“The War to End All Wars…”

Setting the Stage For War The Congress of Vienna set the scene for a

balance of power in Europe; not one dominant country

Germany was not figured into the balance at this time because it was not a united country

After the unification of Germany and the powerful economy and military it established under Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck, the balance was upset

Rivalries Play a Part Rivalries over land began to surface during

the Age of Imperialism Competition over land and raw materials

sparked tension between nations of Europe Great Britain Austria-Hungary France Germany Russia Italy

The “M.A.I.N.” Causes of WWI

M is for Militarism: glorifying war and your military powers

A is for Alliances: defense agreements among the nations involved in WWI

I is for Imperialism: nations gaining control of territory for their own benefit

N is for Nationalism: feelings of loyalty and patriotism towards a region

The Alliances of WWI ALLIED POWERS (Triple Entente):

Russia France Great Britain United States Serbia Italy

The Alliances of WWI CENTRAL POWERS (Triple Alliance):

Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Italy

The Spark of War Though countries were aligning, a peace

remained in Europe In the Balkan region, growing tensions

among nationalities emerged “the powder keg of Europe”

Assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

visited Sarajevo in June 1914 When he would become emperor, he would give

the Slavs a voice in gov’t and not all liked that He and his wife were assassinated by Princip, a

member of the Black Hand Serbians held responsible for death by Austrian

gov’t Germany promises to support Austria-Hungary in

any action it takes against Serbia

Gavrilo Princip

Archduke Ferdinand and his wife

Prep for War Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to

Serbia: let us in to investigate the Archduke’s death or it’s WAR!

Serbian response of yes to an investigation but no to a trial made the Austrians mad

In July 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

A Tangle of Alliances Leads to WWI

Russia supports Serbia immediately in a show of support for Slavic people

Russia now declares war on Germany and A-H

France and Great Britain follow suit and support Russia

In great shows of patriotism by citizens, WWI had begun

Schlieffen Plan War strategy by the Germans They invaded Belgium on Aug. 3, 1914 Problem Germans faced: 2 front war Schlieffen felt that the Russians would be

slow to mobilize, so focus first on western front and take Paris

From the beginning, this plan was flawed

Battle of the Marne Fought b/t French and German troops in

NE France The French pushed the Germans away

from Paris, saving the city This battle signified the end of Schlieffen

Plan

Russian Involvement Russia quickly mobilized and entered the

war on the eastern front This diverted the Germans attention from

the western front This worked until the Russians were

severely beaten at Tannenberg

Stalemate For the first part of the war neither side

was an obvious victor In order to fuel the war effort at home,

propaganda was used to boost morale New types of warfare needed to be

developed

Trench Warfare Dug on the western front so soldiers could

have protection They lived, fought in these trenches They endured cold, rats, disease,

uncomfortable living conditions Charged “over the top” to attack enemy

trenches Once poison gas was introduced by the

Germans, it changed trench warfare

Battles of Verdun and Somme

Verdun: Germans surprised Allies in France

French held firm and Germans abandon attack

***One of the bloodiest battles of the war***

Somme: British and French offensive against the Germans

Inconclusive and costly in lives The tank was introduced here

The Eastern Front Less entrenched Constant changes in battlefields Russia not as prepared as western

European countries They eventually stepped their efforts up

and helped alleviate attention from the western front

Attack at Gallipoli Churchill (head of British navy) wanted to

take the Gallipoli peninsula to supply Russia and strengthen Serbia

Then they could take the Ottoman Empire out of the war

Turks drove Allies back

Warfare + Water The Germans realized that the British

dominated the Atlantic The British began to blockade German

coast (food and fertilizer) In response, the Germans used their U-

boats (submarines) to attack ships in the Atlantic At first, warships but eventually commercial

ones

Warfare + Water (cont’d) In May 1915 the Germans sunk the

Lusitania and America outraged President Wilson said if they didn’t stop,

US would enter the war

US Enters the War US citizens were conflicted about entering

(especially immigrants) The Lusitania angered citizens, but not

enough to go to war Tensions exploded in 1917 The Zimmerman Telegraph

Germany promises to help Mexico recover lost territory if they help Central Powers in war

Anti-German sentiment pushes US into war

A Shift in the War The US was a breath of fresh air to the

Allied forces The US:

Boosted morale Gave resources and manpower Helped guard the Atlantic with the convoy

system

Total War Armies were running low on manpower, so

mechanized warfare was used more Everyone (soldiers, workers, women, etc)

needed to contribute to the effort…thus, TOTAL WAR

A Global Effect… Resources and manpower was needed

from European colonies In return, these natives (i.e. Arabs and

Africans) hoped for independence or citizenship at war’s end

This often did not happen

End of War With the help of Americans, the French

pushed the Germans back into Germany The demise of the other Central Powers

soon followed The Ottoman Empire and A-H surrendered On November 11, 1918 at 11am the

Germans surrendered to Allied forces (Armistice Day)

End of the War = Problems Bloodiest war in history: 8.5 million dead

and close to 16 million wounded Political structures of western Europe was

shattered The Armenian Genocide took place at end

of WWI Mass killings of Armenians by Turks Used Armenian support of Allies as an excuse Put in labor camps, shot, starved, etc Over 1 million killed

Wilson Pursues Peace Before the war’s end US president

formulated a plan for world peace and for dealing with Germany

The 14 Points: plan for world peace First five: causes of the war; next 8: specific

boundary changes self-determination

League of Nations Allies reject the 14 Points, France and Britain

want their interests protected

Paris Peace Conference So, the “Big Four” (US, Italy, GB, France)

meet in Paris to work on a peace treaty ***Russia and Central Powers not

invited*** Here, Wilson gave up some of his idealistic

ideals so the League of Nations would be accepted

Treaty of Versailles This cut down Germany and punished

them The Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919)

Provisions 9 new nations Demilitarize Germany Reparations to Allies War-Guilt Clause

Europe

Feelings Fade… People not as fired up about war now, they

are war-weary and exhausted Family, land, resources, etc were lost

Treaty of Versailles Not Perfect

Weaknesses of treaty eventually help lead to WWII treaty humiliates Germany Russia felt ignored: excluded from peace

conference; lost territory Issue of colonies & colonized peoples

Vietnam

Legacy of WWI Germans shocked at Treaty’s harshness Worldwide economic depression Search for scapegoats in Germany sets the

scene for WWII