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World War 1
Unit 5
State Standard and Indicator
7-4.1 Explain the causes and course of World War I, including militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism, the
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the impact of Russia’s withdrawal from, and the United States entry into the
war.
M.A.I.N. Causes
The M.A.I.N. causes of World War I were Militarism, secret Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism. The driving force
was nationalism (7-3.2).
M= Militarism
A= _____Alliances_______________
I= Imperialism
N= ____Nationalism________________
Empires
Not all nations had states; many were included in empires such as the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires.
Many of these people wanted ________independence________ from these empires and the creation of their own
states.
Ethnic and ideological differences also led to conflict within these empires.
Causes of WWI
_____Alliances____________ also spurred economic and political rivalries among states that led European nations to
establish a complex system of military alliances.
Russia, France and _____England________ formed an alliance.
______Germany________, Italy and Austria-Hungary formed a competing alliance.
Newly united countries, such as Germany and Italy, along with established empires, were anxious to establish
________colonies__________ to gain wealth through the acquisition of natural resources and trade.
____________Imperialism__________ therefore served as another form of competition between nations in Europe.
Militarism
_________Militarism_____________ had been an ongoing process as imperial nations in Europe had continued to build
up bigger and more powerful armies and navies that allowed them to conquer lands around the world while also
protecting their political and economic interests.
With these militaries in place and the other underlying causes also serving as primers, the scene was set for war.
War Erupts….
The igniting incident or “spark” of the “Great War” occurred in the “powder keg” of the Balkans with the assassination of
the Archduke Franz _________Ferdinand________, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in Bosnia by a Serbian
nationalist.
The resulting confrontation between Austria-Hungary and Serbia quickly involved much of Europe in the ensuing conflict
because of the entangling pre-war _______alliances________________.
Nations honored their agreements to back one another in war, beginning with Russia joining in on the side of Serbia and
then Germany entering in on the side of Austria-Hungary.
How was the war fought?
New weapons and the development of _____trench_____ ________warfare_______ made the course of World War I
different from previous wars and more deadly.
The new technology of the Industrial Revolution led to the development of new weaponry, such as long range artillery,
________poisonous________ ___gas___________and gas masks, submarines, ____tanks_________, machine guns,
airplanes, and flame throwers.
Things get “stale”
Although both sides thought the war would be over quickly due to these new weapons and their massive militaries, by
1915 the war eventually bogged down into trench warfare and a costly stalemate.
The Western Front
There were three main fronts in the war: the ___Western_________ Front, the Eastern Front, and the Italian Front.
Most of the trench warfare took place on the Western Front in _____France________, and the majority of the fighting
was between the French and British on one side and the Germans on the other.
This led to an eventual stalemate on the Western front that lasted until 1917 as neither side could force the other into
______surrender_____________.
The Eastern Front
On the Eastern front, the majority of the fighting was between the _____Germans__________and the Russians.
There was some involvement from _____Serbia_________ and other nations trying to break free from imperial rule on
the side of the Russians.
Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria were on the side of Germany.
The Italian Front
On the Italian Front, Italy fought alongside the French against ______Germany__________ and Austro-Hungarian troops
against the very countries it had allied itself with prior to the war’s beginning.
______Russia_________ withdrew from the war in 1917, and this had a major impact on the war as Germany was then
able to concentrate its focus on the Western Front with a stronger potential for victory.
Russia
Prior to WWI, Russians began to express discontent over economic, political, and social issues.
Russians were discontented over issues like high ______taxes_________, working conditions, and political rights.
The devastation from WWI increased the discontent felt by the Russian people.
Czar (Tsar) ____Nicholas_________ __II__ was unable to manage Russia’s ongoing difficulties and his authoritarianism
weakened popular support for his power.
Bolshevik Revolution
As a result, in 1917 ____revolts______ of the working class led to the Bolshevik (Russian) revolution.
Czar Nicholas II was overthrown and eventually he and his heirs were ______executed_____________.
The Bolsheviks, led by _______Lenin_________, withdrew from the eastern front and abandoned their allies in 1918,
signing a separate peace treaty with Germany.
As a result of the Russian withdrawal from the war, the British and French defenses on the western front became crucial
in determining the outcome of the war and _______allies__________ were sorely needed.
United States (Help!)
The entry of the _____United_________ ______States_________ into the war during the same year as Russia’s
withdrawal therefore had a major impact on the eventual Allied victory.
The United States declared _____neutrality_________ at the outbreak of the Great War.
However, various factors challenged American neutrality and eventually led to the involvement of the United States in
the Great War.
The traditional trading partnership with Great Britain and the blockade of German ports by the British navy severely
limited American trade with Germany.
American businesses made loans to the Allies in order to continue trade. Public opinion was impacted by America’s
traditional connection to the ______British____________.
Don’t make the Americans mad….
The German unrestricted use of the submarine affected public opinion against Germany and alienated President
_______Wilson__________, who was incensed by the loss of innocent lives.
The 1915 German U-boat’s sinking of the British passenger ship, the _______Lusitania__________, brought about sharp
protests from the President Wilson but did not bring the United States into the European war.
Instead, Germany pledged to restrict their use of the submarine.
Wilson campaigned for reelection in 1916 on the slogan that “he kept us out of war.”
Zimmerman Telegram
The interception and publication by the British of Germany’s ________Zimmerman____________ Telegram to Mexico,
which offered Mexico a deal to gain land in America in return for their attack on the United States, negatively impacted
American public opinion towards Germany.
The decision of Germany to resume unrestricted submarine warfare in the spring of 1917 led to the sinking of U.S.
_________merchant________________ ships, and these events along with Wilson’s desire to “make the world safe for
democracy” prompted Wilson to ask Congress to declare war on Germany in April of 1917.
The American Expeditionary Force affected the course of the war by deflecting the last push of the Germans on the
western front in France, and the armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the fighting between the Allies and the Central
Powers.
Section 2
State Standard and Indicator
7-4.2 Explain the outcomes of World War I, including the creation of President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, the
Treaty of Versailles, the shifts in national borders, and the League of Nations.
Major Effects of WWI
The major effects of WWI were diplomatic solutions, ________geographic_______ and political changes, and economic
consequences.
The _______Treaty________ ___Of____ __________Versailles________was the major peace treaty of World War I
(WWI).
Fourteen Points
President Wilson brought his proposals, known as the _______Fourteen___________ ______Points__________, to the
conference at Versailles to correct many of the problems that caused the Great War and to bring about a lasting world
peace.
Wilson wanted the basis of the Treaty to address the _______causes__________ of the war, and his Fourteen Point
Proposal therefore contained many ideas directly intended to undo the M.A.I.N. causes.
Fourteen Points
Some of these points included no ____military_______________ build-up, no secret _______alliances__________, and
the right to self determination.
His fourteenth point included the idea of creating a _________League__________ ____Of____
_____________Nations___________, an international organization designed to resolve disputes between nations and
thereby avoid future wars.
Unfortunately, the positive proposals of Wilson and the punitive peace treaty that the Allies subsequently constructed
were very different.
Fourteen Points
While Wilson wanted to focus on addressing the causes of the war, the major European victors primarily wanted to
weaken ______Germany____________ and maintain, or enhance, their standing in the world.
This viewpoint won, and other than the League of Nations, the fourteen points were shut down.
Treaty of Versailles
In its final format, the Treaty of Versailles (1919) was structured to ____punish_____________ Germany.
Among its foremost features was the “War _____Guilt______ Clause” in which Germany accepted responsibility for
starting the war.
German Punishment
The Germans lost a lot in the Treaty of Versailles, including:
German reparations (repayment)
Military restrictions such as limiting the army to ______100,000_____________ soldiers.
No air force or ________submarines____________
Demilitarization of the Rhineland
German ______territorial__________ losses (both internally and Alsace-Lorraine and all overseas possessions).
Treaty of Versailles
This emphasis on German retribution created a structural foundation which would contribute to
_______economic___________ and political instability in the years to come.
Furthermore, _______Russia_____________, among other nations negotiated different treaties and was denied a seat
at the Versailles negotiations.
This lack of input undermined the cohesiveness of the victors and contributed to the inability of the Treaty to provide
stability and prevent future wars.
The League of Nations
While seen as the crowning achievement of the Treaty of Versailles by many, the League of Nations proved to be
ineffective in achieving its goal of ____world______ _______peace__________.
At its core, the League was very ______weak_________ and unstructured nor was it given the components necessary to
bring about its lofty goal.
For instance, not all major powers were members of the League.
The ______United_________ ______States________ chose not to join, while Germany and Russia were not allowed to
join (Germany was finally allowed to join in 1926, but withdrew in 1933, while the Soviet Union finally joined in 1934).
Japan and _______Italy________, who were charter members, withdrew (in 1933 and 1937, respectively).
The League of Nations
The League had virtually no _____authority__________________or influence with these nations thereby limiting its
ability to influence international affairs.
Another weakness involved the inability of the League to enforce its directives.
Primarily the League had to rely upon __________moral_______ persuasion.
The League of Nations
In theory the League could wage war, but would have to use _________volunteer_____________ troops from member
nations, an act that was not going to occur readily.
A third weakness of the League was that it required unanimous consent for decisions, an almost impossible directive in
most situations.
Because of these and other weaknesses, the League never became the international forum for solving disputes among
nations that it was intended to become.
Political Changes
Political ______boundaries____________ changed greatly in Europe following WWI.
_________Nationalism____________, one of the causes leading to WWI, was an issue that needed to be addressed as
nations emerged from the conflict.
In his Fourteen Points, Wilson proposed self-determination as one of the critical components to be used in determining
international borders.
This principle would be utilized selectively, however, as it would not be applied to the victorious Allied Powers.
Territorial Changes
The other major principle was to ______weaken_______________ those countries of Central and Eastern Europe that
fought with the Central Powers.
There were significant territorial changes in Europe as a result of WWI.
The most significant changes included the breakup of the ________Austro___________________Hungarian____________ and Ottoman Empires, German territorial losses (including all overseas colonies),
the creation of Poland, and Russian territorial losses initially due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (the separate peace
negotiated between Germany and Russia in 1917, though the Soviets did regain some of this territory after the war).
Territorial Changes Map