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| - After the relative peace of the 19th Century, the rivalries between European powers came to a head in 1914. Following the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Bosnian Serb Austrian citizen, Austria invaded Serbia. This in turn set in motion a series of events which predicated full-scale war on the European continent. Germany and Austria-Hungary had a long-standing alliance, and were joined by the Ottoman Empire in a war against France, Russia and several smaller powers.
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| abstract
| - After the relative peace of the 19th Century, the rivalries between European powers came to a head in 1914. Following the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Bosnian Serb Austrian citizen, Austria invaded Serbia. This in turn set in motion a series of events which predicated full-scale war on the European continent. Germany and Austria-Hungary had a long-standing alliance, and were joined by the Ottoman Empire in a war against France, Russia and several smaller powers. The most prominent nation to remain neutral in the war was the United Kingdom, which was struggling with a difficult Home Rule bill in Ireland. The internal dissent in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants threatened to tear the country apart, which is why Asquith, the British Prime Minister, was somewhat relieved when he received assurances from the German Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm II, himself the cousin of Britain's George V, that Germany would not invade Belgium. Had it done so, Britain would have been treaty-bound to declare war on Berlin. Instead, Germany concentrated its attacks on Russia and France, while Austria-Hungary pummeled Russia with Turkish assistance. The war was also fought in Africa with German colonial forces attempting to annex French colonial settlements. With Britain carefully neutral, it was in a prime position to negotiate an end to the conflict. In the spring of 1915, German forces under General Erich Ludendorff entered Paris. The French government of René Viviani was forced to the bargaining table after a further series of humiliating losses throughout northern France. After the initial talks broke down, Viviani immediately resigned and his successor, Clemenceau, was more successful in negotiating a peace settlement with the Kaiser. The armistice of June 1915 stated that Paris would be returned to French control in exchange for territory north of the Seine. In the east, the Russian army struggled to hold its western border against a three-pronged assault. Due to its vast size, harsh winters and skilled tactics, Russia remained in a deadlock with the Central Powers (as they became known) throughout most of 1915 and 1916. In France, Clemenceau's government collapsed and anarchy took hold in April 1916 - after rogue French forces crossed into German-occupied France, Berlin responded with force and the armistice was broken. By 1917, the United States and its President, Woodrow Wilson, had tired of the effect the war was having on international trade. He found an ally in British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (who had replaced Asquith early that year). Wilson and Lloyd George began to open talks with both sides in the conflict with the objective of finding a negotiated settlement to end war in Europe. Meanwhile, internal forces in Russia were causing continued dissent. In April 1917, the Romanov family were overthrown and replaced by a provisional government led by Alexandr Kerensky. However, Kerensky's government was even more unstable and was soon replaced by the Marxist, or Communist, movement of V.I. Lenin, who seized power in St. Petersburg and immediately began overtures towards peace. The Treaty of Versailles, jointly negotiated by Wilson and Lloyd George, saw the map of Europe radically redrawn. Key points of the treaty included:
* The partition of Poland between Germany and Austria-Hungary
* Formal retention by Germany of all the areas of northern France it had occupied, with the exception of Paris.
* The Netherlands and Denmark to be made German protectorates (they would eventually be formally annexed), while Belgium was to be divided between Germany and France as a 'buffer' state and turned into a demilitarized zone.
* The Caucasus region to be ceded by Russia to the Ottoman Empire.
* The creation of a unified European Customs Union to foster greater co-operation in Europe.
* War reparations to be paid by Germany and Austria-Hungary to France and Russia.
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