This is the story of a generation of men who come of age in the trenches
of World War I, only to become the leaders of World War II. The lessons
they learn on the frontlines shape them as they rise to power—and haunt
them as the deadly fighting breaks out again. Some become heroes, forged
in courage under fire. Others emerge as the most infamous villains the
world has ever seen.
Type: Documentary
Languages: English
Status: Ended
Runtime: 120 minutes
Premier: 2014-05-26
The World Wars - World War I - Netflix
World War I (often abbreviated as WWI or WW1), also known as the First
World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war
originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918.
More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans,
were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. Over nine million
combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war
(including the victims of a number of genocides), a casualty rate
exacerbated by the belligerents' technological and industrial
sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by gruelling trench
warfare. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history and
precipitated major political change, including the Revolutions of
1917–1923 in many of the nations involved. Unresolved rivalries at the
end of the conflict contributed to the start of the Second World War
twenty-one years later. The war drew in all the world's economic great
powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the
Triple Entente of the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) versus the Central Powers
of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Although Italy was a member of the
Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary, it did not join
the Central Powers, as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive against
the terms of the alliance. These alliances were reorganised and expanded
as more nations entered the war: Italy, Japan and the United States
joined the Allies, while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the
Central Powers. The trigger for the war was the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of
Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on
28 June 1914. This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary
delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia and, as a result,
entangled-international-alliances, formed over the previous decades,
were invoked. Within weeks the major powers were at war, and the
conflict soon spread around the world. Russia was the first to order a
partial mobilisation of its armies on 24–25 July, and when on 28 July
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia declared general
mobilisation on 30 July. Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to
demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1
August. Being outnumbered on the Eastern Front, Russia urged its Triple
Entente ally France to open up a second front in the west. Japan entered
the war on the side of the Allies on 23 August 1914, seizing the
opportunity of Germany's distraction with the European War to expand its
sphere of influence in China and the Pacific. Over forty years earlier
in 1870, the Franco-Prussian War had ended the Second French Empire and
France had ceded the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine to a unified Germany.
Bitterness over that defeat and the determination to retake
Alsace-Lorraine made the acceptance of Russia's plea for help an easy
choice, so France began full mobilisation on 1 August and, on 3 August,
Germany declared war on France. The border between France and Germany
was heavily fortified on both sides so, according to the Schlieffen
Plan, Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving
towards France from the north, leading the United Kingdom to declare war
on Germany on 4 August due to their violation of Belgian neutrality.
After the German march on Paris was halted in the Battle of the Marne,
what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of
attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the
Eastern Front, the Russian army led a successful campaign against the
Austro-Hungarians, but the Germans stopped its invasion of East Prussia
in the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. In November 1914,
the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the
Caucasus, Mesopotamia, and the Sinai Peninsula. In 1915, Italy joined
the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers. Romania joined the
Allies in 1916. After the sinking of seven US merchant ships by German
submarines, and the revelation that the Germans were trying to get
Mexico to make war on the United States, the US declared war on Germany
on 6 April 1917. The Russian government collapsed in March 1917 with the
February Revolution, and the October Revolution followed by a further
military defeat brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers
via the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which granted the Germans a significant
victory. After the stunning German Spring Offensive along the Western
Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the
Germans in the successful Hundred Days Offensive. On 4 November 1918,
the Austro-Hungarian empire agreed to the Armistice of Villa Giusti, and
Germany, which had its own trouble with revolutionaries, agreed to an
armistice on 11 November 1918, ending the war in victory for the Allies.
By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire,
Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist. National
borders were redrawn, with nine independent nations restored or created,
and Germany's colonies were parcelled out among the victors. During the
Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four powers (Britain, France,
the United States and Italy) imposed their terms in a series of
treaties. The League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing
any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic
depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings
of humiliation (particularly in Germany) eventually contributed to the
start of World War II.
The World Wars - Soldiers' experiences - Netflix
The British soldiers of the war were initially volunteers but
increasingly were conscripted into service. Surviving veterans,
returning home, often found they could discuss their experiences only
amongst themselves. Grouping together, they formed “veterans'
associations” or “Legions”. A small number of personal accounts of
American veterans have been collected by the Library of Congress
Veterans History Project.
The World Wars - References - Netflix