First World War. Jean Jaurès - murder on the eve of a worldwide massacre

The purpose of the lesson:

1. lead students to an understanding of the reasons, goals, and results of Russia’s participation in the First World War.
2. develop skills in working with the algorithm;
3. continue to develop skills in working with a textbook and map;
4. fostering a negative attitude towards war as a method of solving international issues.

Lesson type: integrated.

Means of education:

• textbook Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G. "Russian history. 20th century".
• board,
• map,
• handouts, computer, projector.
• multimedia textbook “History of Russia. 20th century. Part 1. “Clio Soft”.

During the classes

Introductory word from the teacher.

The First World War lasted for four years. Here are its main characteristics (data written on the board):

• duration – 1554 days;
• number of participating countries – 38;
• composition of coalitions: England, France, Russia, USA and 30 more countries: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria;
• the number of states on whose territory military operations took place – 14;
• The population of the countries participating in the war is 1050 million people (62% of the planet's population).

The war, in fact, began a new era in the history of mankind and was perceived as a manifestation of the crisis of European civilization, as a great disaster that for the first time raised the question of the physical destruction of humanity. It was led by mass armies that used destructive weapons created by industrial society. War has become hard daily work for millions. Started for the sake of the greatness of empires, after 4 years it destroyed these empires themselves. Today we will learn why and how the relatively prosperous European world was destroyed.

Our goal– working with the algorithm for characterizing wars, we will have to assess the First World War and show its unjust nature ( algorithms are on every desk).

(Text of handout material)

Characteristics of wars.

1. International situation in the region on the eve of the war.
2. Causes of the war. The reason for the outbreak of hostilities. Chronological framework.
3. Warring countries or groupings of countries.
4. Goals of the parties.
5. The balance of forces of the warring parties.
6. Progress of military operations (in stages):
   
   
   
7. The nature of the war.
8. Heroes and commanders.
9. 9. Terms of the peace treaty (surrender).
10. 10. Military and political results.

Plan for explaining new material.

I.The first point of the algorithm: “the international situation in the region on the eve of the war”

The question is dealt with in the form of a conversation.

II. Causes of the war.The reason for victory before the start of hostilities. Chronological framework.

Through the projector we look at the diagram “Causes of War”. Next, the students' report on the murder in Sarajevo is heard, and the CD "cause for war" is turned on. (CD par. 9, album, diagrams).

III. Warringcountries or groupings of countries.

The question is resolved using a diagram projected from the CD onto the screen.

IV. Goalssides

We project “Goals of the warring states” on the screen.

V. The balance of forces of the warring parties.

Working with a table written on a blackboard.

VI. Progress of military operations (in stages):
a) plans of the parties at the beginning of each stage;
b) main battles and events;
c) military and political results of the stage.

In front of the students are map plans of the General Staffs of Russia, England, France and Germany. Based on these maps, students compose a story about the plans of the parties, paying special attention to the reasons for the plans of Germany and the Schlieffen plan.

A report on the Schlieffen plan is heard.

1914 G, The map shows the main directions of military operations. I show newsreel footage through the projector.

1915 G. We follow the progress of military operations on the map. Through the projector we read the memoirs of D.I. Denikin. We answer the question about one of the reasons for the defeat of the Russian army in 1915.

1916 G. the events of 1916 are shown on the map, the display is accompanied by newsreel footage of the “German offensive on Verdun.”

1917–1918 Events are shown on the map.

VII. The nature of the war.

The issue is addressed during a heuristic conversation. Liberation for whom? Invading for whom?

VIII. Heroes and commanders,

Students' reports about war heroes are heard.

IX.Terms of the peace treaty (surrender).

Working with the textbook from 79 to 81, students write out the main conditions of the Brest-Litovsk Peace and the Compiegne Truce.

X.Results of the war.

Students draw conclusions about the results of the war.

According to modern historians, 3 factors completely changed the face of the war:

• The use of new types of weapons that increase the number of killed and wounded;
• The bravery of soldiers is now valued significantly less than firepower;
• Changes in the rear, due to the fact that victory requires the use of all human resources not only at the front and the entire population suffers from the hardships of war; thus the war becomes total;
• War propaganda is actively used to strengthen the will to win.

World War I influenced the psychology and habits of people, it is no coincidence that the generation of war participants was called “lost.” It has made people more tolerant of violence. Wartime needs and the need to regulate the economy expanded the functions of the state and placed it above society. The war did not resolve many old contradictions and sowed the seeds of future military conflicts.

“I believe that the 20th century began precisely in 1914. This war laid the foundations of modern civilization” (German historian W. Diest.)

D/3 paragraph 9, prepare for the test.

Used Books:

1. Koval T.V. Lesson notes on the history of Russia of the 20th century. – M.: VLADOS-PRESS, 2001.
2. The First World War in the biographies of Russian military leaders / Ed. V.P. Mayatsky. – M.: “Elakos”, 1994.
3. Kersnovsky A.A. History of the Russian army. T. 3. – M.: Golos, 1994.

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Slide captions:

World War I

Main characteristics of the First World War 1. Duration - 1554 days. 2. The number of participating countries is 38. 3. The composition of the coalitions: England, France, Russia, the USA and 30 more countries (Portugal, Siam, Liberia, 14 Latin American states); Germany, Austria-Hungary, Türkiye, Bulgaria (Quadruple Alliance). 4. The number of neutral states - 17. 5. The number of states on whose territory military operations took place - 14. 6. The population of the countries participating in the war is 50 million people. 7. The number of mobilized people is 74 million people. 8. The number of dead is 10 million people.

Balkans - Hotbed of international tension 1908-1909 “Bosnian crisis” caused by the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary with German support 1912-1913 Balkan Wars. The threat of a pan-European conflict The struggle of European countries for the Turkish inheritance and influence on politics in the Balkans Reason

Beginning of the First World War Entente Triple Alliance Reason Assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne in Sarajevo June 15, 1914 July 10 (July 23) Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia 1914-1918 France Russia England Germany Italy Austria-Hungary July 13 (July 26) Serbia accepted a large part of the demands July 15 (July 28) Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia July 19 (August 1) Germany declared war on Russia July 21 (August 3) Germany declared war on France July 22 (August 4) England entered the war July 26 (August 8) Austria Hungary declared war on Russia

Franz Ferdinand and Sofia Gavrilo Princip

Goals of the warring powers To crush France and Russia To annex the Baltic and Polish lands of Russia To seize the French colonies in Africa To settle in the Middle East and Turkey To subjugate the Balkan states To seize the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits To establish their dominance in the Balkans To reunite all Polish lands Stop German expansion Return of Elses , Lorraine and the capture of the Saar Partition of Turkish territories

Basic fighting and events Western Front Eastern Front Dates 1914 German invasion of Belgium and France under the Schlieffen Plan. The offensive of Russian troops in East Prussia and Galicia. September Battle of the Marne. Retreat of German troops to the Aisne River. Retreat of Russian troops from East Prussia. End of 1914 The transition from maneuver to positional warfare. The first use of chemical warfare agents (chlorine) by the German command in the area of ​​Ypres. April-May 1915 Breakthrough by German troops of the front in Galicia. Retreat of Russian troops. September Stabilization of the front. Trench warfare. 1914 –1915

March 1916 Battle of Verdun. Jutland naval battle. June August. Brusilovsky breakthrough of the German-Austrian front. July August. Anglo-French offensive on the Somme, the first use of tanks. End of 1916 Germany's transition to strategic defense. Hindenburg plan. April 1917 Unsuccessful French offensive near Arras. Miliukov's note on Russia's participation in the war to a victorious end. July-Autumn British troops are trying to break through the German front in the Ypres region. Capture of Riga by German troops, occupation of part of the Baltic states. 1916 –1917

Armistice between Soviet Russia and Germany. December 1918, winter. Occupation of Bessarabia by Romania. March-July The offensive of German troops in the Paris direction, the use of troops transferred from the Eastern Front (Arras, Marne). September-November General offensive of the Entente troops. Defeat of the countries of the Quadruple Alliance. Truce of Compiègne. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Germany and Russia 1918

Results and consequences of the war Compiegne Truce 2. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 3. Treaty of Versailles

Armistice of Compiegne 4. Return of all German troops to Germany Conditions of the Armistice of Compiegne: 1. Immediate withdrawal of German troops from the western occupied territories and the left bank of the Rhine 2. Immediate repatriation without reciprocity of all prisoners of war 3. Concession by the German army of the following military material: 5 thousand guns, 25 thousand machine guns, 3 thousand mortars and 1700 airplanes

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1. Russia's renunciation of the territories of Estonia and Latvia 2. Withdrawal of Russian troops from Finland, Ukraine 3. Return of the fortresses of Kars, Ardagan, Batum to Turkey 4. Demobilization of the Russian army and navy 5. Contribution of 6 billion. stamps

Versailles Peace Treaty Terms of the treaty: 3. Imposition of military restrictions on Germany - it was forbidden to have a submarine fleet, large surface ships, tank formations, military and naval aviation, the maximum army size was determined at 100 thousand people. General conscription was abolished. Germany lost 1/8 of its territory and all its colonies. 2. Germany had to pay reparations totaling 132 billion gold marks (52% to France, 22% to Great Britain, 10% to Italy, 8% to Belgium); 4. Demilitarization of the Rhineland. Occupation of the Rhineland by Allied troops for a period of 15 years. 5. Germany was recognized as the culprit for starting the world war.

The Triple Alliance is a military-political alliance that formed in 1879. alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. In 1882 Italy joined him. The treaty provided for joint actions by the powers in the event of an attack by a fourth power. The Compiegne Truce is an agreement to end hostilities and recognize Germany's defeat in the First World War. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – signed on March 3, 1918. separate peace treaty between Russia and Germany. The Brusilovsky breakthrough is a successful offensive of Russian troops under the command of General A.A. Brusiloa, which began on June 5, 1916. A separate peace is a peace concluded by a state separately from its allies who are continuing the war. The Schlieffen Plan is a plan for waging war in Europe, developed by the chief of the Prussian army, Alfred von Schlieffen, at the beginning of the twentieth century. The main goal of the plan is to avoid a war on two fronts: from the west and the east. Positional warfare was characterized by the absence of troop maneuvers and a stable front line. Artillery plays the main role. Reparations - compensation for material damage by the state that committed the attack to the state that was attacked

The Battle of the Somme was the first major successful offensive of the Anglo-French troops, which began in the fall of 1916. It meant the transfer of strategic initiative to the Entente countries. Tanks were used for the first time in this battle. The Battle of the Marne was one of the first major battles of the First World War, which took place on the Western Front in France in late August - early September 1914. The battle led to the failure of the German offensive plan and determined the protracted nature of the war. The Verdun Meat Grinder is a bloody battle near the Verdun fortress in France, which began on February 21, 1916. The battle lasted about six months and got its name due to the heavy losses on both sides (about a million people were killed and wounded). Treaty of Versailles 1919 - the final document of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. July crisis of 1914 - international crisis caused by the assassination of June 28, 1914. Austrian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE CONFLICT……………………………………………………4

3. COMPANY 1914……………………………………………………...… 6

3.1. The beginning of the First World War……………………………………. 6

3.2. Entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war …………………………. 7

3.3. Combat operations at sea……………………………………………. 8

4. COMPANY 1915…………………………………………………………… 9

4.1. Italy's entry into the war……………………………………………………………. eleven

5. COMPANY 1916…………………………………………………………… 12

6. COMPANY 1917 ………………………………………………………. 14

6.1. Russia's exit from the First World War…………………………… 15

7. COMPANY 1918 ……………………………………………………….18

7.1. Completion of the First World War……………………………………………………...18

8. RESULTS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR……………………………………………………… 20

8.1. Military results……………………………………………………… 20

8.2. Foreign policy results…………………………………………………….20

9. LOSSES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR……………………………………………………22

10. LITERATURE…………………………………………………………….23

INTRODUCTION

WORLD WAR I(July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918), the first of the largest military conflicts in human history, which involved 38 of the 59 independent states that existed at that time.

This name was established in historiography, naturally, only after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. During the interwar period, the name was used Great War , V Russian Empire she was sometimes called Second Patriotic War, as well as informally (both before the revolution and after) - German; then to the USSR - imperialist war.

Although the main prerequisites for the war were the economic contradictions of the alliances of the great powers, political differences and disputes between them, the specific reason for it was the drama generated by the national liberation movement of the Slavs against Austrian rule. The conflict that arose could have been resolved peacefully, but Austria-Hungary believed that the opportune moment had come to put an end to the national movement (including the terrorist one) based in Serbia, and its powerful patron and ally Germany believed that at this time At the moment, it is better prepared for war than Russia and even its allies France and England. Regarding the latter, the Kaiser was under the illusion that it would remain neutral. As a result, the European war, long expected by many, broke out unexpectedly and caused the first military conflict in history that grew to a global scale.

At the end of June 1914, Austria-Hungary scheduled military maneuvers on the border with Serbia. On June 28, the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was supposed to arrive at the opening of the maneuvers. The Serbian nationalist organization decided to commit a terrorist attack against the Archduke. The assassination attempt was to be carried out by two Serbs: Gavrila Princip, a high school student, and the worker Nedeljko Čabrinović. On June 28, in the center of the city of Sarajevo, Princip killed the Archduke and his wife riding in an open car with a pistol. The Sarajevo shots marked the beginning of emergency political activity.

The Austrian authorities prepared their response for almost a month. And on July 23 (10), Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia, setting a deadline of 48 hours to suppress anti-Austrian propaganda and activities in the country. Most of the points in the ultimatum were acceptable. But two of them - the admission of Austrian investigators into the country and the introduction of a limited contingent of troops - affected the sovereignty and national dignity of the small Slavic state.

The answer to the ultimatum was given within the agreed 48-hour period, but it did not satisfy Austria-Hungary, and on July 28 it declared war on Serbia. S.D. Sazonov, Russian Foreign Minister, openly opposed Austria-Hungary, receiving assurances of support from French President R. Poincaré.

On July 30, Russia announced general mobilization; Germany used this occasion to declare war on Russia on August 1, and on France on August 3.

Britain's position remained uncertain due to its treaty obligations to protect Belgium's neutrality. In 1839, and then during the Franco-Prussian War, Great Britain, Prussia and France provided this country with collective guarantees of neutrality. Following the German invasion of Belgium on 4 August, Great Britain declared war on Germany. Now all the great powers of Europe were drawn into the war. Together with them, their dominions and colonies were involved in the war.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE CONFLICT

Long before this, a tangle of contradictions had been growing in Europe between the great powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, and Russia. Thus, Great Britain could not forgive Germany for supporting the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, France sought to take revenge for the defeat inflicted on it by Germany in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, and also intended to return Alsace and Lorraine, separated from France in 1871 year, the Russian Empire claimed free passage of its fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, insisted on weakening or revising in its favor the regime of control over the Dardanelles Strait, the German Empire, as a new dynamic empire, sought military, economic and political leadership on the continent, and also joined the fight for the colonies only after 1871, claimed equal rights in the colonial possessions of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. She was particularly active in obtaining markets. In addition, Austria-Hungary, being a multinational empire, was a constant source of instability in Europe due to interethnic confrontation. In the Middle East, the interests of almost all powers collided, striving to achieve the division of the collapsing Ottoman Empire (Turkey).

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and until 1914, local conflicts broke out in Europe (the Balkan Wars, the Italo-Turkish War), but they did not develop into a major war. In 1905, Germany tried to conclude an alliance treaty with Russia (the Björk Treaty), but it did not come into force. By 1914, two blocks had already taken shape.

Block Entente(formed after the Russian-French, Anglo-French, and subsequently the Anglo-Russian union in 1907):

· Russian empire;

· Great Britain;

· France.

Block Triple Alliance :

· Germany;

Austria-Hungary;

· Italy.

Italy, however, entered the war in 1915 on the side of the Entente - but Turkey and Bulgaria joined Germany and Austria-Hungary during the war, forming the Quadruple Alliance (or bloc of the Central Powers).

3. COMPANY 1914

3.1. Beginning of the First World War

The war unfolded in two main theaters of military operations - in Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the Balkans and Northern Italy, in the colonies - in Africa, China, and Oceania. In 1914, all participants in the war were going to win through a decisive offensive; no one expected that the war would become protracted.

Germany sent its main forces to the western front, hoping to defeat France with a quick blow and then deal with Russia. On August 4, German troops invaded Belgium and Luxembourg, on August 13 the fortress of Liege was taken, on August 20 Brussels was occupied, and on August 24 the fortress of Namur was taken. On August 14-24, a border battle took place on the French border in the Ardennes, as well as at Charleroi and Mons. In it, the French-English troops suffered a major defeat and the Germans continued their invasion of France, approaching a distance of 50 kilometers to Paris. In September 1914, the first Battle of the Marne took place, in which the French managed to turn the tide of hostilities and push German troops on the front from Verdun to Amiens 50-100 kilometers back, which was facilitated by the transfer of several German corps from the Western Front to East Prussia against the Russians who had invaded there. armies. After this, the so-called run to the sea took place - the establishment of a front line to the North Sea.

Two things happened on the eastern front major battles: East Prussian operation of 1914 and the Battle of Galicia.

On the Serbian front, things were not going well for the Austrians. Despite their great numerical superiority, they managed to occupy Belgrade, which was located on the border, only on December 2, but on December 15, the Serbs recaptured Belgrade and drove the Austrians out of their territory.

3.2. Entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war

With the outbreak of war in Turkey, there was no agreement on whether to enter the war and on whose side. In the unofficial Young Turk triumvirate, War Minister Enver Pasha and Interior Minister Talaat Pasha were Germanophiles, but Cemal Pasha was a supporter of the Entente. On August 2, 1914, a German-Turkish alliance treaty was signed, according to which the Turkish army was actually placed under the leadership of the German military mission, and mobilization was announced. However, at the same time, the Turkish government published a declaration of neutrality. On August 10, the German cruisers Goeben and Breslau entered the Dardanelles, having escaped pursuit of the British fleet in the Mediterranean. With the advent of these ships, not only the Turkish army, but also the fleet found themselves under the command of the Germans. On September 9, the Turkish government announced to all powers that it had decided to abolish the capitulation regime (the special legal status of foreign citizens). This caused protest from all powers.

However, most members of the Turkish government, including the Grand Vizier, still opposed the war. Then Enver Pasha, together with the German command, started the war without the consent of the rest of the government, presenting the country with a fait accompli. Türkiye declared “jihad” (holy war) against the Entente countries. On October 29 and 30, 1914, the Turkish fleet under the command of the German admiral Suchon shelled Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. On November 2, 1914, Russia declared war on Turkey. England and France followed on November 5 and 6. Turkey's entry into the war interrupted maritime communications between Russia and its allies across the Black and Mediterranean seas. The Caucasian Front emerged between Russia and Turkey. In December 1914 - January 1915, during the Sarykamysh operation, the Russian Caucasian Army stopped the advance of Turkish troops on Kars, and then defeated them and launched a counteroffensive.

3.3. Combat at sea

With the outbreak of the war, the German fleet launched cruising operations throughout the World Ocean, which, however, did not lead to a significant disruption of Allied merchant shipping. However, part of the Allied fleet was diverted to fight the German raiders. The German squadron of Admiral Spee managed to defeat the British squadron in the battle at Cape Coronel (Chile) on November 1, 1914, but later it itself was defeated by the British in the Battle of Falklands on December 8, 1914.

In the North Sea, the fleets of the opposing sides carried out raiding operations. The first major clash occurred on August 28, 1914 near the island. Heligoland (Battle of Heligoland). Victory went to the English fleet.

On May 31, 1916, the Battle of Jutland took place - a clash between the main forces of England and Germany. The Germans won in terms of the number of losses, but the strategic victory was on the side of Britain, since after Jutland the German fleet no longer risked going out to the open sea.

4. COMPANY 1915

Very soon after the start of the war, it became clear that the conflict would become protracted. The uncoordinated actions of the superior Entente countries allowed Germany, the main military force of the Triple Alliance, to fight the war on equal terms. For the first time in this war, military operations became truly massive. For the first time, tanks, aircraft, dreadnoughts, chemical weapon.

In 1915, Germany decided to make the main attack on the eastern front in an attempt to take Russia out of the war. During the 1915 operation, Germany and its allies managed to advance far into Russian possessions.

During the August operation, also called the winter battle in Masuria, German troops managed to knock out the 10th Russian army from East Prussia and encircle the 20th corps of this army. The subsequent German offensive in the Prasnysh area (Prasnysh operation) suffered a serious setback - in the battle, German troops were defeated and driven back to East Prussia. In the winter of 1914-1915, there was a battle between the Russians and Austrians for the passes in the Carpathians (Carpathian Operation). On March 10 (23), the Siege of Przemysl ended - an important Austrian fortress with a garrison of 115,000 people capitulated.

In May, German-Austrian troops, concentrating superior forces in the Gorlice area, managed to break through the Russian front (Gorlitsky breakthrough). After this, a general strategic retreat of the Russian army from Galicia and Poland began. On August 23, 1915, Nicholas II assumed the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, appointing Nikolai Nikolaevich commander of the Caucasian Front. M. V. Alekseev was appointed chief of staff of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

On the western front, the battles of Neuve Chapelle and the second battle of Ypres took place, where gas attacks were used for the first time by German troops.

In order to withdraw Turkey from the war, Anglo-French troops attempted to carry out an operation to capture the Black Sea straits and Istanbul. Having landed troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula (Dardanelles Operation) on February 19, 1915, they unsuccessfully tried to break the resistance of Turkish troops throughout the year. However, having suffered heavy losses, the Allies were forced to evacuate their troops to Greece at the end of 1915.

At the end of 1915, Germany and Austria-Hungary, with the support of Bulgaria, which entered the war on October 14, managed to defeat Serbia and seize all of its territory. To counteract German-Austrian troops in the Balkans, Great Britain and France landed troops in the Thessaloniki region, and Italian troops landed in Albania.

On the Caucasian Front in July, Russian troops repelled the offensive of Turkish troops in the area of ​​Lake Van, while ceding part of the territory (Alashkert operation). The fighting spread to Persian territory. On October 30, Russian troops landed at the port of Anzali, by the end of December they defeated pro-Turkish armed detachments and took control of the territory of Northern Persia, preventing Persia from attacking Russia and securing the left flank of the Caucasian army.

On November 23-26 (December 6-9), 1915, the second inter-allied conference took place at the headquarters of the French army in Chantilly. She recognized the need to begin preparations for a coordinated offensive by all allied armies in the three main theaters - French, Russian and Italian.

4.1. Italy's entry into the war

With the outbreak of war, Italy remained neutral. On August 3, 1914, the Italian king informed William II that the conditions for the outbreak of war did not correspond to those conditions in the Treaty of the Triple Alliance under which Italy should enter the war. On the same day, the Italian government published a declaration of neutrality. For a long time Negotiations dragged on between Italy and the Central Powers and the Entente countries. Finally, on April 26, 1915, an agreement was signed in London, according to which Italy pledged to declare war on Austria-Hungary within a month, and also to oppose all enemies of the Entente. A number of territories were promised to Italy as “payment for blood.” England provided Italy with a loan of 50 million pounds.

Then Germany obtained from Austria-Hungary a promise to transfer the territories inhabited by Italians to Italy if Italy remained neutral. The German ambassador Bülow reported this promise to the leader of the Italian neutralists, Giolitti. Giolitti was supported by 320 of the 508 members of the Italian parliament. Prime Minister Salandra resigned. However, at this moment, the supporters of the war, led by the socialist Benito Mussolini and Gabriele d'Annunzio organized demonstrations against parliament and the "neutralists". The king did not accept Salandra's resignation, and Giolitti was forced to leave Rome. On May 23, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary.

5. COMPANY 1916

Expeditionary Force Russian army in France. Summer 1916, Champagne. The head of the 1st brigade, General Lokhvitsky, with several Russian and French officers, walked around the positions.

Having failed to achieve decisive success on the Eastern Front in the 1915 campaign, the German command decided in 1916 to deliver the main blow in the west. On February 21, 1916, German troops began an offensive operation in the area of ​​the Verdun fortress, called the Battle of Verdun. After stubborn fighting with huge losses on both sides, the Germans managed to advance 6-8 kilometers forward and take some of the forts of the fortress, but their advance was stopped. This battle lasted until December 18, 1916. The French lost 350 thousand, the Germans - 600 thousand people.

During the Battle of Verdun, a new weapon was used for the first time by Germany - a flamethrower. In the skies near Verdun, for the first time in the history of wars, the principles of aircraft combat were worked out - the American Lafaye squadron fought on the side of the Entente troops. The Germans pioneered the use of a fighter aircraft in which they fired through the rotating propeller without damaging it.

In June 1916, a major offensive operation of the Russian army began, called the Brusilov breakthrough after the front commander A. A. Brusilov. As a result offensive operation The Southwestern Front inflicted a serious defeat on the Austro-Hungarian troops in Galicia and Bukovina.

In June, the Battle of the Somme began, which lasted until November 1916, during which tanks were used for the first time.

On the Caucasian front, during a series of operations at the beginning of the year, Russian troops captured the cities of Erzurum and Trebizond.

The successes of the Russian army prompted Romania to take the side of the Entente. On August 17, 1916, an agreement was concluded between Romania and the four Entente powers. Romania undertook to declare war on Austria-Hungary. For this she was promised Transylvania, part of Bukovina and the Banat. On August 28, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary. However, by the end of the year Romanian army was defeated and most of the country was occupied.

The military campaign of 1916 was marked important event. On May 31 - June 1, the largest naval battle of Jutland took place in the entire war.

All previous described events demonstrated the superiority of the Entente. By the end of 1916, both sides had lost 6 million people killed, and about 10 million were wounded.

6. COMPANY 1917

On February 1-20, 1917, the Petrograd Conference of the Entente countries took place, at which plans for the 1917 campaign and, unofficially, the internal political situation in Russia were discussed.

On April 6, the United States came out on the side of the Entente (after the so-called “Zimmerman telegram”), which finally changed the balance of forces in favor of the Entente, but the offensive that began in April (Operation Nivelle) was unsuccessful. Private operations in the area of ​​Messines, on the Ypres River, near Verdun and Cambrai, where tanks were used on a massive scale for the first time, did not change the general situation on the Western Front.

In February 1917, the size of the Russian army exceeded 8 million soldiers. At the same time, Germany mobilized 13 million fighters during the war years, Austria-Hungary 9 million fighters.

After the February Revolution in Russia, the Provisional Government advocated the continuation of the war, which was opposed by the Petrograd Soviet.

In general, even despite the clear superiority in manpower on the eastern front, the Russian army was unable to achieve major victories.

However, the offensive attempts carried out in the summer were not successful and led to the retreat of the Southwestern Front by 50-100 km. As a result of Operation Albion, German troops captured the islands of Dago and Ezel and forced the Russian fleet to leave the Gulf of Riga. After the October Revolution, the Soviet government, which came to power with the support of Germany under the slogan of ending the war, concluded an armistice with Germany and its allies on December 15.

On the Italian front in October-November, the Austro-Hungarian army inflicted a major defeat on the Italian army at Caporetto and advanced 100-150 km deep into Italian territory, reaching the approaches to Venice. Only with the help of British and French troops deployed to Italy was it possible to stop the Austrian offensive

6.1. Russia's exit from the First World War.

On October 25 (November 7), 1917, the October Revolution took place in Petrograd. The Provisional Government fell, power passed into the hands of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, convened in Smolny on October 25, established the Soviet Republic in the country. V.I. was elected head of government. Lenin. On October 26 (November 8), 1917, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets adopted the Decree on Peace. In it, the Soviet government proposed that “all warring peoples and their governments begin immediately negotiations for a just and democratic peace.” It was further explained that the Soviet government considers such a peace to be an immediate peace without annexations, without the forced annexation of foreign peoples and without indemnity.

Indeed, among the many tasks that the victorious Soviets had to solve, one of the most important was exit from the war. The fate of the socialist revolution largely depended on this. The working masses were waiting for deliverance from the hardships and deprivations of the war. Millions of soldiers were rushing from the fronts, from the trenches to go home, V.I. Lenin wrote then: “... What could be more indisputable and clearer than the following truth: a government that gave Soviet power, land, workers’ control and peace to the people exhausted by a three-year predatory war, would be invincible? Peace is the main thing” (Lenin V.I. Complete . collected works.-T.35.-P.361).

The governments of the Entente countries did not even respond to the proposal of the Second Congress of Soviets to conclude peace. On the contrary, they tried to prevent Russia from leaving the war. Instead of looking for ways to peace, they set a course for supporting the counter-revolution in Russia and organizing anti-Soviet intervention in order, as Winston Churchill put it, “to strangle the communist hen before she has hatched her chicks.”

Under these conditions, it was decided to independently begin negotiations with Germany to conclude peace.

A heated debate broke out in the party and in the Soviets - to conclude peace or not to conclude peace? Three points of view fought: Lenin and his supporters - to agree to the signing of an annexationist peace; groups of “left communists” led by Bukharin - not to make peace with Germany, but to declare a “revolutionary” war on it and thereby help the German proletariat kindle a revolution in their own country; Trotsky - “no peace, no war.”

The Soviet peace delegation, headed by People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs L.D. Trotsky and Lenin gave instructions to delay the signing of peace. There was a glimmer of hope that a revolution might break out in Germany. But Trotsky did not fulfill this condition. After the German delegation negotiated in an ultimatum tone, he declared that the Soviet Republic was ending the war, demobilizing the army, but not signing peace. As Trotsky later explained, he hoped that such a gesture would stir up the German proletariat. The Soviet delegation immediately left Brest. The negotiations were disrupted due to Trotsky's fault.

The German government, which had long been developing a plan to seize Russia, received a pretext for breaking the truce. On February 18, at 12 noon, German troops went on the offensive along the entire front - from the Gulf of Riga to the mouth of the Danube. About 700 thousand people took part in it.

The plan of the German command provided for the rapid capture of Petrograd and Moscow, the fall of the Soviets and the conclusion of peace with a new, “non-Bolshevik government.”

The retreat of the old Russian army began, which by this time had lost its combat effectiveness. German divisions moved almost unhindered into the interior of the country, and primarily in the direction of Petrograd. On the morning of February 19, Lenin sent a telegram to the German government agreeing to sign peace on the proposed terms. At the same time, the Council of People's Commissars took measures to organize military resistance to the enemy. It was provided by small detachments of the Red Guard, the Red Army and individual units of the old army. However, the German offensive developed rapidly. Dvinsk, Minsk, Polotsk, and a significant part of Estonia and Latvia were lost. The Germans were rushing to Petrograd. A mortal danger loomed over the Soviet Republic.

On February 21, the Council of People's Commissars accepted what V.I. Lenin's decree “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” On February 22 and 23, 1918, a registration campaign for the Red Army unfolded in Petrograd, Pskov, Revel, Narva, Moscow, Smolensk and other cities.

There were battles with the Kaiser’s units near Pskov and Revel, in Latvia, Belarus, and Ukraine. In the Petrograd direction, Soviet troops managed to stop the enemy’s offensive.

Growing Resistance Soviet troops cooled the ardor of the German generals. Fearing a protracted war in the East and an attack from the Anglo-American and French troops from the West, the German government decided to make peace. But the peace terms he proposed were even more difficult. The Soviet Republic had to completely demobilize the army, enter into unfavorable agreements with Germany, etc.

The peace treaty with Germany was signed in Brest on March 3, 1918 and went down in history as the Brest Peace Treaty.

Thus, Russia emerged from the First World War, but for Soviet power in Russia this was only a respite that was used to strengthen power and economy, to prepare for “rebuffing global imperialism.”

7. COMPANY 1918

7.1. End of the First World War

In the spring of 1918, the German command tried to defeat the Anglo-French troops before the arrival of large US armed forces in Europe. It assured the soldiers that this battle would be decisive.

At the end of March, Germany launched an offensive. At the cost of heavy losses, her troops managed to advance to Paris and capture many prisoners and trophies. But it was not possible to defeat the Anglo-French armies before the arrival of US troops. Not only the material, but also the human reserves of Germany were exhausted: teenagers were sent to the front. The soldiers were exhausted and did not want to fight, many deserted.

The offensive of the German troops failed, and the initiative passed to the Entente. The Anglo-French army and the US divisions that had already arrived pushed German troops back to their original positions.

On August 8, the offensive of the troops of France, England and the United States began under the overall command of the French Marshal Foch. They broke through the enemy front, defeating 16 divisions in one day. Not wanting to fight, the German soldiers surrendered. This was, according to the actual leader of the German General Staff General Ludendorff, “the darkest day of the German army in the history of the world war.”

The German armed forces could no longer resist the general offensive of the Franco-Anglo-American troops.

Anglo-French and Serbian troops were advancing on the Balkan front. The Bulgarian army was defeated and Bulgaria capitulated. After the defeat of the Turkish army in Palestine and Syria by British and French troops, the Ottoman Empire also capitulated. The soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army refused to fight. Austria-Hungary collapsed. A number of independent national states were formed on the territory. On November 3, 1918, the Austro-Hungarian command signed a truce dictated by the Entente.

On the same day, a revolution began in Germany. On November 9, the people overthrew the monarchy. The country became a republic. A new government was created. At dawn on November 11, 1918, in the Compiegne Forest, in Foch's headquarters car, an armistice was signed between Germany and its opponents.

On November 11, at 11 o’clock in the morning, the signalman standing at the headquarters carriage of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief sounded the “Cease fire” signal. The signal was transmitted along the entire front. At the same moment, hostilities were stopped. The First World War is over.

8. RESULTS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

8.1. Military results

The First World War spurred the development of new weapons and means of combat. For the first time, tanks, chemical weapons, gas masks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns were used. Airplanes, machine guns, mortars, submarines, and torpedo boats became widespread. The firepower of the troops increased sharply. New types of artillery appeared: anti-aircraft, anti-tank, infantry escort. Aviation became an independent branch of the military, which began to be divided into reconnaissance, fighter and bomber. Tank troops, chemical troops, air defense troops, and naval aviation emerged. The role of engineering troops increased and the role of cavalry decreased. “Trench tactics” of warfare also appeared with the aim of exhausting the enemy and depleting his economy, working on military orders.

8.2. Foreign policy results

In 1919, the Germans were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, which was drawn up by the victorious states at the Paris Peace Conference.

Peace treaties with:

Germany (Treaty of Versailles (1919))

· Austria (Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919))

· Bulgaria (Treaty of Neuilly (1919))

· Hungary (Treaty of Trianon (1920))

· Turkey (Treaty of Sèvres (1920)).

The results of the First World War were the liquidation of four empires: German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, and the latter two were divided, and Germany and Russia, having ceased to be monarchies, were reduced territorially and weakened economically. Revanchist sentiments in Germany actually led to World War II.

In 1914, Germany was better prepared for war than its opponents. However, the world war ended with the defeat of the Quadruple Alliance. The Entente's superiority in human and material resources was of decisive importance. The USA was on her side. Political system, which existed in Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, did not withstand the tests of the World War and crashed. As a result of defeats and revolutions, all three empires disappeared from the political map. England, France and the USA achieved the defeat of their main competitors and began to redistribute the world.

The Russian monarchy also failed to withstand the trials of the World War. It was swept away within a few days by the storm of the February Revolution. The reasons for the fall of the monarchy are chaos in the country, a crisis in the economy, politics, and contradictions between the monarchy and broad sections of society. The catalyst for all these negative processes was Russia’s ruinous participation in the First World War. Largely due to the inability of the Provisional Government to solve the problem of achieving peace for Russia, the October Revolution took place. The Soviet government was able to bring Russia out of the world war, but only at the cost of significant territorial concessions. Thus, the tasks facing Russia in 1914 to expand the territory and spheres of influence of the Russian Empire were not fulfilled.

The world imperialist war of 1914-1918 was the bloodiest and cruelest of all the wars that the world knew before 1914. Never before have the warring parties fielded such huge armies for mutual destruction. The total number of armies reached 73.5 million people. All advances in technology and chemistry were aimed at exterminating people. They killed everywhere: on land and in the air, on water and under water. Poisonous gases, explosive bullets, automatic machine guns, heavy gun shells, flamethrowers - everything was aimed at destroying human life.

9. LOSSES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

The losses of the armed forces of all powers participating in the world war amounted to about 10 million killed, 20 million wounded, 3.5 million left crippled.

There is still no generalized data on civilian casualties from the effects of military weapons. Famine and epidemics caused by the war caused the death of at least 20 million people - this is the result of the war.

LITERATURE

• Zayonchkovsky A. “The First World War”
• Utkin A. “The First World War”
• Shambarov V. “For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland”
• Yakovlev N. “August 1, 1914”
• “History of the First World War 1914-1918.” / Edited by Doctor of Historical Sciences I. I. Rostunova. - M.: Science, 1975
• Erich Remarque. "All Quiet on the Western Front"
• “The agony of heartfelt agreement: tsarism, the bourgeoisie and their allies in the Entente. 1914 - 1917" Alekseeva I.V. - Leningrad "Lenizdat" 1990
• “Memories” Sazonov S.D. - Moscow " International relationships» 1991
• "New and recent history» edited by Popova E.I. and Tatarinova K.N. - Moscow “Higher School” 1984
• Moscow "Higher School" 1984
• “History of Russia” A.S. Orlov, V.A. Georgiev, N.G. Georgieva, T.A. Sivokhina - Moscow "Higher School" 2003

Currently, there are a number of important historical analogies between the modern period of development of the world political system and what happened 100 years ago.

Paradoxical as it may seem, historians have a much better understanding of the causes of the Second World War than the First... Although the latter is of at least commensurate interest, especially in the context of those macro-changes in the system of world politics that are taking place now and will occur in the next 20-25 years .

Currently, there are a number of important historical analogies between the modern period of development of the world political system and what happened 100 years ago.

The most tragic consequences of the World War were for Russia.

Accordingly, it can be argued that the outbreak of this war and participation in it was extremely disadvantageous for our country.

But by July 1914, Russia found itself too deeply involved in Balkan politics, having particularly close ties with Serbia. Serbian nationalists played their own game, driven by the idea of ​​creating a Greater Serbia. This idea was implemented to a certain extent after the First World War through the creation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia - but at the cost of the collapse of four (!) empires, including the Russian one. The opportunity to remain on the sidelines in the event of an acute conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia would have existed for Russia if, long before the summer of 1914, our country had distanced itself from the most complex intricacies of politics in the Balkans.

In our last years They like to remember the statements of Emperor Alexander III that “Russia has only two allies - its army and navy.” In fact, it was Alexander III who laid the foundations of the Russian-French military alliance, which ultimately deformed Russian policy in favor of France into what we in modern conditions call “national security policy.” No wonder the grateful French built the magnificent Alexander III Bridge in the center of Paris.

Emperor Nicholas II, maintaining friendly relations with his relative Kaiser Wilhelm II, agreed to a very close alliance between Russia and Republican France, which to a certain extent made our country dependent on this ally. But it is possible that Russia, not being so closely tied to the political-military interests of France, could play the role of arbiter in the German-French conflict, especially if it interacted in this matter with other interested powers. It can be assumed that such actions by Russia could have prevented the First World War, preventing, among other things, a new defeat of France. At the same time, Russia would have to rely on the real power of its armed forces and have sufficiently skilled diplomats...

However, the plans of the General Staff of the Russian Army were actually subordinated to the plans of the French General Staff.

And this turned out to be an important reason for the severe defeat of the two professional Russian armies of Samsonov and Rennenkampf in East Prussia on September 2 (15), 1914. And if Russia had chosen not an offensive, but a defensive one against Germany military strategy in the spirit of the ideas of Barclay de Tolly, Kutuzov, Clausewitz and Mikhnevich, then the Kaiser’s Germany in 1914, like Napoleon in 1812, had no chance of defeating Russia even after the defeat of France (if this war had not been prevented ) there wouldn't be. But in the Russian Empire by 1914, as in Germany, France and Austria-Hungary, the “cult of the offensive”, which had largely ideological foundations, dominated both at the strategic and tactical levels.

By the personal decision of Emperor Nicholas II, the construction of the latest battleships (“dreadnoughts”) and battlecruisers for the Baltic Sea began, which at that time, as Svechin put it, was “the operational backyard of Europe.” This decision was made without any consultation with the Minister of War and the General Staff of the Russian Army, not to mention consultations with the State Duma officials in charge of military issues, only on the basis of reports to the Tsar from the Minister of Navy and the Chief of the General Naval Staff. Huge resources spent on battleships The Baltic Fleet, with much greater benefit, could be used to equip the ground forces of the Russian Empire with heavy field artillery, to develop the ammunition industry, to equip the future theater of military operations, to develop those industries that could ensure their own mass production of aircraft and vehicles, and so on.

As for the navy of the Russian Empire itself, it would be much more important to put in first place the strengthening of the Black Sea Fleet through the priority construction of several dreadnoughts, rather than the Baltic Fleet. The first could, as a result, have supremacy at sea with all the operational, strategic and political-military consequences. Among other things, the task of capturing the Bosporus and Dardanelles and defeating the Ottoman Empire in the war in its first one and a half to two years would become realistic.

By the way, the biggest strategic mistake of the Kaiser’s Germany was the creation of a linear “high seas fleet”, its initiation of a naval arms race with the British Empire...

This also diverted gigantic resources from strengthening the ground forces of the German Empire and made Great Britain a clear opponent of the “Second Reich” in the coming world war.

At one time, the Deputy Inspector General of the German Bundeswehr, General Gerd Schmückle, named the German Navy Minister von Tirpitz, the main ideologist and lobbyist for the development of a linear “high seas fleet,” as one of the main culprits for Germany’s defeat in the First World War.

During the construction of the armed forces of the Russian Empire, other important mistakes were made...

If we talk about the development of ground forces, then the tsarist army was characterized by an excessive number of cavalry - more than 300 thousand sabers... In this war, strategic cavalry did not find its use; it turned out to be extremely vulnerable in the face of artillery and automatic weapons. But such a number of cavalry also absorbed very significant resources. In most cases, it was characterized by outdated tactics...

The defeat of Russia in the First World War led to the most severe fratricidal civil war, which cost us enormous sacrifices...

It would be in Russia's interests to exit the war before the February Revolution of 1917 with the conclusion of a separate peace treaty with Germany. And this was greatly feared in both France and Great Britain. And, according to some evidence, there were sentiments in favor of this. In recent years, fairly reliable information has appeared that the murder of Rasputin (December 17 (30), 1916), who was leaning toward such a peace with Germany, was organized in Petrograd by British intelligence. Such a peace treaty would be significantly less difficult than the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty of 1918, which Lenin himself called a “obscene peace.”

The result of the overstrain of Russia's forces in the First World War was the coming to power of left-wing radical social democrats (Bolsheviks) led by V.I. Lenin, who first dreamed of a “world socialist revolution” and later set the goal of building socialism in one particular country.

An attempt to realize this goal led to significant casualties - due to the well-known Stalinist repressions. But the industrial base created in the USSR by 1941 and the powerful armed forces played a decisive role in the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II. This will forever remain the outstanding contribution of our people to world history. And this is also one of the consequences of the First World War.

Material prepared by the Center for Political Analysis for the TASS-Analytics website

Starting last year, August 1 is celebrated as the Day of Remembrance of Russian soldiers who died in the First World War. More than three million of our compatriots died in a terrible war. Today, the memory of the tragic events of the last century should help draw the necessary lessons. Which ones exactly - parliamentarians told the Parliamentary Newspaper.

Question of the week: what are the lessons of the First World War?

Vladimir Komoedov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Communist Party faction:

The most important lesson: a bad peace is better than a good war. For Russia, the First World War, which we largely won, turned into a terrible disaster. This war destroyed our country: the satellite countries left, we gave up the Baltic states. The Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty and other agreements laid a time bomb called the “Leninist national policy.” As a result, this mine exploded in 1991. Unfortunately, we are still seeing the consequences of all this.

The First World War revealed serious flaws in the government that ruled the country at that time. And these vices were combined with the unprincipled policy of the so-called “partners” of the Russian Empire, who collaborated with Russia, but worked against it. As a result, our country suffered the greatest losses: human and material. England achieved the goals it set for itself in the First World War. They didn't need a strong Russia.

We are now on the threshold of the Third World War, when many countries have united against us because they see that Russia is rising. They want to weaken our country again and are provoking it. They really want to drag us into a war, they are doing everything to achieve this. They found a country that is closest to us in spirit, mentality and blood, fooled people, found traitors to national interests. Today, in the civil war, the fraternal Ukrainian people are being destroyed, people are being turned against Russia. Ultimately, Russia will be blamed for the devastation in Ukraine.

Mikhail Zapolev, Member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Communist Party faction:

Lesson one: prevent a repeat of that war. On July 27, 1914, people lived in peace, and on July 28, war began. Everything can happen unexpectedly. There are documentaries on television about the First World War: they show what happened: battles, explosions, military marches and negotiations. Is this the main thing? The main thing is to tell people that today we are on the threshold of approximately the same situation. The names are different, and the pre-war events are repeated. There should be a call from everywhere to prevent a new war.

Yaroslav Nilov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, Deputy Head of the LDPR faction:

After the end of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, a number of restrictions were imposed on Germany. In particular, they were not allowed to have their own military equipment or train military specialists. In Russia, in the Lipetsk region, there was a military flight school where German aces were trained, including Goering. And then these aces bombed the Soviet Union in 1941. We helped those who later attacked us. And this should have served as a lesson for us. Until recently, we provided assistance to Ukraine, sold preferential gas, these were our brothers, but now it turns out that Russia has become an enemy for Ukraine, and they are shelling our border territories.

Russia's participation in World War I set the stage for the 1917 Revolution. Discontent was brewing in the army, there was a negative attitude towards the authorities, people did not have enough food.

The First World War largely gave birth to fascism in Europe. Adolf Hitler participated in the fighting, then various left-wing communist movements began to emerge in Munich, and Hitler and his associates had the understanding that the Treaty of Versailles was disastrous for Germany. In the wake of dissatisfaction with the results of the war, the development of fascist ideology began. Germany was then in a serious economic crisis, and financial aid from America allowed the Nazi party to quickly grow stronger and develop. At the same time, America was an ally Soviet Union. The development of fascism in Europe led to the outbreak of World War II.

Now the situation in the world is unstable, and any match can break out a big fire, just like at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is important to prevent a repetition of those events.

Ilya Drozdov, Member of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, LDPR faction:

Judging by recent events, most countries have not learned any lessons from the First World War. The situation is again on the brink of another war, which could well develop into the Third World War. If we recall the events of a century ago, then the only country that profited from the bloodbath was the United States. Today the situation is repeating itself. The Americans are again “ruling” from overseas, pitting Europe and Russia against each other. It is a fact. It only remains to add that Russia does not lose wars and is strong enough to protect itself and its citizens. Therefore, the Americans’ attempts will remain their attempts.

Oleg Nilov, Member of the State Duma Committee on Transport, A Just Russia faction:

These lessons exist, but they were never learned by humanity during the 20th century. First of all, no war brings victory and satisfaction. There is only one result - millions of casualties, which are the main reproach to all military strategists. But repetitions of these criminal mistakes are possible, there are all the fundamental foundations for this, they are laid down in the foundations of the budgetary policy of financing the military-industrial complex of any state. This is the saddest conclusion to date.

Valery Ryazansky, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy:

- The main lesson should be the understanding that over the past century our country has lost a huge number of friends. Serbia remained the only state loyal to Russia. Many countries that were on the side of the Serbs in the First World War, subsequently, having already united in NATO, bombed Belgrade. And only Russia did not betray.

Let me remind you that Soviet history was silent about the main results and consequences of the First World War, so no worthy monuments to that great war were created on the territory of our country, which is also a lesson, but today we have drawn conclusions from it and are gradually improving.

Dmitry Sablin,

The most important lesson is that it has become obvious: Russia’s external enemies are not scary, it is its internal enemies that are scary. These traitors can destroy the country from within. There is a lot to be said about the First World War. But the most important thing that cannot be left to chance is the fight against internal enemies both in power and in the ranks.

Valery Shnyakin, Member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security:

- The first lesson, the most basic, is that we need to remember our history and the tragedy that Russia experienced. Further, we must not forget that the First World War, in fact, led to the Revolution. If it had not happened, it is unknown who and to whom would dictate conditions in the world today. I completely agree with the words of Arkady Stolypin that we do not need revolutions and upheavals, but we need a great Russia. And we need to remember this. But, unfortunately, neither the First nor the Second World Wars taught politicians and statesmen to learn from your mistakes.

Prepared by Maria Sokolova, Ksenia Redichkina