Why Germany Lost World War I

Essay by xnightowlxCollege, UndergraduateA, March 2014

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Why Germany Lost World War I

Since the beginning of World War I, Germany fought through a great number of boundaries no one thought could be broken. With the help of their Allies, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, Germany managed to gain the upper hand the year following the start of the war. Up until the Battle of the Somme on July 1st, 1916, Germany and the other central powers were hoping to quickly defeat the Allies. These hopes were soon to be discouraged as Germany starts to struggle on account of its insufficient Allies and the lack of supplies due in part to the British blockade. Being that Germany was geographically surrounded by foes, it was near impossible for the newly formed country to gain access to outside supplies. When the United States entered the war on the Allies side in 1917, the fate of the Germans was practically sealed.

These factors worked against the central powers, and allowed the Allies to put an end to World War I victoriously.

On August 1st, 1914, Germany mobilized their army and declared war on Russia. The following day, Germany waged war on Belgium after demanding to allow the German army to cross its borders. On August 3rd, Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium, which causes Britain to declare war on Germany shortly thereafter. A domino effect takes place during this short period in 1914 that causes World War I. By now, Germany was forced to divide their great army to fight a two-front war against France and Russia. They responded to this issue by implementing the Schlieffen Plan.

The Schlieffen Plan was first devised to provide Germany with a plan had it been attacked by Britain, France and Russia. The plan turned out to be extremely risky, calling...