World War I Breaks Out

January 6, 2014Objective: Identify the major

causes of unrest in Europe

Causes of WWI

1. Militarism2. Alliances3. Imperialism4. Nationalism

1. Militarism• Glorifying military power and preparing for war– If war came, it would be incredibly destructive– Britain: Navy– Germany: Army

• Large standing army leads to both patriotism & fear

• Conscription: military draft– Had been established in most Western nations

• Military leaders became more powerful– Leaders began to make decisions for military instead

of political reasons

2. Alliances by 1914Triple Alliance• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Italy

Triple Entente• France• Great Britain• Russia

Tangled & unstable alliances!

3. Imperialism

• Stronger country taking over a weaker nation– i.e., Balkan Crisis

• Competition between European countries for overseas territories

• Leads to rivalry & mistrust

4. Nationalism

• Deep devotion to one’s own country– Can lead to competition between nations– Territorial disputes

• Nationalism Imperialism Competition between nations Fighting Revenge

• Not all ethnic groups had become nations so many still dreamed of their own national states

Wait a minute…

What’s going on?

Oh, yeah!

Okay, let’s review…

• Balkan Peninsula– Mountainous peninsula

in the SE corner of Europe

• Decline of Ottoman Empire led to formation of Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, & Serbia

• Balkan Wars – 1912-1913– Balkan League: Greece,

Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria

International Crisis in the Balkans

• Balkan Crisis: 1912-1913– Balkan League – Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria

• Serbia, backed by Russia, wanted to create a large, independent Slavic state in the Balkans

• Austria-Hungary stands in their way

Serbia• Archduke Franz Ferdinand –

Austrian heir to the throne who was assassinated on June 28,1914 while visiting Sarajevo (along with his wife)

• Gavrilo Princip – 19 year-old member of the Black Hand who assassinates the Archduke

The Black Hand?

• Serbian terrorist organization that wanted Bosnia to be free from Austria-Hungary

What’s a leader to do?

• A-H gov’t didn’t know if the Serbian gov’t had been directly involved in the assassination– Didn’t care! Wanted to attack Serbia in retaliation– But…feared Russia would intervene on Serbia’s

behalf

• So they asked for, and received, support from their German allies– “Blank check” from Emperor William II

Alliance System Fulfilled

• Austria’s declaration of war set off a chain reaction within the alliance system– Countries of Europe follow through on their

pledges to support one another

Triple Alliance

Triple Entente

GermanyAustria

Italy

Great BritainFranceRussia

Germany’s Schlieffen Plan• Attack France and then

Russia• Speed vital• Since Germany knew France

had troops all along their border, Germany decided to attack France’s unprotected northern border with Belgium

• Germany invades Belgium, a neutral country, thus bringing Britain into the conflict

•Britain declares war on Germany•By August 4, all the Great Powers of Europe were at war!

European Nations Take Sides

Central Powers• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Joins later:

Bulgaria & Ottoman Empire

Allied Powers• Great Britain• France• Russia• Joins later: Japan

& Italy

January 7, 2014

Objective: Identify the events that led to America’s entry into the war

The Use of Propaganda• Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or

against a cause• Most people believed that their nation’s cause

was just• Many also believed that the war would be

over in just a few short weeks

The Western Front

• Trench Warfare– Soldiers fought from parallel trenches– Armies traded huge losses for small land gains

• “No man’s land”– Stretched between enemy lines– Filled with bomb craters and barbed wire– No soldier could survive there

A Puzzling Phenomenon

• Trench warfare was something that military leaders had no experience with– This was not a war of movement and manuever

• The Great War becomes a war of attrition– A war based on wearing down the other side by

constant attacks and heavy losses

New Tools of War: Machine Guns

New Tools of War: Poison Gas

Introduced by the Germans but used by both sides

Some gases caused blinding or severe blisters. Others caused death by choking

New Tools of War: Armored TanksIntroduced by British in 1916

New Tools of War: Zeppelins

New Tools of War: Zeppelins

Because they were filled with hydrogen, zeppelins were easy to take down if hit by antiaircraft guns

New Tools of War: AirplanesFirst used to take photographs of enemy lines and later to drop bombs

New Tools of War: SubmarinesIntroduced by Germany (known as U-boats) in 1914

New Tools of War: Larger Artillery

Result of New Tools of War

Kill huge numbers of people more effectively!

U.S. Involvement

• At first, tried to remain neutral• Britain set up a blockade of Germany which

prevented Ger. from gaining war materials and other goods by sea– Ger. retaliated by setting up a blockade of Britain

and utilized unrestricted submarine warfare

Lusitania

• British ship sunk by German u-boats– >100 American civilians were killed– Ger. suspended unrestricted warfare due to

protest from U.S. (Sept. 1915)

• Ended suspension in April 1917

Zimmerman Note Primary Source Activity

The U.S. Enters the War

• Justification for declaring war on Germany– Which was taken largely because of the German

decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare.

• This, and the sinking of the Lusitania, brings the U.S. to join the Allies in 1917

The War’s End and Aftermath

14 Points – Wilson’s Plan for peace!

• Proposed to Congress even before the end of the war

• 1st five points – end secret treaties, reduce armies, free trade

• 6-13 – New countries created

• 14th point – created a League of Nations.

What is the Big Four?

• Refers to the member states that attended the 1919 Paris Peace Conference following World War I

Who Represented the Big Four?

David Lloyd George – England Woodrow Wilson – USVittorio Orlando – Italy

George Clemenceau – France

What Did They Want?

• Wilson: New world order based on democracy and international cooperation– Very idealistic!

• George: Make the Germans pay for the war• Clemenceau: Revenge and security against future

attacks from Germany– Germany stripped of all weapons– Reparations– Separate Rhineland as a buffer state between Fr. And

Ger.

The Big Three

• Even though Italy was invited, the U.S., France, and Great Britain made most of the decisions

• Germany was not invited to attend• Russia could not be present due to its own

civil war• Side note: Had pulled troops out earlier

when Russian Revolution started

And “on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”…

(November 11, 1918)ARMISTICE is SIGNED

Treaty of Versailles

• Reparations - $ paid by losing side• War Guilt Clause – Germany is the sole cause

of the war• Creates the League of Nations• Established 9 new countries– Poland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia,

Finland, Latvia, Turkey• Alsace-Lorraine returned to France• Demilitarized Rhineland

Treaty of Versailles – Main Points!

•Blame•Reparations•Army•Territory

• The main points of the Treaty [BRAT]  1.   Germany had to accept the Blame for starting the war

2.     Germany paid Reparations for the damage done during the war.

3.     Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air force.   She could have a navy of only six battleships, and an Army of just 100,000 men.  

• 4.     Germany lost Territory (land) in Europe (see map). Germany’s colonies were given to Britain and France.

Legacy of Versailles• Germany in economic ruins• New natn’l boundaries leave

every nation w/ethnic minorities

• Mandates of colonial territories• Hitler’s rise to power• US pulls away from European

affairs• Most of the wars of the 20th

century, revolutions• Russians feel ignored

Europe Before & After

Casualty Toll

• 4 years• 30 nations involved• > 40 million casualties

• 26 million killed (1/2 civilian)• 20 million injured

• 10 million refugees• $350 million dollars spent• Lands destroyed

Long-Term Consequences of WWI

• Destruction of Eastern and Central European empires• Communism in Russia• Instability in Eastern Europe• Social and political transformation• Further industrialization and modernization of

European economies• German resentment• General decline in European economic and global

power

Europe After WWI