World War I The Great War

1914-1918

Outbreak of War

• June 28th, 1914 in Sarajevo (Bosnia).

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austro-Hungarian Empire) tried to gain loyalty of Bosnians visiting them.

• A Serbian student assassinated Ferdinand.

• Spark for WW I.

• July 28th, Austria declared the war to Serbia.

• Serbia was supported by the Entente or Allied Powers (plus Japan and Romania).

• Austria was part of the Triple Alliance or Central Powers (Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire).

• July 29th: Russia says it will help Serbia...

• August 1: Germany declares the war on Russia (Serbia).

• August 2: France says that it will help Russia...

• August 3: Germany declares the war on France.

• August 4: Great Britain declares the war on Germany.

Different phases of the War

• Movements phase (1914).

• Trench Warfare (1915-1917).

Movements phase (1914)

• August 1914: Germany entered the War.

• Germany acted according to a plan from 1905: Schlieffen Plan - bi-directional strategy:

• To defeat France.

• To fight Russia.

Trench Warfare (1915-1918)• A line from the Belgian coast till

Switzerland.

• Two armies reached a stalemate till 1917.

• No-one could push the other back.

• “No man’s land”, the ground between the trenches.

• None could capture it, none want to be caught.

(page 99)

The final battles on different fronts (1917-1918)

At Sea• The war was won in the sea.

• The main importance of controlling the sea:

• Ships bringing food from the USA.

• To blockade enemy ports.

• Ther Germans started using submarines.

• Successful: Britain only food for six weeks in 1917.

• British changed tactics: convoys and special bombs, “deep charges” to sink the submarines.

In the air

• British used planes: escort ships.

• Germans used planes: attack British cities.

• British:

• 1914: only 36 planes for reconnaissance.

• 1918: 36,000 for fighting the enemy.

In the East of Europe

• October 1917: a revolution took place.

• The new government signed a treaty with Germany.

• Russia lost 2,000,000 men.

In the West of Europe

• Germans & Austrians, then, moved all the army to the West.

• The USA, joined forces with British & French, because U-Boats were sinking their ships.

• German ports blockade; people starving; looking for a quick victory, but...

• Lost in Paris, March 1918.

Consequences• German civilian rioted after the defeat.

• Popular opinion turned against the war.

• German allies (Bulgaria, Ottomans, Austria-Hungary) surrended.

• November 9th, 1918: Kaiser Wilhelm forced to abdicate.

• Germany became a republic.

• The new government signed the armistice.

Pages 103-105

The Treaty of Versailles

• In 1919, meeting of the Allied Leaders in Versailles (France).

• Goal: to agree a peace treaty.

• To reorganize Europe.

• To establish the culprits of the war.

• To find a system to maintain the peace

• Countries: Great Britain, USA, France.

• Woodrow Wilson.

• 28th president of the United States of America.

• A lot of influenced over the Treaty of Versailles.

• Page 104.

“Fourteen points”

• Creation of the “League of Nations” (the future UN).

• Disappearance of the Central European empires.

• “Collapse of empires”: Ottoman, Autro-Hungarian, German, Russian.

• Self-determination: each different nation of people should have their own

Agreement on:

Consequences for Germany

• Declared the main culprit of the war.

• Had to pay ALL the war damage (reparations).

• Had to reduce its army (max. 100,000 men).

• Forbidden to have an air force.

• Navy limited to 36 ships.

• Submarines were destroyed.

More consequences for Germany

• Lost all its colonies overseas.

• Parts of Germany given to France, Poland, Belgium and Denmark; most of them rich industrial areas (Alsace & Lorraine).

• “Rhineland” taken from Germany; demilitarized zone (border with France, Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg).

• Not allowed to join the League of Nations (till 1926).