Events Leading to WWI (1902—1914)

1. Events Leading to WWI (1902—1914) • Start with paragraph 7, “For many years the most powerful” • Prepare a ten statement outline on the events leading up to World War I • The last paragraph describes the goals of the participants of war. Identify the beliefs and goals of the participating countries.

2. Political and Social Tensions in Europe(pre-1914) • Ireland nationalists vs. Irish Unionists w/Britain • France was recovering from the Dreyfus Affair • Revealed French anti-semitism • Russia defeated by Japan in 1904 (Russo-Japanese War)led to revolution, creation of the Duma, and a constitutional monarchy under Tsar Nicholas II • Germany faced large worker agitation advocating socialism • Austria-Hungary faced “Magyarization”Magyars dominant language and culture with Hungarian population

3. What event sparked “The Great War”? • June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife assassinated of Austria-Hungary by Serbian nationalist, GavilroPrincep in Sarajevo

4. Nationalism: The Black Hand • Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand organized by secret Serbian society • Founded in 1911, the Black Hand aspired to create a Greater Serbia • Unify with the South Slavs in Austria-Hungary • Austria regarded the Black Hand a significant threat to the Hapsburg Empire • Austria-Hungary denied Serbs independence prior to the assassination

6. Origins of War • Read your document • Create a thesis statement/summary on the cause of WWI from the document’s point-of-view • Place the POV on the board

7. Basic Chronology, 1914-1915 • The assassination of Franz Ferdinand caused outrage in Europe • Austria was slow to respond to Serbia, but was determined to invadeand crush Serbia • Germany pledged to support Austria through the infamous blank checkpromised to back Austrian action • On July 23, 1914, Austria, at Germany’s urging, moved to crack down on Serbian nationalism

8. Basic Chronology, 1914-1915 • Russia, building up its military, was likely to defend Serbia while drawing in France. • July 28, 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia • Russia mobilized • Germany declared war on Russia and the next day declared war on France. Germany invaded Belgium, drawing Britain into the war, Germany invaded France, and then Britain declared war on Germany. • On August 4, the German Army invaded Belgium heading for Paris. In the first 16 months of combat, France suffered roughly half of all its war casualties (700,000)

9. The Schlieffen Plan • German plan to • Defeat France in six weeks as in Franco-Prussian War • Hold off Russia • Invade France through neutral Belgium to seize Paris • What went wrong: • Belgians unexpectedly fought against the Germans; gave British time to mobilize • Russians mobilized quicker than Germans expected, drawing German troops to the East to support the Austrians • The French heroically won at the Battle of the Marne (Sept. 5, 1914) to save Paris

10. Map 25–5 THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN OF 1905 Germany’s grand strategy for quickly winning the war against France in 1914 is shown by the wheeling arrows on the map. In the original plan, the crushing blows at France were to be followed by the release of troops for use against Russia on Germany’s eastern front. The plan, however, was not adequately implemented, and the war on the western front became a long contest in place.

11. Sept 6, 1914—French defeat Germans at the First Battle of the Marnesave Paris • October and November 1914—First Battle of Ypres—German advance was halted by French and British leading to trench warfare • http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_outbreak.html

13. The Eastern Front • Russian troops invaded Eastern Prussia. • August 26, 1914 Germans defeat Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg (E. Prussia). Germans must fight a two front war • 1915: German-Austrian forces pushed Russians out of Poland; Germans overran the Balkans • The British landed at the Dardanelles (Gallipoli) to try and knock Turkey out of the war • http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_gallipoli.html