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This section explores the political and military forces that emerged in Europe in the late 1800s, leading to the events that set World War I in motion. Topics covered include nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the collapse of the alliance system.
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Ch. 8: WWI – The Great War1914 - 1918 Section 1 – The Road to WWI Objectives: To identify the political & military forces that took root in Europe in the late 1800s To summarize the events that set WWI in motion
Section 1: The Road to WWI • Objectives: To identify the political & military forces that took root in Europe in the late 1800s AND • To summarize the events that set WWI in motion
I. Nationalism & the System of Alliances After the Congress of Vienna (1814-15), other attempts to maintain peace on the continent failed by the late 1800s – WHY? • Rise of NATIONALISM • Led to competition between nations & rivalry among Europe’s “Great Powers”: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Britain, Russia & France • IMPERIALISM • Competed for colonies: markets & materials • Disputes in N. Africa • Territorial disputes: • France & Germany over Alsace-Lorraine • A-H & Russia over the Balkans
JUST TO CLARIFY! • Alsace –Lorraine • The Balkans
C. Militarism • Arms race: a competition to be the most armed with weapons, armies, and military technology • By 1914 all Great Powers had large standing armies able to quickly mobilize • Glorified military power & kept armies prepared for war
Rivalries led to the creation of military alliances, which were designed to keep peace, but ended up leading to war • Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor, unified Germany in 1871 via “blood & iron” • By 1871, Germany & Britain were the two most powerful nations in the world • goal to be in a majority of three in any dispute among the five great European powers and to preserve Germany’s peaceful ties with Russia.
Bismarck considered France to be the biggest threat to the peace & stability in Europe & wanted to isolate France • 1879: Dual Alliance b/w Germany & Austria-Hungary • 1882: Triple Alliance created when Italy joined • 1887: Treaty w/ Russia (enemy of A-H) • Kaiser Wilhelm II quickly upset Bismarck's delicate balance of power: • forced Bismarck to resign in 1890 • refused to renew treaty with Russia, & found itself in a minority of two. Its only European ally, was the weakest of the European powers, Austria-Hungary • 1891: Russia formed defensive alliance with France ****war w/ either Russia or France means war w/ both & a 2-FRONT war for Germany*****
By 1907, 2 Rival Alliances in Europe Triple Alliance: Triple Entente: • Germany * Britain • Austria-Hungary * France • Italy * Russia
Internal Dissent • Working class & lower middle class wanted a bigger share of economic wealth • Unions demanded better wages • Socialist parties wanted to end capitalist system • Conservative leaders feared that social class conflicts would lead to revolution • War was supposed to join all social classes together against a foreign enemy & distract from domestic problems
II. The Outbreak of War: Summer 1914 • Crisis in the Balkans, the “powder keg” of Europe • Balkan peninsula in SE Europe has history of nationalist uprisings & ethnic rivalries • With the decline of the Ottoman Empire, several new nations were created: Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia • Rivalry b/w A-H & Russia for control of these new states • Serbia, allied w/ Russia, wanted to create large, independent Slavic state • A-H feared Serbian nationalism b/c feared revolution among A-H’s Slavic pop. • 1908: A-H annexed Bosnia & Herzegovina, upsetting Serbs
B. Assassination in Sarajevo, 1914 • Archduke of A-H: Franz Ferdinand & wife, Sophia visited Bosnian capital • GavriloPrincip, Serbian nationalist & member of the Black Hand, assassinated the pair • Results:Austria declared war on Serbia 1 month later & its ally, Russia, mobilizes its troops toward Austrian border
Chain Reaction(DO NOT COPY) The tripwire that set off the century’s first global conflict was Austria's declaration of war against Serbia on July 28, 1914. A war between Austria and Serbia meant a war between Austria and Russia, Serbia's traditional ally. That meant war between Russia and Germany. And that meant war between Germany and France. And that meant war between Germany and Great Britain. In a flash, the whole continent was at war.
C. Collapse of the Alliance System • A-H declaration of war on Serbia sets off chain reaction: • Russia mobilizes on G. & A-H borders “as a precaution” • G. sees it as declaration of war & Aug. 1 declares war on Russia • Expecting France to aid Russia, G. also declares war on France, Aug. 3 British recruiting office Students in Berlin enlisting
D. Schlieffen Plan • German military strategy in the event of 2-front war • Attack France in West, quickly defeat, then move east to fight Russia • Dependent upon 6-week mobilization of Russia, but only took 10 days (oops!) • French troops already stationed along German border • Germany asked Belgium to allow its troops to pass through to attack N. France, but, as a neutral nation, refused: Germany invaded! • Britain declared war on Germany Aug. 4 for violating Belgian neutrality & also for concerns if allies lost
Countries take Sides: Central Powers: Germany, A-H, joined by the Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria Most people believed the war would be over by Christmas due to new technology Allies: France, Russia, GB, joined by Japan & Italy I. 1914 – 1915: Stalemate VS.
C. The Western Front • Allied victory at 1stBattle of the Marne (Sept. 6-12, 1914) & Belgian resistance breaks Schlieffen Plan • Germans at edge of Paris by Sept. 3, French launch counter attack 9/5 at Marne River Valley forcing German retreat 60 mi. by 9/13 • Considered most important battle of WWI • Caused collapse of S. Plan & w/ Russia’s invasion in east, forced German army to send troops to eastern front & into a 2-Front war • Stalemate on Western Front
READ ONLY SLIDE!!!!!!!!!!! The map below shows the geographical position of the Western Front stretching from Belgium in the north to Switzerland in the south. Each colored square represents 50,000 men. Yellow represents the German army, blue the French, red the British and orange the Belgian army. Battle of the Marne leads to stalemate on the Western Front Battles fought along this front include - Marne, September 1914; first battle of Ypres, October - November 1914; Verdun, February - December 1916; Somme, July - November 1916; Passchendale, July - November 1917; Cambrai, November 1917; Marne, July 1918.
Battle of the Marne (1st) • By the end of August 1914, the German armies were heading towards Paris. The British and French armies were in retreat, and many of Paris' citizens evacuated. The French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre, organized an attack on the Germans. The Allied forces made defensive lines near Paris. On September 6 many French armies, including the French 6th army, wheeled around to attack the Germans. The French 5th army and the BEF advanced into the hole created by the attacking armies. They battled for three days. The French 6th army came close to defeat, but 6,000 reserve troops were rushed into the fray. The German Commander-in-Chief, General Helmuth von Moltke, ordered the armies to retreat. The Allies forces advanced slowly allowing the Germans to reunite at River Aisne. The French and German lost around 250,000 men each, and the British lost around 12,733 men. The Allied victory prevented Germany from winning the war in one swift attack. However, hope of a short war was lost when the German armies escaped. STUDENT VOLUNTEER?
4. Trench Warfare on the Western Front: • By 1915, 500 mi. of parallel trenches separated by barbed wire entanglements & strips of territory called “no man’s land” were dug from the N. Sea to Switzerland • Small land gains, large casualties • Soldiers slept, ate, lived in mud w/ rats, disease, no fresh food
Trench Warfare: • Soldiers in the trenches suffered from trench foot, being buried alive in mud, eaten by rats, and dysentery, in addition to the constant threat of gunfire, grenades, poison gas and flamethrowers. • Some soldiers committed suicide rather than deal with trench life.
Trench Warfare [READ ONLY] • Soldiers were required to carry kit bags over the trenches that weighed on average 66-lbs. • Extra socks were necessary to avoid trench foot, and soldiers were required to change socks twice a day.
5. Weapons Technology • New weapons included the tank, use of poison gas, improved machine guns, combat airplanes, and the U-boat, or submarine. • The new weapons technology did not end the war faster, it only succeeded in killing greater numbers of men.
The Eastern Front • The war on eastern front was more mobile than the west. • Russia & Serbia vs. Germany, A-H, Ottomans • Russia initially successful, but driven back by Germans • By 1916, Russia’s army was in desperate need of supplies and was in danger of withdrawing: unable to get supplies from Allies: German naval blockade in N. & Ottomans blocked S. The map above shows the geographical location of the Eastern front stretching from Riga in the north to Czernowitz in the south. The orange line shows the position of the Eastern Front in 1915. Each colored square represents 50,000 men. Red represents the Russian army, yellow, German soldiers and blueAustro-Hungarian.
E. The Gallipoli Campaign • The Allies launched the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 in an attempt to defeat the Ottomans and thereby open up a supply-line to Russia, as well as a route to attack A-H via the Danube. • It failed, but Russia stayed in war until 1917 & tied up German army for 3 years
F. A Global Conflict • SW Asia / Middle East • Allies determined to defeat Ottoman Turks: • British soldier, T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) helped Arab nationalists rise up against Turkish rulers • Successful guerilla raids allowed Allied to gain control of Baghdad, Jerusalem, & Damascus
Asia: • The Japanese took over German outposts in China & colonial possessions in the Pacific • Africa: • British & French took control of 3 (of 4) German possessions • Troops & laborers were recruited from European colonies in India, S. Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria & Indochina • Colonial subjects fought & supported war effort in the hopes it would lead to independence.
II. Entry of the United States A. German policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare” • By 1917, Germany suffered due to crop failures (potatoes 1916) & GB blockade • Germany established its own blockade: German subs (u-boats) sank any ship in British waters w/o warning • Re-instatement of earlier policy was abandoned after the 1915 sinking of the British passenger ship, the Lusitania (128 US citizens killed; 1198 total dead) • Germans hoped the strategy would lead to British defeat before US could mobilize after sinking of 3 U.S. ships • In 1917, Germany sank 3,000 ships w/ Allied supplies
Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 500BC All warfare is based on deception. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
B. The Zimmermann Telegram The British intercepted & decoded a telegram from the German foreign secretary to the German ambassador in Mexico. Germany offered to help Mexico “reconquer” land lost to the U.S. if Mexico would align w/ Germany (TX, AZ, NM) British turned over telegram to U.S President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 6, 1917
III. The Home Front: Total War Countries at war were engaged in a total war. All resources were devoted to the war effort: factories shifted production from consumer goods to war materials; goods/food was rationed Women went to work to fill in during the war & got the vote by the end of the war in Germany, Austria, the US & GB
4. Propaganda • Propaganda is the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping a purpose, a cause, or a country. • Each of the nations which participated in WWI from 1914-18 used propaganda posters not only as a means of justifying involvement to their own populace, but also as a means of procuring men, money and resources to sustain the military campaign.
Poster #1: Calling for War • Published in 1915 in London by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee. Partridge Barnard was the artist. • Subject: Sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-Boat, May 7, 1915, in which 1,153 lives (128 US citizens) lost. • Germany claimed that munitions bound for the Allies were in the ship’s hidden cargo, which, years later, were proven true. • The 1864 Geneva Convention laid the foundation for contemporary humanitarian law. It called for protecting the victims of conflicts, respect for medical personnel, & care of wounded soldiers of any side. This includes direct attacks on civilians. Source: Propaganda Slides 34-38 Tom Carty, Middle Level Learning 30, pp. M9-M15, NCSS 2008.
Poster #2: Enticement-Recruiting & the Draft • Published in 1917 by the US. Artist: Howard Chandler Christy. • Pres. Wilson created the Committee on Public Information to win popular support for the war & encourage men to join the military. • The CPI hired artists & cartoonists to paint patriotic posters & murals.
Poster #3: Loyalty on the Home Front • Published in 1918 by the US. Walter Whitehead was the artist. • The war brought a huge change to the US economy & to everyday civilian life. Factories that had turned out sewing machines or cars began making machine guns & airplanes. Materials such as steel, cloth, rubber, & leather were diverted to the war effort. • The gov even asked citizens to change their eating habits as the country began to ship much of its food to Europe for the Allied armies & civilians, whose own farmlands had become battlefields.
Poster #4: Imagining the Enemy (write the yellow text) • Published around 1918 by the US. Artist: F. Strothmann. • The US gov sold Liberty Bonds as a way to finance the war. The US emerged after the war as the world’s leading economic power, but the main legacy of the war in Europe was economic instability. • In all combatant countries, some 70mn. men served in the military. Of these, about 9mn died (13%). • About 116,000 US soldiers were killed.
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