World War IWorld War I is primarily a text presentation, with 29 maps & 7 questions. is primarily a text presentation, with 29 maps & 7 questions.
77 refers to 1914-1991, when Soviet communism collapsed; 31 to 1914-77 refers to 1914-1991, when Soviet communism collapsed; 31 to 1914-19451945
OutlineOutline::
I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?III. Who ruled?IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?V. Which countries fought on each side?VI. How did America react to the war?VII. What were the goals of each side?VIII. What major events occurred during the war?IX. How did World War I end?X. Why was World War I so disastrous?XI. Epilog: whose fault was the war?XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
Note: Teachers should print out the text, which includes many footnotes.
31 Years of Disaster:Part 1:World War One 1914-1918Causes,Course of the War,Effects
Text Copyright by Ronald Wiltse, (As of: May 2008)
WARNING!This presentation is stuffed with
information. You must: pay close attention, copy the outline, and study the results
. . . to get the maximum out of it!
0. Geographical preview: Europe
Balkan Peninsula
I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?
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I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?
A. The conflict that started in 1914 lasted 77 years, until 1991.
B. Of that 77 years, the period of war lasted 31 years (1914-1945), with a 21 year break (1918-1939). (In August 1914 most expected that the war would be over within 4 months.)
I. Overview: Why was World War Ian important event?
C. European nations forfeited their position as the world’s leaders.1. Every European government that went to war in 1914 was defeated and destroyed by 1945,
except Great Britain, which went from the world’s most powerful nation to a fourth rate power: Russia/ Soviet Union, 1918 Germany, 1918 & 1945 Austria, 1918 & 1945 France, 1940 Italy, 1944
I. Overview: Why was World War I an important event?
D. The USA replaced Europe as the world’s greatest power.
E. Two great movements dominated the century, causing monstrous evil. Soviet Communism Nazism
I. Overview: Why was World War Ian important event?
F. Thus, World War I led to the rise of Soviet communism. World War I led to the rise of Nazi Germany. World War I led to World War II. World War I otherwise changed the course of the twentieth century.
II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
A. Building conflicts made war almost inevitable.1. German actions.
a) The emergence of the German Empire in 1871 upset the balance of power carefully developed in Europe over the preceding centuries.
Yet Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor (and actual ruler) of the German Empire, skillfully kept his potential enemies from encircling him with alliances.
France resented Germany for taking Alsace-Lorraine away from France in 1870.
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II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
b) Incompetent Wilhelm II took personal control of Germany in 1890, but could not maintain the high quality of Bismarck’s leadership.
Kaiser Wilhelm II, by needlessly building up the German navy, threatened British naval power which was essential to maintain its empire.
John Tenniel, The Firing of Bismarck
II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
2. Three groups clashed in Balkan Peninsula. As the power of the Ottoman Empire declined in
the Balkans, the native Slavic peoples of the Balkans wanted to rule themselves.
Austria wanted to expand its power into the area. Russia wanted to prevent such Austrian
expansion.
Languages in the
Austro-Hungarian
Empire reflect the
ethnic diversity of
the Empire’s
inhabitants.
Balkan Peninsula
Austro-Hungarian Empireshowing languages spoken
What future Europeancountries do you see
inside the bordersof the Austrian-
Hungarian Empire?
II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?B. Political leaders built
entangling alliances. (In his
Farewell Address of 1797
George Washington warned
Americans of entangling alliances)—an
entangling alliance involves one country with
the fortunes of another country, even if the first
country doesn’t want to get involved.
II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
1. Germany allied itself with Austria-Hungary, which Russia resented.
(Austria-Hungary comprised a multi-national empire, and as such saw itself as unique among European nations. Usually, we will refer to it as Austria here.)
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II. How did Europe lose the peace (long-term causes)?
2. Unlike Bismarck, the German Kaiser could not prevent his potential enemies from forming an alliance—The Triple Entente (England, France, and Russia)—which forced Germany into the possibility of a two-front war—against France in the west and Russia in the east.
III. Who ruled?
George V (King of England), cousin of Wilhelm II* (Kaiser of the German Empire),
cousin of Nicholas II* (Czar of the Russian Empire), Franz Josef* (Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire) Raymond Poincaré, President of France
*These leaders and their ruling houses, all in countries that lost the war, lost their monarchies as a result of the war.
III. Who ruled?
George V (King of England), cousin of
Nicholas II* (Czar of the Russian Empire),
George V (left) and Nicholas II
III. Who ruled?
Wilhelm II* (Kaiser of the German Empire), cousin of
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III. Who ruled?
Franz Josef* (Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire)
*These leaders and their ruling houses, all in countries that lost the war, lost their monarchies as a result of the war.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
A. Foolish leaders allowed their countries to drift into war.1. A Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to
Austrian throne, unleashing a chain of events that led to a localized war between Austria and Serbia. This war within days became a worldwide war; thus this event is called the match that ignited the Great War.
Serbia, in black, east of Bosnia and its main city, Sarajevo. Many Serbs lived in Bosnia.
The assassin, Gavrillo Princep, and Franz
Ferdinand with Sophie.
Car in which Franz Ferdinand and hiswife were riding in when they were
shot.
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IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
2. Austria used the assassination as an excuse to move against Serbia, which Austria wanted to dominate.
Evidence of direct involvement of the Serbian government was not found.
Austrian citizens feared that a local war against Serbia would escalate into a feared general war, but that did not stop their government from moving forward.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
3. Germany unconditionally backed Austria in its conflict with neighbor Serbia, oblivious to the dangers involved in giving Austria so much power (the “blank check”).
What doesgiving
someonea blank
check mean?
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
4. Serbia yielded to Austrian demands, but Austria attacked anyway.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
5. Russia, to support Serbia, mobilized for war against Germany.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
6. Germany responded by declaring war against Russia.
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IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
7. Because war with Russia would mean war with Russia’s ally France, Germany declared war on France, hoping to defeat France before Russia could prepare its army to fight.
German route of attack.
The German plan was to encircle Paris, forcing
France to surrender.
To do this, however, the German army had to
march through Belgium.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
8. When Germany attacked Belgium, the UK declared war on Germany.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
9. At this point, each nation involved justified itself by claiming that it had been attacked.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
B. Events of the last week of July 1914 occurred at such a rapid-fire pace that the diplomats involved could not think clearly.
IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
The “week” of war declarations: July 28-August 4, 1914 Tues.,7/28 Austria declared war on Serbia 7/30 general mobilization of Russian army 8/1 Germany declared war on Russia and mobilized France mobilized, (assumed declaration of Russia
against Germany, but not actually declared) 8/2 Germany issued an ultimatum to Belgium
demanding passage to France 8/3 Germany declared war on France France declared war on Germany Tues., 8/4 Germany declared war on Belgium, attacked
Belgium UK declared war on Germany
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IV. How did a local conflict become a world war (short-term causes)?
The “week” of war declarations: July 28-August 4, 1914Tues.,7/28 Austria declared war on Serbia7/30 general mobilization of Russian army
8/3 Germany declared war on FranceFrance declared war on Germany
Tues., 8/4 Germany declared war on Belgium, attacked Belgium
UK declared war on Germany
8/2 Germany issued an ultimatum to Belgium demanding
passage to FranceIn 8 days, most ofEurope was at war!
8/1 Germany declared war on Russia and mobilizedFrance mobilized, (assumed declaration of Russia against Germany, but not actually declared
V. Which countries fought on each side?A. Two camps arose before the war:
The Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
The Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia.
V. Which countries fought on each side?B. During the war, with slight changes, these
became: The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary,
the Ottoman Empire. The Allies: Britain, France, Russia, and, with a
little hesitation, Italy.
Original lineup:
Pink:Central Powers
Red:Allies
Other colors:
Countries unattached in August 1914
During World War One,
Allies* were on the Central Powers. *all eyes
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V. Which countries fought on each side?C. Overview:
The Triple Entente: became The Allies:
United Kingdom United Kingdom
France France
Russia Russia
Italy
The USA
(32 countries total)
V. Which countries fought on each side?C. Overview:
The Triple Alliance: became The Central Powers:
Germany Germany
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary
Italy Ottoman Empire
[ ? Which goes with which?
Allies
Triple Alliance
Central Powers
Triple Entente
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VI. How did America react to the war?A. President Woodrow Wilson initially called
on Americans to remain neutral in thought as well as action. On January 22, 1917
Wilson calls for peace
without victory.
VII. What were the goals of each side? Germany – support Austria, gain more land,
weaken Britain and Russia Austria – to avoid damage by nationalistic
groups such as the Serbs, gain parts of Serbia and Romania
Ottoman Empire – to survive
VII. What were the goals of each side? Russia – to defend Serbia and Romania England – to defend Belgium France – to defend itself, recover Alsace-
Lorraine The USA – to make the world safe for
democracy, defend its bankers’ loans, & defend its threatened maritime economy.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?A. Germany feared a two-front war. Thinking
that Russia would take several weeks to field its army, Germany decided that this time provided a window of opportunity to quickly defeat France first, then fight Russia.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?B. To defeat France
quickly the Schlieffen Plan called for German troops to race through Belgium, swing south, and capture Paris. The plan failed and a two-front war followed. The Schlieffen Plan
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Why the Schlieffen Plan failed—too much Belgian resistance and a weakened attack
force
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. . . as planned . . . as carried out
The first major battle was the Battle of the Marne.
How did the French reserve troops get
from Paris to the Marne battlefield
?
Paris taxis!
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?C. The Battle of the Marne (September 5-12,
1914) stopped the German advance, saving France.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?D. While other fronts moved, the Western
Front ground down to a stalemate.1. The border between the
contestants hovered about
a seldom-moving line run-
ning from Belgium, across
northeastern France, to Switzerland. German trench
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A stalemate
meant trench
warfare.2. The title of Erich Maria
Remarque’s novel about
the western front can be
translated Nothing New on the Western Front.
William Orpen, Dead Soldiers in a Trench
William Orpen,
Thiepval [in winter]
C.R.W. Nevison, Paths of Glory
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy.1. Because the US government refused to stop American citizens from riding dangerously on British ships, the Germans stopped submarine warfare to avoid pushing the US into the war.
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VIII. What major events occurred during the war?E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy. 2. The event that frightened
Germany into ending sub-
marine warfare was Amer-
ican reaction to the sink-
ing of the British liner Lus-
itania in May of 1915, in
which 128 Americans died.
Warning given to Lusitania passengers by German officials dockside:
NOTICE! TRAVELLERS intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travelers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY,Washington, D.C. April 22, 1915
Lusitania
recruiting
poster
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?E. Submarine warfare gave Germany a
chance against the superior British navy.3. Eventually Germany had to
resume unrestricted submarine
warfare, knowing that would draw
the US into the war. It hoped to
prevail before the US could make
a difference.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?F. The US slid into the war: The United
States maintained a false neutrality and slipped ever closer to the United Kingdom, overlooking British violations of international law, but not those of the Central Powers.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?F. The US slid into the war:
1. Because of the strong British navy, the Allies could take delivery of vital supplies produced in the United States, while the Central powers could not.
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VIII. What major events occurred during the war?F. The US slid into the war:
2. Finally, Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, which it did on April 6, 1917, ¾ of the way through the war. It followed with a declaration against Austria-Hungary on Dec. 7.
Because of the time needed to train and outfit American soldiers, it was not until 14 months later
that American forces were able to take a
significant role in the war, meaning that they fought
for only the last five months of the war.
General John Pershing led the American
Expeditionary Force.
If copying, copy this short form:
3. It took 14 months for US troops to get into the war; the war ended 5 months later.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?G. Russia faced problems.
1. The poorly equipped Russian people suffered greatly during the war.
2. Russian soldiers,
although dying at a
lower rate than other
major combatants,
lost the will to fight.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?
G. Russia faced problems.3. The Czar refused to
pull out of the war.
4. Democrats overthrew the Czar’s government in 1917 (but continued to fight the war).
Czar Nicholas II
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?G. Russia faced problems.
5. Lenin led the Russian Communists (Bolsheviks) in a second Revolution in 1917 (Nov. 7, 1917) and pulled Russia out of the war (December 22), despite the Allies’ plea not to do so.
6. The key question among the Allies at the time: which would have a greater impact, Russia pulling out of the war (Dec. 1917), or America entering the war (in effect, June 1918)?
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VIII. What major events occurred during the war?
G. Russia faced problems.
Communists—among others—believed that the upper and lower classes were natural enemies, as shown in the painting From the Depths by William Balfour-Kerr.
Lenin needed to go from Zurich to Petrograd, but had to convince the German government to let a Russian communist travel through Germany (he promised to overthrow the Russian Government and withdraw from the war).
The German government allowed Lenin’s party to travel through Germany by sealed train.
St. Petersburgbecame
Petrogradbecame
Leningradbecame
St. Petersburg
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?H. Eventually the Germans adopted a policy
of infiltration. (Infiltration means that weak points are attacked, regardless of the unevenness of the line that results. That approach, of course, has been followed in all wars since then.)
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?I. The influenza epidemic of 1918 hurt war
efforts. In the last weeks of the war, influenza broke
out, especially among troops living in crowded conditions.
From the middle of September 1918, more people were killed by influenza in the next 4 months than died from the plague in the century after 1347.
VIII. What major events occurred during the war?J. Both sides used
propaganda posters to influence the public.
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VIII. What major events occurred during the war?Wars must be financed.
Another American poster, with an appeal to history (remember the Hundred Years War?).
The classic American recruiting poster.
This iconic poster lives on. Here is
an exampleseen in a window
in Romania in 2007.
But others were used too.
Above: from Australia
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Above: from Australia
85
r German poster in
the style of the
great German
artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)Do you remember this picture:?
r
Then, as now.
Not all propaganda was from a government.
Otto Dix, Troops Advancing under Gas Attack
Do you think this kind of art work couldhave been presented during the war?
IX. How did World War I end?A. The entry of the US threw the balance of
fighting to the Allies’ side (Germany’s new policy of infiltration came too late).
Stereoscope slide,
“Lafayette, we are here.”
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Childe Hassam,
Allies Day
IX. How did World War I end?B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end quickly; thus, its military leaders surrendered.1. Germany’s civilian leaders signed the armistice
only because its military leaders ordered them to.
IX. How did World War I end?B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end quickly; thus, its military leaders surrendered.2. The armistice occurred on November 11, 1918,
at 11 AM—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
IX. How did World War I end?B. In the fall of 1918, Germany faced great
social upheaval if the war didn’t end quickly; thus, its military leaders surrendered.3. In the 1920s, some German military leaders and
German anti-Semites claimed that the military had not lost the war; rather, the surrender was due to traitorous false German civilian leaders. These so-called traitors were all Jews, and thus began the myth of the Jewish stab-in-the-back.
IX. How did World War I end?C. The winners (France, the UK, and the US)
met in Paris to dictate terms of the peace to Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.1. American President Woodrow Wilson proposed
his Fourteen Points, which generally were rejected as too idealistic.
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Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
The Signing of Peace in the Hall of
Mirrors, Versailles, 28 June 1919, by
William Orpen,
in the Imperial War Museum, London
Do you remember Versailles?
IX. How did World War I end?D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.1. Germany’s leaders were forced to admit guilt for
the war and agree to pay damages to the victors. This and other mistreatments caused resentment
among Germans, thus paving the way for Hitler.
IX. How did World War I end?D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.2. Wilson’s demand for self-determination for most
ethnic groups justified the destruction of the empires of the losers.
◄ Germany lost land to the newly reconstructed Poland, and Alsace-Lorraine went back to France.
IX. How did World War I end?D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.◄The victors divided Austria-Hungary into
many pieces. Hungary won its complete independence from Austria. The victors created Yugoslavia out of parts of Austria
and other countries. Czechoslovakia joined two major ethnic groups into one
country (together they would have a better chance to defend themselves against future aggression).
Land went to the new Poland, and to Romania.
IX. How did World War I end?D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly.◄The victors reduced the
Ottoman Empire to its core,
Turkey, while the newly
created territories of Syria,
Lebanon, Trans-Jordan,
Palestine, Arabia, and Iraq
were assigned to the leader-
ship of the UK and France.
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IX. How did World War I end?D. The Treaty of Versailles treated the losers
harshly. Even Russia, which had pulled out of the war
toward the end as a loser, lost much land . . . to the newly created Poland. to the new ethnically centered states of Finland, Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania. Wilson’s proposal for a League of Nations, to
prevent future warfare, was adopted.
IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
1. Poland. The Polish people had lost their independence in the 1700s (to Prussia, Russia, and Austria). The WWI winners took land away from Germany, Russia, and Austria to restart Poland.
IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
To give Poland access
to the sea, the winners
cut Germany into two
parts and made Danzig
an international city.
This division will remain a sore point
for Germans.
IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
2. Russia. Russia lost much
land to Germany when the
new communist government
dropped out of the war. The
winners gave back only
some of it.
Land taken from Russia in black.
IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
3. Austria-Hungary.
After Hungary
became indepen-
dent and other
land went to
countries old and
new, only the core of the Empire—today’s Austria—was left, ruled from its giant capital, Vienna.
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IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
4. Germany. Germany became a divided country when a strip in the northeast was given to Poland. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, and all land west of a line drawn 50 kilometers east of the Rhine River was demilitarized.
Do yousee any
otherchanges?
New and changed countrieswith land from Russia:
Finland
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
part of Poland & Rumania
from Austria-Hungary:
(Austria)
(Hungary)
Czechoslovakia
part of Romania
part of Yugoslavia
part of Poland
part of Italy
from Germany:
part of Poland
IX. How did World War I end?E. Review of the territorial changes:
5. Ottoman Empire. The winners broke up the Ottoman Empire, which itself had nearly 500 years earlier conquered the Byzantine Empire. The core became Turkey. Its former Middle East land was turned over to France and England, who created Transjordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Arabia, and Iraq.
New Middle eastern countries from the ottoman
empire Mandate for France:
Syria
Mandates for Britain:
Palestine
Transjordan
Iraq
Independent: parts of Arabian Peninsula
Green areas were already under
British control by 1914.
(Mandates were areas assigned for European control by
the League of Nations in 1920)
X. Why was World War I so disastrous?A. New technology changed the nature of
fighting: The new technology included the machine gun,
barbed wire barricades, and trench warfare. Mustard “gas” caused much suffering.
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X. Why was World War I so disastrous?A. New technology changed
the nature of fighting: (The airplane was in its
infancy and generals disliked the tank and therefore they nearly always used them ineffectively.)
First American Air Victories, by John McCoy
First American Air Victories, by John McCoy
President:Here are some new
weapons.General:
Tanks!President:
You’re welcome.
X. Why was World War I so disastrous?
B. The military leaders used outdated tactics: They relied on horse-mounted soldiers (cavalry)
and bayonets;
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Horses could also die!
X. Why was World War I so disastrous?B. The military leaders used outdated tactics:
They practiced the direct infantry assault (i.e., charging against machine guns), and
They followed the doctrine of uniform advance, where soldiers would not advance into a point of weak resistance unless their entire line could advance at the same rate.
X. Why was World War I so disastrous?C. One result of outdated tactics was
stalemate on the Western front (each side built a long line of trenches, separated from each other by a no-man’s land ).
D. Another result of the above was massive casualties.
XI. Epilog: whose fault was the war?A. Many on all sides engaged in wishful
thinking. “There will be ups and downs. But it is impossible
that things won’t turn out all right.” Jean Jaurès, French socialist leader, July 30, 1914 (quoted in Strachen, The First World War, page 41.)
B. Leaders on all sides led poorly.
C. Germany was dangerously aggressive.
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XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
A. The climate gradually turned against German culture.
1. Childish name changes took place. e.g., Sauerkraut became liberty cabbage.
2. German newspapers in America often took a pro-
German stance up to the declaration of war,
stimulating a backlash against things German.
XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
Making His Dollars Fight, cartoon approving of mistreatment of good Americans just because
their ancestors came from German-speaking lands
(1917 cartoon from The Baltimore American)
XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on the defensive.
1. Germans came to America because they preferred it to their German-speaking homelands,
often fleeing oppressive governments. By 1914, some were third generation Americans, yet they were often treated with suspicion by Anglo- Americans, and sometimes harassed.
XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on the defensive.
2. German language public schools around San
Antonio switched to English.
3. German-Americans stopped speaking German
in public.
XII. Appendix: How did World War I affect German-Americans, especially in the area around San Antonio?
B. German-Americans found themselves on the defensive.
4. Some anglicized their names, e.g., Schmidt to
Smith.
5. Only in the late 1950s did German-American
Texans begin to openly celebrate their German
heritage again.
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END
The following slides are for use with the vocabulary worksheet.
Alsace-Lorraine
OttomanEmpire
Triple Entente and Triple Alliance