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“War does not determine who is right, only who is left.” - Bertrand Russell. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV. The End of the War. Russia Leaves, America Enters. Until America entered, little gains were made by either side on the Western Front.
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“War does not determine who is right, only who is left.”- Bertrand Russell You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.
Russia Leaves, America Enters • Until America entered, little gains were made by either side on the Western Front. • The U.S. originally pursued a policy of isolationalism, they tried to avoid conflict and broker peace. • This policy of isolationalism resulted in strained relations with Berlin and London.
America Enters the War: The Sinking of the Lusitania, 1915 • British liner sunk by a German U-Boat on the premise that it was carrying contraband items. • At this time, Germany was pursuing a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. • Of the 1,959 people aboard, 1,198 were killed. 128 of those were Americans, however, President Woodrow Wilson vowed that “America was too proud to fight.”
America Enters the War: The Sinking of the Lusitania, 1915 • Although Wilson did not declare war, he demanded that Germany stop its attacks on passenger ships; Germany complied. • After Lusitania, Wilson continued to try to broker peace, however, on January 1917, the German navy resumed its unrestricted submarine warfare. • This was done in an attempt to break the British naval blockade on Germany and to continue to stop Britain from getting supplies.
The Zimmerman Telegram • The telegram was intercepted and decrypted by British code breakers. • The British government, which wanted to expose the incriminating telegram, faced a dilemma: if it boldly produced the actual telegram, the Germans would know that their code had been broken; and if it did not, it would lose a promising opportunity to draw the US into World War I. • The message was sent after the sinking of the Luistaniawhen anti-German feeling was high in America.
The Zimmerman Telegram • The Zimmermann Telegram was from the German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador Heinrich von Eckardt in Mexico. • It contained a proposal for Mexico to invade the U.S. as a German Ally. • It also suggested that Mexico enlist Japan as an ally.
The Zimmerman Telegram • Germany sent this telegram in an attempt to delay the deployment of American troops and to give Germany more time to conduct unrestrictedsubmarine warfare on Britain. • If Mexico invaded, Germany promised to support Mexico in reclaiming Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. • Wilson declares war on April 6, 1917.
America Enters • Entered on the allied side. • Drafted4 million men and by the summer of 1918, it was sending 10,000 fresh soldiers to Fr. every day. • The U.S. Navy assisted the British navy, and Am. General John J. Pershing immediately sent Am. troops to the Front.
Turmoil in the East • Although Russia was officially out of the war, trouble still remained on the Eastern Front: • May 7, 1918: Romania signed a peace treaty with the Central Powers. • This gave up Allied control of the mouth of the Danube R. along the Black Sea Coast.
German Spring Offensive, 1918 • Germany sought to divide the Brit. and Fr. Forces with a series of feints and advances. • Germany hoped to strike a defensive blow before significant U.S. forces arrived. • Under the leadership of Germ. Gen. Erich Ludendorff, Germany launched Operation Michael on March 21, 1918.
After Michael: The Allies Strike Back • Following the unsuccessful Operation Michael, the Germans launched: Operation Georgette, Blücher, Yorck, and Marne; all were unsuccessful. • After the second Battle of the Marne, the allies launched their first successful offensive of the war in June-early July 1918: Château-Thierry, June 3, 1918.
Château-Thierry: June 6, 1918 • Allies launch a counter-attack (Fr., Brit., Italy, and the U.S.). • The Germans lost over 30,000 in 20 days. • From this point on, the demoralized and defeated Germs. were continuously pushed back by the Allies; Kaiser Wilhelm knew the end was near.
The 100 Days Offensive and the Turn of the Tide • The 2nd Battle of the Somme: August 27, 1918. • This battle formed the central part of the Allies' advance against Germany. • By September 2, the Germans were pushed back to the Hindenburg Line, their original starting point in 1914.
The 100 Days Offensive and the Turn of the Tide • The German Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff ordered the line to be built during the final stages of the First Battle of the Somme. • The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defenses in northeastern France and stretched nearly 160 km (100 miles). • The Allies began their attack against the Hindenburg Line on September 26, 1918. This line would eventually be breached.
The Rapid End • Sept. 29, 1918: Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff pressure Kaiser Wilhelm to establish a constitutional monarchy. • Oct. 3: Wilhelm relinquishes power to the new German Parliament: the Reichstag. • Oct. 7: Poland declares independence.
The Rapid End • Oct. 12: Germ. agrees to withdraw forces from Fr. and Belgium. • Oct. 14: Pro. gov. formed in Czech.; Ottoman sultan requests peace terms for Turkey. • Oct. 25: Hungarian Ntl. Council est. in Budapest; Allied leaders meet at Senlis to establish formal armistice terms.
The Rapid End • Oct. 29: Yugoslavia proclaims its independence. • Oct. 30: Germ. announces end to submarine warfare; Turkey signs armistice. • Nov. 3: Austria signs armistice, begins to withdraw forces.
The Rapid End • Nov. 9: German delegation begins formal armistice negotiations at Compiègne; Wilhelm abdicates, Germ. declares itself a republic: The Weimer Republic. • Nov. 11: Germ. signs armistice, formally ending the war. • June, 28, 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed.
The Long Road to Peace • As the end of the war drew nearer, many looked to President Woodrow Wilson for a plan for peace. • Wilson proposed 14 Points for peace which included: • 1) International recognition of freedom of the seas and trade. • 2) Limitations on arms and an end to all secret alliances. • 3) Just settlements for colonial claims. • 4) The right of self-rule for all nations. • 5) The est. of a “general assembly of nations” to settle future problems peacefully. • It was these point that Germ. thought would be the basis of peace negotiations.
The Long Road to Peace • Everyone generally agreed with Wilson’s Points, however: • Britain objected to the idea of open seas due to their protection of their empire and trade interests. • France demanded war reparations from Germany despite Wilson’s point of “no annexations, no contributions, and no punitive damages.”
The Paris Peace Conference, 1919 • Jan. 1919: delegates from 27 nations met in Paris to work out 5 separate peace treaties: the Peace of Paris. • The defeated Central Powers and Russia were not invited to the Peace Conference. • The Big 4: • President Wilson (U.S.) • Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau (Fr.) • Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Brit.) • Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando (Italy).
The Paris Peace Conference, 1919 • Despite Wilson’s efforts, there were gaps between Wilson’s idealism and the nationalistic goals of Fr., Brit., and Italy. • During the conference, Wilson’s chief goal was to win support for and est. an interntl. assembly of nations: The League of Nations. • In order to make his dream a reality, he compromised again and again with the other nations of the Big 4, much to the dismay of Germ.
