports in foreign trade turnover has changed dramatically: the share of imports has increased sharply, while exports, on the contrary, have decreased. Before the war, Russia was less connected to the international market than other European countries. The First World War, which was devastating for the national economy of Russia, radically changed and greatly complicated the state and further development of the entire complex of Russia's international relations. The forced concentration of all industrial activity on military production destroyed external economic ties, which had a significant impact on its economy, financial condition and foreign trade relations.

Conclusion

Thus, the main economic causes of the First World War were the intensification of the struggle between the leading European countries for spheres of influence. The German Empire aspired to political and economic dominance on the European continent. Germany wanted to redistribute the colonial possessions of the "Old World". The course of the war had a tremendous impact on the national economy of all the warring countries.

2 The most important economic consequences of the First World War for the leading countries

The results of the First World War were the February and October revolutions in Russia and the November revolution in Germany, the liquidation of four empires: the German, Russian, Ottoman empires and Austria-Hungary, the latter two being divided. Germany, having ceased to be a monarchy, was cut down territorially and weakened economically. started in Russia Civil War. The US has become a great power. The difficult conditions for Germany of the Treaty of Versailles (payment of reparations, etc.) and the national humiliation it suffered gave rise to revanchist sentiments, which became one of the prerequisites for the Nazis to come to power and unleash the Second World War.

The purpose of the work is to consider the most important consequences of the First World War for the leading countries.

Work tasks:

- describe the consequences of the First World War;

– to analyze the change in the economic potential of the United States and Japan after the First World War.

1 Economic consequences of World War I

The World War presented unprecedented demands to the economy. She absorbed 1/3 of the material values ​​of mankind. The military expenditures of the warring powers increased by more than 20 times, exceeding by 12 times the available reserves of gold. However, of the countries participating in hostilities, only the United States and Japan were able to increase their national wealth - by 40 and 25%, respectively. At the same time, the United States, through the sale of weapons, concentrated about half of the world's gold reserves. Not justifying the hopes of the instigators and not resolving the most acute contradictions, the First World War brought colossal human losses, amounting to a total of about 36 million people. The structure of the economies of the countries turned out to be deformed as a result of an exorbitantly swollen military sector, while the cessation of hostilities required new expenditures on solving disarmament problems. The system of the gold standard as a result of the devaluation of national currencies crashed. No less important were environmental impact associated with the use of chemical weapons. In addition, in many countries that participated in the war, there was a restructuring of the socio-economic and political system. The Turkish and Austro-Hungarian empires collapsed, in Russia and Germany, monarchies were overthrown during the revolutions.

As a result of the war, there were: the annexation by England of Tanzania and South-West Africa, Iraq and Palestine, parts of Togo and Cameroon; Belgium - Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; Greece - Eastern Thrace; Denmark - Northern Schleswig; Italy - South Tyrol and Istria; Romania - Transylvania and Southern Dobruja; France - Alsace-Lorraine, Syria, parts of Togo and Cameroon; Japan - German islands in pacific ocean north of the equator; French occupation of the Saar.

The independence of Hungary, Danzig, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland and Yugoslavia was proclaimed.

The Weimar and Austrian Republics are founded.

The Rhine region and the Black Sea straits were demilitarized.

The grandiose scale and protracted nature of the First World War led to an unprecedented militarization of the economy for industrialized states. This influenced the course of economic development of all large industrial states in the period between the two world wars: strengthening state regulation and economic planning, the formation of military-industrial complexes, accelerating the development of nationwide economic infrastructures (energy systems, a network of paved roads, etc.) , growth in the share of production of defense products and dual-use products.

The regime of relations in the Western world after the First World War was determined by a series of international treaties that constituted the Versailles-Washington system. The Versailles Peace Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, occupied a central place in it.

The need to fulfill the terms of the Versailles Treaty required a serious reform of the German economy. The most important measure to stabilize the internal economic situation in this country was the implementation of the monetary reform of 1923, aimed at stopping inflation. Its result was the issuance of new banknotes backed by 40% gold and gold mottos and subject to exchange for gold, however, temporarily delayed. In addition, the modernization of equipment was carried out, the strengthening of the economic positions of German monopolies, which replaced the previously dominant cartels and syndicates with trusts and concerns; the intensification of labor increased. However, the country's economic situation remained extremely difficult, which caused an aggravation of social contradictions. Germany's refusal to pay reparations in 1922 initiated the entry of Franco-Belgian troops into the Ruhr region. Threat of occurrence new war and the growth of the revolutionary actions of the German workers forced the victorious countries to make some concessions to Germany. In the summer of 1924, at the London Conference, the Dawes Plan was adopted, providing for a sharp reduction in annual reparation payments: 1 billion marks in 1924-1925; 1.2 - in 1925-1926; with a subsequent increase up to 2.5 billion marks from 1928-1929. At the same time, Germany was guaranteed the stability of the currency up to the suspension of the transfer of reparation payments abroad in the event of exchange rate fluctuations.

2 Changes in the economic potential of the United States and Japan after the First World War

The war dramatically changed the balance of power in the world. It provoked a wave of revolutions: the Bolshevik government came to power in Russia, and two other European empires collapsed - Germany and Austria-Hungary. Military devastation and revolution weakened Europe, while the entry of the United States into the war caused a new upsurge in the development of the American economy. The military budget passed by Congress provided for huge investments in industry: in 1917-1918 over 35 billion dollars were invested in it. In addition, during the war, the Entente countries placed huge military orders in America, which grew rich on the so-called "blood money". The grief and suffering of some turned into good luck for others: during the years of the war, 17 thousand new millionaires appeared in the United States.

As a result of the war, the United States has become a power claiming world leadership and striving to prevent further military conflicts. The US government showed confidence that the war ended - the last in the history of mankind. As early as January 5, 1918, speaking in the Senate, President Vucro Wilson outlined his peacekeeping program. It contained fourteen provisions and is therefore referred to as the "Fourteen Points". Wilson's Plan for the Peaceful Coexistence of Nations provided:

1) the transition from secret diplomacy to open;

2) freedom of navigation and trade;

3) the elimination of obstacles to international trade and the creation of equal conditions for all parties involved in it;

4) reduction of armaments in all countries of the world;

5) objective resolution of colonial conflicts, taking into account the interests of the population of the colonies;

6) non-interference of foreign powers in the internal affairs of Russia;

7) granting sovereignty to Belgium in full;

8) the return to France of Alsace and Lorraine, annexed by Germany during the Franco-Prussian war;

9) revision state borders Italy;

10) the creation of independent states on the territory of the former Austria-Hungary;

11) the restoration of the statehood of the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula and the provision of Serbia with access to the sea;

12) granting state sovereignty to the Turkish component of the Ottoman Empire;

13) creation of an independent Polish state with access to the Baltic Sea;

14) the creation of the League of Nations - an organization of states, which by its activities would guarantee peace for all time.

However, in putting forward this wise plan for the reorganization of the post-war world, Wilson was primarily concerned with America's interests. Soon an addition to the Fourteen Points appeared - a commentary marked by an anti-German and anti-Soviet orientation, which actually provided for the redistribution of the world through the redistribution of German colonial possessions and the dismemberment Soviet Russia. Thus, peace-guaranteing principles provoked the creation of new hotbeds of tension. And soon the "peacekeepers" authorized the participation american army in the campaigns of the Entente against Russia - US troops operated both in the Murmansk region and on Far East. Military expeditions to Russia were equipped without the authorization of Congress, which caused discontent within the United States. Under pressure from some congressmen and mass demonstrations of citizens in support of Russia, the troops had to be returned to their homeland. However, the American government did not want to recognize the new Russia.

The advent of peace required the demilitarization of the economy, a process that was painful for American workers who lost their jobs as the munitions factories closed. In 1919, a wave of labor strikes swept the country, in which up to 4 million people took part.

In 1920, the country produced about 50 percent of all coal mined in the world, smelted up to 60 percent of all steel and iron, produced 85 percent of all cars. The American dollar has become the strongest world currency. The European states, which in the past acted as creditors to the United States, now turned out to be their debtors: if the US public debt after the war was about 3 billion dollars, then the European states owed America 10 billion in public and up to 7 billion in private loans. The financial leverage of power contributed to the even greater strengthening of America's authority in the international arena.

Meanwhile, it was precisely in 1920 that, due to the post-war reduction in demand in the markets, an overproduction crisis broke out, engulfing both industry and Agriculture. His highest point the crisis reached in 1921, when there were up to 5.5 million unemployed in America, and in some industries, output decreased by 40 percent. Even those who managed to keep their jobs under these conditions had to be content with reduced wages. However, the stagnation in industry ceased already in 1922, and in 1924 agriculture also came out of the crisis. In part, the expansion of the range of manufactured goods contributed to the way out of the crisis (all kinds of household appliances, radios, etc. appeared). The American economy was on the rise again, and in general the 1920s in the United States were more prosperous than in any other country in the world. Without suffering serious damage in the First World War and further strengthening its economic potential, the country became a leading world power and maintained its position throughout the 20th century.

The First World War seriously influenced the further formation of the Japanese economy. The revision of treaties with Western powers, the development of external contacts, the control of China and Korea - all this made Japan practically a monopolist in the Asian market. After the war, Japan actively invested in the economies of other countries. Growing exports served as a good stimulus for the growth of the industry, the pace of its development was amazing: the volume of production almost doubled in just five years. In the development of industry, priority was given to heavy industry. The war had a positive effect on the development of the largest firms that only enriched themselves during the hostilities: Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Yasuda and others. At the same time, the position of the workers and peasants, who were dissatisfied with rising prices and increasing taxes, deteriorated sharply. A wave of so-called rice riots swept across the country. Although these uprisings were brutally suppressed, one of the consequences of "popular anger" was the resignation of the war-minded Terauti government and the coming to power of a new government headed by Haara, the leader of the party of landowners and big capitalists. Also, after the riots, a mass movement for universal suffrage unfolded, the strengthening of which forced the government to make concessions - the property qualification was significantly reduced.

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Japan achieved the official transfer to its jurisdiction of all the Pacific territories that previously belonged to Germany. The Western powers, counting on Japan's support in the fight against the spread of communism, agreed to these demands. Japan agreed to participate in the anti-Soviet struggle and was among the interventionists who invaded the territory Soviet Union in 1920. However, Japan remained true to its interests here too: in the Soviet Union, it was only interested in Sakhalin, beyond the occupation of which it did not advance. Sakhalin was in actual possession of Japan until the establishment of Russian-Japanese relations in 1925. The Japanese people, among whom socialist ideas were widespread, were sympathetic to the problems of socialist Russia, moreover, the intervention required a strain of forces from an almost completely exhausted country. Dissatisfaction with the government's policies was brewing even in army circles, whose maintenance was sharply reduced due to the lack of sufficient funding from an almost impoverished state, which nevertheless had huge ambitions.

The period of 1920-1921 became the time of the crisis of the world economy. Japan, whose economic development during this period depended on external relations, came under a blow from which it could not recover for a long time. The global crisis has caused mass unemployment. The crisis was aggravated by the fact that after the end of the war, Japan again lost its position in the Asian market, where Western entrepreneurs returned, whose products were certainly better. All these circumstances were beneficial to the Western powers, especially the United States, who wished to moderate the Japanese appetite for the spread of their influence.

On November 12, 1921, a conference was convened in Washington, in which all countries took part. Western Europe who wish to resolve disputes regarding the Pacific Territories. As a result of these negotiations, agreements were concluded that significantly weakened Japan's position. A certain "balance" of world powers was established, but Japan was not going to put up with the new state of affairs. Less than 10 years later, she upset this fragile Pacific balance.

Conclusion

The First World War demonstrated the crisis state of civilization. Indeed, in all the warring countries, democracy was curtailed, the sphere of market relations narrowed, giving way to strict state regulation of the sphere of production and distribution in its extreme statist form. These tendencies contradicted the economic foundations of Western civilization.

No less striking evidence of a deep crisis were cardinal political changes in a number of countries. Yes, following October Revolution revolutions of a socialist nature swept through Russia in Finland, Germany, Hungary; in other countries, an unprecedented upsurge of the revolutionary movement was noted, and in the colonies, an anti-colonial one. This, as it were, confirmed the prediction of the founders of the communist theory about the inevitable death of capitalism, which was also evidenced by the emergence of the Communist 3rd International, the 21/2nd Socialist International, the coming to power in many countries of the socialist parties and, finally, the lasting conquest of power in Russia by the Bolsheviks. party.

World War I was the catalyst for industrial development. During the war years, 28 million rifles, about 1 million machine guns, 150 thousand guns, 9200 tanks, thousands of aircraft were produced, a submarine fleet was created (more than 450 submarines were built in Germany alone during these years). The military orientation of industrial progress became obvious, the next step was the creation of equipment and technologies for the mass destruction of people. However, already during the First World War, monstrous experiments were carried out, for example, the first use of chemical weapons by the Germans in 1915 in Belgium near Ypres.

The consequences of the war were catastrophic for the national economy of most countries. They resulted in widespread long-term economic crises, which were based on the gigantic economic disproportions that arose during the war years. Only the direct military spending of the warring countries amounted to 208 billion dollars. Against the backdrop of a widespread decline in civilian production and the standard of living of the population, there was a strengthening and enrichment of the monopolies associated with military production. Thus, by the beginning of 1918, the German monopolists accumulated 10 billion gold marks as profits, the American 35 billion gold dollars, etc. Having strengthened during the war years, the monopolies increasingly began to determine the ways further development leading to the catastrophe of Western civilization. This thesis is confirmed by the emergence and spread of fascism.

Introduction

I chose the topic "Russia in the First World War" because I am interested in this period, because it greatly influenced the future fate of Russia and therefore in my work I want to consider Russia's role in the First World War. This war was a turning point in the history, and not only of our country, but world history. She was unfairly "forgotten" for 70 years. Very little research has been done on the history of the First World War, and those that have been written from the point of view of condemning the war. And I would like to objectively study this event.

In order to more fully reveal the topic, I considered it necessary to understand the causes of the war; find out what was the reason for it; follow the development of hostilities; study the events of the war, which became a turning point in its course; and understand how and why the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded.

Reason for war

June 15 (28), 1914 In the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, the Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip shot dead the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. On July 10, Austria-Hungary, suspecting the Serbian government of involvement in the assassination, presented Serbia with an ultimatum demanding that anti-Austrian organizations be banned, that Serbian border guards who had assisted terrorists be punished, and that Austrian representatives be allowed into the country to participate in the investigation of the assassination.

The Serbs accepted all the demands put forward, except for one that was contrary to the Serbian constitution. Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations with Belgrade and on July 15 (28) declared war on Serbia. Her actions were supported by Germany. Emperor Wilhelm II Hohenzollern called: "The Serbs must be finished off, and right now." In Vienna and Berlin, they were sure that the matter would be limited to a short and victorious war with Serbia. However, the war in a matter of days became a world war.

Causes and nature of the war

I will begin my essay with the main causes of the First World War. The First World War arose as a result of the intensification of the political and economic struggle between the major imperialist countries for markets and sources of raw materials, for the redistribution of the already divided world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the division of the world was already completed, there were no territories left on the globe that had not yet been captured by the capitalist powers, there were no more so-called “free spaces”. “It has come,” V.I. Lenin, - inevitably the era of monopoly possession of colonies, and, consequently, a particularly intensified struggle for the division of the world. Lenin V.I. Full Sobr. Works, vol. 27, p. 422.

As a result of the uneven, spasmodic development of capitalism in the era of imperialism, some countries that embarked on the capitalist path of development later than others, in short term overtook and surpassed in technical and economic terms such old colonial countries as England and France. Especially indicative was the development of Germany, which by 1900. bypassed these countries in terms of industrial production, but significantly inferior in size to colonial possessions. Because of this, the interests of Germany and England clashed most often. Germany openly sought to capture British markets in the Middle East and Africa.

The colonial expansion of Germany met with resistance from France, which also had huge colonies. Very sharp contradictions between the countries existed because of Alsace and Lorraine, captured by Germany back in 1871.

With its penetration into the Middle East, Germany created a threat to Russia's interests in the Black Sea basin. Austria-Hungary, acting in alliance with Germany, became a serious competitor to tsarist Russia in the struggle for influence in the Balkans.

The aggravation of foreign policy contradictions between the major countries led to the division of the world into two hostile camps and to the formation of two imperialist groupings: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Tripartite Agreement, or Entente (England, France, Russia).

The war between the major European powers was beneficial to the US imperialists, since this struggle created favorable conditions for the further development of American expansion, especially in Latin America and in the Far East. American monopolies relied on the maximum benefit from Europe.

In preparing for war, the imperialists saw in it not only a means of resolving external contradictions, but also a means that could help them cope with the growing discontent of the population of their own countries and suppress the growing revolutionary movement. The bourgeoisie hoped in the course of the war to destroy the international solidarity of the workers, to physically exterminate the best part of the working class, for the socialist revolution.

Due to the fact that the war for the redivision of the world affected the interests of all imperialist countries, most of the world's states gradually became involved in it. The war became a world war, both in its political aims and in its scope.

By its nature, the war of 1914-1918. was imperialistic, predatory, unjust on both sides. It was a war for who had more to rob and oppress. Most of the parties of the Second International, having betrayed the interests of the working people, came out in favor of the war in support of the bourgeoisie and the governments of their countries.

The Bolshevik Party, headed by V.I. Lenin, having determined the nature of the war, called for a struggle against it, for the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war.