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This text examines the four main factors that led to the outbreak of World War I: nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and tangled alliances. It explores how these factors created a tense and volatile atmosphere in Europe, which eventually led to the war.
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World War I: 1914-1918 The Great War
Nationalism • A deep devotion to one’s nation • Caused rivalry among nations • Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France • Competition for materials and markets • Territorial disputes (Alsace Lorraine) • Balkans – Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, and other ethnic groups
Imperialism • European countries were pushed to the brink of war over Africa and Asian areas • In 1905 and 1911, Germany and France ALMOST fought over Morocco
Militarism • European arms race • By 1914, all great powers except GB had a standing army • Militarism – policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war
Tangled Alliances • Germany’s enemy was France • Bismarck set out to form alliances to isolate France • 1879 – Dual Alliance – Germany and Austria Hungary • 1882 – Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy • Also, Germany made a separate peace with Russia
Problems… • Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign in 1890 • He let the treaty with Russia lapse • Russia then made a treaty with France • This was dangerous because it set up a situation for a possible two front war for Germany
Alliances continued… • Germany began shipbuilding and competing with Great Britain • 1904 – Great Britain made a treaty with France • 1907 – Great Britain, France, Russia – Triple Entente • Friendship – didn’t mean they would fight for each other, but they wouldn’t fight against each other
Balkan Peninsula • “Powder Keg of Europe” • Ottoman Empire was disintegrating • Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia • Serbia wanted Slavic nationalism and to unite all Slavs • Russia (with a large Slavic population) supported Serbia and Slavic Nationalism • Austria Hungary did not
1908 – Austria Hungary annexed Bosnia Herzegovina • These two areas had large Slavic populations • Russia offered support to Serbia • Serbia had to back down because Austria- Hungary and Germany were too strong
June 28, 1914 • Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie visited Sarajevo, Bosnia • Shot by Gavrilo Princip (member of the Serbian Black Hand) • Serbia was given an ultimatum by AH • End all anti-Austrian activity • AH into Serbia to conduct an investigation • Agreed to some of it, but not all
Motives For Assassination • It took place under the knowledge of the Serbian Government • They had hoped that it would start a war • Hoped to bring down AH empire
THE CULPRIT Gavrilo Princip
Archduke Francis Ferdinand The Archduke and Sophie
July 28, 1914 – AH rejected Serbia’s offer and declared war • Russia began mobilizing troops on Austria and Germany’s border
Schlieffen Plan • Germany’s ultimate idea • Through a series of invasions they would blitz through France and Capture Paris in a matter of days • Germany decided to go through Belgium to get to France • Belgium was neutral • August 4, 1914 – Great Britain declared war on Germany
After the war began… • Central Powers – Germany, Austria Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria (Triple Alliance) • Allied Powers – Great Britain, France, Russia joined by Japan and Italy (9 months later) (Triple Entente)
Western Front • Deadlocked region along northern France • Stretched 500 miles from North Sea to Switzerland
1st Battle of the Marne • September, 1914 – pushed Germans back • Proved that the Schlieffen Plan failed • By then, Russia had invaded on the East • TWO FRONT WAR
Trench Warfare • By early 1915 – parallel trenches • Small land gains • Stalemate • No Man’s Land – area between trenches
New technology caused the stalemate • Machine guns • Poison Gas • Armored Tanks • Larger Artillery • February 1916 – Battle of Verdun – each side lost 300,000 men (Germans gained 4 miles) • July 1916 – Battle of Somme – each side suffered over half million casualties (British gained 5 miles)
Eastern Front • Battlefield between Germany and Russia • By 1916 – Russia’s war effort was near collapse • Russia wasn’t industrialized
Allied strategy (Gallipoli Campaign) • Attempt to create a supply line through the Dardanelles to Russia • The Dardanelles was a strait owned by the Ottoman Empire • February 1915 • Soon became a stalemate and by the end of the year the Allies gave up there
Allied powers decided to attack German colonies in Africa and stir up trouble in the Ottoman areas • Japan took over German areas in China and took German Pacific island colonies
United States • German attempted to inflict a naval blockade around Great Britain • The British had already put a blockade in place around Germany • Germans controlled the Atlantic and any trade with Great Britain • Unrestricted submarine warfare – January 1917 – Germany announced that any ship around Britain would be sunk without warning
The Germans had attempted this before • May 1915 – Lusitania (British passenger liner) sunk • 1,198 people died (128 AMERICANS) • Claimed the ship was carrying munitions • Woodrow Wilson protested and Germany relented
1917 – three American ships were sunk • February 1917 – telegram from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador in Mexico (intercepted by the British) • Asking Mexico to side with the Central Powers in exchange for helping Mexico get back lands it lost
April 2, 1917 • Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war • By 1917 – Europe had lost more men than all the wars in the previous three centuries • Total war – all resources • Factories were told what to produce • Rationing – small amounts of certain goods could be purchased • Censored news • Propaganda – one sided info to keep morale up
Russia • March 1917 – • Civil unrest in Russia due to war shortages of food and fuel • Czar Nicholas II abdicated on March 15 • Provisional Government established – pledged to keep fighting • By 1917 – 5.5 million soldiers wounded, killed, or prisoner
November 1917 – Vladimir Lenin – Bolshevik Revolution • March 1918 – Treaty of Brest Litovsk – ended the war with Germany gave Germany large portions of land
Second Battle of the Marne • July 1918 • Allied forces began advancing steadily toward Germany • November 9 – Kaiser William II – forced to step down (Germany declared a republic) • November 11 – the war ended • Armistice – agreement to stop fighting
January 18, 1919 • Paris Peace Conference – at the palace of Versailles • Big Four – England, France, US, Italy • England – David Lloyd George • France – Georges Clemenceau • US – Woodrow Wilson • Italy – Vittorio Orlando
Germany and Russia were not represented!! • Wilson’s plan for peace - FOURTEEN POINTS • Outlined a plan for achieving and keeping peace • 1. end to secret treaties • 2. freedom of the seas • 3. free trade • 4. reduced armies and navies • 5. self determination • 6. League of Nations
Self determination – allowing people to decide for themselves under what government they wish to live • League of Nations – peace organization
France and England want to punish Germany • Treaty of Versailles – June 28, 1919 • Between Germany and Allies • Dictat of Versailles – Dictated treaty
Germany punished • Lost land and was limited to a military of only 100,000 men for security purposes • Article 231 – War Guilt Clause • Germany had to pay a huge reparations bill to the Allies • The League of Nations took over German colonies as mandates
New Countries • Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia • Turkey, Palestine, Iraq, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon • Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania • POLAND reappears on the map
US rejected the treaty… Never sign it • 8.5 million soldiers died • 21 million wounded • $338 billion cost