When Louis XIV came to the throne as a five-year-old boy (actually four years, eight months) on 14 May 1643, the Thirty Years’ War was still in progress, and Cardinal Richelieu, the French éminent grise, had died the preceding year. The situation did not look good for France, but the young boy became one of…
The generation between 1880 and 1914 witnessed a unprecedented outburst of European empire building USA was a part of it too A period of highly competitive colonization 4/5ths of Earth’s surface was under European or USA control A few cases of successful resistance, but they were scattered and very few By 1914, the domination of…
In 1917, Prime Minister Borden travelled to the frontlines in Europe to visit the soldiers. Here, he is informed that the war is expected to last until 1920. Like most British Canadians, Borden was committed to support the British Empire, and wanted to send more troops overseas to fight. PROBLEM: there were more casualties than…
Although World War One was a world war, most of the fighting was confined to a few key areas. These areas are usually referred to as the theatres of war. Western Front The German army crossed the Belgian border on August 3rd, 1914. Britain and France declared war on Germany on August 4th. The Germans…
The Great War Comes to an End, 1918 Germany surrendered at 11 am on November 11th 1918. The country had run out of food, ammunition and public support for the war. The Kaiser, faced with revolution, abdicated and fled to Holland, which had been neutral during the Great War. With his departure, Germany became a…
With the Russians out of the war, Germany had a renewed hope for success. They could now concentrate all their troops along the western front in France in their last attempt to win the war. With the entrance of the Americans into the war, the Germans realized that their last chance at victory was to…
The year 1917 was a very important year for WWI. The war was truly a “world war”, with fighting taking place in Europe, Africa and Asia The Entrance of the United States Until 1917, the U.S. had maintained an “isolationist” position regarding WWI. This meant that they remained ISOLATED from participating in the conflict, choosing…