Development of military technology in World War I

World War I

Development of imperialism at the second half of the nineteenth century had clear features of unavoidable future war, imperialist war for colonial domination. After Berlin Congress of 1878 it became clear that unified Germany would never agree on the role of European industrial superpower without any considerable colonial possessions. In addition, there were other countries with imperial ambitions: Russian Empire, Japan in Asia and the United States in Western Hemisphere.

Until the beginning of WWI, the U.S.A. had indirect relation to European politics and European conflicts, as its major interests were concentrated in Western hemisphere. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the U.S.A. turned into regional leader and developing imperial power. American fruit companies quickly occupied Latin American markets and by the beginning of the twentieth century controlled nearly all exports of Latin American agricultural production, cultivating soil for further economical expansion of American capitalism. The Spanish-American war of 1898 had shown that the U.S.A. was the only regional power in Western hemisphere and that it had a high potential to influence world politics in future. New concept of colonization, proposed by American capital was less risky than European one: American business penetrated only into economies of dependent countries, but not into fundamental political institutions. Such concept of protecting economical interests of national capital abroad was successful in the changing dynamics of the twentieth century.

WWI began in 1914 in Europe, quickly turning into a total war, which involved 32 nations. It originally started as a war between Austria-Hungarian empire and Balkan state of Serbia, but turned into a global war between the Allies (Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy and later the U.S.A.) and Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria). After the war began, Woodrow Wilson announced that the U.S.A. would keep "neutrality" and asked "Americans to be neutral in fact as well as in name." The atmosphere inside the U.S.A. was quite different by 1916 from what the president demanded, as on the hand with pacifism proclaimed by government, there were growing anti-German tendencies from one side and militarist tendencies, represented by different financial groups, which insisted on participation in war either on the side of Allies on the side of Central Powers.

The early years of the WWI had a very positive affect on American industry, trade, finance and economy in general. The U.S.A. turned into the main provision and military supplier of Allies and Central Powers, so that by the 1916 it turned from the debtor of European states to their main creditor. The neutrality of the U.S.A. And economic growth allowed president to initiate a series of legislative acts, which regulated labor relations. In 1917 child labor was abolished, 8-hour working day was introduced, fair conditions of labor were provided for women.

Politics of neutrality and wide social and economical programs (in 1914 antitrust legislation established a Federal Trade Commission to prohibit unfair business practices) allowed Wilson to run for second term. But in 1917 W. Wilson had to change his attitude towards "neutrality" and on April, 2-1917 asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany. There were a number of logical premises for such decision, not only political ambition to play a leading role in world politics. Undeclared u-boat war of German submarines, which led to, sank of Lusitania liner and political intrigues with Mexican government to declare war against the U.S.A. And Germany (Zimmerman telegram) led to serious actions from he side of the U.S.A. Of course the government of the U.S.A. was very anxious about u-boat war and realized all the absurd of possible war with Mexico, which could not even deal with such guerillas as Panco Villa. But at the same time failures of Allies on Eastern front and growing instability in Russian empire dictated natural reasons for the U.S.A. To enter the war.

Failures on front, economical problems and war which lacked common sense led to February revolution in Russia, in 1917 and future 5 years of civil war also known as "troubled times." New Provisional government, led by Kerenskiy supported participation in war as it was the only way for new Russia to prove its faithfulness to European powers and the only way to avoid future economical and political isolation. Inability of Provisional government to control situation in the country, ruined by war and crisis resulted in Bolshevik's revolution, which led communists to power. Bolsheviks were radical socialist (communist) party, with political program very popular among soldiers, poor peasants and workers, so they quickly gained support over common people who were tired of prolonged war. They agreed on the conditions of shameful peace with Central Powers in early 1918, so "On 3 March, 1918, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk" and agreed on occupation of Poland, Finland, Baltic territories, Ukraine and Don region. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, German government relied on quick end of the war in its favor as its positions on Eastern Front were protected. But the penetration of the U.S.A. changed the balance on the Western Front to the favor of Allies after titanic military efforts. In March, 1918 Germany concentrated 13 armies on Western Front against 171 infantry and 8 cavalry divisions of Allies. Despite the success in Flandreau, German troops soon stopped offense and were retreated by Allies, who used a new weapon- tanks. At the same time, united armies of Allies attacked Bulgarian and Turkish armies in Southern Europe forcing them to retreat by the end of summer. By autumn of 1918 Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary collapsed, and finally September 29, 1918 generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff forced Keiser Wilhelm to sign peace treaty.

November 11, 1918 Germany signed peace in the Compiegne Forest (which put an end to the war) under uneasy conditions. Earlier, German government sent President Wilson a note asking for peace on the base of Wilson's 14 points program. But after the Paris Peace conference it became clear that only 4 points of Wilson were fulfilled.

Wilson's 14 points was a sober and a very progressive program of peaceful development of the world community after the WWI, yet its main concepts were rejected by European powers. Wilson supported ideas of nationalist self-determination, which led to the creation of new states in Europe on the ashes of former 3 empires: Russian, Austria-Hungarian and Ottoman, so that Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and other countries, which appeared on the map of new Europe in 1918. Together with solution of the burning national and political issues, Wilson's program had a clear concept of economic policies, which would allow avoiding economical premises for future wars:

"I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.

II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants.

III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance."

Versailles Treaty of 1919, which was signed as a follow-up of November armistice, 1918 determined the fate of Europe for the next 19 years. German delegation had to sign it under shameful conditions, which led in future to the collapse of Weimar republic in 1933. Peter Gay describes German delegation in the following manner: "Members of delegation were greatly humiliated. The anguish of defeat and the sense of guilt had created a kind of inferiority complex from which most members of the delegation suffered..." Versailles treaty put an end to former German superiority in Europe as it was deprived of possessions in Central Africa and Pacific, it lost strategic seaports along the Baltic (for example Danzig), and rich industrial provinces which were annexed from France in the 19th century: Alsace-Lorraine and region of Saar: "The French under Poincare occupied the Ruhr, the government announced passive resistance, and among the German masses the feeling of danger was set."