Entente countries

Entente

Entente (fr. "Entente cordiale" - "Hearty consent") - a military bloc that included Great Britain, France and Russia. The West has long been negotiating with Russia on this matter. More 24 DK 1893 a Franco-Russian military alliance was concluded. 20 MAY 1902 the visit began president France's Emile Loubet Petersburg. England and France 8 AP 1904 concluded a military treaty, which received the unofficial name "Ccordial Consent" (Entente), and in 1907 - England signed a similar agreement with Russia. 31 AB 1907 the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia A.P. Izvolsky, a strong supporter of orientation towards France and rapprochement with England, achieved the signing of an Anglo-Russian agreement on delimitation spheres influence in Iran, Afghanistan and other areas of Asia.

Russia's sphere of influence remained Northern Iran, England's - South-East. The exclusive sphere of the English interests Afghanistan was recognized. The agreement paved the way for the final formation of the Entente consisting of England, France and Russia. This step of Russian diplomacy meant that Russia considers the European, in particular the Balkan, direction foreign policy most importantly, agreeing to maintain the status quo in Central Asia and in the Far East. Russia tried to maintain good economic relations with the states of the Triple Alliance. 15 IL 1904 The Russian-German trade agreement was renewed. Blok performed in First world war against the Triple Alliance led by Germany. During wars 23 joined the Entente states. Already 12 DK 1916 followed by a note from Germany to the Entente countries about the readiness of the Central European states for negotiations. Russia 26 OK 1917 with the adoption of the Decree and the world actually left coalition.

The leading role in the Entente by 1917 belonged to Great Britain, France and the USA; Japan had significant armed forces in the Far East. The main coordinating centers of the Entente are political and military conferences, as well as the Supreme Council, which consisted of the Prime Minister ministers Western European powers, representatives of the French, English, American and Italian General Staffs. After the First World War, the bloc of victorious states in the First World War, which in 1918-1920 acted as the main organizer of the armed interventions against Soviet Russia. Political leaders Entente in 1918-1920 - Lloyd George, Clemenceau J., Wilson T.V. Commander-in-Chief with AP 1918 Allied forces in Europe were Marshal Foch F. 23 NY 1918 Entente troops landed in Novorossiysk, Sevastopol and Odessa ( 23 AB 1919).

Soviet poster calling for armed vigilance

Only 16 JAN 1920 this blockade was lifted and a decree followed ( 16 JAN 1920) Supreme Union Council of the Entente countries on the resumption of trade relations with Soviet Russia. 14 IN 1919 Entente recognized Kolchak A.V.. as supreme ruler. A resolution was adopted by the Supreme Union Council Entente countries on the resumption of trade relations from the Soviet Russia. Exacerbation of contradictions m. participants The Entente led it to collapse.

Everyone is looking and not finding the reason why the war started. Their searches are in vain; they will not find this reason. The war did not start for any one reason, the war started for all reasons at once.

(Thomas Woodrow Wilson)

Since the end of the 19th century European politicians the feeling of an impending catastrophe persisted. The world was shaken by the Anglo-Boer, Spanish-American, then Russian-Japanese, Italian-Turkish and endless Balkan wars, but they did not develop into a big war. And political crises, which excited Europe, one could lose count.

Who will we be friends with?

In 1905, Germany concluded a treaty of alliance with Russia (Treaty of Bjork), but it never came into force. By 1914, two powerful military-political blocs had already taken shape. old light divided into two warring camps - the Triple Alliance and the Entente. A clash between these groups seemed inevitable, but hardly anyone could then imagine what disastrous consequences it would lead to. Twenty million killed, hundreds of millions maimed, once flourishing cities and villages razed to the ground - this was the result of the First World War...

All major states of the planet have been preparing for a world war since the 1880s. Somewhere at the beginning of the second decade of the 20th century, preparations for the Great War were generally completed, that is, in European countries A huge amount of weapons and military equipment was accumulated, and an infrastructure aimed at war was created. All that remains is to find a suitable occasion. And they found him. On June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, the Serbian patriot Gavrilo Princip killed the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Habsburg dynasty, deputy commander-in-chief of the army of the empire. And all the major powers considered it necessary to start a war. And the war began. The terrorist act was just the excuse that everyone was waiting for.

Long before this, a tangle of contradictions had been growing in Europe between the great powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, and Russia. The growing economic power of Germany required a redistribution of world markets, which Great Britain opposed. French and German interests clashed in the disputed border areas that changed hands over the centuries - Alsace and Lorraine. In the Middle East, the interests of almost all powers collided, trying to achieve the division of the collapsing Ottoman Empire.

Entente bloc(formed after the Anglo-Russian Union in 1907):

Russian Empire, Great Britain, France.

Block Triple Alliance:

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.

However, during the course of the war, some castlings and replacements took place: Italy entered the war in 1915 on the side of the Entente, and Germany and Austria-Hungary were joined by Turkey and Bulgaria, forming Quadruple Alliance(or the Central Powers bloc).

Central Powers:

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire (Türkiye), Bulgaria.

Allies of the Entente:

Japan, Italy, Serbia, USA, Romania.

Friends of the Entente(supported the Entente in the war):

Montenegro, Belgium, Greece, Brazil, China, Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica.

A lot of strange things happened in the Entente camp due to the fact that it included Russia and France... France is an ally of Russia; France's ally is Great Britain. The eternal enemy Great Britain becomes an ally of Russia. Great Britain's ally... Japan! As a result, the recent enemy, Japan, becomes an ally of Russia.

On the other hand, the obvious enmity between Turkey and Russia led to the fact that this country, which was under strong British influence, became an ally of Germany. Italy, which was part of the Triple Alliance and for many years considered a natural ally of Germany, eventually found itself in the camp of the Entente countries.

Mishmash. Quiche-mish in Turkish.

Timeline of declaration of war

As a result, 38 states took part in the war, in which 70% of the population lived globe. The Entente forces led by France, Russia, Great Britain, from 1915 Italy, and from 1917 the United States defeated the states of the Quadruple Alliance (also known as the Central States) led by Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

In August 1914, the world did not yet know how grandiose and catastrophic the war declared on the first day of the last summer month would become. No one yet knew what innumerable victims, disasters and shocks it would bring to humanity and what indelible mark it would leave on its history. As a result of the war, the armies of the participating countries lost about 10 million soldiers killed and 22 million wounded. And it was precisely those terrible four years of the First World War that, despite the calendars, were destined to become the true beginning of the 20th century.

In September 1914, the first Battle of the Marne took place. The war unfolded in two main theaters of military operations - Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the Balkans and Northern Italy, in the colonies - in Africa, China, and Oceania. Very soon after the start of the war, it became clear that the conflict would become protracted. The uncoordinated actions of the Entente countries, which had noticeable superiority, allowed Germany, the main military force of the Triple Alliance, to wage the war on equal terms.

Despite fierce resistance, by 1917 it became clear that victory would go to the Entente. Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary back in 1915. The United States took the side of the Entente (after the famous “Zimmerman Telegram”). In August 1916, Romania, which had been hesitating for a long time, also joined the Entente, but it turned out very unsuccessfully; soon its territory was occupied by the countries of the German bloc (much later, regarding the reliability of Romania as an ally, A. Hitler said: “If Romania ended the war on the same side as it started, it means that it ran over twice!”).

The internal situation has led to February Revolution in Russia, and later to October revolution, as a result of which Russia separately withdrew from the war on extremely unfavorable conditions (the capitulatory Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was concluded - a “obscene peace”, in the words of V.I. Lenin), since by 1917 Russia was no longer able to conduct any was fighting. This allowed Germany to continue the war for another year.

After the failure of the next offensive on the Western Front in November 1918, a revolution also began in Germany (ending on November 9 with the overthrow of Kaiser Wilhelm and the establishment Weimar Republic).

On November 11, 1918, the German and Allied commands concluded a truce in Compiegne, ending the First World War. In the same month, Austria-Hungary ceased to exist, breaking up into several states; its monarchy was overthrown.

Collapse of Empires

The result of the First World War was the disintegration and liquidation of four empires: German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman (Ottoman), the latter two were divided, and Germany and Russia, having ceased to be monarchies, were reduced territorially and weakened economically. Germany lost its colonial territories. Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Yugoslavia gained independence. The war set the stage for the eventual collapse of the British Empire.

First World War determined the end of the old world order that emerged after the Napoleonic Wars. The outcome of the conflict proved to be an important factor in the outbreak of World War II. It was revanchist sentiments in Germany that actually led to World War II.

In addition, the world war became one of the main reasons that turned the life of Russia upside down - the February and October revolutions. Old Europe, which for centuries had maintained a leading position in political, economic and cultural life, began to lose its leading position, losing it to the emerging new leader - the United States of America (or USA - the United States of North America, as this country was called at that time).

This war raised the question of the further coexistence of different peoples and states in a new way. And in human terms, its price turned out to be unprecedentedly high - the great powers that were part of the opposing blocs and bore the brunt of the hostilities lost a significant part of their gene pool. The historical consciousness of peoples turned out to be so poisoned that for a long time it cut off the path to reconciliation for those of them who acted as opponents on the battlefields. The world war “rewarded” those who went through its crucible and survived with a constant reminder of its bitterness. People's faith in the reliability and rationality of the existing world order was seriously undermined.

Brief background

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the balance of power in the international arena changed dramatically. The geopolitical aspirations of the great powers: Great Britain, France and Russia, on the one hand, Germany and Austria-Hungary, on the other, led to unusually intense rivalry.

In the last third of the 19th century, the geopolitical picture of the world looked like this: the USA and Germany began to outpace and displace the “old” great powers - Great Britain and France - in the world market in terms of economic growth rates, while simultaneously laying claim to their colonial possessions. In this regard, relations between Germany and Great Britain became extremely strained in the struggle both for colonies and for dominance in the oceans. During the same period, two unfriendly blocs of countries formed, which finally demarcated relations between them. It all started with the Austro-German alliance, formed in 1879 on the initiative of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Subsequently, Bulgaria and Türkiye joined this alliance. Somewhat later, the so-called Quadruple Alliance, or Central Bloc, formed, which marked the beginning of the series international treaties, which led to the creation of an opposing Russian-French bloc in 1891–1893.

Shooting chain. Before the dash

In 1904, Great Britain signed three conventions with France, which meant the establishment of the Anglo-French “Concord of the Heart” - “Entente cordiale” (this bloc began to be called the Entente later, when there was a brief rapprochement in the contradictory relations of these two countries). In 1907, in order to resolve colonial issues regarding Tibet, Afghanistan and Iran, a Russian-English treaty was concluded, which actually meant the inclusion of Russia in the Entente, or the “Triple Agreement”. In the growing rivalry, each of the great powers pursued its own interests.

The Russian Empire, realizing the need to contain the expansion of Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and strengthen it there own positions, counted on recapturing Galicia from Austria-Hungary, without excluding the establishment of control over the Black Sea straits of the Bosporus and Dardanelles, which were in Turkish possession.

The British Empire aimed to eliminate its main competitor, Germany, and strengthen its own position as a leading power, maintaining dominance at sea. At the same time, Britain planned to weaken and subordinate its allies - Russia and France - to its foreign policy. The latter thirsted for revenge for the defeat suffered during the Franco-Prussian War, and most importantly, wanted to return the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine lost in 1871.

Germany intended to defeat Great Britain in order to seize its colonies rich in raw materials, defeat France and secure the border provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. In addition, Germany sought to take possession of the vast colonies that belonged to Belgium and Holland, in the east its geopolitical interests extended to the possessions of Russia - Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states, and it also hoped to subordinate the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) and Bulgaria to its influence, after which, together with Austria-Hungary to establish control in the Balkans. Aiming at the speedy achievement of their goals, the German leadership was in every possible way looking for a reason to unleash military action, and it was ultimately found in Sarajevo...

“Oh, what a wonderful war!”

The military euphoria that gripped European countries, gradually turned into military psychosis. On the day the hostilities began, Emperor Franz Joseph published a manifesto, which, among other things, contained the famous phrase: “I have weighed everything, I have thought through everything”... On the same day, a meeting was held Russian Council ministers. The country's military leadership considered it necessary to carry out general mobilization, conscripting 5.5 million people into the army. Minister of War V.A. Sukhomlinov and Chief of the General Staff N.N. Yanushkevich insisted on this in the hope of a short-lived war (lasting 4–6 months). Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia demanding an end to general mobilization within 12 hours - until 12.00 on August 1, 1914. The ultimatum expired, and Russia found itself in a state of war with Germany.

Further events developed rapidly and inevitably. On August 2, Germany entered the war with Belgium, on August 3 - with France, and on August 4, official notification of the start of military action against it by Great Britain was received in Berlin. Thus, diplomatic battles in Europe gave way to bloody battles on the battlefield.

Russian three-inch guns at a military review

Probably, the top leadership of Germany and Austria-Hungary did not imagine what catastrophic consequences their actions would lead to, but it was the political shortsightedness of Berlin and Vienna that made such a fatal development of events possible. In conditions when there was still a possibility of resolving the crisis peacefully, neither in Germany nor in Austria-Hungary there was a single politician who would take such an initiative.

It is interesting that by the beginning of the 20th century there were no such insurmountable contradictions between Germany and Russia that would inevitably develop into such a large-scale military confrontation. However, there was an obvious desire German Empire to European and world domination. The Habsburg Empire was guided by similar ambitions. In the context of the strengthening of their military-political power, neither Russia, nor France, nor especially Great Britain could afford to find themselves in a secondary role. As Russian Foreign Minister S.D. Sazonov noted on this occasion, in the event of inaction, one would have to “not only abandon Russia’s age-old role as the defender of the Balkan peoples, but also recognize that the will of Austria and Germany standing behind it is the law for Europe "

"War to the bitter end!"

By the beginning of August 1914, the prospect of a “great European war” was obvious. The main powers of the opposing alliances - the Entente and the Central Bloc - began to bring their armed forces to combat readiness. Armies of millions were moving to their original combat positions, and their military command was already anticipating an imminent victory. Back then, few could have imagined how unattainable it was...

At first glance, there was no logic in the fact that the subsequent events of August 1914 unfolded according to a scenario that no one could have predicted. In reality, such a turn was predetermined by a number of circumstances, factors and trends.

On August 8, representatives of the majority political parties and associations expressed at a meeting of the Russian State Duma their loyal feelings to the emperor, as well as faith in the correctness of his actions and their readiness, putting aside internal disagreements, to support the soldiers and officers who found themselves at the fronts. The national slogan “War to a victorious end!” was taken up even by liberal-minded oppositionists, who quite recently advocated for Russia’s restraint and caution in foreign policy decisions.

After the announcement of the Highest Manifesto about the war, assurances of loyal feelings poured into St. Petersburg from all corners of the country, from all provinces. A week later, response telegrams arrived: “I thank the population of the province for their devotion and willingness to serve Me and the Motherland. Nikolai."

The formation of opposing blocs took place over a number of years. Their configuration changed under the influence of the dynamics of foreign policy contradictions.

Triple Alliance- a military-political unification of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy - was created back in 1882. However, distinct forms of bloc confrontation emerged during local armed conflicts at the turn of the century. These were the first wars for the redistribution of territories: the Spanish-American War (1898), the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). The Moroccan crises, the Balkan wars, and national liberation revolutions in a number of colonial and semi-colonial countries had no less active influence on the formation of the system of bloc confrontation.

At the time of the signing of the Entente Cordiale (Entente Cordiale) by England and France, Russia was at war with Japan. Before signing the treaty with France, England had already concluded a military-political alliance with Japan directed against Russia, thus the Anglo-French alliance was directed mainly against Germany. In the current conditions, Germany tried to take advantage of the Russo-Japanese War to weaken Russia’s political and economic positions, but at the same time took into account the danger of the emerging alliance between England and France, inclining Russia towards an alliance. This was evidenced by the meeting between German Kaiser Wilhelm II and Russian Emperor Nicholas II in the summer of 1905.

The further aggravation of contradictions between Germany, France and England served First Moroccan Crisis 1905-1906 At the Algeciras (Spain) conference on the problem of Morocco, France received strong support not only from England, but also from Russia, which was a step towards Russia’s entry into the Entente. A member of the Triple Alliance - Italy - also supported France, recognizing its claims to Morocco, thereby moving away from Germany and Austria-Hungary.

A year after the end of the Russo-Japanese War, England, taking into account the emerging imbalance of power in the East and growing hostility from Germany, signed an agreement with Russia, which defined the spheres of influence of the two countries in Iran, Afghanistan, Northeast China and Tibet.

The agreement between England and Russia finally formalized the bloc Entente.

The steady growth of the power of the German navy led to increased confrontation with the first naval power in the world - England.

The main epicenter of controversy on the eve of the First World War was Balkans, where the interests of not only the great Jaw villages, but also the small peoples inhabiting this

region. Traditionally oriented towards Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia in 1912 concluded an alliance treaty with a number of secret annexes, which provided for a joint armed action in the event of a violation of their sovereignty, as well as attempts to partition Macedonia. This treaty was directed primarily against Austria-Hungary and Turkey. Greece and Montenegro soon joined him, forming a broad coalition that went down in history as Balkan Union.

In the autumn of 1912 it began First Balkan War created a military-political union with Turkey. The reason for the war was the anti-Turkish uprising in Albania and Macedonia and Turkey's refusal to grant autonomy to Macedonia. Intervention in the conflict of the great powers (Austria-Hungary, Russia and

The Entente (from the French Entente, Entente cordiale - cordial agreement) - an alliance of Great Britain, France and Russia (Triple Entente), took shape in 1904-1907 and united more than 20 states during the First World War (1914-1918) against the coalition of the Central Powers , including the USA, Japan, Italy.

The creation of the Entente was preceded by the conclusion of a Russian-French alliance in 1891-1893 in response to the creation of the Triple Alliance (1882) led by Germany.

The formation of the Entente is associated with the delimitation of the great powers in late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, caused by a new balance of forces in the international arena and the aggravation of contradictions between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy on the one hand, France, Great Britain and Russia, on the other.
The sharp intensification of Anglo-German rivalry, caused by Germany's colonial and trade expansion in Africa, the Middle East and other areas, and the naval arms race, prompted Great Britain to seek an alliance with France and then with Russia.

In 1904, a British-French agreement was signed, followed by a Russo-British agreement (1907). These treaties actually formalized the creation of the Entente.

Russia and France were allies bound by mutual military obligations determined by the military convention of 1892 and subsequent decisions of the general staffs of both states. The British government, despite contacts between the British and French general staffs and naval commands established in 1906 and 1912, did not make specific military commitments. The formation of the Entente softened the differences between its participants, but did not eliminate them. These differences were revealed more than once, which Germany took advantage of in an attempt to tear Russia away from the Entente. However, strategic calculations and aggressive plans of Germany doomed these attempts to failure.

In turn, the Entente countries, preparing for war with Germany, took steps to separate Italy and Austria-Hungary from the Triple Alliance. Although Italy formally remained part of the Triple Alliance before the outbreak of World War I, the ties of the Entente countries with it strengthened, and in May 1915 Italy went over to the Entente side.

After the outbreak of the First World War, in September 1914 in London, an agreement was signed between Great Britain, France and Russia on the non-conclusion of a separate peace, replacing the allied military treaty. In October 1915, Japan joined this agreement, which in August 1914 declared war on Germany.

During the war, new states gradually joined the Entente. By the end of the war, the states of the anti-German coalition (not counting Russia, which withdrew from the war after the October Revolution of 1917) included Great Britain, France, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Italy, China, Cuba, Liberia, Nicaragua , Panama, Peru, Portugal, Romania, San Domingo, San Marino, Serbia, Siam, USA, Uruguay, Montenegro, Hijaz, Ecuador, Japan.

The main participants of the Entente - Great Britain, France and Russia, from the first days of the war entered into secret negotiations on the goals of the war. The British-French-Russian agreement (1915) provided for the transfer of the Black Sea straits to Russia, the London Treaty (1915) between the Entente and Italy determined the territorial acquisitions of Italy at the expense of Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Albania. The Sykes-Picot Treaty (1916) divided Turkey's Asian possessions between Great Britain, France and Russia.

During the first three years of the war, Russia drew off significant enemy forces, coming quickly to the aid of the Allies as soon as Germany launched serious offensives in the West.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Russia’s withdrawal from the war did not disrupt the Entente’s victory over the German bloc, because Russia fully fulfilled its allied obligations, unlike England and France, who more than once broke their promises of help. Russia gave England and France the opportunity to mobilize all their resources. The struggle of the Russian army allowed the United States to expand its production power, create an army and replace Russia, which had emerged from the war - the United States officially declared war on Germany in April 1917.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Entente organized an armed intervention against Soviet Russia - on December 23, 1917, Great Britain and France signed a corresponding agreement. In March 1918, the Entente intervention began, but the campaigns against Soviet Russia ended in failure. The goals that the Entente set for itself were achieved after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, but the strategic alliance between the leading Entente countries, Great Britain and France, remained in the following decades.

The general political and military leadership of the bloc's activities in various periods was carried out by: Inter-Allied Conferences (1915, 1916, 1917, 1918), the Supreme Council of the Entente, the Inter-Allied (Executive) Military Committee, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, the main headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, commanders-in-chief and headquarters at individual theaters of military operations. Such forms of cooperation were used as bilateral and multilateral meetings and consultations, contacts between commanders-in-chief and general staffs through representatives of the allied armies and military missions. However, the difference in military-political interests and goals, military doctrines, an incorrect assessment of the forces and means of the opposing coalitions, their military capabilities, the remoteness of the theaters of military operations, and the approach to the war as a short-term campaign did not allow the creation of a unified and permanent military-political leadership of the coalition in the war.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Soldiers of the First World War

“Everyone is looking and not finding the reason why the war started. Their searches are in vain; they will not find this reason. The war did not begin for any one reason, the war began for all reasons at once” (Thomas Woodrow Wilson). The First World War covers the period from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. It was a large-scale armed conflict. The war divided world history into two eras, opening a completely new page filled with social explosions and upheavals.
This name for the war became established in historiography after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Previously, the name " Great War"(English) TheGreatWar, fr. La grande guerre), V Russian Empire it was called the “Second Patriotic War,” and also informally (both before the revolution and after) - "German"; then to the USSR - "imperialist war".

For almost the entire 19th century, the major powers were heading towards open conflict, as a result of which the fate of not just Europe, but the entire world, was to be decided. England, France, Russia, and a little later Germany and Austria-Hungary were not going to compromise.

The threat of war could not be prevented either by the numerous alliances formed, since almost all of them turned out to be fictitious, or even by the close relationship of almost all the reigning families. In fact, future enemies - the rulers of Russia, England and Germany - were cousins. But national interests for them stood above reason and family ties.

38 people were involved in a military conflict on a global scale. independent states out of 59 existing at that time. And each side had its own reasons for participating in the war.

The First World War was a war between two coalitions of powers: the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) and the Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, later Japan, Italy, Romania, USA, etc.).

World at the turn of the century

At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. capitalism developed into imperialism. The world was almost completely divided between the largest powers. But this section could not be final. There were always parts of disputed territories, remnants of crumbling empires (for example, the Portuguese possessions in Africa, which, according to a secret agreement concluded by Great Britain and Germany in 1898, were to be divided between the two powers; the Ottoman Empire slowly collapsed throughout the 19th century and represented tasty pieces for young predators). Having colonies means not only having markets and sources of raw materials, but also being a great and respected power.

The beginning of the 20th century was also marked by the emergence of a number of unifying trends: pan-Germanism, pan-Slavism, etc. Each of these movements demanded a vast, homogeneous space for itself and sought to break up the existing heterogeneous formations, primarily Austria-Hungary, a mosaic state united only by the belonging of each part to the Habsburg dynasty.

The global confrontation between the great powers, primarily England and Germany, intensified, and a struggle began for the redivision of the world, including the redistribution of colonies.

Contradictions appeared in certain regions: the confrontation in the Balkans between Russia and its ally Serbia and Austria-Hungary, together with allied Bulgaria, became particularly acute. The situation was aggravated by the fact that England, Germany, France and Italy also pursued their interests here. By 1914, Germany had emerged as the dominant military power in the Balkan region, bringing the Ottoman army under control. Russia's desire to master the Black Sea straits was now blocked not only by England, but also by the German-Turkish military alliance.

The new superpowers, the USA and Japan, sought to spread their influence in the Middle and Far East.

In Europe, the political and economic rivalry between Germany and France was obvious, as they fought for hegemony in the field of production and sales in Europe.

Interests of countries

Great Britain (as part of the Entente)

She was afraid of a potential German threat, so she switched to the policy of forming an anti-German bloc of states.

She did not want to put up with German penetration into areas that she considered “hers”: East and South-West Africa. She also wanted to take revenge on Germany for supporting the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Therefore, in fact, it was already waging an undeclared economic and trade war against Germany and was actively preparing for war with it.

France (part of the Entente)

She wanted to recoup the defeat inflicted on her by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. She wanted to return Alsace and Lorraine, separated from France in 1871. She fought with Germany for markets, but at the same time feared German aggression. It was also important for France to preserve its colonies (North Africa).

Russia (as part of the Entente)

The main interest for Russia was control over the Dardanelles Strait; it wanted to have free passage for its fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad railway (1898), Russia saw an unfriendly act on the part of Germany, an encroachment on its rights in Asia, although in 1911 these differences with Germany were resolved by the Potsdam Agreement.

Austria's influence was growing in the Balkans, which Russia also did not want to put up with, as well as the fact that Germany was gaining strength and began to dictate its terms in Europe.

Russia considered itself the main one among the Slavic peoples, and tried to support the anti-Austrian and anti-Turkish sentiments of the Serbs and Bulgarians.

Serbia (as part of the Entente)

She wanted to establish herself in the Balkans as the leader of the Slavic peoples of the peninsula, to form Yugoslavia, including all the Slavs living in the south of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Unofficially supported nationalist organizations that fought against Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

German Empire (Triple Alliance)

Sought military, economic and political dominance in the European continent. She sought to gain equal rights in the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal.

In the Entente she saw an alliance against herself.

Austria-Hungary (Triple Alliance)

Due to its multinationality, it played the role of a constant source of instability in Europe. She tried to hold on to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which she captured in 1908. It opposed Russia because Russia took on the role of protector of all Slavs in the Balkans, and Serbia.

USA before the First World War they were the world's largest debtor, and after the war they became the world's sole creditor.

Preparing for war

The state had been preparing for a world war as a means of resolving external and internal contradictions for many years, and the creation of a system of military-political blocs began. This began with the Austro-German treaty of 1879, the participants of which pledged to provide assistance to each other in the event of war with Russia. In 1882, Italy joined them, seeking support in the fight against France for the possession of Tunisia. Thus arose the Triple Alliance of 1882, or the alliance of the Central Powers, directed against Russia and France, and later against Great Britain. In contrast to him, another coalition of European powers began to take shape. The Russian-French alliance of 1891-93 was formed, which provided for joint actions of these countries in the event of aggression from Germany or aggression from Italy and Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany. The growth of Germany's economic power at the beginning of the 20th century. forced Great Britain to gradually abandon the traditional policy of “splendid isolation” and seek rapprochement with France and Russia. Anglo-French agreement of 1904 Disputes between Great Britain and France on colonial issues were settled, and the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907 cemented the agreement between Russia and Great Britain regarding their policies in Tibet, Afghanistan, and Iran. These documents formalized the creation of the Triple Entente, or Entente- a bloc of Great Britain, France and Russia that opposed the Triple Alliance. In 1912, the Anglo-French and Franco-Russian maritime conventions were signed, and in 1913 negotiations began on concluding an Anglo-Russian maritime convention.

In preparation for a world war, states created a powerful military industry, the basis of which was large state factories: weapons, powder, shells, cartridges, shipbuilding, etc. Private enterprises were involved in the production of military products: in Germany - Krupp factories, in Austria-Hungary - Skoda , in France - Schneider-Creusot and Saint-Chamon, in Great Britain - Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth, in Russia - the Putilov plant, etc. The achievements of science and technology were put in the service of preparing for war. More advanced weapons appeared: repeating rapid-fire rifles and machine guns, which greatly increased the firepower of the infantry; In artillery, the number of rifled guns of the latest systems has sharply increased.

The development was of great strategic importance railways, which made it possible to significantly speed up the concentration and deployment of large military masses in theaters of military operations and to ensure an uninterrupted supply of active armies with human replacements and all types of material and technical support. Road transport began to play an increasingly important role. Military aviation emerged. The use of new means of communication in military affairs (telegraph, telephone, radio) facilitated the organization of command and control of troops. The number of armies and trained reserves increased rapidly. In the field of naval armaments there was persistent rivalry between Germany and Great Britain. Since 1905, a new type of ship was built - dreadnoughts. By 1914, the German fleet was firmly in second place in the world after the British fleet. Other states also sought to strengthen their navies.

Ideological preparations for war were also carried out: the people were instilled with the idea of ​​its inevitability through propaganda.

It is known that the reason for the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 was the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo by the Serbian nationalist, a member of the Young Bosnia organization Gavrilo Princip. But that was just an excuse. As one historian put it, this murder can be called setting fire to the fuse, behind which there was a barrel of gunpowder.