What do you think was the reason the allies won WW1?

Question

Ive just finished reading a book about WW1 and im interested to get some views from a predominantly american website about why the allies won WW1, was it because of the american actual imvolvement or was it just the fact that the americans came and changed the dynamics of the war, forcing the germans to rush their plans (ie operation michael) and eventually tire out their divisions? Or was it something else? let me know, cheers

Answer 1

WWI was a war of attrition and Germany didn't have enough resources in the end. The country was getting nothing as the British had blocked off all there overseas supplies, while the allies were getting lots of resources through America. America entering the war gave the allies more in hope than in actual contribution. Germany also spent all their remaining resources on one more big push that failed, leaving them with nothing.

Answer 2

The First World War had started in 1914, after years of hostility between France and Germany. Britain had been pulled into the war as an ally of France, having signed the Entente Cordial in 1904. When the war broke out, Germany had attacked France by storm and had almost taken Paris, when the French retaliated with a head on assault at the Marne, stopping the German battalions but not defeating them. A stalemate resulted, with each side digging defensive trenches along a line from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier.

The British army joined the French, pursuing a weary campaign of sniping at the enemy from the trenches, interrupted by occasional forays over the trench walls and coming face to face with the enemy. The Americans joined the trenches in 1917, and brought in tanks in an attempt to break the deadlock. After four years of dogged fighting and a total of 10 million deaths, it became clear that the German army could not carry on the fight. The Germans were running out of materiel, facing starvation at home, and frustrated soldiers were deserting. In October 1918, the German generals asked for a cease fire.

Answer 3

The way I look at it is... by the time the Americans entered the war (which was in the last year of the war), the Germans were so out of resources, such as food and weapons, etc. and simply just tired, that a fresh army could have easily defeated them. You should read All Quiet on the Western Front. It is a good, but quick read (not to mention it's a classic). I wrote an essay in college on its historical accuracy and was quite accurate actually, as Erich Remarque (the author) fought in WWI.