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Ch. 8: WWI – The
Great War
1914 - 1918
Section 1 – The Road to WWI
Objectives: To identify the political &
military forces that took root in Europe in
the late 1800s
To summarize the events that set WWI in
motion
I. Nationalism & the System of Alliances
After the Congress of
Vienna (1814-15), other
attempts to maintain
peace on the continent
failed by the late 1800s –
WHY?
Rise of NATIONALISM
A.
1.
Led to competition b/w
nations & rivalry among
Europe’s “Great Powers”:
Germany, AustriaHungary, Britain, Russia
& France
IMPERIALISM
B.
1.
Competed for colonies:
markets & materials

2.
Disputes in N. Africa
Territorial disputes:

France & Germany over

A-H & Russia over the
Alsace-Lorraine
Balkans
C. Militarism
1.
2.
Arms race: by 1914 all Great Powers had large
standing armies able to quickly mobilize
Glorified military power & kept armies
prepared for war
Rivalries led to creation of military alliances, which were
designed to keep peace, but ended up leading to war
Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor, unified Germany in
1871 via “blood & iron”
By 1871, Germany & Britain were the two most powerful
nations in the world
3)
4)
5)
goal to be in a majority of three in any dispute among the five great
European powers and to preserve Germany’s peaceful ties with Russia.
•
Bismarck considered France to be the biggest threat to the
peace & stability in Europe & wanted to isolate France
6)
a)
b)
c)

1879: Dual Alliance b/w Germany & A-H
1882: Triple Alliance created when Italy joined
1887: Treaty w/ Russia (enemy of A-H)
Kaiser Wilhelm II quickly upset Bismarck's delicate balance of
power:



forced Bismarck to resign in 1890
refused to renew treaty with Russia, & found itself in a minority of
two. Its only European ally, was the weakest of the European
powers, Austria-Hungary
1891: Russia formed defensive alliance with France
****war w/ either Russia or France means war w/ both &
By 1907, 2 Rival Alliances in Europe
Triple Alliance:
 Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Italy
Triple Entente:
* Britain
* France
* Russia
D. Internal Dissent
1.
Working class & lower middle class wanted a
bigger share of economic wealth




Unions demanded better wages
Socialist parties wanted to end capitalist system
Conservative leaders feared that social class conflicts
would lead to revolution
War was supposed to join all social classes together
against a foreign enemy & distract from domestic
problems
II. The Outbreak of War: Summer 1914
A.
Crisis in the Balkans, the “powder keg” of Europe

1.
2.
3.
Balkan peninsula in SE Europe has history of nationalist
uprisings & ethnic rivalries
With the decline of the Ottoman Empire, several new
nations created: Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro,
Romania, Serbia
Rivalry b/w A-H & Russia for control of these new
states
Serbia, allied w/ Russia, wanted to create large,
independent Slavic state


A-H feared Serbian nationalism b/c feared revolution
among A-H’s Slavic pop.
1908: A-H annexed Bosnia & Herzegovina upsetting Serbs
B. Assassination in Sarajevo, 1914
1.
2.
3.
Archduke of A-H: Franz
Ferdinand & wife,
Sophia visited Bosnian
capital
Gavrilo Princip, Serbian
nationalist & member of
the Black Hand,
assassinated the pair
Results: Austria declared
war on Serbia 1 month
later & its ally, Russia,
mobilizes its troops
toward Austrian border
Chain Reaction:
The tripwire that set off
the century’s first global
conflict was Austria's
declaration of war against
Serbia on July 28, 1914. A
war between Austria and
Serbia meant a war
between Austria and
Russia, Serbia's traditional
ally. That meant war
between Russia and
Germany. And that meant
war between Germany and
France. And that meant
war between Germany and
Great Britain. In a flash,
the whole continent was at
war.
C. Collapse of the Alliance System
A-H declaration of war
on Serbia sets off chain
reaction:
1.



Russia mobilizes on G.
& A-H borders “as a
precaution”
G. sees it as declaration
of war & Aug. 1
declares war on Russia
Expecting France to aid
Russia, G. also declares
war on France, Aug. 3
British recruiting office
Students in Berlin enlisting
D. Schlieffen Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
German military strategy in the
event of 2-front war
Attack France in West, quickly
defeat, then move east to fight
Russia
Dependent upon 6-week
mobilization of Russia, but
only took 10 days
French troops already
stationed along German
border


Germany asked Belgium to
allow its troops to pass
through to attack N. France,
but, as a neutral nation,
refused: Germany invaded
Britain declared war on
Germany Aug. 4 for violating
Belgian neutrality & also for
concerns if allies lost
Ch. 8.2: The War
I. 1914 – 1915: Stalemate
A.
Countries take Sides:
Central Powers:
Germany, A-H, joined
by the Ottoman
Empire & Bulgaria
B.
Most people believed
the war would be over
by Christmas due to
new technology
VS.
Allies: France, Russia,
GB, joined by Japan &
Italy
C. The Western Front
1.
Allied victory at 1st Battle of the Marne (Sept. 6-12,
1914) & Belgian resistance breaks Schlieffen Plan

2.
Considered most important battle of WWI

3.
Germans at edge of Paris by Sept. 3, French launch
counter attack 9/5 at Marne River Valley forcing
German retreat 60 mi. by 9/13
Caused collapse of S. Plan & w/ Russia’s invasion in
east, forced German army to send troops to eastern
front & into a 2-Front war
Stalemate on Western Front
The map below shows the
geographical position of the Western
Front stretching from Belgium in the
north to Switzerland in the south.
Each colored square represents 50,000
men. Yellow represents the German
army, blue the French, red the British
and orange the Belgian army.
Battle of the Marne leads to
stalemate on the Western Front
Battles fought along this front include - Marne,
September 1914; first battle of Ypres, October November 1914; Verdun, February - December
1916; Somme, July - November 1916;
Passchendale, July - November 1917; Cambrai,
November 1917; Marne, July 1918.

Battle of the Marne (1st)
By the end of August 1914, the German armies were
heading towards Paris. The British and French armies
were in retreat, and many of Paris' citizens evacuated.
The French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre,
organized an attack on the Germans. The Allied forces
made defensive lines near Paris. On September 6 many
French armies, including the French 6th army,
wheeled around to attack the Germans. The French
5th army and the BEF advanced into the hole created
by the attacking armies. They battled for three days.
The French 6th army came close to defeat, but 6,000
reserve troops were rushed into the fray. The German
Commander-in-Chief, General Helmuth von Moltke,
ordered the armies to retreat. The Allies forces
advanced slowly allowing the Germans to reunite at
River Aisne. The French and German lost around
250,000 men each, and the British lost around 12,733
men. The Allied victory prevented Germany from
winning the war in one swift attack. However, hope of
a short war was lost when the German armies escaped.
4. Trench Warfare on the Western Front:



By 1915, 500 mi. of
parallel trenches
separated by barbed wire
entanglements & strips
of territory called “no
man’s land” were dug
from the N. Sea to
Switzerland
Small land gains, large
casualties
Soldiers slept, ate, lived
in mud w/ rats, disease,
no fresh food
Trench models:
Trench Warfare:


Soldiers in the trenches
suffered from trench
foot, being buried alive
in mud, eaten by rats,
and dysentery, in
addition to the constant
threat of gunfire,
grenades, poison gas and
flamethrowers.
Some soldiers committed
suicide rather than deal
with trench life.
Trench Warfare


Soldiers were required to
carry kit bags over the
trenches that weighed on
average 66-lbs.
Extra socks were
necessary to avoid trench
foot, and soldiers were
required to change socks
twice a day.
New Types of Weapons:
5. Weapons Technology


New weapons included
the tank, use of poison
gas, improved machine
guns, combat airplanes,
and the U-boat, or
submarine.
The new weapons
technology did not end
the war faster, it only
succeeded in killing
greater numbers of men.
Weapons of War
D. The Eastern Front
1.
2.
3.
4.
The war on eastern front
was more mobile than the
west.
Russia & Serbia vs.
Germany, A-H, Ottomans
Russia initially successful,
but driven back by
Germans
By 1916, Russia’s army was
in desperate need of
supplies and was in danger
of withdrawing: unable to
get supplies from Allies:
German naval blockade in
N. & Ottomans blocked S.
The map above shows the geographical location of the Eastern front stretching from Riga in
the north to Czernowitz in the south. The orange line shows the position of the Eastern Front
in 1915. Each colored square represents 50,000 men. Red represents the Russian army, yellow,
German soldiers and blue Austro-Hungarian.
E. The Gallipoli Campaign
1.
2.
The Allies launched the
Gallipoli campaign in
1915 in an attempt to
defeat the Ottomans
and thereby open up a
supply-line to Russia, as
well as a route to attack
A-H via the Danube.
It failed, but Russia
stayed in war until 1917
& tied up German
army for 3 years
F. A Global Conflict
1.
SW Asia / Middle East

Allies determined to
defeat Ottoman
Turks:

British soldier, T.E.
Lawrence (Lawrence
of Arabia) helped
Arab nationalists rise
up against Turkish
rulers

Successful guerilla
raids allowed Allied to
gain control of
Baghdad, Jerusalem,
& Damascus
2.

3.

4.

Asia
The Japanese took over
German outposts in China
& colonial possessions in
the Pacific
Africa:
British & French took
control of 3 (of 4) German
possessions
Troops & laborers were
recruited from European
colonies in India, S. Africa,
Senegal, Egypt, Algeria &
Indochina
Colonial subjects fought &
supported war effort in the
hopes it would lead to
independence.
II. Entry of the United States
A. German policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare”
1.
By 1917 Germany suffering due to crop failures
(potatoes 1916) & GB blockade
2.
Germany establishes own blockade: German subs
would sink any ship in British waters w/o warning
3.
Re-instatement of earlier policy abandoned after the
1915 sinking of the British passenger ship: Lusitania
(128 US citizens killed; 1198 total dead)
4.
Germans hoped strategy would lead to British defeat
before US could mobilize after sinking of 3 U.S. ships
5.
In 1917, Germany sank 3,000 ships w/ Allied
supplies
US Enters WWI: 1917
Propaganda after the Lusitania
Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 500BC
All warfare is based on deception.
Attack him where he is unprepared, appear
where you are not expected.
These military devices, leading to victory,
must not be divulged beforehand.
B. The Zimmermann Telegram
1.
2.
3.
4.
The British intercepted &
decoded a telegram from
the German foreign
secretary to the German
ambassador in Mexico.
Germany offered to help
Mexico “reconquer” land
lost to the U.S. if Mexico
would align w/ Germany
(TX, AZ, NM)
British turned over
telegram to U.S
President Wilson asked
Congress to declare war
on April 6, 1917
III. The Home Front: Total War
1.
2.
3.
Countries at war were
engaged in a total war.
All resources were
devoted to the war effort:
factories shifted
production from
consumer goods to war
materials; goods/food
was rationed
Women went to work to
fill in during the war &
got the vote by the end
of the war in Germany,
Austria, the US & GB
4. Propaganda


Propaganda is the spreading
of ideas, information, or
rumor for the purpose of
helping a purpose, a cause, or
a country.
Each of the nations which
participated in World War
One from 1914-18 used
propaganda posters not only
as a means of justifying
involvement to their own
populace, but also as a means
of procuring men, money
and resources to sustain the
military campaign.
Poster #1: Calling for War




Source: Propaganda Slides 34-38 Tom Carty, Middle Level
Learning 30, pp. M9-M15, NCSS 2008.
Published in 1915 in London by
the Parliamentary Recruiting
Committee. Partridge Barnard was
the artist.
Subject: Sinking of the Lusitania by
a German U-Boat, May 7, 1915, in
which 1,153 lives (128 US citizens)
lost.
Germany claimed that munitions
bound for the Allies were in the
ship’s hidden cargo, which, years
later, were proven true.
The 1864 Geneva Convention laid
the foundation for contemporary
humanitarian law. It called for
protecting the victims of conflicts,
respect for medical personnel, &
care of wounded soldiers of any
side. This includes direct attacks
on civilians.
Poster #2: Enticement-Recruiting &
the Draft



Published in 1917 by the US.
Artist: Howard Chandler
Christy.
Pres. Wilson created the
Committee on Public
Information to win popular
support for the war &
encourage men to join the
military.
The CPI hired artists &
cartoonists to paint patriotic
posters & murals.
Poster #3: Loyalty on the Home Front



Published in 1918 by the US.
Walter Whitehead was the artist.
The war brought a huge change
to the US economy & to
everyday civilian life. Factories
that had turned out sewing
machines or cars began making
machine guns & airplanes.
Materials such as steel, cloth,
rubber, & leather were diverted
to the war effort.
The gov even asked citizens to
change their eating habits as the
country began to ship much of
its food to Europe for the
Allied armies & civilians, whose
own farmlands had become
battlefields.
Poster #4: Imagining the Enemy




Published around 1918 by the
US. Artist: F. Strothmann.
The US gov sold Liberty Bonds
as a way to finance the war.
The US emerged after the war
as the world’s leading economic
power, but the main legacy of
the war in Europe was
economic instability.
In all combatant countries,
some 70mn. men served in the
military. Of these, about 9mn
died (13%).
About 116,000 US soldiers were
killed.
U.S. Propaganda Posters: Total War
U.S. Propaganda
Canada
Canada
German Propaganda
Ch. 8.4: End of the War
U.S. In – Russia Out: 1917


By 1917, Russia had lost
millions of soldiers and
were short of food, fuel
and supplies.
Lenin returns to Russia
with German aid with
the promise of “peace,
land, and bread.”
I. Allies Win the War
A.
Eastern Front:
1.
By March 1917, Czar
Nicholas II forced to
abdicate throne due to civil
unrest as a result of food
shortages, fuel shortages &
loss of 5.5 mn. Soldiers
Nov. 1917, 2nd Russian
Revolution led by
Bolshevik (Communist)
leader, Lenin, aided by
Germany (b/c Lenin
promised to end war)
2.
B. Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, 1918
1.
2.
3.
The Treaty of BrestLitovsk, signed in 1918,
ended the war between
Russia and Germany.
Russia gave up lands in the
Baltic area; Finland,
Lithuania, Latvia, and
Estonia.
The treaty was never
enforced because of
Germany’s defeat. Those
countries became
independent.
C. Western Front
1.
2.
Russia’s withdrawal allowed Germany to focus on 1
front
Second Battle of the Marne, July 1918:

3.
Final German offensive stopped by combined French,
Moroccan, & American soldiers
Central Powers crumble



Bulgarians & Turks surrender
A-H revolution collapses empire
Germany: soldiers mutiny & Kaiser Wilhelm II forced to
resign & the WEIMAR REPUBLIC is declared
D. Armistice! 1918
1.
2.
3.
4.
With the US entry to the
war in 1917, the Central
Powers were quickly
defeated.
After 4 years of fighting, an
armistice was signed in
November, 1918 after
Kaiser Wilhelm II was
forced to step down.
A revolution in AustriaHungary ended their war.
The Ottoman Turks and
Bulgaria surrendered.
E. The Paris Peace Conference
1.
2.
The Big 4: Delegates
from France, Britain,
Italy, and the U.S. were
present for the treaty
negotiations at
Versailles in 1919.
None of the Central
Powers were invited,
nor was Russia, who
withdrew early from the
war.
F. Treaty of Versailles, June, 1919
1.
2.
U.S. President Wilson
and Clemenceau of
France did not get
along at the peace talks.
Wilson was trying to
establish a lasting peace
in contrast to France
and Britain, who
wanted revenge against
Germany. Italy wants
land promised out of
the A-H Empire.
G. Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points
1.
2.
3.
U.S. President Wilson
proposed a plan for a
lasting peace that
incorporated 14 points.
Points 1 – 5: goals for the
postwar world: ending
secret treaties, freedom of
seas, free trade
Points 6 – 13: specifics for
changing national borders
& creating new nations
under self-determination
4. Point 14: The League of Nations
An organization of nations to solve problems by negotiation
H. U.S. Isolationism
1.
2.
3.
Despite Wilson’s pressure, the U.S. Senate refused to approve
of the Treaty of Versailles.
Congress opposed to the League of Nations because they
believed it undermined their authority to declare war. The
absence of the United States, as well as other great powers left
the League of Nations powerless.
The U.S. policy of isolationism persisted over the next 20 years
until WWII broke out; even then, the U.S. did not enter the
war until the bombing of Pearl Harbor in late 1941, 2 years
after WWII began.
Celebrating in Paris: the signing of
the Treaty of Versailles, 1919
I. The Treaty of Versailles
left a bitter legacy.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Germany was assigned sole
responsibility for the war, the
War Guilt Clause - Article
231 – required Germany pay
$33 billion in reparations to
the Allies over 30 years.
Germany lost land in Europe
as well as its colonies.
The size of the German
military was restricted & not
allowed to have an Air Force.
Russia felt betrayed because
they were excluded.
Italy and Japan felt cheated
because they did not get land
promised to them.
Without several great
powers, including the US,
Germany, and Russia, the
League of Nations was
powerless. It also lacked the
authority of a peace-keeping
force.



Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable;
when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we
are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far
away; when far away, we must make him believe we are
near.
Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and
crush him.
There is no instance of a country having benefited from
prolonged warfare.