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WORLD WAR I
1914-1918
Great Britain
Background: GB is a small country, but at the start of this century she
was the greatest of the world’s great powers. Under Queen Victoria
(1837-1901) Britain had become the richest and most powerful
nation on the earth. She had the richest industries, the most trade,
the largest number of colonies and the biggest navy. Her immediate
rival was Germany.
Ruler: King George V ruled 1910-1936
Character: The man who ruled the greatest country in the world was
shy and quiet. He spend 15 years in the Royal Navy before
becoming King in 1910, aged 45. Unlike his father, he was a
devoted family man. There was nothing very unusual about him
except that, as one historian has pointed out, his trousers were
creased at the sides, not back to front. In comparison with many
rulers of the time, he had little power. He could not make his own
laws, as that was Parliaments’ job.
Germany
Background:
In 1914 Germany was less than 50 years old. Before 1870 there was no such
country, only a collection of small states, each with its own ruler. One of
the states Prussia was bigger than the rest and its ruler wanted to unite all
the states to be more powerful. France and Austria did not want them to
unify so they declared war on Prussia. Both countries lost to Prussia. In
1871 Prussia’s Wilhelm and Prime Minister Bismarck unified the German
Empire. Her immediate rival was France and Great Britain.
Ruler: Kaiser Wilhelm II 1888-1918
Character: Kaiser Wilhelm was King George V’s cousin, but was the exact
opposite in character. He was energetic and had a strong, outgoing
personality. Although, he was born with a withered left arm, he was an
excellent horseman who could also swim, shoot, fence and hunt. Just as
his cousin George spent his youth in the navy, so Wilhelm spent most of his
youth in the army. When he grew up, he loved the army and enjoyed
dressing up in military uniform. He could be very charming and friendly, but
was often impatience and rude. He was very popular with his subjects.
Russia
Background:
Russia is the largest country in the world, but in 1900 she was also one of the
poorest. She was very rich in minerals-oil, coal, iron ore, gold etc-but these
were not much used. She had a huge population, but most people lived in
the western half of the country. Hardly anyone at all lived in Siberia.
Russia had great amounts of land, but much of it was too cold for farming.
She had a long coast line, but most of it was frozen for half the year, making
sea transport impossible. Russia was friendly with France as it had loaned
them money to modernize their military after Germany had said no.
Russia was an empire of many peoples, each speaking a different language.
The Russian Empire was a very weak giant. Her immediate rival AustriaHungary
Ruler: Tsar Nicholas II 1894-1917
Character: He was a weak man and not very clever. He was a bad judge of
people and was easily influenced by poor advisers. Example: Rasputin,
who helped his son, who was a hemophiliac with hypnotic powers of
healing.
Nicholas’ greatest weakness was trying to rule Russia as an autocrat, meaning
he had complete control of all and would not share his power. This made
him unpopular with his subjects, who believed in democracy.
Austria-Hungary
Background: You can tell from its’ name that Austria-Hungary was actually a
union of two separate countries. Inside each country lived many different
peoples, or nationalities, each with its own language, its own customs and
its own way of life. Like Russia, this made the country very hard to govern,
especially as many of the peoples wanted to be independent of AustriaHungary, so that they could rule themselves their own ways. The patchwork
of peoples was falling apart. Example-Bosnia wants to join with their
independent Serb brothers in the country of Serbia. Immediate rival Serbia
and Russia.
Ruler: Emperor Franz Joseph II 1848-1916
Character: At 84, he was the oldest of all Europe’s rulers. He was a quiet,
serious and religious man, devoted to his work. His long life had been a
sad one: his brother Maximilian, the ruler of Mexico had been killed by
rebels, his son Rudolf had committed suicide and his wife had been stabbed
to death by an assassin. In 1900, he was saddened when his nephew,
Franz Ferdinand married beneath him to a Countess named Sophie Chotek.
Should have married a princess.
Franz Joseph was well liked by his subjects, but his people hated the
government officials who ran the country.
France
Background:
Twice the size of Britain and about the same size as Germany. The
land was fertile and her people hard working. She owned many
Colonies, but was weaker than Britain and Germany. The French
people had lost a lot of pride when they lost the Franco-Prussian
war and the new German Empire had taken Alsace and Lorraine a
valuable area rich in minerals. France hated Germany for this.
Immediate rival Germany.
Ruler: President Raymond Poincare (1913-1920)
Character: Clever man, honest, outspoken, sometimes short tempered;
he was also cold and unsympathetic. He was born in Lorraine. The
people of France respected him, but did not like him very much.
United States
Background-Not much interested in Europe. Concerned with our own
back yard.
Ruler: President Woodrow Wilson
Character: Honest, honorable a political science professor. Like
Roosevelt before him, Woodrow Wilson regarded himself as the
personal representative of the people. "No one but the President,"
he said, "seems to be expected ... to look out for the general
interests of the country." He developed a program of progressive
reform and asserted international leadership in building a new world
order. In 1917, he proclaimed American entrance into World War I a
crusade to make the world "safe for democracy."
CAUSES OF WWI
Historians have four long-term
causes of the World War I:
NATIONALISM – a devotion to the
interests and culture of one’s nation.
Pride in your nation.
IMPERIALISM – Economic and
political control over weaker
nations. Take over the world for raw
materials and markets.
MILITARISM – Increased military
spending. Be as strong as the
country you may have to go to war
against.
ALLIANCE SYSTEM – By 1907
Europe was divided into two armed
camps. I got your back.
NATIONALISM
 Often
nationalism
led to competition
and conflicts
between nations.
It led to alliances
as well.
NATIONALISM
Also, ethnic groups resented being dominated by others and wanted to
create their own nations.
Russians wanted to protect their Serb brothers, both Slavic.
IMPERIALISM
 For many centuries,
European nations built
empires.
 Colonies supplied European
nations with raw materials and
provided markets for
manufactured goods.
 As Germany industrialized it
competed directly with France
and Britain.
 Major European countries
also competed for land in
Africa and other parts of the
world. This leads to conflict.
Imperialism…
one country
takes control
of the
economic
and political
affairs of
another
country
MILITARISM-Arms Race
 Empires had to be defended and
European nations increased military
spending enormously in the late 19th
and early 20th century.
 By 1890 the strongest nation
militarily in Europe was Germany.
 Germany had a strong army and
built up a navy to challenge
England’s fleet.
 France, Italy, Japan and the United
States quickly joined in the naval
buildup.
ALLIANCE SYSTEM
 By 1907 there were two
major defense alliances in
Europe:
TRIPLE ENTENTE
 The Triple Entente, later
known as the Allies, consisted
of France, Britain, and Russia.
Later Italy
FRANCE
BRITAIN
The Triple Alliance, later
known as the Central Powers,
consisted of Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy (soon joined
by the
Ottoman Empire).
RUSSIA
Leaders - Central Powers
• Kaiser Wilhelm II
(William II)
Germany
• Emperor Franz
Joseph, AustriaHungary
• Enver Pasha,
Ottoman Empire
(Young Turks)
Leaders – Allied
Powers
• Raymond Poincare –
President of France, he had
been born in Lorraine and
hated the Germans
• Georges “The Tiger”
Clemenceau – Premier of
France
• Nicholas II – Czar of Russia..
Overthrown/murdered by
Bolsheviks
• David Lloyd George – PM of
UK at Treaty of Versailles
• George V-Ruler of Great
Britain
THE SPARK: AN ASSASSINATION
 The Balkan region was considered “the
powder keg of Europe” Many ethnic groups
living together.
 Russia wanted access to the
Mediterranean Sea/warm water port.
Austria-Hungary, which had taken control
of Bosnia in 1878, accused Serbia of trying
to get the Bosnians to revolt and join them.
Finally, in June of 1914, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne was
gunned down by a group of Bosnian Serb
radicals, igniting a crisis.
Inevitability of War
June 28, 1914 - Archduke Francis Ferdinand
of Austria Hungary assassinated.
July 5, 1914 - Germany pledges military
assistance if Austria-Hungary goes to war
against Russia
July 23, 1914 - Austria-Hungary issues Serbia
an ultimatum.
The Inevitability of War Entangling Alliances
• July 28, 1914 - Austria-Hungary declares war on
Serbia.
• July 29, 1914 - Russia orders full mobilization of
its troops.
• August 1, 1914 - Germany declares war on
Russia.
• August 2, 1914 - Germany demands Belgium
declare access to German troops.
THE FIGHTING BEGINS
 The Alliance system pulled one nation after another into the
conflict. Domino Effect – The Great War had begun.
 On August 3, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, following a
strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan (Swinging Hammer).
 This plan called for a quick strike through Belgium to Paris,
France.
Next, Germany would attack Russia.
 The plan was designed to prevent a two-front war for Germany
.
1914 – 1915 Illusions
• Belief that modern industrial
war could not be conducted for
more than a few months.
• “Fatal attraction of war”
– Exhilarating release from
every day life
– A glorious adventure
– War would rid the nations
of selfishness
– Sparked a national re-birth
based on heroism
• “Home by Christmas”
First Battle of the Marne, 1914
• Casualties at the battle were
heavy. The French incurred 250,000
losses, and it is believed that the
Germans suffered similar casualties
(no official figures are available). The
British recorded 12,733 casualties.
• Important: Stopped the advance of
the Germans led to a stalemate.
THE WAR BECOMES A STALEMATE
 Unable to save Belgium, the Allies
retreated to the Marne River in France
where they halted the German
advance in September of 1914
 Both sides dug in for a long siege
 By the spring of 1915, two parallel
systems of deep trenches crossed
France from Belgium to Switzerland
Western Front
 There were 3 types of trenches;
front line, support, and reserve
 Between enemy trenches was “no
man’s land” – an area with shell
craters and filled with barbed wire
Trenches
dug from
English Channel to
Switzerland
6,250
6
miles
to 8 feet deep
Stalemated
both sides for
4 years
The conditions in these trenches were horrific; aside from
the fear of bombardment, soldiers also had to contend with
the mud, flooding and disease associated with living in
such a harsh environment.
FIRST BATTLE OF THE SOMME
Gas attacks were common features
of trench life and often caused
blindness and lung disease
 During the First Battle of the
Somme - which began July 1, 1916
and lasted until mid-November – the
British suffered 60,000 casualties the
first day
 Final casualties for the First Battle
of the Somme totaled 1.2 million, yet
only 7 miles of ground was gained
 This bloody trench warfare, in
which armies fought for mere yards
of ground, lasted for three years
The Eastern Front
• Russian army moved into
Eastern Germany on August
30, 1914
– Defeated
• The Austrians kicked out of
Serbia
• Italians attacked Austria in
1915
• G. came to Austrian aid and
pushed Russians back 300
miles into own territory
• Much more mobile more
than the West
– But loss of life still very
high
– 1915: 2.5 million
Russians killed,
captured, or wounded
Life in the Trenches
• Boredom
– Soldiers read to pass
the time
– Sarah Bernhardt came
out to the front to read
poetry to the soldiers
• We all had on us the
stench of dead bodies.”
Death numbed the
soldier’s minds.
• Shell shock
• Psychological devastation
NEW WEAPONS USED
 Machine Guns – Guns could now fire 600 rounds per minute
 The Tank – New steel tanks ran on caterpillar treads
Flame Throwers
 Airplanes – Early dogfights resembled duals, however by 1918 the
British had a fleet of planes that could deliver bomb loads
 Poison Gas – mustard gas was used to subdue the enemy
Poison Gas
• Germans used Chlorine
gas 1915
• Phosgene: an improved
lung gas
• Mustard gas: no smell
and its effect were not
noticed for 12 hours
• 1st used in 1916 by Brits at
the Battle of the Somme
• Tank limitations: a speed of
four mph and restricted to
forward fire
• Mechanically very primitive
At the Battle of Amien
1918, allied commanders
had 342 tanks available the
first day
• 145 on the second
• 85 on the third
• 38 on the fourth
• 6 on the fifth day!
The changes of war-Airplanes
• Airplanes
– Dog fights in the air
– Bombing inaccurate
– Romanticized the
battlefields
– Paris and London bombed
– Pilots fired pistols and
threw hand grenades
• Fragile w/limited speed
• Limited to:
1. surveillance: observation
2. “dog fighting” – personal
combat (public loved this.)
AMERICANS QUESTION NEUTRALITY
 In 1914, most Americans saw no
reason to join a struggle 3,000 miles
away – they wanted neutrality
 Some simply did not want their
sons to experience the horror of
warfare
 German-Americans (and some
Irish-Americans) supported Germany
in World War I
 However, many Americans felt
close to the British because of a
shared ancestry and language
 Most importantly, American
economic interests were far stronger
with the Allies
THE WAR HITS HOME
 During the first two years of the
war, America was providing
(selling) the allied forces dynamite,
cannon powder, submarines,
copper wire and tubing and other
war material.
Cash and Carry
 Both the Germans and British
imposed naval blockades on each
other.
 The Germans used U-boats
(submarines) to prevent shipments
to the North Atlantic
German U-boat 1919
 Any ship found in the waters
around Britain would be sunk
Unrestricted Sub Warfare.
THE LUSITANIA DISASTER
 United States involvement in
World War I was hurried up by the
Lusitania disaster
 The Lusitania was a British
passenger liner that carried 1,198
persons on a fateful trip on May 7,
1915
 A German U-boat sank the British
passenger liner killing all aboard
including 128 American tourists. No
warning.
 The Germans claimed the ship
was carrying Allied ammunition. It
was! 4,200 cases of guns.
 Americans were outraged and
public opinion turned against
Germany and the Central Powers
1916 ELECTION
 The November 1916 election
pitted incumbent Democrat
Woodrow Wilson vs.
Republican candidate Supreme
Court justice Charles Evans
Hughes
 Wilson won a close election
using the slogan, “He kept us
out of war”
 That slogan would prove
ironic because within a few
months the United States
would be embroiled in World
War I
Wilson
AMERICA EDGES CLOSER TO
WAR
Several factors came together to
bring the U.S. into the war;
1) Germany ignored Wilson’s
plea for peace
2) The Zimmerman Note, a
telegram from the German
foreign minister to the German
Ambassador in Mexico, proposed
an alliance
 Germany promised Mexico a
return of their “lost territory” in
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona
3) Next came the sinking of four
unarmed U.S. merchant ships by
German subs
AMERICA
DECLARES WAR
 A light drizzle fell on
Washington on April 2, 1917, as
senators, representatives,
ambassadors, members of the
Supreme Court, and other guests
crowded into the Capital building
to hear Wilson deliver his
declaration of war
 Wilson said, “The world must
be safe for democracy”
 Congress passed the
resolution a few days later
The U.S. involvement in
WWI ended a long
tradition of avoiding
involvement in European
conflicts…
…and set the
stage for the
U.S. to emerge
as a global
superpower
later in the 20th
century.
AMERICAN POWER TIPS THE
BALANCE
 America was not ready for
war – only 200,000 men were
in service when war was
declared
 Congress passed the
Selective Service Act in May
of 1917 Draft
 By the end of 1918, 24
million had signed up and
almost 3 million were called
to duty
FRESH U.S. SOLDIERS JOIN
FIGHT
 After 2 ½ years of fighting,
the Allied forces were
exhausted
 One of the main
contributions of the Americans
was fresh and enthusiastic
troops
 American infantry were
nicknamed “doughboys”
because of their white belts
 Most doughboys had never
ventured far from the farms or
small towns they lived in
AMERICAN TROOPS GO ON
THE OFFENSIVE
 When Russia surrendered to
the Germans in 1917, it allowed
the Central Powers to focus on
the Western Front. Lucky U.S. had
joined. Russia now communist!
 By May, the Germans were
within 50 miles of Paris
 The Americans arrived and
immediately played a major role in
pushing the Germans back
In July and August the Americans
helped the Allies win the Second
Battle of the Marne
AMERICAN WAR HERO
 Alvin York, a blacksmith from
Tennessee, originally sought an
exemption from the war as a
Conscientious Objector
 York eventually decided it was
morally acceptable to fight if the
cause was right
 On October 8, 1918, armed
with only a rifle and a revolver,
York killed 25 Germans and (with
six doughboys) captured 132
prisoners
 Upon his return home he was
promoted to Sergeant and hailed
a hero
GERMANY COLLAPSES,
WORLD WAR I ENDS
 On November 3, 1918,
Germany’s partner, AustriaHungary, surrendered to the
Allies
 That same day, German sailors
mutinied against their
government
 Other revolts followed, and
Germany was too exhausted to
continue
 So at the eleventh hour, on the
eleventh day, of the eleventh
month of 1918, Germany signed
a truce (armistice) ending the
Great War
THE WAR AT HOME
Performed a Production Miracle
 The entire U.S. economy was
focused on the war effort
 The shift from a consumer
economy to war economy
required business and
government working together
 In the process, the power of
the U.S. government expanded
 Congress gave President
Wilson direct control over the
economy
SELLING THE WAR
 The U.S. had two major
tasks; raising money and
convincing the public to
support the war
 The U.S. spent $35.5
billion on the war effort
 The government raised
about 1/3 of that through an
income tax and “sin” taxes
 The rest was raised
through war bonds sold to
the public (Liberty Loans &
Victory Loans)
VICTORY GARDENS
 To conserve food, Wilson set
up the Food Administration
(FA)
 The FA declared one day a
week “meatless” another
“sweetless” and two days
“wheatless”
 Homeowners planted
“victory gardens” in their
yards
 Schoolchildren worked afterschool growing tomatoes and
cucumbers in public parks
 Farmers increased
production by almost 30% by
adding 40 million acres of
farmland
PROPAGANDA
 To popularize the war, the
government set up the
nations first propaganda
agency called the Committee
on Public Information (CPI)
 George Creel led the
agency and persuaded many
of the nation’s artists to create
thousands of paintings,
posters, cartoons and
sculptures to promote the war
SOCIAL CHANGE DURING
THE WAR
 The greatest effect of the First
World War on the African American
population was that it sped up the
Great Migration
 The Great Migration was when
hundreds of thousands of blacks
from the south moved to Northern
cities
 They left to escape
discrimination and to seek greater
job opportunities
 Popular destinations included
Chicago, New York and
Philadelphia
WOMEN IN THE WAR
 Many women were called upon
to take on jobs previously held by
men who were serving in the war
 They became railroad workers,
cooks, dockworkers, factory
workers, and miners
 Many women served as
volunteers in organizations such as
the Red Cross
 Their service helped the
passage of the 19th Amendment in
1920 giving women the right to vote
THE FLU EPIDEMIC
 In the fall of 1918, the United States
suffered a home-front crises when a flu
epidemic affected 25% of the population
 Mines shut down, telephone service
was cut in half, factory work was delayed
 Cities ran short on coffins while
corpses lay unburied for as long as a
week
 The epidemic killed as many as
500,000 in the U.S. before it
disappeared in 1919
 Worldwide the epidemic killed 30
million people
WILSON FIGHTS FOR PEACE
 Despite the hero’s welcome he received
in Europe, Wilson’s plan for peace would be
rejected by the Allies
 Wilson’s plan was called the “Fourteen
points”
 Included in his “points” were:
 No secret treaties
 Freedom of the Seas
 More free trade
 Reduction of arms
 Less colonialism
 League of Nations pt 14 keep peace
“Baby” to United Nation’s “Adult”
ALLIES REJECT WILSON”S
PLAN, SIGN TREATY
 The Big Four leaders, Wilson
(U.S.), Clemenceau (France), Lloyd
George (England), and Orlando
(Italy), worked out the Treaty’s
details
 Wilson gave in on most of his 14
points in return for the creation of
the League of Nations
 On June 28, 1919, the Big Four
and the leaders of the defeated
nations gathered in the Hall of
Mirrors at Versailles and signed the
Treaty of Versailles
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
The Treaty created nine new
nations including; Poland,
Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia
 The Treaty broke up the
Austro-Hungarian Empire and
the Ottoman Empire empires
Created Mandates: Babysitting
Land
 The Treaty said Germany
could not have an army, made
them give Alsace-Lorraine back
to France, and forced them to
pay $33 billion in reparations
(war damages) to the Allies
What was the League of Nations?
• International
group formed
after
World War I
to settle
disputes or
disagreements
peacefully
But…The United States decided NOT to join
the League of Nations…
because…the U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty
of Versailles
WHY?
The United States
thought the nation
should return to a
policy of
“isolation” or
remaining
separate from
other countries
and so…
Never joined the
League of Nations
BUT…
The other
countries signed
the
Versailles Treaty
and so
formed the
League of
Nations
THE WEAKNESS OF THE
TREATY
The harsh treatment of
Germany prevented the
Treaty from creating a
lasting peace in Europe
 The Treaty humiliated the
Germans by forcing them to
admit sole responsibility for
the war (War-Guilt Clause)
 Furthermore, Germany
would never be able to pay
$33 billion in reparations
THE LEGACY OF WWI
 At home, the war strengthened both
the military and the power of the
government
 The propaganda campaign provoked
powerful fears in society
 For many countries the war created
political instability and violence that
lasted for years
 Russia established the first
Communist state during the war
 Americans called World War I, “The
War to end all Wars” --- however
unresolved issues would eventually
drag the U.S. into an even deadlier
conflict
The United States wanted to remain
neutral in
WWI…
But…
• Cultural ties to the
Allies
• The desire to
make money
through trade
• The use of
German
submarine
warfare…
…brought the U.S.
into the war