The Great War

1. The Great War 1914-1918

2. Long term Causes • Revenge: • Entangling Alliances: • Nationalism: • Militarism: • Imperialism: • Marni

3. Immediate Cause • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

4. Response/Reaction to the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand • German blank check to Austria-Hungary • Austro-Hungarian Unconditional Ultimatum to Serbia • Serbian acceptance of all demands except one • Austria charges non-compliance • Austria invades Serbia on July 28, 1914

5. Reaction to Austria-Hungary’s Invasion of Serbia • Mobilization and movement by most major powers • Unwillingness of Italy to join pre-war allies • Russian troops entered East Prussia • Russia defeated at Tannenberg and Massurian Lakes • Germany modified Schleiffen Plan • Germany failed to defeat France, the French stopping them at the Marne • England entered to uphold Belgian neutrality

6. Home-front Activities • Selective service • Financing through war bonds and loans • Partnership of government and industry • Propaganda and curtailment of individual liberties • Settling into Trench Warfare on the Eastern and Western Fronts • Morale problems • Boredom with daily routine

7. Search for Friends and Creation of Incidents to Help Break Stalemates • Central Powers • Reasons for entrance of Ottoman Empire: Fear of Russia • Reasons for entrance of Bulgaria: Dislike of Serbs from Balkan Wars • Creation of Domestic problems for the Allies • Support for Irish Eastern Rebellion against British rule (1916) • Support for Flemish in Belgium • Promise of independence to Poles • Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico

8. Allies • Reasons for entrance of Italy: Promise of lands in secret Treaty of London • Trentino, South Tyrol, Istria, Trieste, and specified Dalmatian Islands • Reasons for entrance of Japan • Great Britain’s ally since 1902 • Desire for Germany’s Pacific possessions • Opportunity to make Twenty-One Demands on China • Reasons for entrance of United States • Principle of Freedom of the seas • Demand to end of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare • Surfacing of the Zimmerman Telelgram • Historic ties to Great Britain and France • Economic ties to Allies

9. Creation of Domestic problems for the Central Powers • Support for Alsace and Lorraine’s return to France • Promises of independence to Poles & subject peoples of the A-H and Ottoman Empires • Balfour Declaration: Britain promised Israel a Jewish homeland • Denial to Central Powers of contraband & non-contraband goods by GB’s hunger blockade • Response of Germany and A-H to the hunger blockade • Rationing • Black market activity • Peasant hoarding of food • Increased imports from neutrals • Unrestricted submarine blockade of Great Britain

10. Attempts to end the Stalemate • Eastern Front • Unsuccessful German/Austro-Hungarian offensive against Russia 1917-1918 • Southern Front • German Austro-Hungarian defeat at Caporetto • Western Front • No breakthrough in Somme campaign in 1916, no breakthrough for Germany at Verdun

11. Attempts to end the Stalemate • War at Sea • Heavily allied losses in Gallipoli campaign • Germany’s inability to defeat Great Britain’s navy • Convoy system • Battle of Jutland ended in stalemate and convinced the Germans to advocate the use of unrestricted submarine warfare (even if politically hazardous)

12. Attempts to end the Stalemate • War in the Air • Limited Reconnaissance • Legendary “dog fights” towards the end had little impact

13. The Critical Years: 1917-1918 • Morale Problem with trench warfare • Flu epidemic in 1918 • Bolsheviks take power in winter 1917 • US enters with allies and begin a heavy American buildup in Western France • Withdrawal of Russia from the war and loss of territory to Germany in treaty of Brest Litovsk

14. The Critical Years: 1917-1918 • Unrest in Germany after Ludendorff pushed for an armistice with the Americans based on the 14 points • Nov. 3, 1918: Mutiny of sailors at Kiel • Proclamation of German Republic under socialist leadership and abdication of the Kaiser (November 8, 1918)

15. Treaty of Versailles • Demands of Clemenceau of France • Security French borders • Repayment for damages • Demands of Lloyd George and Great Britain • Demilitarization of Germany • Some reparations for damages • Demands of Orlando and Italy • Territory promised in secret Treaty of London • Demands of Wilson and the United States • Adherence to the 14 points and formation of the League of Nations • Demands of Japan • German Pacific possessions in Asia

16. Key Terms • Demilitarization of the Rhineland for 15 years • Internationalization of the Saar Valley for 15 years • Reparations to France and Great Britain (to be determined in future by reparations committee) • Territorial losses of colonies & Alsace Lorraine, • Creation of a “Polish Corridor” through East Prussia down the Vistula River, giving Poland the port of Danzig and large parts of Posnan, Silesia and western Galicia (Danzig had predominantly German population)

17. Key Terms • DANZIG BECAME A FREE CITY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. • ITS PEOPLE COULD DIRECT THEIR OWN AFFAIRS BUT THE AREA WOULD BE UNDER POLISH CUSTOMS, POLAND ALSO TO REGULATE TRAFFIC ON THE VISTULA AND DEVELOP CITY’S DOCKS AND WHARFS.

18. Problems with the Treaty of Versailles • Failure of US to ratify and join League of Nations • Lack of understanding of ethnic issues in the creation of new nations • Demands of unrealistic reparations from Germany • Desire for revenge from Germany for their having accepted the “war guilt” clause, (November criminals, socialists and Jews, etc) • Dissatisfaction of treaty from the victors and gradual British belief that the treaty might have been unfair

19. Russian Revolution 1917-1922

20. Wartime problems of Nicholas II and the Provisional Government • Ineptness and inefficiency of Tsarist regime • Poor distribution of goods and foodstuffs • Inability to manufacture adequate arms • Ineffective organization of the military • Influence of Rasputin on the royal family • Nicholas II’s decision to take personal command of the troops

21. Wartime problems of Nicholas II and the Provisional Government • Inability of Provisional Government to control the situation • Burning and looting in urban and rural areas • Failure of conservative General Kornilov to restore order • Confiscation of land by peasants • Desertion of soldiers from the Front • Allied pressure to remain in the war

22. Second Revolution of 1917 by Bolsheviks • Internal enemies of the second Revolution • Tsarist supporters • Liberals and Constitutional Democrats • Socialist Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries

23. Second Revolution of 1917 by Bolsheviks • Immediate problems • Disengagement from the war • Loss of Russian territory in the Treaty of B-L • Civil war between the White and Red Armies • Kronsdadt Uprising • Foreign intervention (1918-1922) • Landing of Japanese and Americans at Vladivostak • Allied capture of Murmansk and Archangel • Polish attack and loss of land to Poland

24. Second Revolution of 1917 by Bolsheviks • Results • Failure of anti-Bolshevik forces to coordinate efforts • Decimation of Soviet population • Losses in the Great War and the Civil War • Flight of nobility • famine

25. Lenin’s Postwar Attempts at Stabilization • Nationalization of industry • New Economic Policy • Relaxation of strict communism • Autonomy to various federation of states • Parallel institutions of Communist Party and Government

26. Joseph Stalin’s Domestic Program • Socialism in one country rather than world revolution • Emphasis on industrialization • Attack on agricultural problem • 30,000 armed party workers to rural areas • Punishment of peasants for hoarding food and cultivating fewer crops • Collectivization of agriculture • Death to uncooperative peasants • No passports for peasants

27. Joseph Stalin’s Domestic Program • “Democratic” Constitution of 1936 • Union of autonomous republics • Free to secede at any time • Bicameral legislature with election by universal suffrage • Bill of rights • Free basic education, medical care, child care assistance

28. Joseph Stalin’s Domestic Program • Problems • Resistance of Kulaks to collectivization • Suspected disloyalty of high public officials and army officers • Purging of the party and military elite • Arrest of seven to nine million people • Execution or deportation to labor camps • Infiltration of Western ideas and art forms

29. Foreign Affairs • Aims • Acceptance into world family of nations • Assistance to comrades in other countries • Avoidance of war with Germany • Reasons for the Soviet Union’s pariah status • Fear of communism • Bolshevik repudiation of Tsarist debts • Treaty of Rapallo with fellow pariah Germany • Training of Red Army by Germany

30. Foreign Affairs • Reasons for a more favorable view of communism in the West (early 30’s) • Little economic impact of Depression in Soviet Union • Fear of fascism by many around the world • Increase in Soviet industrial production with the cult of hard work • Acceptance in the world community • Diplomatic recognition by the U.S. (1933) • Entrance into League of Nations (1934) • Military alliance with France (1934)

31. Foreign Affairs • Growing Soviet suspicion of the West • Exclusion of USSR from Munich Conference • Policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany by Western democracies • No Western assistance to Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War • Decision to make a pact with the Nazis • Buying of time to rebuild officer corps and prepare for war