Why did the Allies win World War 1. In brief?

Question

Factors that were key deciders in the eventual outcome.

If you have any ideas, post them please =)

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WW1

Look through here

Answer 2

It is honestly a miracle after the mishandling of almost every single battle and movement throughout the war. The only thing that the allies had going for them was the maniac Kaiser who bungled everything even worse. Read the Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman and after that you will be amazed at the lack of military intelligence on both sides.

Answer 3

The allies did not so much win WWI as the Germans gave up the fight due to economic problems at home and societal unrest. The German generals always blamed the politicians and Jews for giving up the will to fight and surrendering to the four main allies. Hitler used this belief to his advantage while campaigning during the 1920's.

Answer 4

In brief:

1) The failure of Germany to bring a quick end to the war in 1914, leading to a war on two fronts and stalemate. Germany had a huge army and so could hold out, but in a long war she was ultimately bound to lose against the combined economies of Britain, France, USA etc.

2) The Allied Naval blockade of Germany led to shortages and unrest on the home front. However this didn't really start to bite until the final period of the war.

3) After 1914 Germany largely gave up the initiative to the Allies on the Western front.  Apart from a few battles such as Verdun and the March 1918 offensive, she stayed largely on the defensive, which cost the Allies dear but the war could never be won this way.

4) The allies made huge mistakes at massive loss of life but ultimately they learned from their mistakes and got their act together in 1918.  The Germans had no answer to the new tactics and the combined use of tanks and aircraft. Germany never put much effort into developing tanks, only a few ever came into service.

5) Once the USA entered the war the writing was on the wall. It was like a boxing match where after 10 rounds of slugging and with both boxers knackered, a new one stepped in fresh as a daisy. Germany's troops were at the end of their tether by 1918, and they squandered their last reserves on the March 1918 offensive. After that it was backs to the wall until the end of the war.

Answer 5

The major factor in the ultimate defeat of Germany and consequently all of the Central Powers was the Royal Navy's blockade of German ports. This led to the gradual starvation of the country in terms of both food and resources to make weaponry; which in turn brought about the civil unrest and the so-called "German Revolution" forcing the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm, the surrender of Germany and the setting up of the Weimar Republic.

It could also be argued that Germany lost WWI during the opening weeks because of the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, whereby it invaded neutral Belgium in an effort to circle around the French defences, take Paris and knock France out of the war early. Unfortunately this violation of Belgium brought into the conflict the only "superpower" of the age - Great Britain - whose expeditionary force were able to hold up the advancing German army long enough for the French and the rest of the British army to form defensive positions which forced the long war of attrition that WWI was eventually to become. This also forced Germany to fight a war on two fronts, with the Russians bearing down from the East.

This attritional war eventually worked in Britain's favour as they had the backing of the international banking cartels who financed their war effort once Britain had agreed to support Zionism if they were victorious.