Download WH Chapter 11 section 1 The Great War Begins - BHS-MsQ

WH Chapter 11 section 1 The Great War Begins
Focus Question: Why and how did World War I begin in 1914?
I. Alliances Draw Lines
A. The people involved in signing treaties to defend each other were the
great powers of Europe - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Britain,
France, and Russia
1. The alliances were intended to promote peace but had the opposite
effect creating two huge alliances.
B. Triple Alliance
1. Because of distrust among nations, the Triple Alliance of Germany,
Italy, and Austria-Hungary in 1882 and alliance emerged.
2. In 1914 when war erupted Germany and Austria-Hungary fought on
the same side.
3. Germany and Austria-Hungary became known as the Central Powers.
C. The Triple Entente
A. Entente was a nonbinding agreement to follow common policies.
1. It consisted of France, Russia, and Britain which formed in 1893,
which later became known as the Allies.
2. Britain signed an agreement with Russia.
3. Germany signed a treaty with the Ottoman Empire so Britain drew
closer to Japan.
II. Rivalries and Nationalism Increase Tension
A. Competition
1. Economic rivalries helped sour the international atmosphere.
2. Germany was growing into an economic and military powerhouse and
Britain felt threatened.
3. Germany felt that other nations did not give it enough respect, and
they feared Russia would become an unbeatable competitor when it
caught up.
4. Oversea rivalries almost brought France and Germany to the brink of
war in Morocco, which was under France's influence.
5. Because of the two Moroccan crises, Britain and France strengthened
their ties against Germany.
6. With international tensions on the rise, the great powers began to built
up their armies and navies especially Germany and Britain.
7. The rise of militarism, or the glorification of the military, helped feed
the arms race.
8. Economic rivalries, struggles over colonies, arms races, and
aggressive nationalism pushed Europe toward war.
B. Nationalism -caused tensions
1. It was strong in both Germany and France.
2. The French were to recover the lost border province of Alsace and
Lorraine
3. In Eastern Europe, Russia had a form of nationalism called
Pan-Slavism.
4. As the largest Slavic country, Russia felt that it had a duty to lead and
defend all Slavs.
5. By 1914, Russia stood ready to support Serbia which dreamed of
creating a South Slav state, which could take territory away from both
Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
6. In 1912, several Balkan states attacked Turkey and succeeded in
taking a large area of land away from Turkish control, but the Balkan
states argued among themselves over the land.
7. By 1914, the Balkans were called the “powder keg of Europe,”
meaning any spark could cause it to explode.
8. This area was full of ethnic and racial tensions that would push the area
closer to war.
III. The Powder Keg Ignites
A. Assassination in Sarajevo
1. Bismarck had predicted the war
2. In Sarajevo the nephew of the Austrian emperor, Archduke Francis
Ferdinand and his wife, were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist,
Gavrilo Princip, causing Austria (backed by Germany) to declare war
on Serbia.
3. The Serbian terrorist group commonly known as the Black Hand took
responsibility for the attack.
B. Austria Strikes Back
1. Germany’s Kaiser William II gave Austria a “blank check,” or a
promise of unconditional support no matter the cost.
2. Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum, or final set of demands to avoid war.
3. The ultimatum stated that Serbia must end all anti-Austrian agitation
and punish any Serbian official involved in the murder plot.
4. Serbia agreed to most but not all of the terms of Austria’s ultimatum.
5. The partial refusal gave Austria the opportunity it was seeking.
6. On July 28, Austria declared war on Serbia.
IV. Alliances Kick In
A. The carefully planned alliances helped turn World War I into a global
war.
B. Russia and France Back Serbia
1. When Austria declared war on Serbia, Serbia turned to Russia.
2. Russia mobilized, or prepared its military for war, to help Serbia.
3. Because Russia went to help Serbia, Germany responded by declaring
war on Russia, so Russia turned and asked for help from France.
4. Germany asked France to stay out of the conflict, which France refused.
5. Germany then declared war on France.
C. Germany Invades Belgium
1. Germany wanted to avoid a two front war in which the Schlieffen Plan
was designed to do.
2. The Plan required Germany to march through neutral Belgium, swing
south behind French lines, and encircle the French army to crush them.
3. Britain joined the war when Germany invaded neutral Belgium.
V. Reaction to the War
A. The war took peoples’ minds off domestic problems and united the
citizens of each country under patriotism.
WH Chapter 11 section 2: A New Kind of War
Focus Question: How and where was World War I fought?
I. Stalemate on the Western Front
A. When the War began, German forces fought their way through
Belgium.
B. The Germans' Schlieffen Plan failed because 1. Russia mobilized more
quickly than expected and won a few small victories and 2. The
German generals shifted troops to the east causing a two front war.
C. Both sides dug deep trenches to protect their armies from enemy fire
which created a stalemate, or a deadlock in which neither side is able to
defeat the other.
(What is the Schlieffen Plan? How did the Schlieffen Plan fail? Describe
the conditions of the trenches.)
II. Technology of Modern Warfare
A. The enormous casualties suffered on the Western Front proved the
destructive power of modern weapons.
1. Two significant new or improved weapons were the rapid-fire machine
gun and the long-range artillery gun.
A. Poison Gas
1. It blinded or choked its victims or caused agonizing burns and blisters.
2. It was one of the most dreaded hazards of the war, but it was an
uncertain weapon based on the wind.
B. Tanks, Airplanes, and Submarines
1. In 1916, Britain introduced the first armored tank, but they often broke
down and did not end the stalemate.
2. Both sides used aircraft, but Germany used zeppelins, large gas-filled
balloons.
3. Submarines were important in the war.
4. German U-boats did a tremendous amount of damage to the Allied
side by sinking merchant ships carrying vital supplies to Britain.
(How did the new weapons make trench warfare necessary? Name 3
modern weapons.)
III. Battle on Other European Fronts
A. Russian Losses on the Eastern Front
1. Russia, the least industrialized nation, suffered a disastrous defeat at
Tannenberg, where some troops lacked rifles
B. New Combatants in the Balkans and Southern Europe
1. In 1915, Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in hopes to defeat Serbia.
2. In 1916 Romania joined the Allies in hopes of gaining some land in
Hungary, but were crushed by the Central Powers.
3. In October 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary and later on
Germany.
4. In 1917, a major offensive was launched against Italy by Austria and
Germany in Caporetto which proved disastrous for Italy.
5. The Eastern Front shifted over more area than the Western Front, with
less trench warfare and even more casualties.
IV. War Around the World
A. The Ottoman Empire Joins the Central Powers
1. The Ottoman Turks joined the Central Powers in 1914 and cut supply
routes to Russia from the Mediterranean.
2. In the Caucasus Mountains, Turkey fought Russia.
3. Several Turkish Armenians joined or helped the Russian army against
the Turks.
4. The Ottoman government used this as a reason to deport the entire
Armenian population south to Syria.
5. Between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians died from starvation as
they were forced to march with not food or killed by planned
massacres.
B. War and the Colonies
1. African and Asian colonies were also involved in the war effort.
2. Some colonial troops expected that their service would be a step
citizenship or independence but the hopes would be dashed after the
war.