Leading up to The Great War (World War I) 1914-1918

1. Leading up to The Great War(World War I)1914-1918

2. At the Turn of the Century • The years surrounding the turn of the 20th century are often called the “Age of the Middle Class.” • As a group, the middle class enjoyed new luxuries like indoor plumbing and toilets, central heating, gas or electric lights, and telephone service.

3. At the Turn of the Century

4. At the Turn of the Century • Travel, which had only been for the wealthy, now was enjoyed by the middle class. As railroads and steamships further developed and expanded, the tourist trade was born. • New scientific discoveries created endless possibilities and a feeling of hope for humanity.

5. Edison and Eastman Marie Curie At the Turn of the Century

6. At the Turn of the Century • The middle class became the dominant social group and their standards of behavior became societal norms. • Out: dog and chicken fighting. In: team sports like baseball.

7. Honus Wagner Ty Cobb At the Turn of the Century

8. At the Turn of the Century • Women were excluded from most professions and women were not expected to seek higher education. • Middle class women were supposed to stay home and take care of their family.

9. At the Turn of the Century • The women’s suffrage movement began to gain momentum in Britain, the U.S., and to a lesser extent in France and Germany. • But it would still be a few decades before women were given the right to vote.

10. At the Turn of the Century

11. At the Turn of the Century • For workers and the working class, they saw some improvements to their lives as well. • Popular entertainment like cinemas, dance halls, and amusement parks proved that not all working class income was spent on survival necessities like food and housing.

12. At the Turn of the Century

13. At the Turn of the Century • But for many workers in Western Europe, improvements were slight at best. • Many saw socialism as their best chance to change their dreary existence. • Worker agitation and the fear of a Socialist revolt created political turmoil in several countries, especially Germany. Politicians begin to look for diversions.

14. The “Dreyfus Affair” • Alfred Dreyfus, a captain in the French army, was the highest ranking member of the Jewish faith in the French military. • In 1894, he was accused and convicted of espionage and treason (giving secret information to the Germans).

15. The “Dreyfus Affair” • Despite his protestations of innocence he was found guilty in a secret military court-martial, during which he was denied the right to examine the evidence against him. • The army stripped him of his rank in a humiliating ceremony and shipped him off to (life imprisonment on) Devil’s Island, a penal colony located off the coast of South America.

16. The “Dreyfus Affair” • It was soon discovered that the army had “railroaded” Dreyfus and was more concerned about preserving its image than rectifying its error. When the prosecutor persisted in attempting to reopen the case the army transferred him to Tunisia. • A military court then acquitted Major Esterhazy, ignoring the convincing evidence of his guilt.

17. The “Dreyfus Affair” • In September 1899, the president of France pardoned Dreyfus, making it possible for him to return to Paris, but he had to wait until 1906 — twelve years after the case had begun — to be exonerated of the charges. • He was then restored to his former military rank.

18. Increasing Tensions In the Franco-Prussian War (Fall 1870), France was soundly defeated by Germany. Not only did France have to pay a lot of money to the Germans (about $1 Billion), France lost her eastern provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to them. France burned with revenge.

19. Increasing Tensions • To add insult to injury, the Germans proclaimed the beginning of their Second Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Louis XIV’s Palace at Versailles (outside of Paris).

20. Increasing Tensions • Imperialism, or empire building, was in full swing at the turn of the century. • The Germans encouraged the French to build colonies in Africa to divert their anger from losing the Alsace-Lorraine during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

21. Increasing Tensions • Soon, Germany thought Britain and France controlled too much of Africa and they wanted a piece of the action. • Rather than leading to European stability, empire building threatened to become a cause for war.

22. Increasing Tensions • At the turn of the century there were several political and social crises around Europe that may have led many politicians to willingly pursue a foreign war with the hope it would divert attention from domestic issues.

23. Increasing Tensions • Twice, in 1905 and in 1911, France and Germany almost went to war over who controlled Morocco.

24. Increasing Tensions • Britain had major problems with Irish nationalists who wanted a free, independent Ireland.

25. Increasing Tensions • Great Britain, France, Russia, and Germany were also shaken by a growing number of labor conflicts (strikes and violence) and the growing fear of Socialism.

26. Increasing Tensions • Russia got crushed by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War (1904). • This showed how completely inadequate the tsarist government of Nicholas II was and that a new power had risen in the Orient…Japan.

27. Increased Tensions • Austria-Hungary was constantly dealing with mounting problems related to nationalism among the Balkan territories it controlled.

28. Increased Tensions • Europe in 1900.

29. Germany’s Chancellor (Prime Minister) Otto Von Bismarck correctly foresaw that it would be suicidal for Germany to fight a war on two fronts (against France and Russia). Increasing Tensions

30. Increasing Tensions • Bismarck created the Dual Alliance (1882), a mutual defense treaty with Austria-Hungary, for protection against the Russians. He also tried to isolate France.

31. Increasing Tensions • Kaiser Wilhelm II (the German emperor) pushed Bismarck out of office in 1890 and he made several political and diplomatic blunders which frightened his European neighbors.

32. Increasing Tensions • In 1894, these mistakes provoked the Russians to join the French in a military treaty that pledged the two countries would fight together in the event either was attacked by Germany.

33. Germany was now surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors (France to the West and Russia to the East). The German high command adopted an idea proposed by General von Schlieffen. His plan called for fighting a two fronted war. The von Schlieffen Plan

34. The von Schlieffen Plan • The pre-eminent military strategist of the day, General von Schlieffen modeled his plan after Hannibal’s attack on Roman forces at Cannae and Robert E. Lee’s plan for the encirclement of Washington, D.C. • In essence, it proposed a rapid German mobilization and attack.

35. The von Schlieffen Plan • There would be a total disregard of Luxembourg, Belgian and Dutch neutrality. • German armies would sweep through Belgium southwards in back of the French defenses pivoting on weakly-held positions near the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine.

36. The von Schlieffen Plan • Paris was not to be taken but to be by-passed. The intent of the plan was not to conquer cities or industry in order to weaken the French war efforts, but to capturemost of the French army, forcing France to surrender.

37. The von Schlieffen Plan

38. The von Schlieffen Plan • Following the speedy defeat of France, von Schlieffen imagined switching German concentrations to the Eastern Front. • His goal was to defeat France in the time it took for Russia to mobilize its army (estimated to be at least six weeks).

39. The von Schlieffen Plan • Once France was quickly disposed of, German forces would attack along the 2500 mile Eastern Front to destroy the Russians. • The Germans thought it would be harder to defeat the Russians than the French (a lesson learned from Napoleon).

40. The von Schlieffen Plan

41. Entangling Alliances • Ten years after the French and Russians formed an alliance, German fears were pushed further. • Great Britain signed the Entente Cordial (“cordial agreement”) with France (1904) resolving several colonial issues (France recognized British control over Egypt and Britain recognized French control over Morocco).

42. Entangling Alliances • German paranoia was pushed even further in 1907 when Britain signed an Entente with the Russians (this is why during WWI Great Britain, France, and Russia were known as the “Entente” powers, or the Triple Entente).

43. Entangling Alliances • Belgium’s neutrality was protected by Britain (Treaty of London 1839). If Germany marched into Belgium on its way to France, it would trigger Britain’s protection. • Serbia (as a Slavic state) was aligned with Russia. It was a part of the troubled Austro-Hungarian Empire.

44. Entangling Alliances • So on the eve of WWI, the major alliances were: Great Britain, France, and Russia (known as the Allies or Triple Entente) and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire known as the Central Powers or Triple Alliance.

45. Increased Militarization • Britain and Germany were not natural enemies (their ruling families were cousins—German Kaiser Wilhelm was one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons). • But Germany was jealous of Britain’s colonial empire (and the wealth and power it created) and Britain’s naval prowess. • Britain controlled the European seas but had the smallest standing army.

46. Increased Militarization • In 1897 Germany decided to build a high seas fleet to challenge British authority on the seas. • Germany already had the largest, most disciplined, and best trained army in Europe.

47. Increased Militarization • To out do Germany, Britain built the largest, most powerful battleship ever, called the Dreadnought. • Britain was horrified when Germany built and launched the equivalent. HMS Dreadnought

48. Increased Militarization • A naval arms race ensued as Britain and Germany were openly more hostile towards each other as each raced to enlarge and enhance their fleets. • Surprisingly, navies (not including submarines) were not particularly significant to the outcome of the war (there was only one major naval battle during the entire war—and it was a tactical draw).

49. Increased Militarization • Across Europe, the production of vast stores of weapons by the great powers dramatically increased tensions between nation/states. • “All that is needed is a spark to light the European powder keg.”

50. The immediate crisis that set off WWI was the assassination of the heir-apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 (his wedding anniversary). “The Spark that Lights the Powder Keg”