World War One
WWI began on the 28th of July 1914, all the way until November 11th, 1918. Throughout that excruciating span of four years, nearly 40 million lives were lost, over 20 nations were conquered or destroyed, and alliances were formed. Initially, WWI began because of Austria-Hungary declaring war upon Serbia. Why? The Austrian Archduke and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian terrorist. Of course at first it was between the two countries (Austria and Serbia), but shortly later, Germany, Russia, France and Great Britain became involved. The most prominent reason they joined into the war was because they were tangled into treaties that obligated them to defend and secure certain countries that they may or may not have agreed to. Germany joined forces with Austria-Hungary to create the Central Powers and the Allies were formed by The Triple Entente, also known as Britain, France and Russia. These two were the main economic powers. The first shots fired in this war were made by Austria-Hungary as they invaded Serbia. Russia was mobilized and Germany soon invaded Luxembourg and neutral Belgium, and afterward forwarded to France. This led to Britain demanding war over Germany. The end of the entire war resulted in redrawing the map of Europe, along with the closure of German, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires. The Allies held the victory.
Trench Warfare
The definition of Trench Warfare is when the opposing armies charge battle at a close range from a series of somewhat deep ditches and holes dug in the ground. This became crucial when both armies halt at a stalemate (no action can be taken). The soldiers slept, ate, released their waste and trash and breathed in the trenches for long periods of unestimated time. The conditions of the trenches were obviously filthy, crowded, sick or dead men lying everywhere you stepped, guns and empty shells scattered on the floor; it was considered a place no man would want to be. In 1915, Germans moved in on the trenches and dropped a new form of a deadly weapon- poison gas. It was a toxic chlorine gas that when it was released into the trenches and/or where the soldiers were hiding out, the men fell to their news and convulsed, choked, and died slowly as their lungs filled with a heavy fluid. After the gas was inhaled, there was no hope of life for the soldier.