World War I Visualized Through 20 Historical Maps

An article from TheCollector presents 20 maps illustrating key events of World War I, from the European alliance system in 1914 to the post-war settlement. The maps cover major battles, strategies, and fronts, including the Schlieffen Plan, Battle of the Marne, Race to the Sea, Eastern Front, Italian Front, Balkan Front, Battle of Jutland, Gallipoli, Verdun, Brusilov Offensive, Somme, Operation Alberich, Nivelle Offensive, colonial warfare, Mesopotamian Campaign, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Spring Offensive, and Hundred Days Offensive. The article highlights the scale of the conflict, which claimed 22 million lives, and the strategic decisions made by military leaders. It notes that nearly 10% of all soldiers killed in the war died in August 1914. The maps show how alliances shifted—Italy switched sides, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers—and how trench stalemates on the Western Front contrasted with more fluid fighting on the Eastern Front. The post-war map shows border changes from 1919 to 1923, including the division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the creation of new states, with the Treaty of Versailles imposing harsh conditions on Germany.