Download Causes of World War I

Essential Question:
How did World War I
(WWI) change Europe
and the world?
(SS6H7a)
Standard: SS6H7a
Describe major developments
following World War I: the
Russian Revolution, the Treaty
of Versailles, worldwide
depression, and the rise of
Nazism
Activating Strategy:
Watch and listen to the clip about Europe after
World War I and discuss the questions below.
http://www.the-map-ashistory.com/demos/tome03/index.php
Why do you think Russia signed a treaty to
get out of World War I early? How did the map
of Europe change after World War I? How do
you think these changes affected people in
Europe?
Causes of World War
"The Great War was without precedent ... never had so many
nations taken up arms at a single time. Never had the
battlefield been so vast…never had the fighting been so
gruesome..."
Causes of World War I
(Take notes on graphic organizer)
• Militarism – building up armed forces, getting
ready for war
• Alliances – agreements or promises to
defend and help another country
• Imperialism – trying to build up an empire
(powerful country that controls
several less powerful countries)
• Nationalism – having pride in your country,
willing to defend it
Militarism
• There was fierce competition over land in Europe
• Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The
standing armies of France and Germany doubled
in size between 1870 and 1914.
• Naval expansion was also extremely competitive,
particularly between Germany and Great Britain.
• Russia wanted to expand its land and gain
access to warm water ports. These ports would
give the Russian navy the Mediterranean Sea
• Germany began a military buildup and increased
its navy
Distributed
Summarizing
With a seat partner, discuss a time
in your life when an alliance (with a
friend, family member, or someone
else) has caused problems.
Imperialism
• Great Britain, Germany and France needed
foreign markets after the increase in
manufacturing caused by the Industrial
Revolution.
• These countries competed for economic
expansion in Africa.
• Although Britain and France resolved their
differences in Africa, several crises
foreshadowing the war involved the clash of
Germany against Britain and France in North
Africa.
Nationalism
• Pride in one’s country; nations sought their own
interests over others
• In the 19th century, nationalism took the form of
people struggling for independence
• Serbia was at the center of the nationalist
movement in an area of Europe known as the
Balkans
• What happened in the Balkans was a spark that
started the war.
• Serbia considered Austria-Hungary as an enemy
because Serbs in Austria-Hungary wanted to unite
with Serbia and create a larger Serbian state
The events that followed…
Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia
Because of the assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand in June of 1914 by a member of a
nationalistic secret Serbian society, the
emperor of Austria-Hungary declared war on
Serbia.
The events that followed…
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Russia sent troops to defend Serbia
Russia sent troops to defend Serbia because
Russia had a separate treaty with Serbia.
Russia supported Serbia because they were
both of a similar ethnic backgrounds.
The events that followed…
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Russia sent troops to defend Serbia
Germany declared war on Russia
Since Germany had a treaty with AustriaHungary (the Triple Alliance),
Germany declared war on Russia.
The events that followed…
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Russia sent troops to defend Serbia
Germany declared war on Russia
Germany declared war on France
France had a treaty with Russia (the Triple
Entente) so Germany declared war against France.
The events that followed…
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Russia sent troops to defend Serbia
Germany declared war on Russia
Germany declared war on France
And so the war begins!
Things changed during the war
The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente turned
into these two WWI alliances.
The Triple Alliance
plus more formed the
Center Powers
The Triple Entente
plus more formed the
Allied Powers
The Central powers
The Allied Powers
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Turkey (Ottoman Empire)
Russia
France
United Kingdom
Italy
United States
Statistics from WWI
Nation
Total
Number of
servicemen
in the war.
Number
of
deaths
Number
of
soldiers
wounded
Number of
men taken
prisoner or
reported
missing
Austria
7,800,000
1,200,000
3,620,000
2,200,000
Britain
8,904,467
908,371
2,090,212
191,652
France
8,410,000
1,357,800
4,266,000
537,000
11,000,000
17,737,000
4,216,058
1,152,800
5,615,000
650,000
947,000
600,000
Russia
12,000,000
1,700,000
4,950,000
2,500,000
Turkey
2,850,000
325,000
400,000
250,000
U.S.
4,355,000
126,000
234,300
4,500
Germany
Italy
Some of the Technological
Advances from WWI
• Tank
• Aircraft
• Machine Gun
• Gas used as a weapon
Distributed
Summarizing
Could World War I have been
prevented? Why or why not? Would
we have had the technological
advances without WWI?
Russia: A Background
• Nicholas II – autocratic and ineffective
• He ruled a country covering one-sixth of the
earth’s total land surface
• He had massive personal wealth
• He was backed by an army of 1 million and
secret police
• Political parties banned – critics ended up in
prison or exile
• Press was censored
Russia: A Background
• Many Russians worshipped the Tsar and
peasants typically had a picture of the Tsar
on a wall of their hut.
• His word was law
• He appointed his ministers
• But did not have to listen to them
• AND could ‘hire and fire’ them at will
• He was a true autocrat.
Russia was…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Only 40% ethnic Russians
80% were peasants – subsistence farmers
60%+ = illiterate
Life expectancy = 40
Low tech and low investment
Land ownership rare
Land owned by the Commune
It also organized taxes and allotted strips
of land to each household
Distributed
Summarizing
During the time described, Russia
was like ____________ because
_________________________.
Share your answer with a partner.
Watch the United Streaming video
clip: Russian Revolution
(Time - 9:31; the first few minutes link to previous video clips)
Russian_Revolution__.asf
Russian Revolution
• Russian revolution started in 1917 and
had two parts.
• The first part was the February Revolution
in which the czar (Tsar, national ruler) was
overthrown.
• People were unhappy about how the czar
and his government were running the
country. People were starving while the
aristocracy was living in luxury.
• People were also upset about their
participation in the war.
Russian Revolution
• The Russian army was big but poorly equipped;
the army lost battles which lowered civilian and
military morale
• The czar was seen as a poor military and
political leader while his German wife (Tsarina)
was left in charge of the government and was
influenced by a man many thought was crazy
(Rasputin)
• There were not enough workers in the factories
and farms which caused shortages of food and
materials
• The railway system was weak; therefore, troops
nor towns could get supplies
Russian Revolution
• The second part of the Russian Revolution
was the October Revolution (Bolshevik
Revolution)
• The October Revolution was led by
Vladimir Lenin
• After two years of civil war, the communist
forces gained control
• Russia became the communist country of
the Soviet Union
• Communism continued in Russia until
nearly the end of the century
Distributed
Summarizing
With a partner, discuss why the
Russian Revolution occurred and
what happened to Russia because
of the revolution. Write your answers
on the Major Developments in
Europe After WWI sheet.
The War is Over!
Leaders come together to decide the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles.
Treaty of Versailles Simulation
In small groups, students will represent a
main character from the Treaty of
Versailles. Students will simulate debates
during the signing of the treaty and make
decisions based on their character’s
viewpoints.
Examining the Treaty of
Versailles
After simulating discussions from the Treaty
of Versailles, in small groups, students will
examine components of the real treaty to
determine the actual decisions that were
made. Other groups will examine Germany’s
response to the treaty.
Examining the Treaty Questions
• Which aspect of the treaty did you examine?
(political, military, reparations, or Germany’s
response)
• Those examining the treaty: Describe the types
of requirements or restrictions placed on
Germany
• Those examining the treaty: How might these
requirements or restrictions impact Germany?
• Those examining Germany’s response: Do you
agree or disagree with the Treaty of Versailles?
• Those examining Germany’s response: How will
the treaty impact you and your country?
The Treaty of Versailles
(add requirements of the treaty to Major Developments sheet)
• The Treaty of Versailles officially ended WWI
• It forced Germany to accept responsibility for
causing the war
• It required Germany to pay reparations (payments)
to other countries for their losses and damage
• It required Germany to give up 1 million square
miles of land (size of Alaska and Texas combined)
much of which was rich in natural resources (Why
does this matter?)
• It required Germany to limit its armed forces
• The U.S. did not sign the Treaty of Versailles
Listen to the National Public
Radio story about Germany
making its last reparation
payment in September 2010.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?
storyId=130232809
The World
After World War I
After WWI and worldwide depression
• WWI affected the European economy because
nations had war debt to repay
• Soldiers came home needing jobs, but there were
not enough. Unemployment skyrocketed.
(Listen to “Stony Broke in No Man’s Land”)
• http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/stonybrokeinnom
ansland.htm
• In 1929, the stock market crash led to depression in
the U.S. but also all over the world
• Countries experienced Inflation (a condition where prices rise
and money loses value; therefore, you cannot buy as much as you used to
with the same amount of money)
After WWI and worldwide depression
• Industry, shipping, and trade between
countries were affected
• Around the world, unrest and nationalism
grew, people wanted strong leadership to
make their countries rich and powerful
again
• However, the Great Depression weakened
many countries when they needed to be
strong. Why is this significant?
Imagine you are living in Germany after World War I. The
world is in the middle of a depression. You do not have
enough food, you do not have a job, and you do not
believe the leaders of your country can improve the
situation. On top of that, your country, the place where
you were born and have lived all of your life is being
blamed and punished for World War I.
Now, read Adolf Hitler’s speech on the Treaty of Versailles
in 1923. Then, watch a video clip of Hitler delivering a
speech years later.
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=7205F2A8-797E4971-AEF4-6604694FC04E&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
Why do you think the German people followed Hitler?
Rise of Nazism
• The democratic government in Germany after
World War I (Weimar Republic) faced major
problems
• A political party called the Nazi Party attracted the
attention of dissatisfied Germans
• The Nazi Party’s leader, Adolf Hitler, described
ideas to strengthen Germany
• Hitler also believed that Aryans (Germans) were the
“master race”; he had racist feelings about Jews,
Slavs, gypsies, and blacks
• The Nazi Party believed in fascism (where a strong
central government is controlled by the military and
run by a dictator)
Why Nazism grew
• Nazis offered solutions for Germany’s
economic problems
• Nazis appealed to German nationalism by
calling for a larger military and an increase
in German territory (violation of Treaty of Versailles)
• Nazis united Germans against Jews by
blaming them for the problems
• Nazis assured Germans they could protect
them from enemies
• Nazis organized groups to threaten anyone
who opposed them so few spoke out
Summarizing Strategy
Imagine that you are living in Europe
during the 1900s, but you have other family
members living on another continent. Write
a postcard to your relatives describing the
events that you have witnessed from 1913
to 1920. Include World War I and its MAIN
causes, the Russian Revolution, economic
depression, and the rise of Nazism.