1. The War on the Eastern Front & the Last 100 Days

2. The Eastern Front
1. The Germans were taken by surprise and had to transfer troops from the Western Front. Fighting a 2 front war helped contribute to the stalemate in the West.

3. The Eastern Front Continued…
2. The Turks entered the war on the side of the Central powers in an attempt to keep the Russians out of the straits of the Gallipoli Peninsula (an important water passage)
3. Britain wanted to open a supply line to Russia, and be able to attack Austria-Hungary and Germany from the Balkans.

4. The Eastern Front Continued… & the Last 100 Days
4. The Gallipoli campaign had no impact on the war except to further demoralize Allied forces, and many soldiers (mostly Australian) were killed. 5.
a. Tsar Nicholas and the autocracy were over thrown in a (Bolshevik/Communist) revolution and a provisional/temporary government took over.
b. The provisional government made the unpopular decision of continuing the unsuccessful war against the Germans. Also they could not effectively address the domestic problems facing Russia.

5. The Last 100 Days
6. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk stipulated that Russia give Germany all of Poland, Lithuania, and the Ukraine.

6. The Last 100 Days
Despite losing Russia, the Allies were still strong (having recently gained the United States) and Germany’s allies were on the point of collapse.
The Allies continued to build up their strength as the German condition deteriorated. With fresh troops (USA) and advances in the development of the tank slowly the Germans were pushed back to their own border.
9. Nov 11th, 1918.