Chapter 29

The Great War

Rising Tensions

• Nationalism, Imperialism, and Militarism caused European nations to become fiercely competitive with one another.

• France had not gotten over losing Alsace & Lorraine to Germany from the Franco-Prussian War

• Austria-Hungary and Russia both tried to dominate the Balkans

The Balkans

This is where WW1 is going to begin.

Tangled Alliances

• Germany’s Otto Von Bismarck saw the key to European peace being “Isolate France” He formed alliances with Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Italy. This was called the Triple Alliance

• Kaiser Wilhelm II let the treaty with Russia lapse, so the Russians joined with England and France to form the Triple Entente.

The Balkan Powderkeg

• Serbia and Austria-Hungary both had plans for the Bosnia-Herzegovina area. In 1908 Austria annexed the land, enraging Serbia.

• On June 28th, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was visiting Sarajevo and was assassinated by a Bosnian rebel. Uh oh.

The Balkans

This is where WW1 is going to begin.

The Descent Into War

• Austria wanted to punish Serbia. They issued an ultimatum. Serbia agreed to most provisions, but wanted to settle some by international committee.

• Austria refused and declared war on July 28th.• Russia (Serbia’s ally) mobilized it’s armies and

posted them at the Austrian & German borders.

The Descent Into War (cont)

• Germany declared war on Russia on August 1.

• Russia called upon France to come to its aid, but the Germans didn’t wait. They declared war on France two days later.

• Great Britain then declared war on Germany. All of Europe was now locked in conflict.

The Central Powers vs the Allies

• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire made up the Central Powers

• They were named that because they sat in the heart of Europe’s center.

• France, England, Russia, Japan, & Italy made up the Allies. Italy had switched sides after accusing Germany of starting an unjust war.

• The United States would not join the war until 1917.

Europe’s Pre-War Attitude

• Many people thought it would be a relatively quick war.

• Soldiers and civilians alike seemed almost “happy” to be going to war. Many thought it would be a great adventure after so many years of peace.

The Western Front

• After a few months of fighting it was becoming obvious that the war was turning into a bloody stalemate.

• Military technology had progressed faster than military strategy.

The Schlieffen Plan

• Germany’s goal during WW1 was to quickly defeat France in the West, then rush east to fight slower-moving Russia.

• General Alfred Schieffen devised a plan that brought the Germans to within 40 miles of Paris. However, they were defeated at the Battle of the Marne, and the Schlieffen Plan was ruined.

Trench Warfare

• By 1915, miles of parallel trenches had been dug to protect armies from enemy fire.

• Life in the trenches was agony. It was dirty, disease infested, loud, and only slightly less dangerous than the space between trenched, dubbed, “no-man’s land”

• Armies traded huge losses of life for pitifully small land gains

New Weapons of War

• Poison Gas – Some gasses caused blindness or blisters, some just caused choking.

• Machine Guns – This could wipe out entire waves of attackers

• Tanks – Armored combat vehicles introduced by the British in 1916

• Submarines – The German U-Boats were amazingly effective and employed torpedoes