Download Reading - The Great War Begins

WhatCausedtheGreatWar(WWI)
Attheturnofthe20th centuryEuropewasfeelingprettydarned
good.Itcontrolledempiresthatcircledtheglobe.Itstechnology
wasunsurpassed.Itsartandmusicweretheenvyoftheworld.In
1900,Europeanstrulybelievedthattheworldwastheiroyster.
Butthisfeelingwasnottolast.Bytheendof1918,afterfourlong
yearsofwar,Europeanconfidencewasbadlyshaken.Tenmillion
soldiershaddied,another20millionwerewounded.Empiresthat
hadlastedforcenturieslayintatters.Writerswroteofbroken
dreams.EuropehadenteredtheGreatWarridinghighonasong.
Now,inNovember1918,noonewassinging.Whathadgone
wrong?
Inthelate19th centuryEuropeanleadersbelievedthatcreatinga
balanceofpowertheycouldpreventalargescalewar.Theideawas
thatifthemajorpowersofEurope– GreatBritain,France,Russia,
andGermany– werebalanced(oreven)intheirstrength,noone
countrycoulddominatetherest.Thehorrorofwarcouldbe
ArchdukeFranzFerdinand
avoided.
However,OttovonBismarck,theChancellorofPrussiawholedtheunificationoftheGermanstates,did
notlikethefactthatGermanywassandwichedinbetweenRussiaandFrance.Tocounterthis
uncomfortablesituation,BismarckcreatedandalliancewithAustria-HungaryandItaly.Inresponse,France,
Russia,andGreatBritainformedtheownalliance.ThegreatplayersofEuropewerepickingsides.
Thetensionbetweenthecountrieswasequallymatchedbytensionswithinthecountries.Especiallyin
southeasternEurope,inaregionknownastheBalkans,wherethespiritofnationalismandindependence
ranhigh.Someethnicgroupsintheareabegantorevoltagainstthelargerempiresthatcontrolledthem.
Theregionwasoftenreferredtoasapowderkeg.Allitlackedwasasparktosetitoff.Thatsparkwas
startedbyaSerbiannationalistgroupknownastheBlackHand.TheywantedindependenceforSerbian
andBosnianSlavslivinginthesouthernregionofAustria-Hungary.TheBlackHand’ssolution?Assassinate
theheirtotheAustro-Hungarianthrone.
OnthemorningofJune28,1914,theArchdukeandhiswifeSophievisitedthecityofSarajevoto
observetheopeningofanationalmuseumatitsnewlocation.WaitingforthemwasagroupofSerbian
assassins.Astheirmotorcademovedthroughthetownsquarethefirsttwoassassinsfailedtoact.A third
assassinthrewabombattheArchduke’scar,butasitapproached,thebombbouncedoffthefoldedback
convertiblecoverofthevehicleontothestreetwhereitexplodedunderthecarbehindthemwounding
severalpeople.TheArchduke’svehiclespedawaybeforetheotherassassinscouldgetintopositiontoact.
AftergivingashortspeechattheTownHall,theArchdukeandhiswifeabandonedtheirplantoattend
theopeningofthenationalmuseumanddecidedtovisitthewoundedfromthebombinginstead.Asthey
madetheirwaytothehospital,theArchduke’smotorcadebegantofollowtheoriginalroutetothenational
museum.Uponnoticingthismistake,thedriverwastoldtostopthevehicleandputitinreverse..When
hedid,19-yearold,Gavirilo Princip,emergedfromacrowdandfiredtwoshotsintothevehicle.Archduke
FranzFerdinandandandhiswifewerekilled.Princip wassurroundedandarrestedimmediately.
Princip andhisfellowassassinshadhopedthattheassassinationwouldtriggerarebellionthatwouldlead
toSlavicindependenceandtheformationofaYugoslavia.ButthissparkintheintheBalkanssoonflamed
outofcontrol.OnethingledtoanotherandsoonallofEuropewasinvolved.
AustrianleadersdemandedanapologyandaninvestigationfromSerbia.AngrySerbianleadersclaimed
tohavenoassociationwiththeBlackHandandturnedtoRussiaforhelp.CzarNicholasIIvowedtosupport
Serbiaiftheywereattacked.OnJuly28,1914,Austria-HungarydeclaredwaronSerbia.Inresponse,Russia
declaredwaronAustria-Hungary.Germany,boundbyitsalliancetoAustria-Hungary,declaredwar
onRussia,whichpromptedFranceandGreatBritaintodeclare
waronGermanyandAustria-Hungary.Thebeliefthattheycould
avoidwarbycreatingabalanceofpowerthroughallianceshad
backfired.ThebattlelinesweredrawnastheCentralPowers
(Germany,Austria-Hungary,andlatertheOttomanEmpire)
squaredoffagainsttheAlliedPowers(GreatBritain,France,and
Russia).
Whenthewarbrokeout,PresidentWoodrowWilsonasked
Americanstobeneutralintheirthoughtsandintheirdeeds.He
wasthesonofaminister,andfirmlybelievedthatapolicywas
eitherrightorwrong,moralorimmoral.Hebelieveditwasinour
nation’sbestintereststostayoutofthewarinEurope.That
requestwasverydifficultformanyAmericans,sinceone-thirdof
population(USpopulationin1914was99,000,000)atthattime
wereEuropeanbornorthechildrenofEuropeanimmigrants.
ManyAmericanswatchedthewarwithsympathiesforonesideor
theother.
TheGreatWarhadturnedintoastalemateby1915.Trenches
weredugacrosstheWesternFrontinnorthernFrance,and
WoodrowWilson
neithersidecouldgainaclearvictoryonthebattlefield.Eachside
turnedtobrutalnewdevicesandstrategiesinanattempttowinthewar.Differenttypesofchemical
weaponswereusedandby1917theGermansbeganusingdeadlymustardgas.Theairplane,stationary
machinegun,andtanksalsomadetheirdebutintheGreatWar.Casualtiesgrewatastaggeringrate.The
BritishcutoffGermantradewithneutralcountries(liketheUnitedStates)withanextensivenaval
blockade.TheGermanscounteredbyusingU-boats(submarines)tocutoffsupplylinestoGreatBritain.
TheGermanU-boatblockadeendangeredAmericancitizenssailingonBritishpassengerliners,but
WoodrowWilsoninsistedthatthiswastheirright,andGermansmustnotattacktheseships.In1915,the
Lusitania,aBritishshipwith128Americansonboard,wassunk.TheAmericanprotestwassostrongthat,
foratime,theGermansstoppedtheirattacks.
By1917AmericanswerepayingcloserattentiontotheGreatWar.Thatsameyear,indesperationtostop
suppliesfromreachingtheAlliedPowers,Germanydecidedtobeginunrestrictedsubmarinewarfare
(sinkingshipsontheopenseawithoutwarning).KnowingthatthiswouldenragetheUnitedStatesand
drawthenationclosertotheAlliedPowers,theGermanSecretaryofForeignAffairs,ArthurZimmerman,
attemptedtoestablishanalliancewithMexicoandpersuadethemtoattacktheUnitedStatesifitentered
thewar.Inreturn,ZimmermanofferedfinancialassistanceandtherestorationofMexico’sformer
territoriesofTexas,NewMexico,andArizona.TheplanwastokeeptheU.S.militaryoutofEuropelong
enoughfortheGermanEmpiretofinishofftheremainingAlliedPowers.AfterZimmerman’s“secret”
messagetoMexicowasinterceptedanddecoded,theUnitedStatesdeclaredwaronGermanyandentered
thewar.
TheU.S.wasnowatwar,andWoodrowWilson’sconsciencewasbothered.Herealizedthatthenation
hadnochoice,buthewasconcernedaboutenteringsuchadeadlyconflictoutsideofourhemisphere.He
wentbeforethepeopleofthenationandassuredthem(andpossiblehimself)thatourpurposeinentering
thewarwas“tomaketheworldsafefordemocracy.”
Source:Reading&QuestionsadaptedfromGeorgeLee.DecisionstheShapedAmerica1865– 1976/Mark
TwainMedia,1993andCausesofWorldWarI.TheDBQProject,2012.
Challenges
Name________________________
1) Whatdoesitmeanwhenitsaysthatin1900,Europeans“trulybelievedthattheworldwastheiroyster”?(Youmayneed
tolookupthisphraseontheinternet)
2) ThepopulationofChicagoisapproximately3,000,000.Howdoesthatnumbercomparetothenumberofkilledand
woundedintheGreatWar? (Giveyouranswerasafraction)
3) WhyhadEuropeanleadersfeltthatabalanceofpowerwouldpreventwar?
4) WhydidOttoVonBismarck,ofthenewlyunifiedGermany,seekanalliancewithAustria-HungaryandItaly?
5) Whatalliancewasformedinresponsetothisaction?
6) Whatregionweretensionsespeciallyhigh?Whyweremanypeopleinthatregionupset?
7) WhatwasthegoaloftheBlackHand?
8)Explain howtheassassinationofaAustria-HungarianArchdukebyaSerbiannationalistledtoawarbetweenRussiaand
Germany?(2points)
10)WhatnationsmadeuptheCentralPowers?
WhatnationsmadeuptheAlliedPowers?
11)a)PresidentWilsonaskedAmericanstoremainneutral– whatdoesneutralmean?b)Whywasthisdifficultformany
Americans?
13)OnethirdofthetotalpopulationinAmericawasEuropeanbornorchildrenofEuropeanimmigrantsatthestartofthewar
- approximatelyhowmanyAmericanswouldthatbe?(usetheinformationinthetexttoformulateyouranswer)
14) Whatisastalemate?(Youmayneedtolookthisworduponlineorinadictionary)
15) WherewastheWesternFrontlocated?
16) a)HowdidGreatBritaintrytostopneutralnationsfromtradingwiththeCentralPowers?b)HowdidGermanytrytostop
neutralnationsfromtradingwiththeAlliedPowers?
17) WhatwastheAmericanresponsetothesinkingoftheLusitania?
18) Explain whyArthurZimmermanattemptedtoformasecretalliancebetweenGermanyandMexico.(2points)
19) WhatdidZimmermanofferMexico?
20) WhatreasondidWilsongiveforenteringthewar?