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WORLD
WAR I
(The Great War)
1914-1918
Franco-Prussian War




War 1870-1871 Between
France and Prussia
One of the Wars to Unify
all of Germany
Prussia(Germany) won
the war and took
territories of Alsace and
Loraine
Caused tension between
the nations and French
desire to regain land.
Background Causes of WWI (8.1)
(the “powder keg”)

1. Imperial Competition = expansionism and
rivalries over colonies and trade
-Africa Prime Example more colonies the more wealth
-Elimination or conquest of rivals increases colonial, military,
economic power
-More access to raw materials and market to sell goods
-Industrial revolution made supply of goods faster

2. Extreme Nationalism = belief in national
superiority among dense and diverse European
populations
◦ -Italy and Germany newly formed nations
 Prior were many different small kingdoms were united under common
culture and language in late 1800’s
◦ These nations wanted to prove their world power of GB, FR, and
RUSSIA
Alliances
3. Entangling
Alliances
 Countries made a series
of alignments for
defensive purposes
 These actions would
bring other nations into
war based on minor
situations

Triple Alliance
Triple Entente
Germany, Austria- Britain, France,
Hungary, Italy)
Russia

4. Trouble in Balkans
-Austria-Hungary controlled Bosnia
◦ Serbia wanted control of Bosnia(Slavic
People)
 Bosnians and Serbians wanted separation from AH
◦ AH was German Speaking nations seen as intruders
 Terrorist organizations formed to push them out
(Black Hand)
◦ Russia had an alliance with Serbia (Slavic
connections)
 Russia also wanted more influence in the area
 Instability in the region
5. Militarism
belief that military force should be used to
achieve national goals
 glorification of war
 quick mobilization of massive armies
 military drafts (conscription)

◦ huge build-up of newest technological weapons
capable of mass slaughter

IN combination with nationalism set a
stage for countries to have huge arsenal
ans need an excuse to use them for their
benefit
Immediate Cause
of World War I
(the “spark!”)

Assassination of
archduke Francis
Ferdinand (heir to
Austro-Hungarian
throne) on June 28,
1914 in Sarejavo
◦ Gavrilo Princip, 19 yr
old Serb terrorist
(“Black Hand”)
◦ Serbia wanted Bosnia to
form Slavic empire in
Balkans
 German
Kaiser
William II gave A-H
full support for strong
action vs. Serbia
◦ (Both Ethnic German
nations)
A-H gave Serbia an ultimatum of
extreme demands.
 Serbia’s
ally Russian
Czar Nicholas II
supported Serbian
sovereignty.
◦ (Both Ethnic Slavic
nations)
 Serbia
rejected some
of Austria’s demands.
War is Declared
Austria declared war on
Serbia on July 28, led to a
chain reaction or “domino
effect” among allies.
 Russia fully mobilized its
army support Serbia
 Germany felt threatened
and declared war on
Russia.

◦ (France was ally of Russia)
Germany faced a two-front war
(France on the west & Russia on the
east.)
 Schlieffen Plan
= a swift
invasion &
defeat of France
through neutral
Belgium on the
western front,
◦ then focus united
military efforts on
eastern front vs.
Russia.
Germany declared war on France
Germany declared war on
France & issued an
ultimatum to Belgium
demanding free passage
 Belgium refused & was
crushed,

◦ but delayed German plans.

France just enough time to
prepare for German attack
from Belgian border
◦ (crowded French taxi
cabs used to transport
troops to front lines!)

Western Front was created
Britain declared war on Germany
for “Rape of
Belgium.” By Aug. 4,
all major European
powers were at war!
 actions upset U.S.
but U.S. stays
Neutral

ALLIES
CENTRAL
POWERS
Britain
France
Russia
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
CH 8 Section 2
WWI Escalates into Global conflict
Some pacifists spoke out vs. war, but the
militarists won out = glorification of war
(see photo p. 431.)
 Many believed that war would be an
exciting adventure, their country’s cause
was just & soldiers would be home by
Christmas.

“World War I Alliances”

ALLIES
◦ Russia, Serbia,
France, Britain,
Italy, United
States

CENTRAL POWERS
◦ Austria-Hungary,
Germany, Bulgaria
& Ottoman Empire
The 2 Fronts
Western Front =
Schlieffen Plan halted at
Battle of the Marne a
few miles from Paris.
 The war became a
stalemate, so both sides
dug in and built
hundreds of miles of
trenches.


Eastern Front =
Russian army moved
into eastern Germany
but was defeated at
Battles of Tannenberg
& Masurian Lakes.
Russians retreated.
Fighting in the East

A-H defeated in
Galicia, thrown out
of Serbia & attacked
by Italians.
◦ Germans helped
Austrians and pushed
Russians back.
◦ ( Russian casualties
were extremely high)

Germany, A-H &
Bulgaria eliminate
Serbia from the war.
◦ Successes in east
allowed German focus
on western front.
Trench warfare

Trenches were
defended w. barbed
wire, machine guns,
◦ “No Man’s Land.” land
between trenches
◦ Used Mustard Gasburned. blistered
skin, blinded eyes &
suffocation
◦ “Live and let live”
agreement between
opposing trenches
(unofficial rules war)

US soldier
Arthur Guy
Empey wrote
(sticky mud,
bodies laying
“still” to “rest”
in France, keep
head down,
look for
snipers, lying
on ground
digging, “don’t
duck at the
crack of a
bullet Yank,”
“my heart
turned to
lead.”
Officers puzzled how to deal w.
stalemate & modern weapons



They ordered huge artillery bombardments of
opposing trenches and then massive
ground assaults of soldiers.
led to massive slaughters.
WWI became a war of attrition (eg. Battle of
Verdun and 700,000 fatalities!)
An Industrial War



Industrial Revolution
created railroads,
factories & technology
used in “modern” war.
Airplanes (Air Power)
used for
reconnaissance,
bombing & “dogfights.”
Germans also used
zeppelins.
Other Major offenses
Allies tried to open
Balkan front at Gallipoli,
but withdrew after great
losses.
 A new front opened vs.
Austria-Hungary after
Italy switched sides

◦ (Italy promised Austrian
land after war.)
Lawrence of
Arabia



TE Lawrence was
British officer who
urged Arabs revolt
vs. Turks.
Governor of Makkah
(Mecca) declared
Arabia independent.
British advanced
from Egypt to
conquer Ottomans
by Oct., 1918.
Britain mobilized forces within
empire
India, Australia & New Zealand to fight in
Middle East.
 Britain, Australia & Japan seized German
colonies in Africa, Asia and Pacific.

Germany’s policy of
unrestricted submarine
(U-boat) warfare
ANY ships were
potential targets.
 German sub sank
passenger ship
Lusitania w/o
warning.
 Most passengers
were drowned
(total of 1,195
fatalities, including
94 children and 123
Americans.)

◦ Became propaganda
tool vs. Germany
Why attack the Lusitania

Germany accused
Britain of hiding
weapons &
ammunition on
the Lusitania.

Investigative
team suggested
that the second,
explosion was
due to the
ignition of coal
dust in storage
bins.
US opinion
 U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson
demanded Germany stop unrestricted
sub warfare.
 Germany temporarily stopped.
◦ Wilson did not want U.S. to get into a
European war.
CAUSES FOR U.S. ENTRY INTO WWI
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1. Unrestricted sub-warfare
resumed by Germany in 1917
(to break naval blockade &
starve Britain.)
U.S. casualties (violation of
freedom of the seas.) Germany
under-estimated America’s
response.
2. Rape of Belgium
3. Allied Propaganda
4. Cultural Ties with Britain
(mother country)
5. Zimmermann Note (secret
German telegram asking Mexico
to declare war on the U.S.!)
War declared in 1917 Large
troop numbers arrive 1918
Home Front
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total war directly affected lives of citizens as well
as soldiers.
Increased govt. social, political
& economic
powers (planned economies.)
Govts. resorted to police powers, limiting civil
rights, censorship & propaganda to stop internal
dissent.
War created job opportunities for women in jobs
traditionally held by men.
Most jobs temporary, but some permanent,
although paid less.
Women also gained suffrage
Edith Cavell

Edith Cavell = British nurse helped Allied
soldiers & was executed by Germans for
aiding the enemy.
The Russian Revolution ch 8.3
CAUSES of Russian Revolutions
(early 1900s:)
Discontent among all
classes
 Agitation from dedicated
revolutionaries
 Weak leadership of Czar
Nicholas II
 Influence of "holy man"
Rasputin on czar’s family &
govt. policies
 Defeat in Russo-Japanese
War
Bloody Sunday! workers
petitioned and demanded
rights from Czar.
- Czar’s general orders
troops to fire on crowd
(500-1000 dead)

Huge losses in World War I
 Food shortages, strikes by
women and riots
 Vladimir Lenin (Marxist)
was a talented leader & his
promises of “peace, land &
bread” appealed to masses.
 Troops began joining
revolutionaries

EVENTS of Russian Revolutions:
Abdication of czar in
March, 1917
 Provisional government
created under Kerensky
 Soviets grew in power in
major Russian cities
 Provisional govt. failed,
due to continuation of war
effort
 Lenin, who had been
exiled, was secretly
returned to Russia by
Germany
 Bolsheviks seized govt. in
Nov., 1917
 Lenin assumed control of
new Bolshevik govt.

EFFECTS of Russian Revolutions:
Peace with Germany under
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
(harsh terms vs. Russia.)
 Bolsheviks (Communists)
totally in control of govt.,
politics, economy & Red
Army
 Leon Trotsky became
talented Commissar of War,
who reinstated draft & was
rigid disciplinarian

◦ (he was later exiled & then
assassinated in Mexico by
agents of Stalin)
Communist strictly control others
Other political parties banned, economy
ruined, strict, centralized control by
Communist party.
 Red Terror (“Cheka” secret police
destroyed counter-revolutionaries)

Royal Family Assassinated

Czar and his whole family executed (wife
Alexandria the czarina, son Alexis
czaravich & heir) and four
daughters
including Anastasia
Bloody civil war 1918-21 (Reds vs.
Whites)
Reds strongly united, used war
communism to provide for Red
Army.
15 Million Russians
die in this conflict
 Communists (Reds)
won and Russia was
renamed the Soviet
Union, the world's
first communist
country.

Whites were disunited but still
supported by Allies
(foreign troops on Russian
soil actually helped
communist propaganda)
The END of WWI and its Aftermath
8.4
“Yanks & Tanks”
 turned tide of war in the Allies favor.

OTTOMAN EMPIRE COLLAPSES

Turkish genocide of
Armenian Christians
(approx. 1 million killed.)
Crimes vs. humanity!
Britain & France divided
Ottoman lands in Middle
East.
 Colonel Mustafa Kemal
called for creation of a
new Republic of Turkey

◦ (last sultan fled, end of
empire.)
Last German
Offensive



After Russia pulled out, Erich
von Ludendorff gambled on a
German break the stalemate
On Western Front in March,
1918.
At the Second Battle of the
Marne, Germans were halted
and pushed back into
Germany.
General Ludendorff informed
German leaders that war was
lost in Sept., 1918.

Allies unwilling to make
peace with William II’s
autocratic govt.
Kaiser Steps Down
◦ Councils of workers & soldiers
started to take over govt.
offices.
 The kaiser fled Germany on
Nov. 9.


Social Democratic party
under Friedrich Ebert
announced creation of
democratic republic.
Two days later an
armistice was signed on
11, 11 at 11 = 11th hour
a.m., 11th day, of the 11th
month of 1918.
◦ Called
Armistice Day until
after WWII, when name
changed to Veteran’s Day.
Austro-Hungary Collapses

Replaced by independent states of
Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia &
Yugoslavia.
January, 1919, Allies met in Paris
make final peace “THE BIG THREE:”



1. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (an
idealist) proposed Fourteen Points for
a just and lasting peace:
Arms reductions, self-determination
for people, & peacekeeping
association of nations
2. French Premier Georges
Clemenceau, authoritarian leader
who suspended civil rights, was antiGerman,sought revenge for
Germanies Attack & security vs.
future German aggression,
◦ Wanted disarmament of Germany, huge
reparations (payments) & separate buffer
state (Rhinland)

3. British Prime Minister David Lloyd
George “make the Germans pay.”
Italy was a fourth major ally, but did not
play as big of a role as the Big Three.
 Germany was not invited & Russia
couldn’t attend, due to civil war

Allies Compromise
Wilson got his League of Nations(keep the
Peace)
 France and GB got Territorial Gains.
 No Separate Rhineland, but border would
become a demilitarized
 Deffensive Alliance Between US, FR, and
GB

◦ (but isolationist U.S. Senate refused to ratify.)
◦ US did Not Join the League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles harsh on Germany

Article 231 “War Guilt
Clause”,
◦ huge reparations,
◦ major reductions in
military,
◦ territorial losses to France
and to a new Poland.
◦ Arab states were given to
Britain (Iraq & Palestine)
and France (Syria &
Lebanon) as mandates.
Map of Europe was redrawn: new
countries emerged, old empires
disappeared
Cost OF the War
Total war had resulted in vast destruction
and the death of 10 million people! Govts.
had increased powers over
 people and there was a greater sense of
insecurity.

British poet, Wilfred Owen
describes effects of gas warfare before
killed in last week of war. Fellow soldier
who didn’t get gas mask on in time
 “was yelling out and stumbling and
flound’ring like a man in fire…
He
plunges at me, guttering, choking,
drowning… If you could hear, at every
jolt, the blood come
gargling from the
froth-corrupted lungs… My friend, you
would not tell with such high zest to
children ardent for some desperate glory,
the old Lie that “it is sweet and right
to die for one’s country.”


American-British poet T.S. Elliot
described how war affected men who
fought it.

“We are the hollow men… Those who
have crossed with direct eyes, to death’s
other Kingdom… This is the way the
world ends, not with a bang but a
whimper.”

German author Erich Maria Remarque wrote the
novel All Quiet on the Western Front.

“Our schoolmaster… gave us long lectures until
the whole of our class went…to the District
Commandant & volunteered… No one had the
vaguest idea what we were in for…While they
continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded &
dying. While they taught that duty to one’s
country is the greatest thing, we already knew
that death-throes are stronger… We loved our
country as much as
they; we went courageously
into every action; but we also distinguished the false
from the true.”
