Battle of Loos: Advance to Loos and Hill 70 Battle of the Somme: Longueval and Delville Wood Cambrai: the Advance of the Infantry Divisions The Second Battle of the Marne. First Stages of the last Allied Offensive The Landing Beaches at Gallipoli Evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula Palestine: the Decisive Battle Battle of Coronel Battle of the Falkland Islands—First Phase Battle of the Falkland Islands—Second Phase Battle of the Falkland Islands—Last Phase Battle of Jutland: Track Chart Zeebrugge. The Front on the Eve of the Allied Offensive, and on the Day of the Armistice *PART I.* *INTRODUCTORY.* *DAYS TO REMEMBER.* *CHAPTER I.* *THE CAUSES OF THE WAR.* It is never easy to fix upon one cause as the origin of a great war, and the war of 1914 was the outcome of several causes combined. For twenty years there had been growing up in Europe a sense of insecurity; the great Powers had become restless and suspicious of one another, and one Power, Germany, was seriously considering the possibility of some bold stroke which would put her beyond the reach of rivalry. Germany, since her victory over France in 1870, had become a very great and rich nation; she had spread her commerce over the world; and she was anxious to create an empire akin to those of Britain and France. But she began the task too late in the day; she could succeed only at the expense of her neighbours. The ambition of Germany was, therefore, one perpetual source of danger. Another danger was her nervousness, which frequently accompanies ambition. There was an alliance between France and Russia, and a growing friendliness between Britain and France, and Germany feared that her rivals were combining to hem her in and put a stop to what she considered her natural development. Russia had fallen very low after the war with Japan, but was rapidly recovering both in wealth and armed strength. France was making strenuous efforts to increase her army, so that she should not be at a disadvantage as compared with the far greater population of Germany. Britain had no ambitions of conquest; her aim was the peaceful development of her Empire. But that was an oversea Empire, and she required a large navy; and the size of this navy seemed to Germany to be a menace to her future. The result was that in the summer of 1914 the rulers of Germany had decided that some great effort must soon be made; they must put their land in such a position that for the future it would have no cause to dread the aggression, or even the rivalry, of other Powers. If they delayed too long they feared that the growing wealth of Russia and the increased military strength of France would make such an effort for ever impossible.