Download WWI The Great War

The Great
War
“The War to End All Wars”????
Europe Before the War
 Europe had seen almost 100 years of peace (1871
minor war)
– Nobody could afford a war
– There would be no winner
– The growth of pacifism -war was a thing of the past –
“we were civilized”
– Business prevented any island from being isolated
– Foreign investment was so large
– Better communication, cheap newspapers
– Better educated people
Modern Europe
 A modern Europe required a German state,
but which lands would that involve?
 The Germans hoped the French would accept
the loss of Alsace-Lorraine
– They were wrong!
– Alsace had been part of the HRE but had been
French for over 200 years
– Lorraine was wholly French in population
All Roads Lead
to War
1. Alliance System
2. Arms Build Up
3. Nationalism
Alliances
The problem was that there
was no means for
negotiating peace
Pre-WWI European Alliances
 1879 Germany and
Austria signed the Dual
Alliance
 1879 The Three
Emperors’ League
created by Bismarck to
keep Austria and Russia
at peace
– Germany - Kaiser William
– Austria - Emperor Francis
Joseph
– Russia - Tsar Alexander
 1882 Triple Alliance Germany, Austria, Italy
 1887 Russia signs new treaty
with Germany
– Both stay neutral unless
Germany attacks France or
Russia attacks Austria
 1887 France signs a military
alliance with Russia – aimed at
Britain in the Mediterranean
 1902 Britain signs the AngloJapanese Alliance
 1904 Anglo-French Entente
– Britain recognizes French
claims to Morocco
– France recognizes British
claims to Egypt
 The Entente Cordiale 1904
– France and England
Pre-WWI European Military Conflicts and
Diplomatic Issues
 1905 - Russia defeated by Japan
and loses credibility
– 1905 Failed revolution in Russia
causes countrywide instability
– In 1908 Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina - Serbia could do nothing
without Russian help
 Russia and Austria made a deal for mutual prestige
 Austria took control of Bosnia
 Austria agreed with Russian control of the Dardanelles
– But Russian control of the Dardanelles was rejected
 Serbia threatened to invade Bosnia to liberate the Serbs
– Russia supported Serbia
– Austria-Hungary threatened to destroy Serbia
 Germany supported Austrian claims to Bosnia
Pre-WWI Alliances
to Know for Test
Triple Alliance
– Germany
– Austria-Hungary
– Italy
Triple Entente
– Russia
– France
– Great Britain
Family Feud
Czar
Nicholas II’s
first cousin
was…
Kaiser
Wilhelm II!
The Arms Race
 By 1914:
– Germany had the second largest navy - behind
Britain
– Had pushed Britain closer to France and
Russia
– Had wasted considerable money because the
fleet was bottled up for most of the war
– If those resources had gone to the army
Germany would have won the war
– 1890 German army was 20,000
– 1913 German army was 800,000
Weapons of the Great War
1. Gun chiefly used as a psychological weapon
2. Usually not thought of as a weapon; used to
separate the trenches and no-man’s land
3. Scary combination of fuel and fire creating
'sheets of flame‘; terrorized the British in 1915
4. Ancient weapon adopted in the trenches; used to
lob shells into the enemies trench
Weapons of the Great War
5. Quick-loading, and if water-cooled could
continually fire on the enemy
6. First used by the French and popularized by the
Germans; used to kill or incapacitate large
numbers of enemy troops
7. Invented by British to break through the trenches
while being protected by enemy fire
8. Mammoth airships used by Germans to spy on and
bomb the enemy
9.Originally used for observation; later in war
“dogfights” occurred
1. Bayonet
2. Barbed Wire
3. Flamethrowers
4. Mortars
5. Machine Gun
6. Poison and Mustard Gas
7. Tanks
8. Zeppelins
9. Airplanes
Weapons of the Great War
1. Gun chiefly used as a psychological weapon
Bayonet
2. Usually not thought of as a weapon; used to
separate the trenches and no-man’s land
Barbed Wire
3. Scary combination of fuel and fire creating
'sheets of flame‘; terrorized the British in 1915
Flamethrower
4. Ancient weapon adopted in the trenches; used to
lob shells into the enemies trench
Mortars
Weapons of the Great War
5. Quick-loading, and if water-cooled could continually
fire on the enemy
Machine Gun
6. First used by the French and popularized by the
Germans; used to kill or incapacitate large numbers of
enemy troops
Mustard/Poison Gas
7. Invented by British to break through the trenches while
being protected by enemy fire
Tanks
8. Mammoth airships used by Germans to spy on and
bomb the enemy
Zeppelins
9.Originally used for observation; later in war “dogfights”
occurred Airplanes (Bi-Planes)
Nationalism
European Nationalism
 1900 there were 25 sovereign states in Europe
– Each nation believed it should have its own state
– None would admit to a higher authority
– Patriotic literature motivated people “my country,
right or wrong”
– Alliances created states less willing to compromise
 There was a huge build up in armament after
the Franco-Prussian War
– France wanted Alsace-Lorraine returned
– Italy wanted Austrian land
European Nationalism
 There were also 4 independent in Eastern
Europe countries:
– Serbia, Montenegro, Rumania, Greece
 They all shared 2 traits:
– hatred of the Turks
– the ability to be friends with Great Powers
 However, the conflicts in the Balkans led to
three regional wars
– the Third Balkan War became World War I
European countries controlled the world
Germany - won the Franco-Prussian war,
gained Alsace and Lorraine, wanted to isolate
France, economic stability, led by the Iron
Chancellor Bismarck, little interest in
colonialism, unified.
France - lost Alsace and Lorraine, weak
military, imperialistic in Asia and Africa.
Great Britain - “splendid isolation”, colonial
conflicts with France and Russia
Austria - wanted to limit Slavic nationalism on
southern border and hostile nationalism within
the borders
Russia - very imperialistic throughout the century
– but overland: in the Balkans; disputes with
Austria over Slavs; Ottomans; Japanese
Italy - interest in North Africa led to disputes with
France.
The Balkans - a politically unstable region
comprised of many ethnic groups. Mostly
Christian.
*United States - not involved in global affairs YET!
“The lights go out. . .”
The Date….June 28, 1914
 Archduke Ferdinand,
heir to the Austrian
throne visit Sarajevo,
Bosnia on Serbian
Independence Day
 He and his wife are
assassinated in Bosnia
by Gavrilo Princip
– Princip was a member
of The Union or Death
(Black Hand)
The “Spark” of War is Lit
 This was the spark that ignited the Balkan
“powder keg”
 The deaths were the excuse for Austria to
move against Serbia
– Austria demanded Serbia meet their demands
– July 6 1914 Germany promised to help
Austria in the event of war - the “blank
check”
The War Begins
 Austria declared war on Serbia
 Russia mobilized troops against Austria
– Was determined to support Serbia
 Russia declares war against the Austria-Hungary
 Austria mobilized against Russia
 Germany declares war on Russia, France, invades neutral
Belgium
 Most Europeans believed it would be a short and
decisive war
British Foreign Secretary Grey said:
“The lamps are going out all over
Europe, we shall never see them lit
again in our lifetime”
The German Plan
 On August 14, 1914, the German army invaded
Belgium on their way to France with the Schlieffen
Plan.
 France must be taken before the Russians could
fully mobilize and invade Germany.
 Germany felt they could defeat France in two
months or less, then turn their full attention to
Russia.
“Gallant
Little
Belgium”
The British Join the War
 The invasion of neutral Belgium triggered the
British to enter the war
 They declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914
 All the Great Powers had now entered the war
– The results would be devastating
WWI ALLIANCES
Central Powers
 Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Ottoman Empire
 Bulgaria
 Romania
Allied Powers
 Russia
 France
 Great Britain
 Italy
 Greece
 United States
The Western Front
 The Western Front was the name the Germans
gave to a series of trenches that ran 700
kilometers from the Belgian coast to the Swiss
border.
 Both sides dug in….trenches were constructed
and were used during the entire war
The
Western
Front
No Man’s Land
The Eastern Front
 In the east, the Russians were soundly defeated on
August 30,1914, at the Battle of Tannenberg.
 This battle was a German victory early in World War I over
Russia.
– Russians lost over 1 million people many of whom
were civilians.
– After the Germans took about 90,000 prisoners, the
Russian General killed himself, and his remaining men
were forced to retreat.
 The Germans outran their supplies and although
battered, Russia stayed in the war causing
Germany to fight on two fronts.
Russian
prisoners
after defeat
in East
Prussia,
1915
 Germany begins Zeppelin air raids of
Britain
 Germany declares submarine blockade of
Great Britain
 Germans use first chemical weapons in the
Second Battle of Ypres.
 HMS Lusitania sunk—124 Americans
killed
 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
 Battle of Verdun
– Draw
– ~1 million casualties
 Battle of Jutland,
– Only major naval engagement of the war
– No clear winner
 Battle of the Somme
– Allied breakthrough
– ~1 million casualties
 In U.S., Woodrow Wilson re-elected
 Germany declares unrestricted (U-Boat)
submarine warfare
 British release Zimmerman Note
– A newspaper report on an intercepted telegram
from German Foreign Minister Arthur
Zimmermann to the government of Mexico,
proposing a German-Mexican alliance
– Was proved to be a fake
 Czar Nicholas abdicates and government
falls in Russia
 In December, new Russian government
signs armistice with Germany
The Legacy of War In Russia
 July 16, 1918 the Czar and his family are
massacred by Bolsheviks
The room where the Romanov dynasty came to its bloody end
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
 Ended war for Russia
– Forced by the liberals in Russia
– Bolsheviks gain power
 Russia loses:
– Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Baltic Provinces –
– 34% of Russia’s population
– 89% coal mines
– 32% farmland
– 54% industry
The United States
 America was sympathetic to the Allies
– Close ties to Britain
– Trading partner
– Common language and culture
– Anti-German feelings grew
 President Wilson was a isolationist AND a pacifist but
this soon changed
– The Lusitania
– Germany’s resumption of unrestricted submarine
warfare
Berlin, January 19, 1917
The Zimmerman Note
To the German Minister to Mexico
 We [Germany] intend to begin on the 1st of February
unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in
spite of this to keep the United States of America
neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make
Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis:
make war together, make peace together, generous
financial support and an understanding on our part that
Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New
Mexico and Arizona.... Inform the President [of Mexico]
of the above most secretly.... Please call the [Mexican]
Presidentís attention to the fact that the ruthless
employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of
compelling England in a few months to make peace.
Bring on the Yanks!!!
 American doughboys
The United States Enters the
War
 The year 1917, didn't look good for the allies;
much of the French army had mutinied, and
British forces were suffering severe casualties.
 But German lack of diplomacy and common
sense, turned the tides and brought the United
States into the war on April 6, 1917.
 Fresh, well supplied and equipped American
troops made the difference and uplifted Allied
morale.
US War Posters
 U.S. troops began to arrive in June, 1917
 British and U.S. navies combined forces, and
formed convoys to counter U-boats
 The combined forces stop German advances,
heavy casualties to the 270,000 U.S. troops
 By end of summer, over 1 million Americans
are in Europe
The American Expeditionary Force
 When the USA declared war in April 1917, Wilson sent the
American Expeditionary Force (AEF) under the command of
General John Pershing to the Western Front.
 The Selective Service Act was quickly passed by Congress.
– The law authorized President Wilson to raise a volunteer
infantry force of not more than four divisions.
– All males between the ages of 21 and 30 were required to
register for military service.
– By 12th September 1918, 23,908,566 men had registered.
– Around 4,000,000 men were ultimately drafted into the
armed services.
– Of these, 50 per cent served overseas during the war.
General John “Blackjack”
Pershing
 In 1917 Pershing was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the American
Expeditionary Force in Europe.
 His belief that his fit, fresh troops could
break the deadlock on the Western Front had
to be revised in the first-half of 1918.
 However, he won praise for his excellent
victory at St Mihiel in September, 1918.
Americans in Paris
(and the rest of France)
 By July 1918 there were over a million US
soldiers in France.
 Pershing deployed US troops to help the
French defend the Western Front during the
3rd Battle of the Aisne in May and at the
Marne in June.
 US troops also took part in the Allied
attacks at Le Hamel and Canal du Nord
before Pershing launched his own offensive
at St Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.
Eddie Rickenbacker
 Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was an
American fighting ace
 He won the French Croix de Guerre, in
May by shooting down five German
airplanes and was named commander of
the 94th, the "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron,
on September 24.
 The following day, Eddie shot down two
more German airplanes, victories for
which the U.S. government awarded him a
belated Congressional Medal of Honor in
1930.
 His twenty-sixth confirmed victory
occurred on October 30, and the last
victory (the 69th) for the 94th occurred on
November 10, 1918.
 World War I ended the next day.
Alvin York
 Alvin York was a religious young
man who filed as a conscientious
objector of war with his local
Tennessee draft board
– He was turned down by and
was sent to the Western Front
 York impressed the regular army
officers with his ability to use a
gun.
– Shot accurately at ranges of
200, 300 and 500 yards.
Struggled with the moral issue
of killing human beings, and
refused to shoot at human
silhouettes (targets).
Alvin York
 At the battle of the
Argonne Forest in the fall
of 1918, as a member of
the 82nd division, he
killed 25 Germans,
knocked out 35 machine
guns, and captured 132
prisoners almost singlehanded.
 Received the French
Medaille Militaire and
Croix de Guerre, the
Italian Groce de Guerra
and the American Medal
of Honor.
Sir, I am doing wrong. Practicing to kill people is
against my religion."
-York, speaking of target practice at
human silhouettes.
"What you did was the greatest thing accomplished
by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe."
-Marshall Ferdinand Foch, on
York's feat in the Argonne.
"This uniform ain't for sale."
-York, on demands for his
endorsement.
"It's over; let's just forget about it."
-York's modesty about the event that
brought him the Medal of Honor.
 Germany completely fails to stop US
soldiers being moved across the Atlantic.
 Second Battle of the Marne, a desperate
final push by Germany; limited success.
 Massive Allied attack breaks through the
Hindenburg line.
.
Germany Surrenders
 During 1918, things also were bad at home for the
German people.
– Germany had succumbed to overstretch; they could
afford a three year war but not a four year war.
– Germany had used up its moral capital, it was out of
food, and industry could no longer keep up with war
demands.
 The shock of defeat and hunger sparked a
revolution that forced the Kaiser to abdicate.
Armistice Day
 Americans help France lead last offensive
– Cut off German communication and supply
lines
 By early November, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary,
and the Ottoman Empire sign armistice
 Germany signs at 11:00, on November 11 at
11:00am
– 11/11/1918 @ 11am
 5 million allied troops, 3 million Germans,
116,000 Americans killed, with over 200,000
wounded or missing
Causes of WWI
 Indirect
 Direct Causes
– Alliances
– The assassination of
– Nationalism
Archduke FranzFerdinand
– Unrestricted
submarine/U-boat
warfare
– Arms Build-up
– Imperialism
The Big Four
•In 1919, the Big 4 met in Paris to negotiate the Treaty
•David Lloyd George of Britain,
•Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy,
•Georges Clemenceau of France
•Woodrow Wilson of the U.S
The Big Four
The Versailles Treaty
 Germany and the
Big Four met in
Paris at the Palace
of Versailles in the
Hall of Mirrors
– The process was
controlled by
Britain, France,
Italy, US
– Russia was not
invited
Germany takes the Blame
 Allies wanted to punish Germany
 Treaty included:
– Allies would occupy Germany for 15 years
– Germany had to renounce the Treaty of BrestLitovsk
– Germany lost her colonies and France regained
Alsace-Lorraine
– Germany had to pay for the damage done
 President Wilson wanted prevent future wars
– Came up with diplomatic way to end future
disagreements
President Wilson
 Wilson outlined his 14 Points
as a plan for world peace
 Hoped to resolve international
conflicts
– Instrumental part of the Treaty
of Versailles
– Part of the treaty that formed the
League of Nations
The Fourteen Points
1. Open Covenants
9. Readjust Italy’s
borders
2. Freedom of Navigation
10. Austro-Hungarian
3. Trade Equality—
autonomy
removal of economic
barriers
11. Independence for the
Balkan states
4. Lower armaments
5. Reduce colonial claims 12. Free Turkey, open
Dardanelles
for
6. Russian autonomy
passage
7. Restoration of Belgium
13. Independent Poland
8. France gets back
14.
“A
general
association
Alsace-Lorraine
of nations”
Woodrow Wilson
 Wilson had a difficult time convincing the
other three leaders to accept his idea of
peace without victory.
 He was forced to agree that Germany had
caused the war.
The Treaty is Signed
 Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of
Versailles on June 18,1919.
 Germany was expecting less blame
– Clause 231 (War guilt clause)
– The dictated peace only served to anger Germans and
encourage German hostility
– They felt betrayed and denounced the treaty
– They believed the war ended in a stalemate not a
defeat
 U.S. refused to sign - Senate believed they would
lose the power to declare war
Woodrow Wilson:
“Winner” or “Loser”?
 Winner
– Wilson was incredibly popular in Europe during the peace
talks
– His visions for a new world order widely accepted by the
general public
– He thought the punishments on Germany were too harsh,
but went along to save the treaty
 Loser
– Fails to convince U.S. Senate to ratify the treaty
– United States fails to join the League of Nations
– Once again the US isolates itself from much of the world
The Death of Wilson
 While fighting for the treaty back home,
he collapses from exhaustion
 Days later, he has a stroke, and is left half
paralyzed--must communicate through his
wife
 Dies in 1924, bitter about his failure to get
U.S. to join the League of Nations
“I am proud to remember that I had the honor
of being the commander in chief of the
most ideal army that was ever thrown together”
Legacies of WWI
1. The principle that nations have a right to political selfdetermination was established.
2. The republic replaced the (constitutional) monarchy as the
standard type of government.
3. The social fabric changed as women were granted the right to
vote in the countries of northern and central Europe, and the
Social Democratic parties were able to form or join the
government in some countries.
4. The harsh peace conditions enforced at Versailles caused
rejection in the defeated countries and enforced the hatred
between nations, such as between the Germans and the French.
5. The European nations were heavily indebted to American
banks. This debt would involve Europe in the Great
Depression in 1929.
Legacies of WWI
7. In the world economy, Europe lost the leading position to the
United States.
8. Russia - the USSR - isolated itself from the rest of the world.
9. Warfare had changed; tanks and airplanes would play a more
important role in future wars.
10.Science had changed, especially the chemical industry had been
given a big boost and the research for synthetic replacements of
natural products
11.The world's dependency on critical natural resources, such as oil
became apparent, and would only increase in the future
12.In many states of Europe, the rule of law and order was
threatened by politically motivated violence, state authorities
could not or did not want to stop.
Another “Legacy” of WWI
 The Spanish Flu of 1918-19
– Killed more people than the Great War
– The conditions in 1918 were not so far
removed from the Black Death in the
era of the bubonic plague of the Middle
Ages.
– Between 20 and 40 million people died.
• An estimated 43,000 US servicemen
mobilized for WWI died of influenza
• Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe,
half of them fell to the influenza virus and
not to the enemy
“The War to End All Wars”????