WWI European Theatre Map
Map of the European Theater of World War I
Because of the differences in geographical location between the Great War or First World War and the Second World War, it is important to distinguish between the two wars. World War I was an international conflict that affected European countries between 1914 and 1918. It was fought between Germany and Austria-Hungary. The majority of the fighting took place in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. During the war, there were primarily two camps, with Germany, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary serving as the center powers, and France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and later the United States standing on the opposing side of the spectrum, respectively. The First World War began when the Serbians decided to liberate their people in Austria-Hungary after winning the Balkan Wars that took place between 1912 and 1913. This was the impetus for the outbreak of the war. The Serbs needed to do something to anger Austria-Hungary, and the greatest chance they had was to assassinate Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. Ferdinand, who was scheduled to pay a visit to the troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was assassinated by Apis, who was also the head of the secret club known as the Union or Death. Apis was also the leader of the secret organisation known as the Union or Death.
Geographically, the First World War began in Serbia after the death of Ferdinand, the successor to the Austria-Hungarian Empire, triggered the outbreak of hostilities. Because of the existing military pact between the two countries, Austria-Hungary had already been assured of Germany’s backing at that point. In contrast, Russia, due of the military deal they have with Serbia, would intervene unconditionally if the country was attacked by the West. Following Germany’s involvement in the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, Russia and France were compelled to intervene on their own accord. Germany had originally requested that its forces transit via Luxembourg and Belgium on their march to France. However, this was later changed. As a result of Belgium’s refusal to allow German soldiers to travel through its territory, Germany was compelled to declare war on the country. Given that the United Kingdom had a treaty with Belgium, it was forced to declare war on Germany as well, despite the fact that Germany had nothing to do with Serbia, the initial aggressor. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and other European countries declared war on Russia. Serbia, in the same vein, declared war on Germany in order to demonstrate support for Russia. On August 10 and 12, respectively, Great Britain and France officially declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, while Japan declared war on Serbia and Russia on August 23, officially joining the war on the same day. Even though war had extended over Europe and Asia by this point, there was nothing happening in North Africa and the Middle East at the time.
Romania, despite the fact that it was waging an anti-Russian campaign at home, elected not to participate in the fighting. Following the Treaty of London, Russia, Great Britain, and France formed a formidable alliance, which was later known to as the Entente, or simply the allied troops, to fight against the Germans. In accordance with the treaty, none of the parties were permitted to conclude separate peace treaties with the central powers, led by Germany.
Unlike the First World War, which lasted only a few years, the Second World War expanded across all of the world after it began in 1939. In contrast to World War I, World War II erupted in Germany. The Axis Powers, which included Germany, Japan, and Italy, were the principal combatants in World War II. The two countries had previously been on the opposite sides of the First World War, with Japan fighting Germany and Italy remaining neutral, but they were now on Germany’s side. WWII erupted as a result of the treaties signed following World War I.
While the First World War began with the assassination of the Austria-Hungarian prince in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Second World War began with the invasion of Poland by Germany’s dictator, Adolf Hitler, in 1939. Poland had received assurances from France and Britain that they would help the country if it were invaded by Germany.
Geographically, World War I and World War I differ in a number of ways, as depicted on the maps. The main reasons for the disparity are the aggressor and the military pacts that were formed following the first world war. Serbia was the primary aggressor during World War I, and its primary goal was to reclaim its former glory. The authorities of Serbia believed that by rescuing their compatriots who were imprisoned in Austria-Hungary, they would be able to regain control of their country. All of this was only possible because they signed a series of military treaties with the main countries of Europe, notably Russia. Germany and other nations, such as Japan and Italy, were the aggressors in World War II, and they were mostly unsatisfied with the type of accords reached after World War I, particularly the sanctions imposed on Germany (Swift, and Sharpe 13).
There is a significant contrast between the consequences of the two wars. Following World War I, Germany was forced to surrender a number of African colonies as part of the peace treaty with the victorious nations. Second, due to the aggressive nature of Germany and her allies, it was necessary to prevent them from manufacturing specific types of weaponry in the first place. In Eastern Europe, for example, Germany lost all of its allies to the Soviet Union. By that time, Russia was flexing its muscles with the goal of establishing a communist empire in the former Soviet Union. During World War I, the Allies of Great Britain, France, and Russia achieved an easy win against Germany and its allies. In order to maintain their strong position in Europe and North Africa, particularly Egypt in the case of Great Britain, they continued to invest heavily in these regions. In the aftermath of World War II, however, the situation was different since France and Great Britain were declared bankrupt. The United States, acting through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, had to bail out the two countries, as well as other European countries that had taken part in the conflict.
Furthermore, they were forced to grant independence to a large number of countries, particularly those in North Africa, primarily due to their inability to maintain their activities. In Europe, France and the United Kingdom conceded defeat to Russia, allowing it to go on to build the Soviet Union. Europe would never be the same again since the traditional powers, which included Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Belgium, were no longer in existence. Because their economies were on their knees, the majority of these countries had to start from the ground up.
References
Swift, Michael, and Mike Sharpe are two of the most well-known names in the business. Historical maps of Europe during World War II. PRC Publishing Company, London, 2000. Print.
