World War I (1914-1918)

A war that began in Europe in 1914 but was fought on several continents until 1918.

World War I, also called the First World War or the 'Great War', lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. It was the first war to involve so many countries at once, which is why it is called a world war.

• It was fought mainly in Europe, but also in Africa and the Middle East.
• Millions of soldiers came from the colonies of the European empires - including South Africa.
• Around nine to ten million soldiers were killed, plus millions of civilians.

Four long-term pressures built up in Europe over many years before 1914.

One killing set off a chain reaction across Europe's alliances.

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a young Bosnian Serb nationalist. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia.

1. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
2. Russia moved to defend Serbia; Germany backed Austria-Hungary.
3. The alliances pulled in Germany, France and then Britain within weeks.

Europe split into two armed camps, and their colonies were drawn in with them.

For most of the war the two sides were stuck facing each other in long ditches.

On the Western Front in France and Belgium, soldiers dug deep trenches and defended them for years. The open, dangerous ground between the two sides was called 'no man's land'. Neither side could easily break through, so the war became a long, deadly deadlock.

• Soldiers lived with mud, rats, disease and cold in the trenches.
• Attacks across no man's land often cost thousands of lives for little ground.
• This kind of fighting is why so many soldiers died in World War I.

New machines made World War I more deadly than any war before it.

As part of the British Empire, the young Union of South Africa was pulled into the conflict.

The Union of South Africa had only existed since 1910. When Britain went to war in 1914, the Union joined on the Allied side. Prime Minister Louis Botha and his deputy Jan Smuts - both former Boer generals - agreed to fight for Britain and to attack nearby German colonies in Africa.

• Britain asked South Africa to invade neighbouring German South West Africa.
• Botha and Smuts led South Africa's war effort.
• Not all South Africans agreed with fighting for Britain.

Some Afrikaners refused to fight for the empire they had recently fought against.

Many Afrikaners still had bitter memories of the recent South African War (1899-1902) against Britain. When the government prepared to attack German South West Africa, some rose up in an armed rebellion. It was led by Boer figures such as generals Christiaan de Wet and Manie Maritz.

• Botha and Smuts used government forces to put the rebellion down.
• The rebellion was defeated within a few months.
• De Wet was later found guilty of treason for his part in it.

The fighting was not only in Europe - it reached across southern and eastern Africa.

South African forces invaded German South West Africa (today's Namibia), which surrendered in 1915 and was placed under South African control. Smuts then commanded Allied troops against German forces in German East Africa (around present-day Tanzania).

• The African campaigns relied heavily on African soldiers, scouts and labourers.
• Disease and long distances made these campaigns very hard.
• German South West Africa stayed under South African rule for decades afterwards.

Thousands served - though racist policies denied many of them the right to bear arms.

The South African Native Labour Contingent (SANLC) sent black South African men to France, but they were not allowed to carry weapons and worked as labourers behind the lines. The Cape Corps allowed Coloured soldiers to serve, including in East Africa and the Middle East.

The story of the SS Mendi became a lasting symbol of the courage of black South Africans in the war. South African History Online

• In February 1917 the troopship SS Mendi sank in the English Channel after a collision.
• Hundreds of members of the SANLC drowned in the disaster.
• Their sacrifice is remembered today, including through the Mendi Decoration of Bravery.

South Africa's most famous - and costly - battle of the war.

In July 1916, during the huge Battle of the Somme in France, the South African Brigade was ordered to capture and hold a small wood called Delville Wood. They held it under fierce attack for several days, but suffered terrible losses.

• Of the roughly 3,000 South Africans who went in, only a few hundred answered the roll call afterwards.
• Delville Wood became a symbol of South African sacrifice in the war.
• A memorial was later built at Delville Wood to honour those who died.

1. 1914 Assassination in Sarajevo; war begins; South Africa joins and the Afrikaner Rebellion breaks out
2. 1915 German South West Africa surrenders to South African forces
3. 1916 Battle of Delville Wood; East Africa campaign
4. 1917 SS Mendi sinks; the USA joins the Allies
5. 1918 Armistice on 11 November ends the fighting
6. 1919 Treaty of Versailles signed

The fighting stopped in 1918, and the 1919 peace settlement reshaped the world.

The fighting ended with an armistice on 11 November 1918. In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for the war, forced it to pay heavy reparations and take responsibility, and stripped it of its colonies. A new League of Nations was set up to try to prevent future wars, and South Africa was given control of South West Africa. Many historians argue the harsh treaty helped cause later anger that led to World War II.