The Road to World War I (2)

The Road to World War I
WWI

Causes of WWI
Militarism - policy of building up a strong military to prepare
for war

Alliances –

agreements between nations to provide aid and
protect on another

Nationalism –

extreme pride in one’s country

Imperialism –

when one country takes over another country
economically and politically.


Assassination – of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand

Militarism
1910-1914 Increase in
Defense Expenditures
France

10%

Britain

13%

Russia

39%

Germany

73%


Alliances

Triple Alliance

Triple Entente

Alliances

Triple Alliance

Triple Entente

Nationalism









At the settlement of the Congress of Vienna in 1815,
the principle of nationalism was ignored in favor of
preserving the peace.
Germany and Italy were left as divided states, but
strong nationalist movements and revolutions led to
the unification of Italy in 1861 and that of Germany
in 1871. Another result was that France lost AlsaceLorraine to Germany, and regaining it was a major
goal of the French.
Nationalism posed a problem for Austria-Hungary
and the Balkans, areas comprised of many
conflicting national groups.
The ardent Pan Slavism of Serbia and Russia's
willingness to support its Slavic brother conflicted
with Austria-Hungary's Pan-Germanism.

Imperialism
Great Britain, Germany and France
needed foreign markets after the increase

in manufacturing caused by the Industrial
Revolution.

These countries competed for economic
expansion in Africa. Although Britain and
France resolved their differences in Africa,
several crises foreshadowing the war
involved the clash of Germany against
Britain and France in North Africa.


In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman
Empire was alluring to Austria-Hungary, the
Balkans and Russia.


Assassination

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and
Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo,

Bosnia, on June 28th, 1914.

Problems in the Balkans (1906 –
1912)












Many different ethnicities
in the Balkans
Wars to get Ottoman
Empire out of Balkans

Conflicts over land
disputes
Country borders do not
take in Ethnic boundaries
Serbia wants 1) economic
independence from A.H. 2)
Greater Serbian Nation
A.H. treats minority
groups poorly

Sarajevo Crisis – Assassination
of
• June
28th, 1914
Franz
Ferdinand


Franz Ferdinand and wife
Sophia visit Sarajevo in

effort to better the relations
with Bosnian Serbs



Serbian Nationalist group
The Black Hand, wanted to
take this opportunity to
assassinate Franz Ferdinand



19 yr old, Gavrilo Princip
was successful in
assassinating the archduke
and his wife during an
accidental wrong turn by
Ferdinand’s driver.

July Crisis 1914





A.H. suspected Serbian government to be
behind the assassination

A.H. knowing war is looming looked to get
support from major ally, Germany

July Crisis, 1914
Germany’s Blank Check


A.H. Prime Minister Berechtold meets the Kaiser
about backing A.H. in a potential war against Serbia



Kaiser Wilhelm gives A.H. a “BLANK CHECK” on July

5th



Germany willing to risk war now, because afraid after
1916, Russia would be too strong

Germany’s Blank Check

Kaiser Wilhelm

Prime Minister Berchtold

July Crisis, 1914
A.H. Ultimatum to Serbia


Sent an Ultimatum to Serbia on July 19th,
delivered July 23rd




Serbs given 48 hours to respond



WITH A PARTNER: Read Ultimatum, answer:


1) List the demands Austria has for Serbia



2) Do you think Austria’s demands are just?

July Crisis, 1914
A.H. Ultimatum to Serbia


Sent an Ultimatum to Serbia on July 19th,

delivered July 23rd



Serbs given 48 hours to respond



Austria demands a lot from Serbia



Serbia agrees to ALL except 1 key element:




Serbia refused to allow the involvement of A.H. in
the investigation of the assassination within Serbia
This threatened Serbia’s sovereignty

Escalation to War
July 25th
 Austria breaks off relations with Serbia
July 28th
 A.H. declares war on Serbia
July 30th
 Czar issues mobilization order
August 1st
 Germans mobilize, declare war on Russia
August 3rd
 France declares war on Germany
 Germany invades Belgium – Schlieffen Plan
August 4th
 Great Britain declares war on Germany

Escalation to War




August 1, 1914Germany declares
war on Russia
because Russia
would not demobilize
(Willy-Nicky
telegrams reading)
August 3, 1914Germany declares
war on France


General Alfred von
Schlieffen devised
Schlieffen Plan to
deploy most of the
troops to France,

Map: Schlieffen Plan &
Plan XVII

The Irony of
Alliances

Domino Effect
Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and
declared war on Serbia.

Germany pledged their support for Austria Hungary.

Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

Domino Effect
Germany declares war on Russia.
France pledges their support for Russia.

Germany declares war on France.
Germany invades Belgium on the way to France.
Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on
Germany.

WWI & Russian
Revolution
1914-1919

The Great, Quick, and Righteous
War






The war began with everyone optimistic
that the war would last only weeks
Each side was convinced of the rightness
of their cause and charged with national
passion
Many of the young felt that the war was a
break from a modern age preoccupied with
money, work, and material goods

Propaganda: Recruitment Posters (activity)

• Britain

• Germany

Western Stalemate


Europe unprepared for the war- fought a modern
war with modern weapons as if they were
fighting a 19th century war



Trench Warfare




Schlieffen Plan unsuccessful- Germany and
France frozen and dug into trenches for
almost four years
Trenches full of mud, rats, rotting bodies, and
disease- no access to medical care


Wet feet led to Trench Foot and the rotting

Why was WWI a Stalemate?


What’s a stalemate?



trench warfare

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Trench Foot

Western Stalemate


Men who rushed out of the trenches were
quickly cut down by machine gun power or
heavy artillery






Tanks devised at the time to be heavy
armored vehicles to run over trenches and
avoid gun fire

Germans began to use poison gas in 1915
Generals ordered attacks hoping to wear the
opposite side out – not successful

Western Stalemate






Russia quickly defeated by the Germans
Italy betrayed the Triple Alliance by
attacking Austria in May, 1915 – promised
Austrian land
Battle of Verdun, February, 1915- Germany
attacked Verdun (France) hoping to
devastate France out of the war –
causalities were more than a million with
300,000 dead – Britain turned to the
offense and pulled Germany out

What new weapons were used
in WWI?


Machine gun



Poison gas



Submarine



Airplane



Tank



INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION?
Why these weapons? Why now?

Map: Europe At War

The True World War

• The Ottoman
Empire
• November, 1914Entente declares
war on Ottoman
Empire
• Germany,
Austria, Ottoman
make up the
Central Powers
• Italy joins
France and

Allied Powers

Central Powers

World War I

The True World War


Africa


Allied and Central Powers fought in
Africa, taking colonies from each other



Lawrence of Arabia fought against the
Ottomans in Middle East in 1917;
destroyed the Ottomans by 1918



African troops used on the fields of North
Africa and Western Europe; also laborers

The True World War


East Asia




Japan joined the Allies in 1914 because they
wanted German territory in Asia

The U.S.


U.S. attempted neutrality



1915- Naval war between Britain and
Germany led to Germany sinking the
passenger ship Lusitania, on which
Americans were boarded – agitated U.S. and

The True World War


1917- Final straw, Germany reassumes
submarine warfare




Zimmerman Telegram- Germany promises
Mexico previous territory now owned by
U.S. to keep U.S. occupied

Entrance of the U.S. in 1917 gave a morale
boost to the demoralized Allied troops
fighting in Europe

The Homefront




Countries at war had to begin conscription
for men and to avoid bringing skilled men
into the military
Economic changes


Price, wage, and rent control



Regulation of imports and exports



Rationing of food



Nationalization of transportation and industry

Food Shortages (poster activity)

• Britain

• The U.S.

The Homefront




Patriotism dissolved into political
discontent


British Defense of the Realm Act allowed for the
trying of dissenters as traitors



Censorship of newspapers and publicized
information



In 1917, France suspended civil liberties

Propaganda increasingly important

Propaganda

• Zimmerman
Telegraph

• U.S. Patriotism

The Homefront


As men went away to war, there were more jobs
available and unemployment declined


Women also entered the workforce in large
numbers, working formerly male dominated jobs
like truck driving and heavy industry – women
demanded equal wages (France made strides to
equalize pay)



Women’s roles in the workforce seen as
temporary – would give up jobs when men
returned



Led to a new awareness of women in their own
independence and livelihood apart from men –

Women in WWI

Section 3: The Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution




Russia was ill-equipped to fight the war
and suffered great losses – between 19141916 over 6 million casualties - Russia
also suffering inflation and hunger
Tsarist regime led by Nicholas II pulled
away from affairs – a supposed Holy Man
named Rasputin became influential to the
Tsar, which upset many in Russia – Tsar
tried to hold onto autocratic rule Rasputin

Romanov & Rasputin

The Russian Revolution




March, 1917, “Peace and Bread” protests
in Petrograd


Soldiers meant to disperse crowd joined in



Duma assumed responsibility and Tsar abdicated

New provisional government decided to
carry on war to preserve Russian pride


Opposed by soviets who wanted to end the war –
soviets largely workers and soldiers

The Russian Revolution


The Bolsheviks


Marxist Social Democrats led by Vladimir Lenin –
dedicated to violent revolution – Lenin was in
hiding until the provisional government came to
power, then he was secretly shipped back to
begin revolution and to seize power



Promised: end to war, redistribution of land,
transfer of industries to worker councils, and
government power to the soviets – gained
popularity among the soviet groups

The Russian Revolution


Took control of the government on November 6,
1917 with the help of the Petrograd soviets led
by Leon Trotsky


Lenin the head of the new Council of People’s
Commissars - communist

Lenin

The Russian Revolution


Civil War in Russia


Not everyone was happy with the new
communist government and Allies wanted
Russia back in the war



The Bolshevik Red Army fought anti-Bolshevik
forced known as the White Army – White Army
defeated


Red Army a disciplined unit while White
Army was disorganized and not unified –
wanted different ends

The Russian Revolution






“War communism” – nationalized banks
and industries, grain from peasants, and
state centralization
Against the foreign invaders of the
Japanese, French, British, and American
who were stationed in Russia – appealed to
Russian patriotism

Tsar and his family murdered and burnt down
in a mine shaft

The War Weakens






Germany had renewed hope of winning
when Russia left the war
Second Battle of Marne, July 18, 1918,
Germans were defeated and Allies
advanced towards Germany
September 29, 1918- German leaders
begin to call for an armistice and liberal
reforms – also wanted to shift blame from
military/Kaiser to civilian leadership

The War Weakens


In November, mutinies by the navy and
workers and discontent of hungry
Germans led to the abdication of Kaiser
William II




New Socialist republic under Friedrich Ebert

November 11, 1918- Germany calls for an
armistice – the war is over

Before and After


European village before the war

Before and After


European village after the war

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


Paris Peace Conference – January, 1919


Three important men: Woodrow Wilson (U.S.), David
Lloyd George (Britain), and Georges Clemenceau
(France) [Vittorio Orlando of Italy less important] - no
mutual responsibility



Wilson wanted the peace settlement to:


Open discussion, not secret diplomacy



Democracy



Freedom of nations and people, eradication of
colonies

Peace Making Reality

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


League of Nations


Purpose


Disarmament



Collective security





Disputes solved by negotiation and
diplomacy

Weaknesses


No military – lacked enforcement power

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


Depended on mutual agreement, which was
hard to secure from nations all with differing
interests




Weak and small France felt secure
under promise of ‘collective security”
but larger countries like Britain did not
like the idea of having to protect Europe



Enforcement by economic sanction only



U.S. did not join - isolationism

League became more of an advisory council

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


A continuation of “secret diplomacy”




Russia and France made agreements behind
Britain’s back, feeling Britain had succeeded
in the war by using them
Austria made secret negotiations with France,
no longer willing to depend on Germany – a
strain on their relationship

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


The Treaty of Versailles, June 28, 1919


Article 231- War Guilt Clause – Germany (and
Austria) to blame for the war




Germany had to pay reparations
Reparation amount never set, leading to
disputes over how much Germany should pay
– Germany defaulted – Dawes Plan called for
U.S. loans and investments

Peace Making and Peace
Settlement




Germany had to decrease its military size
and had demilitarized zones to ‘protect’
neighboring countries
Loss territory of Alsace Lorraine back to
France and parts of Prussia to Poland

Germany at Fault

Peace Making and
Peace Settlement


End of Old Empires


Austria-Hungary


Broken up into states loosely based on
ethnicity



Germany and Russia lost territory



New states such as Finland, Latvia, Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia



Ottoman Empire


Promise kept to Arab supporters by breaking

Casualties?






Total troops mobilized by all
countries in WW1
65,038,810
Total troops dead from all
countries in WW1
8,556,315
Total troops wounded from all
countries in WW1
21,219,452

Statistics: WWI
Casualties