The Great War1914-1918
Europe 1914
Long-Term Causes
Nationalism Strong in Balkan Peninsula▪ Many smaller nations gaining
independence from Ottoman Empire (Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania)
▪ A-H threatening to annex them
▪ Russia happy to support Slavic nationalism (only to take them over later)
Economic Competition▪ GB and Germany relations
become tense due to economic rivalry
▪ Rivalries encourage strong sense of pride
BALKAN PENINSULA
Political Changes
Germany Unification in 1871 Threatened by France and Russia on borders
France Economy declines due to Franco-Prussian War After Nap III falls, political chaos
Russia Massive industrialization under Nicholas II
GB Losing industrial edge to Germany Laying low but fearful of German militarism
Imperialism
Leads to economic and egotistical competition
International economy and no ability to Police it
Rivalries develop b/w Great Powers over land and wealth
Tension over territories in Africa
Militarism
Glorification of armed strength War seen as solution to international
problems No major wars within 30 years +▪ military leaders restless and eager to prove
superiority with new weapons▪ “boys and their toys”
Germany building massive, modern army▪ Anti-war Social Dems vs. German Imperial
Gov’t(needed to prove their power)▪ Creates anxiety in other Great Powers
Alliances
Alliances
Year? Name the Treaty/Alliance
Countries?
Alliances
1879- Dual Alliance: Germany and A-H 1882-Triple Alliance: Germany, A-H , Italy 1887- Reinsurance Treaty: Germany &
Russia Lapses due to new Kaiser
1894-France and Russia become allies 1904-France and GB become allies 1907-Triple Entente: France, Russia & GB
1907: Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente
Alliances
Immediate Cause
1908: Austria annexes Bosnia Large Slavic population Outraged Slavic leaders
looking to self-rule; talk of war
June, 1914: Nationalism peaks in the Balkans Serbs gaining
confidence and looking to challenge Austrian presence in region
Immediate Cause
June 28, 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand
visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia Serbs use this opportunity to challenge
Austrians Archduke and wife shot at point-blank
range▪ Killer- Gavrilo Princip of the “Black Hand”
Murder causes A-H to go after Serbia with complete support from Germany▪ “blank check” support
Timeline of Immediate Cause
June 28-assassination of Archduke July 5-Germany issues “blank check” July 23- July 25-Serbia responds to ultimatum
How? July 28- August 1- August 3- August 4-
Bravo, Belgium!
Crime of the Ages…”Who Did It?”
Crime of the Ages…Who Did it?
Schlieffen Plan (1906)
the plan was to win the two-front war by first quickly beating France before Russia would be able to mobilize against Germany
depended on Germany's ability to invade France before France could fully mobilize its troops to defend itself, and then to turn on Russia, seen as the slowest of the three to mobilize, before the Russians were ready
The Powers that be…
Triple Alliance
•Central Powers
• Germany, Austria –Hungary, Ottomans
Triple Entente
•Allied Powers
• Russia, France, Great BritainWhat happened to Italy?
The Battle of the Marne-Sept. 1914
Located just east of Paris along the Marne River
GOAL: Allies to push the Germans back from Paris
Allied forces are successful
Schlieffen Plan ruined Slow moving battle Both sides “dig in”
Why?
Battle of the Marne 1914
New Tools of War
Machine Gun Maxim Gun 600 rounds per
minute Most devastating
effect on how the war was fought
Forced men into trenches
New Tools of War
Poison Gas Heavier than air; good
to use against trench warfare Tear Gas: eye irritant Mustard Gas: skin
irritant Chlorine: eyes, nose,
lung irritant that could cause asphyxiation
Used to force troops to break ranks
Only 4% related-deaths
Poison Gas
New Tools of War
Submarine (U-boats) Only used by
Germans US and GB had
technology but chose not to use it; “ungentlemanly”
Very effective in sinking GB and US ships
Very influential in bringing US into the war
New Tools of War
Tanks Used to move through
“no man’s land” in trench warfare
Improvement of armored trucks that got stuck in the mud
1916: Developed into “tanks”
Late 1917: more effective tanks finally developed
1916
1918
New Tools of War
Airplanes Made out of
canvas and wood Flew up to 100
mph Early use for
reconnaissance Dog-fights began
after mounting machine guns
Trench Warfare
After the Battle of the Marne (1914) it was evident soldiers were not equipped to protect themselves from rapid gunfire…so the dug in…
Trench warfare begins
Trenches
Elaborate system of trenches zigzagged along the Western Front (France)
Used by both Allies and Germans
Only front line soldiers fought in trenches 4 days on, 4 days
off depending on conditions
Trench System
Trenches
Trenches
It was said you could smell the trenches way before you could see
them.
Trenches
Trenches were used on the Western Front only
Not new to war use not commonly used in European wars
Created stalemate on the Western Front…dragging war on for years
Wet Trenches
Very wet and poor sanitary conditions in trenches
Many soldiers came down with trench foot and other diseases
More men died from disease than from combat
Trench Foot
Mild Case of Trench Foot
Severe Case of Trench Foot
Battle of the Somme-July 1916
GOAL: Allies to push Germans lines further back from Paris and Verdun Fought near Verdun, in Somme River
Valley in France One of the bloodiest battles of the war 1.5 millions lives lost British gained little more that 5 miles at
the deepst point of penetration of German lines
Realization that this was a “war of attrition”
Battle of the Somme
Total War
All countries resources go to the war effort▪ Civilians: men drafted to fight; women take
on male-roles back home▪ Government: control of the economy
increases▪ Rationing items: limiting its use by civilians▪ Controlling industrial production to increase war
materials
▪ Propaganda: one-sided promotional information▪ Government controls the news—national security▪ Promotes all positive information to keep up morale
& support
Eastern Front
Russia vs. Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottomans, Bulgaria
Trench warfare not used…Russia lacked technology ; best weapon…MEN!
Problem for Allies: Russia cut off from Allied support Many failed efforts to help send relief to
Russia Italy finally joins Allies 1915
Battle of Tannenberg-August 1914
August, 1914 Russians easily
defeated by Germans
Russians lost many supplies and land
Allies feared that Russia may not hold their own
Gallipoli Campaign - 1915 GOAL: Allies use
new member –Italy– to gain supply access to Russia Use Italy as stepping
stone into Ottoman territory
Campaign a failure Russia remains
isolated
Gallipoli Campaign
Lawrence of Arabia
Major contribution was convincing Arab leaders to co-ordinate their revolt to aid British interests against the Ottomans, a Central Power; successful
He sought to convince his superiors in the British Gov’t that Arab independence was in their interests
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Germans used this
strategy of torpedoing ships without warning
Effective in sinking many British naval and cargo ships
GOAL: weaken GB and cut-off their supply lines
Sinking of the Lusitania –May 7, 1915
Largest, fastest ocean liner torpedoed and sunk in 18 minutes off the coast of Ireland.
killing 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard 138 Americans
Generated much hatred towards Germans
Theory: GB left it as a sitting duck hoping to have US loss of life and bring US into the war against Germany
US does not declare war but give stern warning to Germans
forcing Germans to end UNRESTRICTED Submarine
warfare
RMS Lusitania
Lusitania
Russia Out of the War
1917: Russia fighting on Eastern Front for 3 years on the DEFENSIVE 2 million dead; 6
million deserters People wanted
peace; Czar Nicholas II refuses to pull out of war
Russia Out of the War- Nov 1917 Germans secretly help
set up Communist Revolution in Russia as a diversion Sent in Russian exile
Vladimir Lenin Forces Czar Nicholas II to
abdicate Once in Communists in
place; Russia surrenders to Germany- ends war in East▪ Treaty of Brest-Litovsk-
Russia surrenders land to Germany & Germans leave Russia alone
Zimmerman Telegram
January, 1917 Germans begin unrestricted sub warfare
again; needed weaken GB; knew it might bring in US
Precaution: Instigate a war with Mexico against the US to prevent US involvement in WWI
German Foreign Secretary, Zimmerman, sends telegram to Ambassador in Mexico pledging support for a war against US Intercepted and US declares war on April
2, 1917
Zimmerman Telegram
Some Promise! April 1917
US Enters the War
April 2, 1917- US declares war on Germany
Allies have advantage US have fresh troops arriving to Western
Front 250,000/month by late spring
Germany left with young, weak army; young boys very scared and inexperienced
Battle of the Marne-Fall 1918 Allies Goal: push Germans out of
France completely Allies much stronger Germany refuses to surrender but
can’t hold their own; largest artillery barrage of entire war…but not enough
Bulgarians, Turks sue for peace A-H has its own revolution…pulls out of
war Germany left alone to fight Allies
End of War to End All Wars Germany Navy mutinies; Germany
very close to revolution November 9, 1918- Kaiser Wilhelm II
abdicates the throne November 11, 1918- Germany signs
an armistice with Allies Armistice: agreement to stop fighting Signed on a RR car outside of Paris Known as Armistice Day but currently
know as…?
November 11, 1918- Armistice Day
Paris, Nov 11, 1918
Treaty of Versailles- 1919 January 1918- President Woodrow Wilson
drew up his FOURTEEN POINTS to global peace: End to secret treaties Freedom of the seas Reduction of armaments Redrawing European boundaries with
respect to ethnicities #14: International Political Organization
to prevent war (League of Nations)
Treaty of Versailles
Big Three (four) US, GB, France
(Italy) Met with 70
delegates from 27 countries
Met at Versailles in Hall of Mirrors
Signed June 28, 1919 Exactly 5 years
after assassination of Archduke
Treaty of Versailles
Germany gets slammed Lost all colonies Rhineland occupied by
French for 15 years Austria remain
independent Sudetenland to
Czechoslovakia No navy No artillery, subs, planes Standing army of
100,000
Treaty of Versailles
THE GUILT CLAUSE: Germany forced to take full blame Must pay reparations of $31 billion over
33 years
This was most devastating for German people…taking full blame for the actions of their “war monger” Kaiser
Lesson from Congress of Vienna???
League of Nations
Goal: to prevent global war and promote peace and diplomacy
Permanent members: France, GB Italy 42 other allied nations members
US never joins; Wilson’s idea, Congress wants to remain isolated and in control
Weak…why?
New Nations Created
West Ottoman Empire becomes Turkey rest becomes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Transjordan
Austria Hungary Poland Czechoslovakia Yugoslavia (Serbs, Croats, Slovenes) Estonia Latvia Lithuania Finland
New Nations Created
Central Powers Military Deaths Germany-
2,050,897 A-H-1,100,000 Bulgaria-87,500 Ottomans-771,844
Total- 4,010,241
Allied Powers Military Deaths British Empire-
1,114,914 France- 1,397,800 Russia- 1,811,000 Italy- 651,000 Serbia- 275,000 Romania- 250,00 United States-
116,708 Others-99,000
Total: 5,711,696