WWI

A Local ConflictGoes Global

Underlying Causes“MANIA”

MilitarismAlliancesImperialismNationalism

Militarism:Glorification of War & Military

Build up of large reserve armies

Mobilization - organize resources for combat (triggers other nations mobilizing)

Naval Expansion - William II (GR) fires Bismarck and expands navy

wants to be equal to G.B. (most powerful)

G.B. feels threatens, expands, develops new battleship - Dreadnought

Alliances - Defense Agreements Among Nations

Three Emperors’ League: (1881) Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary - doesn’t last b/c of A-H rivalry with Russia in Balkans

Triple Alliance - (1882) Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary - attempt to isolate France

Triple Entente - (1907) France, Russia, G.B. Entente: Friendly understanding

between nations

Nationalism - Extreme Pride in One’s Nation or

Desire to Form a Nation

French Nationalists soughtrevenge against Germany for loss of Alsace-Lorraine

Slavic Nationalism - Pan-Slavism: Unify all Slavic people under one empire

Imperialism - domination of one country by another

Germany and France came close to war over control of Morocco

Germany wanted to create Berlin to Baghdad Railway - caused resentment among British and Russians

British feared interference with India and reduce traffic thru Suez Canal

Immediate Causes of WWI

Assassination of

Archduke Francis

Ferdinand of A-H

(June 28, 1914) by

Gavrilo Princip -

member of Serbian

nationalist group

“Black Hand”

Why the Assassination?

Ferdinand planned to give Slavs of Bosnia-Herzegovina a voice in the gov’t equal to that of Austro-Hungarians

This threatened the movement for a separate Slavic state

What Happens Next?

A-H hold Serbians responsible

A-H seeks assurance (backup) from Germany in event of war

Germany issues “Blank Check” to

A-HWillhelm II gives full support to

any actions A-H might take against Serbia

A-H issues ultimatum (set of final conditions that must be accepted to avoid severe consequences) to Serbia

Demands that Serbia allow A-H officials into country to suppress all subversive movements & conduct investigation

Gives Serbia 48 hours to agree or face war

Serbia does not agree to all parts

A-H declares war on Serbia! (July 28, 1914)

Tensions Build!!

Other Countries Get Involved

Russia (friend of the Serbs) mobilizes troops along borders of Germany & A-H

Germany warns Russia to stop - they don’t!

Germany issues ultimatum to France –18 hours to decide if it would support Russia – France said it would support Russia

What a

Tangled

Web We

Weave…

Declarations of War

Germany declares war on Russia(Aug 1, 1914)

Germany declares war on France (Aug 3, 1914)

Great Britain still hoped to remain neutral and not go to war, but…

Germany demands passage across Belgium to fight France (*Part of Schlieffen Plan)

British protest demand made by Germany upon neutral nation of Belgium1839 Treaty signed by G.B., Russia,

France & Germany guaranteed Belgium’s neutrality

Germany Invades Belgium!

Germany invades Belgium

G.B. demands they withdraw

Germany responds calling treaty,

“a scrap of paper”

G.B. declares war on Germany (Aug 4, 1914)

*The Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s invasion of Belgium was part of this plan

Germany had enemies to East & West & did not want to fight a war on both fronts at the same time

Believed Russia would be slow to mobilize and that they could fight & defeat France (W. Front) first in 6 weeks & then fight Russia on Eastern Front

Expectations

Both sides thought the war would be a quick ordeal…

Kaiser told his soldiers, “you’ll be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees.”

They underestimated the role industrialization would play in this war.

French troops marched off

shouting, “We’ll be home by Christmas”

The Reality of World War I

The British government wanted to encourage men to enlist for war.

They said the war would be safe, hardly any fighting, a good lark and over by Christmas.

They used advertising posters to encourage this idea!

A picture of soldiers going ‘Over the Top’

The reality of ‘going over the top’ was very different!

Soldiers were expected to carry all of their equipment with them at all times.

They were supposed to keep it clean and in good condition – they were British after all.

How the uniform and equipment changed after just three weeks in the trenches…

Posters always showed men ready and willing to fight.

They never showed the boredom of the trenches or actual fighting taking place.

Why do you think the government showed no fighting?

No smiling and relaxed faces…

No clean uniforms…

Their equipment is scattered everywhere…

Boredom and sleep are obvious…

The soldiers had very little decent food, and what food they had was often attacked by rats.

These rats were the size of small rabbits and badgers because they had fed on the decomposing bodies of dead soldiers.

WWI: Turning Point

U.S. Enters,

Russia Exits

U.S. Position at Beginning of War

U.S. neutral – war is a “European affair”

U.S. strongest, neutral industrialized nation

Major supplier of food, raw materials & munitions to belligerent (warring) nations

Insists on free trade and free travel

What changes to draw the U.S. into war???

Financial Interests at

Stake!

U.S. private banks/corporations lent money to both sides until…

U.S. begins to trade more & more with Great Britain because of blockade of Germany

Many goods bought on credit –wanted to insure repayment

Sinking of the Lusitania – May 1915

Germans sink British passenger ship off coast of Ireland

128 Americans killed

U.S. warns Germany to back off

Germany temporarily ends unrestricted submarine warfare

British

Propaganda

Most news about the war came from Great Britain

Exaggerated German atrocities against defenseless citizens

“It should be America’s duty to

help us subdue the mad dog of

Europe”

Zimmerman Telegram

March 1917

Message from German foreign minister to German ambassador to Mexico

Promised Mexico the return of New Mexico, Texas & Arizona in exchange for support in war

German Submarines

Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare – hopes U.S. won’t enter or that they’ll defeat G.B. first

German subs attacked any naval vessel, enemy or neutral, found in what Germany determined was a “war zone”

Germans sink 4 American merchant ships

The “Sinking” of the U.S. Patience

“The world must be made safe for democracy”

April 2, 1917 – Pres

Woodrow Wilson asks

Congress for a

declaration of war

April 6, 1917 – Congress

votes to enter war on

side of Allies

Meanwhile…

Over in Russia

1st

Russian Revolution

March 1917

Russian czar overthrown

Leaders of revolution promised to establish a constitutional gov’t

All allies now had democratic govt’s

WWI became a war between democratic and non-democratic nations

Russia Before World War I

1905 Russo-Japanese War ends; Russia defeated and economy strained

Czar Nicholas II calls for election of a national Duma – legislatureHad little power

Russia During WWI

Russia was cut off from supplies/allies because Turkey (Central Power) controlled the Dardanelles

Strait which gave access to the Med. Sea

However, Russia helped the war effort by diverting German troops from attack against the French and British

Russia During WWI

Russia was cut off from supplies/allies because Turkey (Central Power) controlled the Dardanelles

Strait which gave access to the Med. Sea

However, Russia helped the war effort by diverting German troops from attack against the French and British

Provisional Government

Temporary gov’t – constitutional assembly

Kerensky – prov gov’t prime minister

Rival for power – Soviets (council of workers)

Soviets – socialists - called for immediate peace, transfer of land to peasants & control of factories by workers

Gov’t lost its support

Opens the Door for

Revolution: Socialism Enters

Revolutionary groups tried to fill the role of gov’t

Mensheviks (Kerensky) believed a socialist revolution would be the work of masses

Bolsheviks – more radical – wanted to introduce a socialist society by force

Lenin & The

Bolsheviks

Lenin – Leader of Bolsheviks

Returned from exile – aided by Germany to get Russia out of war

Organized Bolsheviks

Used slogan: “Peace, Land & Bread”

2nd

Russian Revolution

Nov 1917 – Bolsheviks staged a coup d’etat in Petrograd

Established socialist state

Ended private ownership of property

Distributed land among peasants

Made Peace! March 1918 – withdraws from WWI

Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany

Lost much of western territory – 1/3 of pop

Either death to capitalism, or

death under the heel of

capitalism, 1919

Russian Civil War

Communists (Bolsheviks) = Reds

Royalists, liberal democrats, moderate socialists = Whites

Whites promise to defeat Reds and re-enter WWI

Communists defeat White forces

Photograph of

Red Army

soldier about to

be

executed by

members of the

White Army.

WWI Comes to an End

German Surrender

On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month the war comes to an end (November 11, 1918), as Germany accepts an armistice.

Allies meet to discuss a treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles

with Germany

The Big Four-all had

different allied objectives

David Lloyd George-Great

Britain

Prime minister who wanted to expand Britain's Colonial Empire, preserve its naval and industrial supremacy and make Germany pay for the war.

Georges Clemenceau

French Premier

Wanted to ensure security against future German invasion

Weaken Germany by imposing military limitations, financial payments, and territorial losses.

Vittorio Orlando

Premier of Italy

Sought to enlarge Italy's territory in Europe and expand its empire overseas

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States

Sought to provide a just and lasting peace and create a better world by implementing the Fourteen Points*

*Fourteen Points-Wilson’s

Plan for a Lasting Peace

1. Open covenants (treaties) of peace openly arrived at.

2. Freedom of the seas

3. Removal of international trade barriers (such as tariffs).

4. Reduction of armaments

5. Impartial adjustment of colonial claims with regard for the interests of native peoples

Fourteen Points Cont.

6-13. Adjustment of European boundaries in accordance with the principle of nationality, that is, the right of any national group to self-determination regarding its own government and independent state.

14. Establishment of a League of Nations to handle international disputes.

European nations approved of the 14 Points only sparingly because of their nations interests.

Treaty of Versailles

Of Wilson’s Fourteen Points, only a few were taken seriously. One of them was the League of Nations, What were the others?

Differing Views of the

Treaty

Arguments Against: a harsh treaty that planted the seeds of WWII- The treaty transferred German-inhabited territory, seized all colonies of Germany, and compelled Germany to accept sole war guilt. It forced Germany to be unarmed while other nations remained armed, and it wounded German pride. By attacking the treaty the Nazi party gained support of the German people, achieved power, and bought on WWII.

Arguments For: A fair treaty

that was not enforced

The treaty transferred German territory chiefly on the basis of nationality, assigned German colonies as League of Nations mandates with the objective of eventual disarmament, and provided a League of Nations. The treaty alone cannot be blamed for the German people’s support of Nazism. Furthermore, if the military provisions of the treaty had been enforced, Nazi Germany would not have been able to wage war

Results of WWI-Social

A. almost 10 million soldiers were killed and over 20 million soldiers were wounded

B. Millions of civilians died as a result of the hostilities, famine and disease.

C. The world was left aflame with hatred, intolerance, and extreme nationalism.

D. debt and economic dislocation caused the depression of 1929.

Political

A. The U.S. emerged as a leading world power

B. 3 major European powers dethroned-Germans, Austria-Hungary, and Russia

C. New national states arose…Poland and Czechoslovakia

D. League of Nations established to solve international problems

Many European nations turned to dictatorship because of economic and political discontent–Russia, Italy, Germany.

Economic

A. total cost of the war was 350 billion dollars. Led to heavy taxation of the people of Europe.

B. International trade suffered because of increased tariffs

C. Russia became communist, thus a new economic system was introduced