Week 1 Discussion: The First Total War
Initial Post Instructions
World War I is different from most other wars in that it was not a direct result of
aggression by one entity towards another, notwithstanding the assassination of Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian elements. Instead, it was the consequence of a
number of forces amidst a disruption of the tenuous balance of power in Europe.
For the initial post, select and address one of the following:
Option 1: Identify two forces that lead to WWI. Examine how they contributed to
the outbreak of war.
Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme
and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles.
o What was the main strategy? What were they trying to accomplish?
o How did leaders influence and mobilize troops?
o What were the main consequences of the result?
Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme
and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles.
World War I, also known as the Great War, brought about turmoil, conflict, and
international unrest in its wake (Duiker, 2015). I chose the battle of Verdun, which
lasted from February 21st up until December 15 in the year 1916. The main
strategy was for Germany to defeat the French on the Western Front to diminish
the Allies strength before it grew to be too big prior to deployment of British
forces (Wakefield, 2018). To accomplish this, German forces under their leader
Erich von Falkenhayn tried to seize the forts surrounding Verdun (and in the end,
wanted to take Verdun from the French). Near the middle of this battle, the battle
at the Somme was also occurring, which reduced the German offense at Verdun
to compensate forces (Wakefield, 2018). With this change in status, France's
military leader General Robert Nivelle seized the chance and attacked, and by
the end of the battle, the Germans had lost. It is known to this day as one of the
most atrocious battles in history, and by the end of March of 1916, there were
89,000 French men dead, and 81, 607 Germans dead (Horne, 2016). By the end
of the war, approximately 350,000 men died on each side of the battle.
References:
1. Duiker, W. J. (2015). Contemporary world history. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
2. Wakefield, A. (2018, February 6). What was the Battle of Verdun? Retrieved
October 30, 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-battle-of-
verdun
3. Horne, A. (2016). The legend of Verdun. New Statesman, 145(5301), 22-27.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847795904 from CourseHero.com on 07-07-2022 12:01:23 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52687611/Week-1-Discussion-The-First-Total-Wardocx/
Initial Post Instructions
World War I is different from most other wars in that it was not a direct result of
aggression by one entity towards another, notwithstanding the assassination of Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian elements. Instead, it was the consequence of a
number of forces amidst a disruption of the tenuous balance of power in Europe.
For the initial post, select and address one of the following:
Option 1: Identify two forces that lead to WWI. Examine how they contributed to
the outbreak of war.
Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme
and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles.
o What was the main strategy? What were they trying to accomplish?
o How did leaders influence and mobilize troops?
o What were the main consequences of the result?
Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme
and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles.
World War I, also known as the Great War, brought about turmoil, conflict, and
international unrest in its wake (Duiker, 2015). I chose the battle of Verdun, which
lasted from February 21st up until December 15 in the year 1916. The main
strategy was for Germany to defeat the French on the Western Front to diminish
the Allies strength before it grew to be too big prior to deployment of British
forces (Wakefield, 2018). To accomplish this, German forces under their leader
Erich von Falkenhayn tried to seize the forts surrounding Verdun (and in the end,
wanted to take Verdun from the French). Near the middle of this battle, the battle
at the Somme was also occurring, which reduced the German offense at Verdun
to compensate forces (Wakefield, 2018). With this change in status, France's
military leader General Robert Nivelle seized the chance and attacked, and by
the end of the battle, the Germans had lost. It is known to this day as one of the
most atrocious battles in history, and by the end of March of 1916, there were
89,000 French men dead, and 81, 607 Germans dead (Horne, 2016). By the end
of the war, approximately 350,000 men died on each side of the battle.
References:
1. Duiker, W. J. (2015). Contemporary world history. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
2. Wakefield, A. (2018, February 6). What was the Battle of Verdun? Retrieved
October 30, 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-battle-of-
verdun
3. Horne, A. (2016). The legend of Verdun. New Statesman, 145(5301), 22-27.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847795904 from CourseHero.com on 07-07-2022 12:01:23 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52687611/Week-1-Discussion-The-First-Total-Wardocx/
