World War I

1. The Great War World War I

2. World War I • Fought largely in Europe • 1914-1918 • Allies (France, England, America, Russia) • Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey)

3. 4 MAIN Causes • Militarism: rivalries led nations to build up their military arsenals and plan strategies of offensive and defensive war. • Britain and Germany took the lead • Schlieffen plan Alfred von Schlieffen

4. Militarism continued • France: Plan 17 • The French believed that if they drove straight into Germany through Alsace and Lorraine, using the fighting spirit "elan" of their soldiers and not relying on technology, they would quickly defeat the Germans.

5. Alliance System • Mutual hostilities, jealousies, fears, economic rivalries led to defense alliances formed in Europe. • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy • 1882: to prevent Italy From taking sides With Russia

6. Alliance system cont’d • Triple Entente: England, France, Russia • Several agreements from 1904-1914 to counter the German threat • No separate peace • Italy joined in 1915

7. Imperialism • The quest for colonies and overseas resources/markets increased European rivalries

8. Example: Moroccan Crisis, 1905-6 • Germany attempted to use the issue of Morocco's independence to increase frictions between France and the United Kingdom, as well as to advance German commercial interests in Morocco.

9. Moroccan Crisis, continued • The crisis worsened German relations with both France and the United Kingdom, and helped ensure the success of the new Anglo-French Entente.

10. Nationalism • Feelings of ethnic pride and unity • The desire for self-determination & freedom • Self determination is the principle in international law, that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference.

11. Nationalism: Examples • Poles divided in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia (by 1795 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had ended.) Nevertheless, hopes for restoration of Polish independence were kept alive throughout the 19th century by events within and without the Polish lands.

12. Nationalism: Examples • Slavic people of central and eastern Europe sought independence from foreign control. • Russia wanted to be the leader of the Slavic people in Europe (including Serbs). • Serbia was an independent nation but millions of Serbs were in A-H empire.

13. Nationalism: Examples • Not all Frenchmen were located in France • French lost Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in 1871

14. Immediate cause of WWI • On June28, 1914 in Sarajevo (the capital of A-H’s province of Bosnia) people gathered to see the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. • Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, shot and killed Ferdinand and his wife.

15. Summer of 1914 • Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia; Serbia only partially agreed. • Austria declared war on Serbia.

16. The Guns of August • Germany pledged to support Austria • Russia mobilized to help Serbia • Germany declared war on Russia • France allied with Russia • Germany declared war on France • Germany invaded Belgium • Britain declared war on Germany

17. No easy victory • The invasion of Belgium • Four long years • Millions dead • Billions of dollars in damages

18. Stalemate on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front

19. New Weapons of War Manfred von Richthofen

20. The American Doughboy