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WWI
A Local Conflict
Goes Global
Underlying Causes
“MANIA”
Militarism
Alliances
Nationalism
Imperialism
Anarchy (international)
Militarism:
Glorification of War & Military
Build up of large reserve armies
Mobilization - organize resources for
combat (triggers other nations mobilizing)
Naval Expansion - William II (GR) fires
Bismarck and expands navy
wants to be equal to G.B. (most powerful)
G.B. feels threatens, expands, develops new
battleship - Dreadnought
Alliances - Defense Agreements Among
Nations
Three Emperors’ League: (1881)
Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary - doesn’t
last b/c of A-H rivalry with Russia in Balkans
Triple Alliance - (1882) Germany, Italy,
Austria-Hungary - attempt to isolate
France
Triple Entente - (1907) France, Russia,
G.B. Entente: Friendly understanding
between nations
Nationalism - Extreme Pride in One’s Nation or
Desire to Form a Nation
French Nationalists sought
revenge against Germany for
loss of Alsace-Lorraine
Slavic Nationalism - PanSlavism: Unify all Slavic
people under one empire
Imperialism - domination of one
country by another
Germany and France came close to
war over control of Morocco
Germany wanted to create Berlin to
Baghdad Railway - caused resentment
among British and Russians
British feared interference with India
and reduce traffic thru Suez Canal
Anarchy
International Anarchy
Nations of Europe pursue policies
without regard for the wishes of
their neighbors
Crisis - No international
organization to monitor
Immediate Causes of WWI
Assassination of
Archduke Francis
Ferdinand of A-H
(June 28, 1914) by
Gavrilo Princip member of Serbian
nationalist group
“Black Hand”
Why the Assassination?
Ferdinand planned to give Slavs
of Bosnia-Herzegovina a voice in
the gov’t equal to that of AustroHungarians
This threatened the movement
for a separate Slavic state
What Happens Next?
A-H hold Serbians responsible
A-H seeks assurance (backup) from
Germany in event of war
Germany issues “Blank Check” to
A-H
Willhelm II gives full support to
any actions A-H might take against
Serbia
Tensions Build!!
A-H issues ultimatum (set of final conditions
that must be accepted to avoid severe
consequences) to Serbia
Demands that Serbia allow A-H officials into
country to suppress all subversive movements
& conduct investigation
Gives Serbia 48 hours to agree or face war
Serbia does not agree to all parts
A-H declares war on Serbia! (July 28, 1914)
Other Countries Get Involved
Russia (friend of the Serbs) mobilizes
troops along borders of Germany & A-H
Germany warns Russia to stop - they
don’t!
Germany issues ultimatum to France –
18 hours to decide if it would support
Russia – France said it would support
Russia
What a
Tangled
Web We
Weave…
Declarations of War
Germany declares war on Russia
(Aug 1, 1914)
Germany declares war on France
(Aug 3, 1914)
Great Britain still hoped to remain
neutral and not go to war, but…
Germany Invades Belgium!
Germany demands passage across
Belgium to fight France (*Part of
Schlieffen Plan)
British protest demand made by
Germany upon neutral nation of
Belgium
1839 Treaty signed by G.B., Russia,
France & Germany guaranteed
Belgium’s neutrality
Germany invades
Belgium
G.B. demands
they withdraw
Germany responds
calling treaty,
“a scrap of paper”
G.B. declares war
on Germany (Aug
4, 1914)
*The Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s invasion of Belgium was part of
this plan
Germany had enemies to East & West & did
not want to fight a war on both fronts at the
same time
Believed Russia would be slow to mobilize
and that they could fight & defeat France (W.
Front) first in 6 weeks & then fight Russia on
Eastern Front
Expectations
Both sides thought the war
would be a quick ordeal…
Kaiser told his soldiers, “you’ll
be home before the leaves
have fallen from the trees.”
They underestimated the role
industrialization would play in
this war.
French troops
marched off
shouting, “We’ll
be home by
Christmas”
The Reality of World War I
The British government
wanted to encourage
men to enlist for war.
They said the war
would be safe, hardly
any fighting, a good
lark and over by
Christmas.
A picture of soldiers going
‘Over the Top’
They used advertising
posters to encourage
this idea!
The reality of ‘going over the top’ was
very different!
Soldiers were expected to carry all of their
equipment with them at all times.
They were supposed to keep it clean and in good
condition – they were British after all.
How the uniform and equipment changed
after just three weeks in the trenches…
Posters always
showed men ready
and willing to fight.
They never showed
the boredom of the
trenches or actual
fighting taking place.
Why do you think the
government showed
no fighting?
No smiling and relaxed faces…
No clean uniforms…
Their equipment is scattered
everywhere…
Boredom and sleep are
obvious…
The soldiers had very
little decent food,
and what food they
had was often
attacked by rats.
These rats were the
size of small rabbits
and badgers because
they had fed on the
decomposing bodies
of dead soldiers.
WWI: Turning Point
U.S. Enters,
Russia Exits
U.S. Position at Beginning of War
U.S. neutral – war is a “European affair”
U.S. strongest, neutral industrialized
nation
Major supplier of food, raw materials &
munitions to belligerent (warring)
nations
Insists on free trade and free travel
What changes to draw the U.S. into war???
Financial Interests at
Stake!
U.S. private banks/corporations lent
money to both sides until…
U.S. begins to trade more & more
with Great Britain because of
blockade of Germany
Many goods bought on credit –
wanted to insure repayment
Sinking of the Lusitania – May 1915
Germans sink British
passenger ship off coast
of Ireland
128 Americans killed
U.S. warns Germany to
back off
Germany temporarily
ends unrestricted
submarine warfare
British
Propaganda
Most news about
the war came from
Great Britain
Exaggerated
German
atrocities against
defenseless
citizens
“It should be America’s duty to
help us subdue the mad dog of
Europe”
Zimmerman Telegram
March 1917
Message from
German foreign
minister to German
ambassador to
Mexico
Promised Mexico the
return of New
Mexico, Texas &
Arizona in
exchange for
German Submarines
Germany resumes unrestricted
submarine warfare – hopes U.S. won’t
enter or that they’ll defeat G.B. first
German subs attacked any naval vessel,
enemy or neutral, found in what Germany
determined was a “war zone”
Germans sink 4 American merchant
ships
The “Sinking” of the U.S. Patience
April 2, 1917 – Pres
Woodrow Wilson asks
Congress for a
declaration of war
“The world must
be made safe
for democracy”
April 6, 1917 – Congress
votes to enter war on
side of Allies
Meanwhile…
Over in Russia
1st Russian Revolution
March 1917
Russian czar overthrown
Leaders of revolution promised to
establish a constitutional gov’t
All allies now had democratic
govt’s
WWI became a war between
democratic and non-democratic
nations
Russia Before World War I
1905 Russo-Japanese War ends;
Russia defeated and economy
strained
Czar Nicholas II calls for election
of a national Duma – legislature
Had little power
Russia During WWI
Russia was cut off from
supplies/allies because Turkey (Central
Power) controlled the Dardanelles
Strait which gave access to the Med. Sea
However, Russia helped the war effort by
diverting German troops from attack
against the French and British
Russia During WWI
Russia was cut off from
supplies/allies because Turkey (Central
Power) controlled the Dardanelles
Strait which gave access to the Med. Sea
However, Russia helped the war effort by
diverting German troops from attack
against the French and British
Provisional Government
Temporary gov’t – constitutional assembly
Kerensky – prov gov’t prime minister
Rival for power – Soviets (council of
workers)
Soviets – socialists - called for immediate
peace, transfer of land to peasants &
control of factories by workers
Gov’t lost its support
Opens the Door for
Revolution: Socialism Enters
Revolutionary groups tried to fill the
role of gov’t
Mensheviks (Kerensky) believed a
socialist revolution would be the work
of masses
Bolsheviks – more radical – wanted
to introduce a socialist society by
force
Lenin & The
Bolsheviks
Lenin – Leader of
Bolsheviks
Returned from exile – aided
by Germany to get Russia
out of war
Organized Bolsheviks
Used slogan: “Peace,
Land & Bread”
2nd Russian Revolution
Nov 1917 – Bolsheviks staged a coup
d’etat in Petrograd
Established socialist state
Ended private ownership of property
Distributed land among peasants
Made Peace! March 1918 – withdraws
from WWI
Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with
Germany
Lost much of western territory – 1/3 of
Either death to capitalism, or
death under the heel of
capitalism, 1919
Russian Civil War
Communists (Bolsheviks)
= Reds
Royalists, liberal
democrats, moderate
socialists = Whites
Whites promise to defeat
Reds and re-enter WWI
Communists defeat
White forces
Photograph of
Red Army
soldier about to
be
executed by
members of the
WWI Comes to an End
German Surrender
On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the
11th Month the war comes to an end
(November 11, 1918), as Germany
accepts an armistice.
Allies meet to discuss a treaty.
The Treaty of Versailles
with Germany
The Big Four-all had
different allied objectives
David Lloyd George-Great
Britain
Prime minister who wanted to expand Britain's
Colonial Empire, preserve its naval and
industrial supremacy and make Germany pay for
the war.
Georges Clemenceau
French Premier
Wanted to ensure
security against
future German
invasion
Weaken Germany by
imposing military
limitations, financial
payments, and
territorial losses.
Vittorio Orlando
Premier of Italy
Sought to enlarge
Italy's territory in
Europe and expand
its empire overseas
Woodrow Wilson
President of the
United States
Sought to provide a
just and lasting
peace and create a
better world by
implementing the
Fourteen Points*
*Fourteen Points-Wilson’s
Plan for a Lasting Peace
1. Open covenants (treaties) of peace
openly arrived at.
2. Freedom of the seas
3. Removal of international trade barriers
(such as tariffs).
4. Reduction of armaments
5. Impartial adjustment of colonial claims
with regard for the interests of native
peoples
Fourteen Points Cont.
6-13. Adjustment of European boundaries in
accordance with the principle of nationality, that
is, the right of any national group to selfdetermination regarding its own government
and independent state.
14. Establishment of a League of Nations to
handle international disputes.
European nations approved of the 14 Points
only sparingly because of their nations interests.
Treaty of Versailles
Of Wilson’s Fourteen Points, only a few
were taken seriously. One of them was
the League of Nations, What were the
others?
Differing Views of the
Treaty
Arguments Against: a harsh treaty that
planted the seeds of WWII- The treaty
transferred German-inhabited territory,
seized all colonies of Germany, and
compelled Germany to accept sole war
guilt. It forced Germany to be unarmed
while other nations remained armed, and
it wounded German pride. By attacking
the treaty the Nazi party gained support
of the German people, achieved power,
and bought on WWII.
Arguments For: A fair treaty
that was not enforced
The treaty transferred German territory
chiefly on the basis of nationality,
assigned German colonies as League of
Nations mandates with the objective of
eventual disarmament, and provided a
League of Nations. The treaty alone
cannot be blamed for the German
people’s support of Nazism. Furthermore,
if the military provisions of the treaty had
been enforced, Nazi Germany would not
have been able to wage war
Results of WWI-Social
A. almost 10 million soldiers were killed
and over 20 million soldiers were
wounded
B. Millions of civilians died as a result of
the hostilities, famine and disease.
C. The world was left aflame with hatred,
intolerance, and extreme nationalism.
D. debt and economic dislocation caused
the depression of 1929.
Political
A. The U.S. emerged as a leading world power
B. 3 major European powers dethronedGermans, Austria-Hungary, and Russia
C. New national states arose…Poland and
Czechoslovakia
D. League of Nations established to solve
international problems
Many European nations turned to dictatorship
because of economic and political discontent–
Russia, Italy, Germany.
Economic
A. total cost of the war was 350 billion
dollars. Led to heavy taxation of the
people of Europe.
B. International trade suffered because of
increased tariffs
C. Russia became communist, thus a new
economic system was introduced