Newfoundland in the First World War: 1914-1918 The Great War Newfoundland in the First World War: 1914-1918

Introduction to World War One In the summer of 1914 the great powers of Europe began fighting what would come to be called the First World War. Europe had been on the brink of conflict for a long time. The situation was made worse by the ALLIANCE SYSTEM. The big military powers joined together in agreements to protect each other when they were attacked. Because of these agreements, if one nation attacked another it would be almost impossible to prevent the spread of the fighting.

Alliances Great Britain, France and Russia were the main members of the “Triple Entente” or “The Allies”. Germany and Austria-Hungary were the major powers of the “Central Powers”. The countries in each alliance had problems with countries in the other alliance. Because of these issues, many began fearing that a major conflict would break out over any event – big or small. For example, if a country in the “Triple Entente” attacked a country in the “Central Powers” then all of the nations in the Alliance would have to go to war.

Assassination The event that many people feared would trigger a war happened June 28th, 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a prince of Austria (The Central Powers) was murdered. The individual who assassinated the prince was from the province of Serbia. Austria blamed the Serbian government for the assassination and declared war. Because Serbia was allied with Russia and the “Entente Powers”, all of the nations in the alliances were at war with each other.

The British Empire When Great Britain declared war on the Central Powers, it did so on behalf of all members of its Empire. The governments of many independent colonies, like Newfoundland, had no choice in the matter – they too were at war with Germany. Courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL F-52-14), St. John's, Newfoundland.

28 28 29 1 3 3 4 6 EUROPE IS AT WAR Austria Declares War on Russia Britain Declares War on Germany London Treaty Germany invade Belgium Schlieffen Plan Germany Declares War on France Schlieffen Plan Germany Declares War on Russia Russia get ready to help Serbia Austria Declares War on Serbia Sarajevo 28 June 28 July 29 July 1 August 3 August 3 August 4 August 6 August

The World At War Triple Entente/The Allies Neutral Countries The Central Powers Image courtesy of: http://www.solarnavigator.net/world_war_one.htm

The Fighting The fighting of the war took place on several FRONTS. The Western Front (France) The Eastern Front (Central/Eastern Europe – Russia) The Middle East Italy Over 40 Million casualties resulted from the years of fighting. Combat Deaths Accidents Disease Prisoners of War