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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.







Weapons Technology
Machine gun
 =40 men with rifles
 600 bullets/minute
Tanks
 Mobile artillery
 Battle of the Somme (1916)
Airplane
 German Fokker – 1st fighter plane synchronized propeller and machine gun
Poison gas (1915 – Battle of Ypres)
 Chlorine gas

Mustard gas
 Phosgene
 Tear gas
Submarines (U-boats): Germany, Britain, France
 Reason for US entry
Zeppelins (Germany)
 Bombed civilian targets in London
Radio
 Wireless technology improved battlefield communication
Weapons of War
The Flying Aces of World War I
Eddie
Rickenbacher, US
Francesco
Barraco, It.
Eddie “Mick”
Mannoch, Br.
Willy Coppens de
Holthust, Belg.
Rene Pauk
Fonck, Fr.
Manfred von
Richtoffen, Ger.
[The “Red
Baron”]
French Renault Tank
British Tank at Ypres
The Eastern Front
The Eastern Front
1.
2.
3.
The war on eastern front
was more mobile than the
west.
Battle of Tannenburg, 1914
halted the Russian advance
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.
The Gallipoli Campaign
1.
2.
British, Australian, and New
Zealand forces (ANZACS)
launched the Gallipoli campaign in
1915 in an attempt to defeat the
Ottomans and open up a supplyline to Russia
It failed, but Russia stayed in war
until 1917 & tied up German army
for 3 years
A Global Conflict
1.
SW Asia / Middle East

Allies determined to
defeat Ottoman
Turks & protect Suez
Canal:

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
Turkish Genocide Against Armenians
A Portent of Future Horrors to Come!
Turkish Genocide Against Armenians
Districts & Vilayets of Western
Armenia in Turkey
1914
1922
Erzerum
215,000
1,500
Van
197,000
500
Kharbert
204,000
35,000
Diarbekir
124,000
3,000
Bitlis
220,000
56,000
Sivas
225,000
16,800
Western Anatolia
371,800
27,000
Cilicia and Northern Syria
309,000
70,000
European Turkey
194,000
163,000
73,390
15,000
2,133,190
387,800
Other Armenian-populated Sites
in Turkey
Trapizond District
Total
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
Entry of the United States
A. German policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare”
1.
British blockade and sea mines cut off Germany from
trade and empire
2.
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.
In 1917, Germany sank 3,000 ships w/ Allied
supplies
Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats
US Enters WWI: 1917
Propaganda after the Lusitania
B. The Zimmermann Telegram
1.
2.
Germany offered to help
Mexico “reconquer” land
lost to the U.S. if Mexico
would align w/ Germany
(TX, AZ, NM)
President Wilson asked
Congress to declare war
on April 6, 1917
The Home Front: Total War
1.
2.
3.
Central planning:
1.
Rationed food/goods
2.
War bonds
3.
War production
4.
Censorship
5.
propaganda
Civilians were targets
(zeppelins, blockade)
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
End of the War
Eastern Front: Russia’s
Withdrawal
March 1917: 1st Russian Revolution

Czar Nicholas II abdication
Nov. 1917: 2nd Russian Revolution

Bolshevik leader Lenin takes
over Kerensky’s Provisional
Government

Dec. 1917 Lenin signed the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk taking
Russia out of the war

Russia gave up lands in the
Baltic area; Finland, Lithuania,
Latvia, and Estonia.
Western Front: US Entry
1.
2.
Russia’s withdrawal allowed Germany to focus on 1
front – Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Second Battle of the Marne, July 1918:

3.
Final German offensive stopped by combined French,
Moroccan, & American soldiers
Central Powers sought peace based on Wilson’s 14
Points (Wilsonian Idealism)



Bulgarians & Turks surrender
A-H revolution collapses empire
Germany: soldiers mutiny & Kaiser Wilhelm II forced to
resign & the WEIMAR REPUBLIC is declared
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.
Wilsonian Idealism
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
Treaty of Versailles, June, 1919
1.
2.
3.
Mandates created for
former colonies and
territories of Central
Powers
Article 231
League of Nations
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.
Impact of WWI on European
Society






Massive casualties
Decline birthrate
War promoted more social equality
 Nobility in Germany, Russia, and Austria lost much of its influence
Women received the right to vote in Britain and Germany
Social dissent:
 Russia, Ireland (Easter Rebellion), Germany, France, Italy, Austria
End of dynasties



Creation of 1st Communist country
Rise of German nationalism


Hapsburg, Romanov, Hohenzollern, Ottoman
Keynes – The Economic Consequences of Peace (1919): predicted the
harshness of Versailles on German economic and subsequent political unrest
Rise in financial power of the US
Territorial Changes After WWI
League of Nations Mandates in Africa
WW 1 Secret Treaties:
Sykes-Picot Agreement [1916]
Balfour Declaration [1917]
Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild.
I have much pleasure to convey to you, on behalf of His
Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with
Jewish Zionist aspirations {hopes} which has been submitted to, and
approved by, the Cabinet.
“His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their
best endeavors to facilitate {assist} the achievement of this object, it
being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice
the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in
Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other
country.”
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the
knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR
British Foreign Secretary
British Palestine Mandate in 1923
The Middle East in the 1920s