Get the full 43-page report here: https://goo.gl/9LpcBw The outbreak of war in 1914 was one of the defining geopolitical moments of the 20th century. This report explores how key events and occurrences from the Great War continue to resonate over 100 years later.

1. World War I
Retrospective
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

2. PART I: ECHOES OF THE GREAT WAR
Grand Strategies
The Russian Aspect
PART II: THE BATTLE OF BASRA
A World Preparing for War
Opening Salvos
The Fall of Sahil
The Aftermath
PART III: TRENCH WARFARE
The Allies’ Position
Lessons Learned
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World War I
Retrospective
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3. 5STRATFOR •
PART I
ECHOES OF THE
GREAT WAR
O
n July 28, 1914, exactly one month after
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and
his wife were shot dead, Austria-Hungary de-
clared war on Serbia. The stage was set for World War
I, an inevitable result of decades of political maneuver-
ing, militarization, alliances and planning for a conflict
that would shatter the great European epoch, laying
waste to empires and ascendant nations.
At the heart of World War I was the rise of Germany
and the question of its place in the European balance
of power. Prussian statesman Otto Von Bismarck
had painstakingly crafted a modern, unified German
nation through fire and blood, ensuring its survival
through shrewd realpolitik diplomacy. The new uni-
fied Germany remained wary of potential threats from
east and west, a concern reciprocated by nearby states,
which harbored deep-seated concerns and fears over
Germany’s rise that even Bismarck could not allay.
With the coronation of Kaiser Wilhelm II, a man
known to be possessed of unbridled ambition, the
German question increasingly demanded an answer.
With the possibility of a pan-European conflict grow-
ing, the Great Powers set about drawing up strategic
war plans. Each nation made its plans based on its
unique geopolitical position, but the grand designs
were also deeply affected by a host of secondary con-
siderations. Constrained by a historic legacy of con-
quests, alliances and rivalries, and shaped by emotional
and political ideology, the war plans of the Great
Powers were a clash between seemingly sound strategy
and each nation’s unique and subjective interests.
The original Schlieffen Plan — a scheme to rapidly
deploy German combat power to where it could be de-
cisively used — envisaged a German army bolstered by
Austro-Hungarian and Italian forces facing off against
an isolated France. However, on the eve of World War
I Germany was left facing a two-front war against
France and Russia, with only a distracted Austria-Hun-
gary for support, dismal chances of Italian involvement
(at least on the side of Germany) and the high likeli-
hood of British involvement.
Helmuth von Moltke the Younger, the head of the
armed forces who ultimately had to take Germany
to war, and his general staff had to contend with a
significantly different strategic reality than that first
envisaged by Count Alfred von Schlieffen. It was in
Helmuth von Moltke the Younger (By E. Bieber Atelier, Berlin —
Original publication: Published as a postcard in Europe. Immediate
source: Private Collection — Wartenberg Trust, PD-US)
Research Note: In recognition of the centennial anniversary of World
War I and its impact on the geopolitical landscape of 20th century,
Stratfor produced a number of reports to coincide with key events and
occurrences. Collected here are a selection of those reports, curated by
our Research Analytics Department.