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World War I
THE CAUSE OF WORLD WAR II?
Europe at the beginning of
the 20th Century
 Dominated by the 6 most powerful countries:
 BRITAIN, FRANCE, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY,




GERMANY, RUSSIA and TURKEY
These were called the GREAT POWERS.
These 6 countries were divided into 2 groups
of allies:
The Triple Entente = France, Britain & Russia
The Central Powers = Germany, Turkey &
Austria-Hungary.
Time Bomb?
 This system of alliances meant that if war
broke out between any one country from
both sides, the other countries would be
drawn in too.
The First World War
 Began in August 1914
 The Spark had been the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Serb
Extremists on a trip to Sarajevo.
Franz Ferdinand and his wife
Sophie, just moments before
he was killed.
 The war quickly spread to all the allied
countries and to European colonies in Africa
and Asia.
 The USA and Italy also got involved in the
war.
 By 1918, 15 million people had been killed,
many of these being civilians!
 The world had witnessed some of the most
terrible and bloody battles in human history.
The Somme, 1916
1 million killed
Galliploi,1915
450,000 killed
Verdun, 1916
714,000 killed
Lemberg, 1915
500,000 killed
The End Comes
 Finally, in November 1918, the war ended when
the Germans asked for a Ceasefire (armistice)
 By then the map of Europe had been
transformed:
 The Russian Monarchy had been overthrown by
revolution.
 The Austro-Hungarian Empire had broken apart.
 In Germany the German Kaiser (Emperor) had
abdicated and a new democratic Government had
replaced him.
 The Armistice was signed at 11am on 11-11-1918.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Europe circa. 1919
LOOK AT HOW DIFFERENT EASTERN
EUROPE LOOKS HERE COMPARED TO
THE EARLIER MAP!
The Versailles Treaty
 Each defeated country had to sign a Treaty
with certain terms.
 The Treaty which Germany had to sign was
called the VERSAILLES Treaty.
 The victorious Allies blamed Germany for
having caused the war and imposed harsh
terms on her in the Treaty.
 These were designed to keep Germany weak
in the future.
Terms of the Treaty
 Article 231: “The War Guilt Clause”. This stated that Germany
accepted responsibility for causing the war.
 Germany would have to pay a war debt of €8.4 billion, to pay for
the cost of the war she “had caused”.
 Germany had to return the territory of Alsace-Lorraine to France,
which she had taken in an earlier war with France in 1870.
 Germany could not place troops within 50km of the French border
 The area of the Rhineland in Germany was to be DEMILITARISED.
 German army was limited to 100,000 soldiers, and only a few
ships. Military Planes were forbidden
 Germany had to give up her Colonies.
 Germany was forbidden from entering into any union with
Austria
 The Sudetenland Region was taken from Germany.
What did all this mean?
GERMANY LOST
13% OF ITS LAND
GERMANY LOST 48% OF
ITS COAL & IRON
RESERVES
RESULT?
 Huge Resentment amongst Germans over how
they had been treated in the Versailles Treaty.
 They felt Germany was being Humiliated.
GERMAN’S WERE
 German economy
was in crisis
FRUSTRATED
ANDduring the 1920’s
due to the massive
they had to pay.
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 Due to loss TO
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 Unemployment
and InflationOF
were out of
RESTORATION
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GERMAN PRIDE
 WHAT DID ALL THIS MEAN?
That Person would prove to
be…
ADOLF
HITLER