Nick's Great War

How The Central Powers could have won World War I

Nick's Great War (NGW), also known as the Alternate Great War or the World War I, was a global war centered in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 15 August 1916 (2 Years, 19 Days) More than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war, a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents' technological and industrial sophistication, and tactical stalemate. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, paving the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved.

The war drew in almost all of the world's economic great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances:The Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire) and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Although Italy had also been a member of the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary, it did not join the Central Powers, as Austria-Hungary had taken the offensive against the terms of the alliance. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war: Italy, and Romania joined the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire, Greece and Bulgaria the Central Powers. More than 65 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. The trigger for war was the 28 June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia, and entangled international alliances formed over the previous decades were invoked. Within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world.

On 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia and subsequently invaded. As Russia mobilised in support of Serbia, Germany invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, leading Britain to declare war on Germany. After the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that would change little until 1915. Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, but was stopped in its invasion of East Prussia by the Germans. In November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. Italy joined the Allies in 1915 and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in the same year, while Romania joined the Allies in 1915, after switching sides in 1916. The Russian government collapsed in April 1916, and a subsequent revolution in April brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, which

constituted a massive German victory. After a stunning Spring 1916 German offensive along the Western Front, the Central Powers rallied and drove back the Brits and French in a series of successful offensives. On 15 August 1916, the British empire agreed to an armistice, and, which ending the war in victory for the Central Powers.

By the end of the war, the French Colonial Empire, Russian Empire, The British Empire had ceased to exist. National borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Britain's colonies were parceled out among the winners.