WORLD WAR 1 (1900-18)

By the early 20th century ,industrialism , nationalism , and imperialism had generated explosion rivalries among the world's great power .Germany and France had been sharply at odds since the franco-prussian war , which ended in 1871 when France surrendered the disputed borderlands of Alsace  and Lorraine.That core rivalry expanded in year to come .  

Germany joined Austria-Hungary and Italy in the Triple Alliance, and France joined Great Britain and Russia in the Triple Entente. These alliances, combined with technological advances in weaponry. set the stage for a conflict of unprecedented scope and severity. In the Balkans, Austria-Hungary and Russia competed as the Ottoman Empire lost control. In 1908 Austria Hungary annexed Bosnia. Russia supported neighboring Serbia, which aided rebellious Serbs in Bosnia. In June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand. heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in the Bosnian capital. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia, and Russia came to Serbia’s defense. Germany then joined its ally Austria-Hungary against Russia and planned to defeat the French quickly before the Russians could mobilize for war. In early August days after Austria. Hungary declared war on Serbia and Russia began mobilizing, Germany invaded Belgium and headed to France thus engaging Britain.

German hopes for quick victory were dashed when French and British troops held fast in northern France. Both sides tried to break the stalemate, but attackers suffered terrible losses.
Struggling through minefields and barbed wire under machine-gun fire. German and Austria-Hungarian forces fared better against the Russians but fell short of victory. Ottoman Turks joined with Germany and Austria-Hungary to form the Central Powers, and Italy left that coalition in  to join the Allies. Conflict spread to the Middle East, where Arabs joined the Allies in battling the Turks. India contributed to the Allied cause, hoping to be rewarded by Britain with Independence or dominion status .Japan joined the Allies, hoping to seize Germany‘s pacific possessions.

In April 1917 the U.S. entered the war in response to German U-boat attacks in the Atlantic, boosting Allied strength just before Russia withdrew from the war American forces with tanks helped the allies thwart a German offensive. On November 11, 1918 Germany signed an armistice, bringing

the war to an end