Ch. 8: WWI – The Great War 1914 - 1918

1. 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

2. 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 b/w 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

3. C. Militarism • Arms race: by 1914 all Great Powers had large standing armies able to quickly mobilize • Glorified military power & kept armies prepared for war

4. Rivalries led to 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 & A-H • 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*****

5. By 1907, 2 Rival Alliances in Europe Triple Alliance: Triple Entente: • Germany * Britain • Austria-Hungary * France • Italy * Russia

6. 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

7. 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 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

8. B. Assassination in Sarajevo, 1914 • Archduke of A-H: Franz Ferdinand & wife, Sophia visited Bosnian capital • Gavrilo Princip, 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

9. Chain Reaction: 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.

10. 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

11. 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 • 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

12. Ch. 8.2: The War

13. 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.

14. C. The Western Front • Allied victory at 1st Battle 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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

18. Trench models:

19. 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.

20. Trench Warfare • 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.

21. Weapons Technology • Machine gun • =40 men with rifles • 600 bullets/minute • Tanks • Mobile artillery • Battle of the Somme (1916) • Airplane • German Fokker – 1st fighter plane synchronized propeller and machine gun • Poison gas (1915 – Battle of Ypres) • Chlorine gas • Mustard gas • Phosgene • Tear gas • Submarines (U-boats): Germany, Britain, France • Reason for US entry • Zeppelins (Germany) • Bombed civilian targets in London • Radio • Wireless technology improved battlefield communication

22. Weapons of War

23. The Flying Aces of World War I FrancescoBarraco, It. Eddie “Mick”Mannoch, Br. Eddie Rickenbacher, US Manfred vonRichtoffen, Ger.[The “RedBaron”] Rene PaukFonck, Fr. Willy Coppens deHolthust, Belg.

24. French Renault Tank

25. British Tank at Ypres

26. The Eastern Front

27. The Eastern Front • The war on eastern front was more mobile than the west. • Battle of Tannenburg, 1914 halted the Russian advance • 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.

28. The Gallipoli Campaign • British, Australian, and New Zealand forces (ANZACS) launched the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 in an attempt to defeat the Ottomans and open up a supply-line to Russia • It failed, but Russia stayed in war until 1917 & tied up German army for 3 years

29. A Global Conflict • SW Asia / Middle East • Allies determined to defeat Ottoman Turks & protect Suez Canal: • 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

30. Turkish Genocide Against Armenians A Portent of Future Horrors to Come!

31. Turkish Genocide Against Armenians

32. 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

33. Entry of the United States A. German policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare” • British blockade and sea mines cut off Germany from trade and empire • German subs would sink any ship in British waters w/o warning • Re-instatement of earlier policy abandoned after the 1915 sinking of the British passenger ship: Lusitania (128 US citizens killed; 1198 total dead) • In 1917, Germany sank 3,000 ships w/ Allied supplies

34. Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats

35. US Enters WWI: 1917

36. Propaganda after the Lusitania

37. B. The Zimmermann Telegram Germany offered to help Mexico “reconquer” land lost to the U.S. if Mexico would align w/ Germany (TX, AZ, NM) President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 6, 1917

38. The Home Front: Total War • Central planning: • Rationed food/goods • War bonds • War production • Censorship • propaganda • Civilians were targets (zeppelins, blockade) • 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

39. End of the War

40. Eastern Front: Russia’s Withdrawal March 1917: 1st Russian Revolution • Czar Nicholas II abdication Nov. 1917: 2nd Russian Revolution • Bolshevik leader Lenin takes over Kerensky’s Provisional Government • Dec. 1917 Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk taking Russia out of the war • Russia gave up lands in the Baltic area; Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

41. Western Front: US Entry • Russia’s withdrawal allowed Germany to focus on 1 front – Meuse-Argonne Offensive • Second Battle of the Marne, July 1918: • Final German offensive stopped by combined French, Moroccan, & American soldiers • Central Powers sought peace based on Wilson’s 14 Points (Wilsonian Idealism) • Bulgarians & Turks surrender • A-H revolution collapses empire • Germany: soldiers mutiny & Kaiser Wilhelm II forced to resign & the WEIMAR REPUBLIC is declared

42. The Paris Peace Conference The Big 4: Delegates from France, Britain, Italy, and the U.S. were present for the treaty negotiations at Versailles in 1919. None of the Central Powers were invited, nor was Russia, who withdrew early from the war.

43. Wilsonian Idealism U.S. President Wilson proposed a plan for a lasting peace that incorporated 14 points. Points 1 – 5: goals for the postwar world: ending secret treaties, freedom of seas, free trade Points 6 – 13: specifics for changing national borders & creating new nations under self-determination

44. Treaty of Versailles, June, 1919 Mandates created for former colonies and territories of Central Powers Article 231 League of Nations

45. U.S. Isolationism Despite Wilson’s pressure, the U.S. Senate refused to approve of the Treaty of Versailles. Congress opposed to the League of Nations because they believed it undermined their authority to declare war. The absence of the United States, as well as other great powers left the League of Nations powerless. The U.S. policy of isolationism persisted over the next 20 years until WWII broke out; even then, the U.S. did not enter the war until the bombing of Pearl Harbor in late 1941, 2 years after WWII began.

46. Impact of WWI on European Society • Massive casualties • Decline birthrate • War promoted more social equality • Nobility in Germany, Russia, and Austria lost much of its influence • Women received the right to vote in Britain and Germany • Social dissent: • Russia, Ireland (Easter Rebellion), Germany, France, Italy, Austria • End of dynasties • Hapsburg, Romanov, Hohenzollern, Ottoman • Creation of 1st Communist country • Rise of German nationalism • Keynes – The Economic Consequences of Peace (1919): predicted the harshness of Versailles on German economic and subsequent political unrest • Rise in financial power of the US

47. Territorial Changes After WWI

48. League of Nations Mandates in Africa

49. WW 1 Secret Treaties: Sykes-Picot Agreement [1916]

50. Balfour Declaration [1917] Foreign Office November 2nd, 1917 Dear Lord Rothschild. I have much pleasure to convey to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations {hopes} which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet. “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate {assist} the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely, ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR British Foreign Secretary