When World War I first started, what did many people believe?
It would be one of the longest wars in history. The war would be the first of two world wars. The war would lead to the death of millions of Germans. The war would be over quickly.
World War I started in the summer of 1914. The two main sides of World War I were the Allied powers and Central powers. The table below shows the most important countries on each side at the beginning of the war.
Originally, many people believed that the war would be over quickly. The people on each side believed that their armies could win the war easily. One popular saying during the time was that the war would be "over by Christmas."
The Allied powers and Central powers were almost equally matched in resources and strength. Both sides used modern weapons and technology. Because of the matched resources and new technology, World War I was deadlier than past wars. It ended up lasting four long years.