Trench Life and Trench Warfare-Introduction

The Great War was known for its lack of movement and the stage of stalemate. After the first advance from Germany on France it slowly turned into trench warfare, whereas the movement was not restored until later on when the war was nearly coming to an end. Trench Warfare is a field fortification where there are parallel rows of trenches which ran along the Western Front in WWI.

The frontline were those who were directly in front of the enemies. For protection, they used the mud which was dug out to form the trenches as a parapet. Behind the frontline, there was another row of trenches called the reserve trenches (the second line). This was just in case the front line were to be attacked upon. In some cases there would have been a third row called communication trenches that were used to send fresh troops, water and supplies. Trenches were in the form of zig zags and not straight lines; the purpose of this was for many strategic reasons, one being that it reduced the damage and impact that shells would cause.

Life in the trenches were hard. The water was a haven for bacteria to grow and invest. The men were always subdued to infections and disease because of the wet climate mixed with the mud and bacteria. These diseases spread like wild fire, and because there were no antibiotics, wounds often turned into gangrene. These conditions were the cause of many deaths during WWI. There are many more aspects of trench life that cannot be spoken about because of this word limit!

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

http://www.harris-academy.com/departments/history/Trenches/Joanna/joanna1.htm

World War I

World War I also known as "The Great War" lasted 4 years, from 1914 to 1918. A total of around 11 million people died, and many cities were destroyed. This was a war that caused more destruction and conflict than anyone could have imagined resulting in its referral as ‘The Great War’.

Alliances:
In 1871, Germany invaded France and was granted a good portion of French territory. France, to prevent another invasion, made an alliance with Russia and Britain and became known as the ‘Triple Entente’. If France were to be attacked by Germany again, Russia would declare war on Germany immediately and aid France. Nervous from being surrounded by enemies, Germany made an agreement with Austria-Hungary and Italy, forming the ‘Triple Alliance’, also known as the Central Powers.

On June 28^th 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The killer was Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian terrorist. This assassination was viewed by Austria-Hungary as a direct challenge from Serbia to their position as a ruler of Bosnia, and their standing as a Great Power. Germany planned to attack France by going through Belgium; however the French met the Germans before they could take any steps further, this war tore on for 4 years on the Western Front, something nobody would have expected. This sparked the beginning of World War I.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm