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From 1898 to 1912, the German government, with the support of Kaiser Wilhelm II, began mass production of warships as a part of their campaign to become of the major European powers. In 1908, members of this British pubic saw the increase in German naval power and demanded the Government to meet the German's challenge as it was considered a threat to their power and superiority over the sea as it was their primary source of power, control, and primary source of survival for Britain
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A series of treaties between the French and British saw a significant improvement in Anglo-Franco relations after many decades of conflict, which resulted in the British ceding territory to the French in exchange for France giving many of its fisheries to the UK. -
The Schleiffen Plan was established in case of an outbreak of war, in which Germany would attack France first and then swoop back around to deal with Russia—intending to get the French to submit out of the war before the Russians finished mobilizing, as it would lead to an encirclement around Germany. This failed as the Germans underestimated the Russian's mobilization time, failures within their command, and the time taken to defeat the French -
In March of 1905, Kaiser Wilhelm II traveled to Tangier, Morocco, to declare support for Moroccan sovereignty against repelling the British (Jameson raid). As a result, France saw this as a threat to their influence and control in the area, leading to conflict and the Algeciras conference and the 13 nations present (France not supporting Austria-Hungary). As the Crisis continued, the relations between the British & French strengthened, while the relations grew strained between France & Germany.
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The French attempted to take over Morocco again in 1911. But was futile as the german sent a gunboat to Agadir. The French & British feared that Germany was trying to build a naval base in Morocco. As a result, an agreement was formed between France & Germany, with France revealing land in central Africa. However, this incident also brought the French and British closer by agreeing to defend each other in the event of war, and hostility/tensions grew toward a mutual enemy, Germany.
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With their overwhelming sea power, the British established a naval blockade of Germany immediately after the outbreak of war, issuing a comprehensive list of contraband prohibiting American trade with the Central powers. Declaring the North Sea a war zone, with any ships entering at their own risk. Shortages in coal & nonferrous metals. The blockade deprived Germany of fertilizer supplies, and scarcity in grain, potatoes, meat, and dairy became so scarce by the end of 1916.
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Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne and the primary source that would stop the war from ever happening was assassinated, and his wife by Gavrilo Princip when paying a visit to the city of Sarajevo. Princip was a member of the nationalist called the black hand gang, whose aim was to push Austria-Hungary out of the Balkans. Being the starting point of War... -
July 28 - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
August 1- Outbreak of war - Germany declares war on Russia
August 3 - Germany declares war on France
August 4 - Britain declares war on Germany
August 23 - Japan declares war on Germany -
After launching the massive offense (The Schlieffen plan) through Belgium and northern France, it was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the Germans. Consider one of the most important battles as it prevented the Germans from reaching Paris and potentially ending the war. -
Each side tried to get around the northern end of the other's lines for the next few weeks in a so-called "race to the sea." Finally, both sides ran out of room to maneuver. By year's end, the Allies and Germans faced each other along a continuous line that ran for 450 miles from the coast of Belgium, through northern France, down to the border of Switzerland. This line would remain essentially unchanged for over three years. -
The offensive launched by the British and French against the Germans aimed to break through the German lines to destroy the German defenses and create a gap for the British to advance. And was considered one of the war's most bloodied and brutal engagements. British Losses: 420,000 (995,675 killed or missing)
French Losses: 200,000 (50,729 killed or missing)
German Losses: 440,000 (41,605 men captured by the French, 31,396 captured by the British)