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WORLD HISTORY II Mrs. Bailey World War I (1914-1918) For further exploration, check out http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/index.html In the summer of 1914, a complex set of circumstances led European countries into a destructive war over issues of nationalism, imperialism, alliances, and growing militarism. These powder keg issues erupted into war, dramatically altering the global status quo, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 when a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and Queen Victoria of England were all first cousins and at first it was thought the family ties would prevent war. Russia went to the aid of their Slavic brothers in Serbia and Germany declared war on Russia August 1, 1914. The war brought an end to European aristocracies and monarchies and helped launch the United States to the forefront of international politics. The war created new nations and set the stage for ongoing conflicts. The following image is a political cartoon of pre-war Europe. How are the different countries depicted and what do you think it means? http://www.catalog.socialstudies.com/pdf/ZP925EX.pdf Major Allied Powers: Major Central Powers: Who made up the Triple Entente? Who made up the Triple Alliance? Long Term Causes: Unification of Germany – Threatened English industrial dominance and their military buildup threatened all of Europe Imperialism – Competition for possessions overseas Alliances – Designed to balance power in Europe Militarization – Military buildup/continually training troops and development of new weapons such as tanks, machine guns, howitzer cannons, airplanes, chemical weapons) Industrialization – led to swifter, stronger, more mobile and deadly armies Social Unrest – enlightenment saw people lose faith in divine right and begin to question government and did not believe they were destined to be poor and oppressed, so worked for labor unions, freedoms, and democracy or voice in government Nationalism – united people with sense of greatness but it was like patriotism with a strong helping of superiority, which was used to justify/rationalize conquering the “inferior” See this link and select “Play Animation” to discover how the alliances led the different countries into war: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/ http://www.cosmeo.com/images/pictures/player/ef6db001-9420-04e5-a47810993e6f2327.jpg “The Lamps are going out all over Europe” – What is the point of this cartoon? Key Battles: Marne – French and British forces prevented Germany’s plan for a swift and decisive victory Verdun – 1 million dead or wounded, demoralized both sides, first extensive use of flamethrower, ½ of the German army in France and ¾ of the French army fought here Somme – first use of tanks (British) and drew Germans from Verdun St. Mihiel – first battle using American troops under American commanders Hindenburg Line – deep, wide trenches, barbed wire, concrete machine gun positions, concrete bunkers, tunnels, and command posts – considered impregnable by the Germans but British offensives proved otherwise Changing Warfare: Trench Warfare – 475 mile front with 8 foot deep networks of trenches protected by barbed wire and the trenches were plagued with disease, lice, water, and mud and the soldiers often had to sleep standing up or leaning in corners, however German trenches were more sophisticated and had sleeping rooms (a few had wallpaper and painted ceilings) Shell Shock – aka battle fatigue caused by long periods of shelling and the mental stress of living in constant dangers in trenches, which sometimes caused psychiatric trauma and the symptoms could include trembling, tearfulness, and damaged memory – in the beginning it was thought they were cowards and many were executed. Christmas Truce – Christmas 1914, enemies joined together for caroling, soccer games, conversation, and exchanging tokens of war Scorched Earth – In order to leave nothing behind the opposing forces might use, both sides used this practice of burning buildings, ravaging crops, cutting down trees, and forcing people to flee their homes and it devastated the countryside leaving citizens (especially peasants) homeless and desperate Espionage – information regarding enemy plans and strategies was very valuable and spies would try to break enemy secret codes and obtain information through phone tapping and interrogating prisoners Weapons – warships, airplanes (first used to gather intelligence and later were armed with the interrupter which allowed nose mounted guns to shoot bullets in between the propeller motion and eventually as bombers) submarine technology able to launch torpedo attacks without surfacing, machine guns (originally the Maxim), howitzers (long range, large shelled weapon) artillery more accurate with longer ranges, flamethrowers, tanks (British innovation), telephone/radio to help with communication, first war films and chemical weapons (poison gas which attacked the nervous system and caused a painful death or long lasting mental disturbances – chlorine gas was the worst and within seconds would destroy respiratory organs causing choking attacks – mustard gas was almost odorless but caused blisters internally and externally several hours after exposure) Zimmerman Telegram - Sent January 1917 by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador in Mexico outlining an alliance between Mexico and Germany against the United States and in return he promised to help Mexico “reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.” The British intercepted the message and tried to convince the Americans to abandon their position of neutrality and enter the war as an ally. President Woodrow Wilson saw the telegram February 24th and then the contents became public soon afterwards resulting in a growing number of Americans wanting to enter the war. April 6, 1917 – The U.S. officially declares war against Germany. Reasons attributed to obtaining Americans to support the war include: U.S. news received from Britain was strongly biased to favor the Allies British propaganda focused on supposed German “atrocities” during the war to increase U.S. support Germany’s use of unrestricted submarine warfare (especially the Lusitania) Zimmerman Telegram German subs sank two U.S. ships in mid-March 1917 April 2, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war and the resolution passed April 6 The Draft aka “Conscription” – June 5, 1917 the government implemented a draft for men age 21 to 31 and they were chosen by lottery at a ceremony in the Senate office building on July 20. While 6,400,000 men were drafted into service, an overwhelming 24 million men registered. Liberty Bonds – Four Liberty Bond drives and one Victory Bond drive raised over $20 billion for the war effort. Top artists were recruited to create posters urging people to buy the bonds, which also stirred patriotism. The bonds were used to finance the war and to increase public support for the war effort. Propaganda – The government formed the Committee of Public Information and began producing propaganda posters that demonized the Germans. People started to rename food items like sauerkraut to liberty cabbage, frankfurters to liberty sausages, and hamburger to Salisbury steak. People also started to target and ostracize Americans with German ancestry, including an event in April 1918 when a mob lynched a German-born citizen named Robert Prager. Changing Roles of Women and the right to vote (FINALLY!!!) – With many young men off at war, women began to fill some of their jobs, especially factory jobs. Women demonstrated their competence and skill in the workforce, women found some independence, and society began to reconsider its view of women and their roles in society. Governments began granting suffrage: Denmark (1915), Netherlands and Russia (1917), Austria, Br, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Sweden (1918), Germany and Luxembourg (1919) and the United States (1920) Russian Revolution – In Russia there had been years of Tsarist oppression, one example includes the slaughter of people in Odessa in 1905, resulted in their unpopularity. In 1915 Tsar Nicholas took command of the army and on March 8, 1917 riots broke out in Petrograd and the soldiers refused to support the Tsar and instead joined the revolution. By March 12, Tsar Nicholas abdicated and the tsarist rule in Russia came to an end. Soviet Union and the War – The provisional government created after the fall of the Tsars was hit by bread shortages, devaluation of the ruble, the inability to maintain the country’s infrastructure, and the growing support for communism. Vladimir Lenin and the communists gained control of the government in 1917 and marked the beginning of the Soviet Union. The Soviets signed a treaty with Germany, withdrew from the war and Germany then focused its attention on the Western Front. Arabs in the War – The Turkish dominated Ottomans had long ruled over various Arab tribes in the Middle East. The tribes, while historically fighting amongst themselves, banded together to help the British to overthrow Ottoman rule and establish an Arab nation. Arab forces, undersupplied and under trained, were able to disrupt Turkish supply lines and attack outposts, which distracted Turkish forces from the British. Armistice – November 11, 1918 (11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) – temporary agreement to stop the fighting officially ended the Great War though peace negotiations and the treaty would be problematic. Paris Peace Conference – January 1919 – Peace talks were dominated by the “Big Three” Allied leaders: President Woodrow Wilson of the United States, Premier George Clemenceau of France, and Prime Minister David Lloyd George of England. Representatives from 27 countries participated in the talks; defeated powers were not invited, nor were Russia, who was engaging in a civil war. A treaty was agreed upon and signed by Germany 6 months later. Soon after, 4 other treaties dealing with Austria, Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria soon followed. Versailles Treaty – June 28, 1919 – Germany had to sign the treaty without providing input into the terms. The treaty, signed on the anniversary of the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, contained harsh conditions and unrealistic expectations for reparations which angered German people, helped contribute to the economic depression, and failed to resolve the underlying reasons for the conflicts on the continent. The basic conditions include: Germany had to cede the region of Alsace-Lorraine (won in the Franco-Prussian War in the 1870s) back to France, the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia, and the “Polish Corridor” to Poland. Demilitarization of the Rhineland. Germany’s Saar coal region was placed under international control for 15 years. Disarmament: Germany was limited to only 100,000 army troops; no reserves, tanks, aircraft, warships, or subs were permitted. Germany to pay $5 billion in immediate reparations and future reparations determined by May 1921. Many saw this treaty as overly punitive and instead of being designed to bring lasting peace to Europe to instead humiliate and cripple Germany. Germany would be expected to pay over $33 billion in reparations total, which would be impossible for the war-devastated country. President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” – President Wilson outlined a plan for peace referred to as the “Fourteen Points” in his address to Congress on January 8, 1918. European leaders either dismissed most of the ideals of the Fourteen Points or diluted them in the final peace agreement. The Fourteen Points were: 1. Open diplomacy; no secret treaties. 2. Freedom of the seas in war and in peace. 3. Removal of all economic barriers. 4. Reduction in national military forces. 5. Colonial disputes judged impartially. Subjected peoples have equal voice with colonial powers. 6. Withdrawal of all German and Austrian forces from Russian territory. 7. Restoration of Belgian sovereignty. 8. Occupied French territory restored, including Alsace-Lorraine. 9. Borders of Italian frontiers redrawn according to national identity. 10. Peoples of Austria-Hungary were given opportunity for autonomy. 11. Autonomous Balkan states. 12. Non-Turks within Ottoman Empire were given opportunity for autonomy. 13. Establish a Polish state with sea access. 14. Formation of the League of Nations. League of Nations – 1919 to 1939 – President Woodrow Wilson wrote the League’s covenant and countries which signed would be part of the new world organization (except Germany and Russia). However, the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Versailles Treaty; primarily due to the League of Nations which they felt committed the U.S. to comply with League decisions and undermined U.S. sovereignty. Wilson worked hard to try and gain support for the treaty touring the country speaking to the issues, but suffered a stroke (many believe due to the strain of the tour). In21, the U.S. finally put a formal conclusion to the war by signing separate treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary, but did not join the League of Nations, which proved to be powerless and was manipulated by countries to achieve their own goals instead of administer justice. There were inconsistencies in purpose and administration which prevented the League from becoming a world-governing body to settle disputes, promote disarmament, and supervise world health. Number of Wounded Central Powers: Allied Powers: Germany 4,126,000 Russia 4,950,000 Austria-Hungary 3,620,000 France 3,600,000 Ottoman Empire 1,565,000 British Empire 2,111,000 Italy 947,000 United States 204,000 Number of Deaths Central Powers: Allied Powers: Germany 1,935,000 Russia 1,700,000 Austria-Hungary 1,200,000 France 1,368,000 Ottoman Empire 725,000 British Empire 942,000 Italy 680,000 United States 116,000 Physical and Financial Costs of the War – The war was devastating for the people of Europe, causing entire villages and even cities to be wiped out by the fighting. Valuable farmland was destroyed causing farmers to lose both animals and land (especially in France), which contributed to food shortages. The fighting stopped, but bitterness remained between nations and ethnicities, food shortages continued, economic depression was widespread, and trade issues continued. France and Great Britain had borrowed heavily to finance the war and were not deeply in debt to countries like the United States. Social/Political Costs of the War – The political map of Europe was redrawn, often along ethnic lines, but some of these boundaries would create future unrest (one example - several Balkan states united into one Yugoslavia) and led many people to leave familiar lands to find “their own kind.” Relocated refugees were often rejected by their ethnic kin due to the increased competition for food and jobs. The loss of land by oncepowerful European Empires like Austria-Hungary led to bitter feelings toward neighboring countries. New Nations and Incidents of Genocide: Europe – To gain freedom for Ireland, the Irish Republican party (Sinn Fein) and its leader, Michael Collins, agreed not to fight for the 6 counties of Northern Ireland, leading to the conflict between Northern Ireland and England which continues today. In an attempt to resolve ethnic tensions, Austria-Hungary was carved into four new nations: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia and other parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire was provided to Romania, Poland, and Italy. The effort did create some homelands for some ethnicities, but it created other problems as the new majority ethnicities oppressed the remaining minorities. Widespread ethnic cleansing accompanied the Yugoslav War from 1991 to 1999 (eastern Croatia, Krajina, and most of Bosnia from 1992 to 1995, Albanian dominated province of Serbia called Kosovo in 1999). Large numbers of Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians were forced to flee their homes and were expelled from their countries. In 2004, following an upsurge in violence, Serbs were forced by Albanian rioters to flee their homes in the province. New Nations: The Middle East - The British had promised self-determination to the Arab nation in return for their help in the war, however the Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France allowed the two nations to divide and control Arab lands as they saw fit and they established “mandates” or trustees over the former Turkish-controlled territories. In a 1917 document called the Balfour Declaration (after the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour) stated in a letter to Jewish leader Lord Rothschild that Britain supported the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Most Arab states opposed the creation of a Jewish state, and when the United Nations voted to establish Israel, the Arab countries immediately attacked the new state and were defeated. Arab feelings of betrayal at this time set the stage for the anti-western views which still dominate many Arab nations. Rise of Extremism: Japan and Russia – Japan - East Asian colonies were ignored by their European imperial nations during WWI and Japan seized this opportunity to expand its influence over mainland China and benefit from the natural resources. Japan expanded its empire and militaristic extremists gained popularity and power. Russia – Lenin died in 1924 and Joseph Stalin assumed leadership of the Soviet Union, consolidated all state power to himself, and set the U.S.S.R. on a course of modernization bringing industry and order to the country. He was paranoid and imprisoned or murdered millions of people who disagreed with his policies or threatened his power. Rise of Extremism: Germany - The Weimar government was very unpopular with the people. To pay for the $33 billion in reparations the government simply printed more paper money which created hyperinflation (at one point one billion deutschmarks equaled about one American cent). Germans, who had been humiliated by the Versailles Treaty concessions, worked to rebuild national pride and joined extreme right-wing and nationalistic political movements (including the National Socialist Party, the Nazi’s). Adolf Hitler became leader Nazi party and eventually became dictator of Germany in 1933. Rise of Extremism: Italy – Fascism took root in Italy and set out to distinguish itself from socialists and communists by promoting an extreme nationalism and promising to restore to the nation the glory of ancient Rome. Benito Mussolini became dictator of Italy in 1924 and the Fascists employed brutal, repressive tactics. However, Mussolini’s government also brought efficiency and productivity to the factories. Life improved, so citizens became tolerant of the Fascist’s heavy-handed regime. Rise of Extremism: United States – The U.S., worried about having too close of ties with Europe, returned to an isolationism and not taking any major role in European affairs. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the U.S. became even more isolationist as it struggled to solve economic problems at home. As socialist and communist groups gained power in Europe, the U.S. became more suspicious of “reds”. In 1919, bombs were set off in several American cities; one of them damaged the home of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer who believed the bombings were an attempt by “radicals” and “subversives” to overthrow the government. In 1919 and 1920, Palmer directed the Justice Department to conduct raids and arrest many communists, socialists, and anarchists. Most people arrested were innocent and only a few were convicted, however more than 500 were deported. Post-War Europe – Europe was unstable due to the creation of new nations, new governments, emergence of dictators, and poor economic conditions. These conditions were ripe for contributions to World War II.