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World War 1 Worldwide Crisis in Europe The Causes of World War 1 • In the early 1900s tension began to grow among the European powers • Nationalism was the root of the cause of most of the tension in Europe. – Nationalism—an intense loyalty to one’s country • Nationalism was what led to the creation of unified countries, like Germany and Italy (refer to your Nationalism and Nation-States notes) • The actions of Germany and Italy concerned older countries in Europe – For example, Britain and France felt it was challenging their power The Race for Empires • Problems in Europe also grew because of their race to imperialize Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world (see your Age of Imperialism notes) • Britain and France already possessed large overseas empires and wanted to expand even more • Germany, Italy, and Russia wanted to increase their empires, too • Because the world was running out of areas to imperialize, nations began to conflict with one another. Military Build Up • As nations competed for colonies, protectorates, and spheres of influence, they built up their armies and navies. – If one country built up their army, its rival felt threatened and built up their own; it was a cycle! • Europeans were caught up in the spirit of militarism – Militarism—fascination with war and the military • Germany, France, and Russia developed huge armies – They used conscription to fill their armies with soldiers • Conscription—requiring citizens to serve in the military for a certain period of time – In the U.S. this was referred to as “The Draft” • Britain had the world’s largest and most powerful navy • In the early 1900s, Germany began to build up it’s navy • The British saw this as a threat and began to build even more warships • A bitter rivalry began between Britain and Germany. Forming Alliances • As militarism grew, nations began to make alliances – alliances—defense agreements to help each other if war/trouble broke out • By 1914 two major alliances had formed between the countries • The Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy • The Triple Entente: Britain, France, and Russia – Entente (pronounced ahn-tahnt)—an understanding among nations • Alliances usually help to keep peace by creating a balance of power. – A balance of power keeps any one country from becoming too powerful. • But, Europe’s alliances actually created a great danger. – An attack on one nation was all that was needed to trigger a war involving many countries! • Europe was like a barrel of gunpowder, a single spark would set it off. The Balkan Crisis • The Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires had ruled the Balkans (people living on the Balkan Peninsula) • As nationalism spread, groups within these empires demanded independence. – The Slavs: a term used for several smaller groups of Balkans (Serbs, Bosnians, Croats, and Slovenes); they all wanted independence. – The Serbs were the first smaller group to win their freedom, they formed a state called Serbia • They believed their mission was to unite all of the South Slavs • The Russians backed the Slavs. • The Austro-Hungarians didn’t like that the Serbs were trying to get the rest of the Slavs to leave their empire and join Serbia. • The Austro-Hungarians wanted to limit Serbia’s growth and power, so they took over a neighboring country, Bosnia. – The Serbs were furious because Bosnia was supposed to join their country! • With Russia’s support, the Serbs prepared for war. • But, it didn’t happen…yet; King William II of Germany demanded that Russia accept the Austro-Hungarians takeover of Serbia, or they would face war with Germany (Russia and Serbia did NOT want that) – Russia backed down, but felt humiliated (a bitter rivalry with Germany started) • Although war was avoided this time, Europeans expected it would break out in the Balkan region to go to war soon. The War Begins • The spark that finally set off World War 1 was lit in Sarajevo (a small town in Bosnia) • There, in June 1914, a man named Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand (he was an heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary) • Princip was a member of a secret nationalist group called The Black Hand – They did not like the Austro-Hungarians • Austro-Hungary blamed Serbia for the archduke’s death and declared war on Serbia • Russia began mobilization (assembly and movement) of its troops. – By mobilizing Russia showed it was willing to fight for Serbia • Germany declared it would fight for AustriaHungary • France entered and sided with Russia • German troops had to go through Belgium to attack France, but this led to another country joining the war – Britain had promised to help Belgium stay out of the fight, so once Germans set foot on Belgium soil, Britain declared war on Germany Alliance Name Changes • The Allies: In 1914 it was France, Russia, Great Britain. Italy joined in 1915 • The Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The Fight • Most of the fighting took place on the Western Front, a battle zone between France and Germany. – French and British stopped a German advance in Sept. 1914. The battle to hold the Germans continued for 3 years, they barely advanced any. • Troops, on both sides, dug themselves into the ground in trenches protected by barbed wire. • This kind of fighting is called Trench Warfare – Soldiers had to climb out of trenches and cross open land while machine guns and artillery (like modern cannons) fired at them. • In major battles, several hundred thousands were killed or wounded. A New Kind of War • WWI, also called The Great War, was very different from earlier wars. • Both sides developed new, powerful weapons – Machine guns fired bullets at rapid speeds – Huge artillery guns fired shells out more than 75mi – Submarines attacked ships • Poison gases were used for the first time – So were tanks and flame-throwers and early versions of airplanes Government Control • Supplies had to be made and bought for millions of soldiers • To do this, governments decided what civilians could and couldn’t buy. – They used rationing (a system of limited the amount of foods/materials in use.) – They also controlled trade and took over industries and railroads. • Gov. also wanted to control public opinion. Wartime govs. used propaganda. – Propaganda—biased government information/advertising America Enters the War • When the war began, President Woodrow Wilson said the U.S. wasn’t supporting either side. • But, many of Wilson’s advisors supported Britain and they believed an Allied victory was the only way to keep balance in the world. – So, the U.S. lowered loans to Germany and gave the Allies lots of money through loans – We also gave the Allies food and equipment. • Germany didn’t have as much food, supplies, or money. • The British dealt Germany another blow by imposing a blockade on Germany – blockade—using warships to stop goods/people from leaving/entering a country. • The Germans fought back by using the world’s first ocean going submarines (Germans called them UBoats) • Germany warned Britain that they would sink any ship sailing the waters around Britain. – Despite the warning, the British cruise ship Lusitania entered the war zone. – A U-boat fired on it killing 1,200 passengers, including…128 AMERICANS. U.S. Declares War • Jan. 1917: Germany contacts Mexico to see if it would join the Central Powers if the U.S. declared war. – They promised Mexico it would regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona • The British intercepted the message and told the US! • Feb. 1917: Germany starts sinking boats without warning again, including 6 AMERICAN merchant ships WITHOUT warning • April 6th, 1917 President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The War Ends • Warships carried wave after wave of American troops to Europe and Allied hopes soared – This was the help they needed to end the war! • Nov. 1917: Russia pulls out of the war. • Germany strengthened its army and marched towards Paris in 1918. • Jun. 1918-American and French troops block the march • Oct. 1918, The Battle of the Argonne Forest: Americans launch a massive attack on Germany – America suffered major losses, but destroyed the German defenses • Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in chaos • German emperor stepped down after the navy threatened a mutiny and a revolt broke out in Berlin. • Nov. 11, 1918-Germany signed an armistice (cease-fire) and the war was over! Treaty of Versailles • In Jan. peace talks began at Versailles (remember from your French Revolution notes?) • Main figures were: – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Premier Georges Clemenceau, and Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. • Pres. Wilson presented the 14 point plan – Plan stated that national groups in Europe should form their own countries – Also called for League of Nations, an organization in which member nations would cooperate to keep peace • The treaty stripped Germany of most of its armed forces and required the Germans to pay reparations of $33 BILLION to the Allies – Reparations—war damages • President Wilson went back to the U.S. to convince the gov. to join the League of Nations, but they rejected it – They were worried it would cause us to fight in more wars – Result: U.S. was left out of the League of Nations New Nations in Europe • WWI and treaties redrew the map of Europe – Germany and Russia lost territory – Austro-Hungarian empire disappeared completely • Lands from these 3 empires became nationstates: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary • Serbia became Yugoslavia • These countries were all unstable because different groups of people, with different ideas were now living together. So what happened to the Ottomans? • Allies decided to break up the Ottoman Empire (since they sided with the Central Powers) • Only area left to the Ottomans (who controlled much of the Middle East) was Turkey. The Russian Revolution • In the early 1900s many Russians were discontent – Urban workers had terrible lives, peasants paid high taxes, middle class wanted voice in gov. • 1905—uprising took place before the czar’s palace in St. Petersburg • Czar Nicholas agreed to change some things and created a duma (national assembly), but eventually, in the midst of World War 1 (1917), he was overthrown – 300 year dynasty came to an end – Members of the duma formed a provisional (temporary) government and Alexander Kerensky served as its leader Vladimir Lenin • Many Russians were unhappy with the new government and formed soviets – Soviet—a committee to represent interests (this term came to represent a sect of people thought) • Soviets and provisional gov. became locked in a political battle • Members of Soviets were workers and peasants who believed in socialism – The most radical Soviets were called Bolsheviks their leader was Vladimir Lenin – He promised to take Russia out of the war and give all land to the peasants. Russian Government • Oct. 1917: Bolsheviks took over Russia’s two largest cities: St. Petersburg and Moscow • Nov. 1917: they took over the Winter Palace and the government. • Lenin took control of the government • Lenin signed peace treaty with Germany and took Russia out of the war. • Bolsheviks became known as Communists (also known as Reds) and Leon Trosky formed the Red Army • There was civil war in Russia between the Reds and their enemies (known as the whites). • The Whites wanted Russia to continue to fight in the war (the Allies sent them aide) but the Reds defeated them and Lenin stayed in power.