Chapter 34 The Great War

1. Chapter 34The Great War

2. Rise of Nationalism • Nationalism caused competition between nations. • Germany competed with Britain for industrial dominance. Other countries had territorial disputes over lands such as Alsace-Lorraine and the Balkans.

3. Nationalism was spreading all across the European continent • What is Nationalism? • What is Self-Determination? • Independence occurring in many countries • Belgium in 1830 • Unification of Germany 1871

4. The Ottoman Empire was shrinking • Controlled the Balkans since the 15th century • Austria and Russia responsible for the slicing away of Ottoman Territories in Europe • Austria-Hungary was dealing with Slavs • Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes • Russia promoted Pan-Slavism • Movement that stressed the ethnic and cultural kinship of these different groups • Russia did this to hopefully weaken the Austro-Hungarian Empire for future annexation into the Russian Empire

5. National Rivalries • Nationalism led to the economic competition of European powers • Competed for Foreign Markets, and were locked in Tariff Wars • What is a Tariff? • Biggest Rivalry was between Great Britain and Germany

6. Economic Jealousy Leads to Tension • In the late 1800s, Great Britain produced almost 32% of the worlds industrial output • At the same time, Germany produced only 13% • By 1914: Britain’s production fell to 14%, which was about the same as Germany’s • This close proximity in production led to a strained relationship

7. Growth of Militarism • Rivalries led to an arms race. • To be truly great, a nation needed a powerful military. • The nations had large standing armies and the ability to mobilize them.

8. Naval Race • Both Britain and Germany felt that the most important aspect during a time of war was Naval Power • Germany announced a program to strengthen and build up a navy • Caused Britain to build super ships known as dreadnoughts

9. Imperialism • The quest for colonies sometimes pushed European nations to the brink of war. • Germany and France nearly fought over Morocco twice. • Rivalry and mistrust between the countries deepened.

10. Tangled Alliances • The rivalries led to the creation of several military alliances. • They were meant to keep peace, but instead helped push the continent into war.

11. The Triple Alliance= Germany and Austria-Hungary (the Dual Alliance) plus Italy. • In 1887, Germany also had a treaty with Russia, Austria-Hungary’s enemy.

12. When Kaiser Wilhelm II took over Germany, he let the treaty with Russia lapse. • Russia responded by making an alliance with France.

13. Britain was upset by the military growth of Germany and made an entente with France and Russia. • Triple Entente=Britain, France, and Russia. • Entente did not bind them to fight for each other, but they would not fight against each other.

14. Crisis in the Balkans • With a long history of ethnic clashes, the Balkans were known as the “powder keg” of Europe. • Nationalism led groups of people there to break away from the Ottoman Turks.

15. Serbia: • wanted all the Slavs • was supported by Russia • Austria-Hungary was threatened by them • Both Russia and Austria-Hungary wanted to control Serbia

16. Bosnia and Herzegovina: • taken over by Austria-Hungary • had large Slavic population • Serbia was very upset but could not do anything about it

18. The Spark to the Powder Keg • Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie were shot on June 28, 1914. He was the heir to the throne. • The killer was GavriloPrincip, a 19 year-old and member of the Black Hand.

20. On July 23, Austria gave Serbia an ultimatum. • Serbia was to suppress all anti-Austrian (and Pan-Slav) publications, societies and propaganda. • Serbia was to dismiss all anti-Austrian officials objected by Austria. • Austrian police and officials were to enter Serbia and to take part in the Serbian police force in order to carry out the suppression of anti-Austrian activities and investigations concerning the Sarajevo murders. • On July 28, Austria declared war. • Russia mobilized its troops to support Serbia.

21. The Central Powers • “Triple Alliance” • Germany • Austria-Hungary • Italy

22. The Allies • “The Triple Entente” • Great Britain • France • Russia

24. Plans of Attack • Each country had their own ideas on how the war would be won • The French strategy was called Plan XVII • Entailed a lot of offensive maneuvers • Basically it was an all out ATTACK • Would result in massive casualties that the French didn’t think of • The Schlieffen Plan • Germany’s idea to knock out the French quickly and then focus on Russia • Entailed moving 180,000 soldiers and supplies into France by way of Belgium

25. The Schlieffen Plan

26. How long will the war last? • When the war began many military strategists felt that it would be over quickly • The Germans were so confident that they said: “We will be home by Christmas” • The idea of a short war quickly went away when the fronts were formed in which modern weapons ended the lives of millions

27. Mutual Butchery • With the promise of a short war, over 20 million men left for the fronts of World War I • Believed that God was on their side • Defense was not thought about by military leaders, only thoughts of assaults and swift triumphs • The Germans march towards Paris halted at the Marne River • This location become known as the western front • Next 3 years, the battle lines hardly changed at all

28. The Western Front • Schlieffen Plan failed by September 1914. • First Battle of the Marne: British and French troops push Germans back, September 5-12 • Germany had to fight on two fronts.

29. The Western Front • On the Western Front, in northern France, troops from both sides dug trenches and there was a stalemate. • Battle of Verdun: February to December 1916, over half a million casualties, Germans gained 4 miles, “They shall not pass.”

30. The Western Front • Battle of Somme: July to November 1916, over a million casualties, Britain gained only 6 miles

31. Trench Warfare • Vast system of deep trenches • Usually about 10 feet deep, fortified with wood or sandbags • Barbed wire barrier in front • Mud, rats, lice, no fresh food, little sleep

32. Trench Warfare • “No man’s land”=area between opposing trenches • Front line trenches were dug in a zigzag pattern • Christmas Truce in 1914 • Land gains were very small

37. All Quiet of the Western Front • Novel by Erich Maria Remarque who served in the German army in World War I • Considered the greatest novel on WWI • It follows the narrator, Paul Baumer, from eager recruit to disillusioned veteran. In one part of the story, he is trapped in a foxhole for hours with a French soldier he just killed.

38. New Weapons

39. Warfare Technology • Rapid-fire machine gun • Long-range artillery gun • Flamethrower • Poison gas • Tanks • Zeppelins • Airplanes • Submarines

40. Tremendous Amounts of Casualties • Example: • Battle of Verdun • French- 315,000 dead • Germans- 280,000 dead • The amount of casualties was due to the offensive nature of battle and the new technology “machine gun”

41. The Eastern Front • German and Russian border • Battle of Tannenberg: August 1914, Russian army (125,000)crushed by Germans in just 6 days, swamp • Battle of Limanowa: December 1914, Austrians pushed Russians out of Austria-Hungary • Russia was least industrialized of the Allies. They kept sending troops though to keep Germany split between two fronts.

42. The Southern Front • Bulgaria joined the Central Powers and helped defeat Serbia. • Romania joined Allies but was crushed by the Central Powers. • In 1915, Italy switched sides. Italians fought against Austrians along the Isonzo River. Italy needed help from other Allies to keep the Austrians out of Italy.

43. War Around the World • Japan joined the Allies and used the war as an excuse to seize German outposts in China and islands in the Pacific, issued the Twenty-One Demands to China. • The Ottoman Turks joined the Central Powers and helped cut off Allied supply lines to Russia through the Dardanelles. • Battle of Gallipoli: the Allies tried unsuccessfully to open the Dardanelles, 10 months

44. War Around the World • Turks also fought Russia. Christian Armenians were killed or deported from Turkey because they helped the Russians • The Arabs revolted against Turkish rule. British Colonel T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) helped lead the Arabs.

45. War Around the World • British and French colonies were asked to fight. • German colonies in Africa and Asia were overran. • Canada, Australia, and New Zealand sent troops to fight for Britain.

46. U.S. Enters the War • We sold supplies to Britain, then gave loans • 1915---sinking of Lusitania by German submarines, 128 Americans killed • 1917---Zimmerman Note deciphered • Change in public opinion from anti-war to pro-war • U.S. involvement turned the tide of war towards Allied victory

48. Propaganda • WWI was the first wide ranging use of propaganda. • Usually depicted the enemy as inhuman and savages

49. An End to the War to End All Wars • A conservative estimate: 15 million dead and 20 million wounded • Armistice Day: November 11, 1918 (Veteran’s Day) • Peace treaties would follow