Germany planned to cut through Belgium and meet the rest of the army in Paris dispose of France easily and move on to attack Russia. Russia attack straight away meaning that Germany that to leave a great deal of men on the eastern front lowering the pressure on the western front, this shows how the eastern front was important from the outset, where it was most important to win ground. Belgium did resisted attack and this meant the two armies could not meet in Paris.
This caused trench warfare and than a stalemate as it was difficult for any of the to attack and very easy for them to defend. This meant the other fronts were vital for the allies to win as they will then have more men for the western front.
The eastern front generally weakened the Germany’s attack on the western front. Making it easier for the allies to gain ground on the western front although it was still very difficult to do so.
Russia began to put pressure on the eastern front in the battle of Tannenberg in August 1914 and two weeks after at the battle of Masurian lakes.
In 1917 Russia pulled out of the war because of political problems in their own country to make this official the singed to treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The German troops from the eastern front were exhausted and so soon started to lose the offence.
Britain, Russia, Italy and France launch troops into the Balkan front in order to help out Serbia to defeat Bulgaria and Austria- Hungary and also this will allow the rest of the troop to attack the western front later. They hoped to push through to surround Germany.
Bulgaria had a great strong resistance in the First World War and this lead to the allies’ attack failing on the Balkan front 3 years after the attack was first introduced.
The allies broke the Bulgarian defensive line in September 1918 and soon after agree a peace agreement between each other. Italy defeated Austria-Hungary in early November of that same year these two nations also agree a reconciliation. This finished the war on the Balkan front. This then left Germany alone and completely surrounded from all angles making it nearly impossible for them it win. They had all let the men from their allies provide for them to fight on their side.
With out these two fronts playing a part in the war it would have meant we would not have had Germany surrounded making the victory unlikely. The fact that an even greater majority of the fighting will have been done on the western front and this would have given the enemies an advantage in number and made an attack a great deal easier for them to so.
