The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the Essay

The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the various belligerents in World War I How was the Great War the first truly global conflict - Essay Example Reflecting on what happened during the Russo-Japanese War, Block felt that this new, technological sort of war would destroy Europe. 1 A new belief circulated amongst European General Staffs that contingency plans needed to be made allowing them to win any future war they might come upon. The main problem that followed from this, however, was the fact that they did not understand the concept of modern war, and thus the plans they put together actually resulted in a catastrophic war of attrition. Four reasons actually caused this catastrophe. The first issue was the fact that industrialization resulted in weapons and equipment being made on a large scale. Next, there was a huge population growth which allowed for the manpower necessary to create the large armies necessary to fight the war. Third, reserves became a popular concept, and this allowed the armies to grow quickly. Last, the creation of large railroad networks allowed for armies to be supplied in the trenches. The combination of these four concepts would alter the face of war forever, and this resulted in a near death struggle by the end of 1914 that neith er country wanted nor expected. Furthermore, none of the European rulers could discover a way to end the terrible war or justify the large amount of men lost to it during the first months of war. Most of them, instead, focused on the next campaign, believing that it would finally win the war-and of course, it never did.2 Each side involved in the war had several issues it needed to face. These issues included figuring out how to mobilize the necessary items in order to actually but together a successful industrial war without completely destroying society as a whole. History indicated that a short, decisive war would be best (the only recent war standing out that stood out in contrast to this at the time was the American Civil War, which at this time was largely ignored as a usual war). The most recent wars, which has included the Russo-Japanese War and the Italian Unification Wars made many believe that modern wars could be quick, fast business forcibly decided by a few short battles. So, there was an overall feeling present in Europe that the European military establishments could win quickly. 3 However, they would be wrong, and they could not have necessarily guessed or understood that they would be. Obviously, they were searching for an answer and looking at things from optimistic perspectives, although they did not necessarily realize this at the time. They are not to blame, because even today, modern historians have problems understanding this war. If one, for example, decides to take a close look at memoirs and study each campaign, the picture simply becomes more and more complex. The only way one can truly understand this war is by taking a close look at military demography, economic systems, labor controls, and transportation theory. One can only understand the Great War by taking a close look via a material assessment in order to lift away obscurity. Therefore, one needs to conclude that three material factors led to the outcome of the war, and these two items include economic mobilization, human and resource mobilization. With this concept in mind, one can understa nd how each coalition developed its strategies to win the Great War. The outcomes of the Great War were serious indeed; the excessive force of economic