1914-1919

Independence 3 main powers

Ottoman EmpireAustria-Hungary (A-H)Balkans (peninsula)

Russia Great Britain Imperialism Competition

Bosporus & Dardanelles

Nationalism

Jewish communityNew roles dropped restrictions

Anti-Semitism: Prejudice towards the Jewish community.

Migrationforced out of homes“saved” by Christians

Militarism Alliance System Nationalism Imperialism Assassination MANIA: disorganized

behavior

Militarism: arms race of today, competition for best military◦ Great Britain vs. Germany = navy◦ France vs. Germany = army

Alliance system: thought to promote peace, backfired!◦ Instead drew all of the other nations into the war◦ A-H vs. Serbia

Nationalism: countries were competing for largest army & navy to have greatest industrial development.

◦ Ideas of independence, false sense that their country was always right!

Imperialism: France & G.B. = colonies◦ Germany & Italy now wanted colonies ◦ Competition for trade routes & industrial

developmentAssassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand

(June 28,1914)

Great BritainFranceRussia

These 3 joined together to protect the colonies & natural resources they had.

GermanyAustria-Hungary (A-H)

Italy

These 3 joined together because they wanted to expand and wanted colonies!

Great BritainFranceRussiaSerbia ItalyUnited States

Great Britain◦ Arms race w/Germany, build up

strongest navy◦ Leaders in est. colonies & trade

routes◦ They had previously offered

protection to the Ottoman Empire and their straits (Bosporus & Dardanelles)

◦ Wanted to remain neutral, but British citizens were alarmed by Germany’s rapid growth

◦ Depended on their industrial strength & naval power for growth

◦ Joined Triple Entente because of Germany’s naval power

France◦ In 1871, Germany had

defeated France in a territory dispute, France was still bitter about paying back the $1 billion indemnity & the loss of some land

◦ Even though G.B. & France were competing for colonies, they joined forces against Germany

◦ France first joined forces with Russia because of Germany’s rapid industrial growth

◦ Next, G.B. would join to form the Triple Entente

Italy◦ At first, Italy had joined alliances with

Germany and A-H◦ They had wanted more territory, some of

A-H and France’s colonies◦ They didn’t join the Central Powers

because they wanted some of A-H’s territory.

◦ They had originally belonged to the Triple Alliance. They had first joined forces with Germany to expand their country.

◦ After WWI broke out, Italy had designs on taking more land away from A-H.

◦ But, this was causing problems and Italy knew they had to have larger powers on their side to do this.

◦ This is when they decided to switch sides and become a part of the Allies (after the war broke out)

Serbia◦ A-H declared war on them!◦ They were one of the ethnic groups

that had been split apart and they wanted the Slavs of A-H to be a part of their country.

◦ Serbia gave assistance to the “revolutionary forces” or Serbian nationalists who lived in A-H

◦ It was 1 of these nationalists who fired the shot that ignited WWI

◦ Remember, the “Powder Keg of Europe”?

Russians◦ This country also joined the Triple

Entente, even though they were also in a race to gain the most colonies. Remember, they had a mis-trust against the Germans, too.

◦ They wanted to gain control of the Bosporus and Dardanelles because they really didn’t have any other water routes into their country.

◦ They also wanted to expand westward which would bring them into contact with Germany & A-H

United States◦ We will include them in our

notes when they join the war in 1917.

Germany A-H Turkey

(Ottoman Empire) Bulgaria

Germany◦ Germany was looking to form

alliances with countries because they wanted to expand their territories

◦ They had also made enemies with the French & Russians. They knew they had to protect themselves from getting caught in the middle of these 2 powers.

◦ Germany was in an arms race with both G.B. & France

Austria-Hungary◦ This was an empire which

consisted of many different ethnic groups: Austrians, Slavs & Hungarians.

◦ The Austrians & Hungarians now shared power.

◦ The Slavs wanted to be a part of Serbia. They were of the same ethnic group, but had been split when some of A-H’s territory had been lost to Germany and Italy.

◦ A-H also wanted to start building up their military.

Turkey (Ottoman Empire)◦ Joined an alliance with

Germany and her friends for protection

◦ They no longer had the protection from G.B. (remember, G.B. was protecting them from Russian) once G.B. joined the Triple Entente

◦ Remember, Russia also belonged to the Triple Entente!

Bulgaria◦ Joined because they wanted to

join with Serbia.◦ They weren’t happy with the

way A-H divided their ethnic group.

◦ They were also Slavs and wanted to join with Serbia because of nationalism!

Wealthy: Life was good! Europe controlled trade,

manufacturing & mining Beneath the surface,

there was much unrest. Strikes, riots, protests,

etc. More prosperity should

lead to more wealth shared by everyone!

A-H: many ethnic groups, some of these groups had gained their independence, some not.

However, new boundaries weren’t drawn along ethnic groups. Slavic's of Serbia were divided, half still part of A-H. Serbia supplied weapons to them for a revolt. A-H found out & confronted Serbia. Serbia wanted to “show” A-H they were sorry so they invited

Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand & Sophie (wife) down for a parade. The Arch Duke accepted as he was going to be checking on

some military maneuvers in the area. Two bullets fired on a Sarajevo street on a sunny June

morning in 1914 set in motion a series of events that shaped the world we live in today. World War One, World War Two, the Cold War all trace their origins to the gunshots that interrupted that summer day.

Two bullets fired on a Sarajevo street on a sunny June morning in 1914 set in motion a series of events that shaped the world we live in today. World War One, World War Two, the Cold War and its conclusion all trace their origins to the gunshots that interrupted that summer day.

The couple was returning from an official visit to City Hall.

June 28, 1914, Gavrillo Princip, revolutionary Serbian, (assassin/terrorist)

A-H gave Serbia an ultimatum

Serbia agreed to most, but not all

July 28, 1914: A-H declared war on Serbia

Russia started organizing/mobilizing their army

Germany warned Russia to stop, Russia didn’t, Germany declared war on Russia

France declared war on Germany

British hesitated, but Germany marched into Belgium, neutral

British declared war on Germany

Italy refused to back Germany & A-H. Claimed the purpose of the Triple Alliance was for defensive purposes only!

Guns started firing in Aug., 1914

Advantages: Language barriers

weren’t a problem because countries were centrally located

It was easier to move supplies because of their location

Disadvantages: Didn’t control any major

water-ways If they didn’t defeat the

Russians right away, they would be forced to fight a 2 fronted war

Advantages: British navy cut off

shipping to the C. P. Larger populations for

larger military Russia: showing

unexpected strengths Germans: 2 fronted

war Will have world

sympathy because of Belgium

Disadvantages: Language barriers

created problems Sometimes had

trouble getting supplies to troops

Germany invades Belgium as a shortcut to France

Burned farmland & destroyed water supplies

Both sides needed supplies from the U.S.

British Navy stopped supplies & support from going to the Germans.

U.S. wasn’t ‘officially” in the war, they were supplying weapons to the Allies.

Smuggling weapons to G.B. aboard passenger ships.

C.P. caught wind of this and warned the Allies.

U.S. was also loaning $$ to the Allies for weapons & food supplies.

Shallow trenches, home for the next 4 years

Dug deeper, tunnels & dugouts for sleeping & eating quarters

Sandbags & helmets protection from shell attacks

“No man’s land” = landmines & barbed wire

Mud, rats, body lice, pneumonia, trench foot, & freezing to death

Paris Gun: could fire a shell 82 miles, but it took 15 mins. to load, didn’t have accurate aim.

Poisonous gasses: affected eyes, skin, throat & lungs. Changing winds blew the gas back on the soldiers. Cannons fired containers of gas. Gas masks used by soldiers, horses, mules & guard dogs.

Airplanes: first used for scouting purposes (too slow & flew low to the ground). By the end of the war, they were used in warfare.

Submarines: used by both sides, mostly to blockade ports

Modern transportation: important for winning the war. Allowed troops & supplies to be moved faster.

Tanks were heavy & clumsy. Their importance wasn’t recognized until WWII

Thousands of enthusiastic men went off to war, but would never return.

Little ground being gained. C.P. short on food,

weapons, ammunition & soldiers.

Questioning strategies Ends when U.S. joins!

Two-fronted war, troops moving back and forth between the trenches.

Germany was losing colonies because they were occupied with the war.

Japan & Great Britain taking colonies in Asia & the Pacific.

Japan is emerging as the most powerful imperial nation in Asia & the Pacific region.

May 7, 1915: German submarine attacked & sank the British ocean liner.

1,200 lives lost—over 100 of them U.S. citizens

Secretly carrying arms & ammunition to G.B.

This is going to be 1 step in bringing the U.S. into the war.

Tensions began building for the next 10 months.

Because the Allies & C.P. were locked in a stalemate, Pres. Wilson stepped in to try & negotiate an end to the fighting.

“Peace without victory.” Allies & C.P. were not

ready for peace. Armies stayed in their

trenches.

Sinking of the Lusitania = even though passenger ships were supposed to be protected

(Remember the Allies were in violation of transporting weapons on passenger ships!)

U.S. loaned $$ to the Allies and wanted loans repaid.

“German” ruled Europe wouldn’t be in their best interest.

Zimmerman Telegram!

April 5, 1917: U.S. declares war on Germany!

During 1918, Russia withdrew from the war to fight in their own country’s revolution.

Reasons for the revolution: Germans supported the

Russian Rebels! Russia had suffered a huge

loss of life = 34% of soldiers, dead, injured or POW’s

Lenin = leader of the Russian Revolutionaries, Bolshevik’s

Slogan: “Peace, Land, Bread!”

Fresh U.S. troops began driving the exhausted C.P. back

=============================== Armistice: a temporary agreement to stop

fighting October, 1918 = Ottoman Empire surrendered Nov. 7, 1918, the people of Bavaria (S. Germany)

rebelled against Kaiser Wilhelm II. At 11:00 on Nov. 11, 1918, a general armistice

went into effect. The guns fell silent on the western front. What about the eastern front?

European history, few events = WWI in destructiveness.

Only the Black Plague (14th century) and the 30 Years War were comparable.

Political change was inevitable

Human Cost 9.1 million = killed in action 7.4 million = POW’s 21 million personnel were

wounded These figures do not include

civilian deaths

Psychological Costs Between 1914-1919, as many

as 42 million lost their lives from war, famine & diseases.

Young people = become the political, social, & economic leaders in their countries.

But this generation is now missing from history!

Economic Costs Monetary cost of war difficult

to measure. Human life cannot be assigned a monetary value.

Destruction of property is estimated at $330-$375 billion.

Woodrow Wilson arrived in Paris, France to attend the Paris Peace Conference. He had come with a plan many believed would ensure lasting world peace.

The major decisions regarding the Treaty of Versailles was left to the BIG FOUR.

BIG FOUR: United States France Great Britain Italy

14 Points1. Open Diplomacy = no

more alliances.2. Freedom of the seas =

merchant ships couldn’t be shot at during wartime.

3. Free & unlimited trade = no more tariffs

4. De-militarize = no more arms race

5. League of Nations = an attempt at a global government

In 1919, the Big Four met in Paris to negotiate the Treaty: Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, &

Woodrow Wilson of the U.S.

League of Nations = the U.S. didn’t join!

The Allied countries liked most of Wilson’s 14 Points, but wanted Germany punished!

War Guilt Clause = Germany had to take full responsibility for starting the war.

The Treaty of Versailles officially ended WWI on June 28, 1919.

Why do you think this date was chosen? Think back 5 yrs.!