World War I

Overview  World War I was the first true world-wide conflict; referred to as “The Great War”  The first total war (the govt mobilized every person and resource for the war)  New military technology made it more destructive than all previous conflicts  Toppled several monarchies  Created several new nation-states in Eastern Europe  Helped lead to the Russian Revolution

The Road to War  The early 20 th century was dominated by European imperialism  No major wars for a century

The Road to War  Europe had always had a history of conflict  In the previous century, the continent had been overrun with Napoleonic Wars  Congress of Vienna ( ) had created a balance of powers that was upset with the creation of new empires such as Germany.  Otto von Bismarck humiliated France and challenged Britain  Germany joined the quest for new colonies in Africa and Asia

Underlying Causes of World War I  Nationalism – each ethnic group wanted their own nation and you should promote your nation’s interest above all others  Sometimes nationalists assert their nation is more superior than others  Encouraged rivalries between several European countries  Led to creation of new independent states in the Balkans  Austria-Hungary was composed of several ethnic groups that wanted to break up the empire and create their own countries

Underlying Causes of World War I  Imperialism – possession of oversea colonies was a sign of great power  Many European countries were competing for colonies in Africa and Asia; competing claims created tension  One quarter of the world was under the British Empire  Germany threated British economic supremacy  Russian interests threatened Austria-Hungary and Turkey

Underlying Causes of World War I  The Alliance System – Europe had divided into two major alliances:  Triple Alliance (1882) – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy  Triple Entente (understanding) - Great Britain, France, and Russia  Alliances were meant to preserve power but it meant that if any two of these countries went to war, they all went to war

Underlying Causes of World War I  Militarism – military values and goals took over civilian society  Bismarck had united Germany through Prussia’s military power  Every country built up military power  Kings wore military uniforms  Generals became influential in government

The Spark  June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated by the Serbian nationalist group “The Black Hand”.  July 5, 1914 Germany issues A-H “blank check”  pledging military assistance if A-H goes to war against Russia  July 23, 1914 Austria issues Serbia an ultimatum  Declared war when Serbia only agreed to 8 out of 10 demands

The Spark  July 28, 1914 A-H declares war on Serbia  July 29, 1914 Russia orders full mobilization of its troops  August 1,1914 Germany declares war on Russia  August 2, 1914 Germany demands Belgium declare access to German troops

The War Begins

 Began with France, Britain, and Russia on one side (the Triple Entente) against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (Central Powers)  Italy was part of the Triple Alliance with Germany, but joined the Entente after a secret agreement guaranteeing land from Austria- Hungary  Most European countries chose sides  As Triple Entente grew, came to be known as “Allied Powers”

Illusions of Grandeur  Many Europeans were excited about war  “Defend yourself against the aggressors”  Domestic differences were put aside  War would be over in a few weeks  Ignored the length and brutality of the American Civil War (prototype to World War I)  Belief that Modern industrial war could not be conducted for more than a few months  “Home by Christmas”

Illusions of Grandeur  “Fatal attraction of war”  Exhilarating release from every day life  A glorious adventure  War would rid the nations of selfishness  Spark a national re-birth based on heroism

Fighting the War  Schlieffen Plan  German plan finalized in 1905 to plan victory in a war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts – France (west) and Russia (east)  Concentrate troops in the west, quickly defeat France, and then rush troops to the east by rail to face the Russians before they had a chance to mobilize  It was successful for the first month but ultimately failed

Fighting the War  King Albert I of Belgium denied permission for Germans to move troops through Belgium  “Belgium is a country, not a road”  August 2, 1914 Germany declared war on France  August 4, 1914 Great Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgian neutrality  Germany made vast encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris  Underestimated speed of the British mobilization  Quickly sent troops to France

A War on Multiple Fronts  In the end, Germany had a war to fight on two fronts  Technically three when Italy entered the war between the Italians and Australians  President Woodrow Wilson called upon Americans to remain neutral

Fighting on the Western Front  Sept 6-10, 1914  Battle of Marne  Stopped the Germans but French troops were exhausted  Both sides dug trenches for shelter

Fighting on the Western Front  Trench warfare: Both sides dig ditches to create fortified positions  Separated by fields of barbed wire and mines called “no man’s land”  Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland  6,250 miles  6 to 8 feet deep  Immobilized both sides for 4 years

In the Trench  Elaborate systems of defense  Barbed wire  Concrete machine gun nests  Mortar batteries  Troops lived in holes underground

In the Trench  Boredom  Soldiers read to pass the time  Sarah Bernhardt came out to the front to read poetry to the soldiers

In the Trenches  “We all had on us the stench of dead bodies.”  Death numbed the soldier’s minds.  Shell shock  Psychological devastation  Mustard gas  Carried by the wind  Burned out soldier’s lungs  Deadly in the trenches where it would sit at the bottom

In the Trenches  Trench warfare baffled military leaders  Attempt a breakthrough  Then return to a war of movement  Millions of young men sacrificed attempting the breakthrough

Battle of Verdun  10 months  700,000 men killed  Longest and one of the most devastating battles of war and the history of warfare  Tactical victory for France  Had recaptured most of its defensive system

New Technology  New weapons crippled the “frozen front”  Poison gas (mustard gas)  Hand grenades  Flame throwers  Tanks  Airplanes  Tanks  Subs

New Technology  Airplanes  Dog fights in the air  Bombing inaccurate  Romanticized the battlefields  Paris and London bombed  Pilots fired pistols and threw hand grenades

New Technology  German submarines or U-boats dominated the seas  Used to attack large ships  Britain placed a blockade around Germany and Austria-Hungary in an attempt to starve them into submission  Russia became isolated from the West

Eastern Front  Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on August 30, 1914  Defeated  The Austrians kicked out of Serbia  Italians attacked Austria in 1915  Germany came to Austrian aid and pushed Russians back 300 miles into own territory

Eastern Front  Much more mobile more than the West  But loss of life still very high  1915: 2.5 million Russians killed, captured, or wounded  Germany and Austria Hungary joined by Bulgaria in Sept  Attacked and eliminated Serbia from war

Eastern Front  The Russian army fought badly, driven out of East Prussia and Poland in 1915  Failed counterattacks in 1916 and 1917  Lack of leadership and heavy causalities caused increased hostilities towards Czar Nicholas II  Helped lead to the eventual takeover by Lenin and the Bolsheviks  Withdrawal of Russia from the war in 1917

War Outside Europe  Serbia, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Greece, and Portugal joined the Allied Powers  The US was officially neutral but was sympathetic to Britain and France  American ships sent supplies to Allies and were attacked by German submarines  Lusitania sinking  1917 – US enters the war (same year Russia leaves it)  Most solders went to the Western Front and called “doughboys”

War Outside Europe  World War I led to the end of the Ottoman Empire  Sultan joined Central Powers to oppose Russia  Armenia Massacre  Ottomans fearful Christian Armenians would side with Christian Russians  Millions of Armenians were jailed or killed by Turkish soldiers  Minor skirmishes in African colonies  Both sides sent soldiers from various colonies to fight  British Indians hoped support would earn their independence  Britain gained support from Jewish settlers in Palestine by promising to help carve them a homeland

The Home Front  Women took war factory jobs  Received lower wages than males  Food shortages made running a household difficult

The Home Front  Censorship  Not told about high death toll  Romanticized the battlefields  “Soldiers have died a beautiful death, in noble battle, we shall rediscover poetry…epic and chivalrous”  “Newspapers described troops as itching to go over the top.”  “Government reported to the press that life in the trenches promoted good health and clear air”

The Home Front  “On Leave”  Troops would stay together so they could sympathize with each other  Impossible to hide death  Women in mourning  Badly wounded soldiers returned home  Opposition began to emerge

The War Ends  1917 – Russia surrenders (a separate peace)  U.S. joins the war on the Allied side  Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice  The 11 th hour of the 11 th day of the 11 th month  Now celebrated at Veteran’s Day

Death Toll Allied PowersCentral Powers 42 million served23 million served 22 million casualties15 million casualties

Impacts  Social Impacts  Men lost limbs and were mutilated  Birthrate fell markedly  Invalids unable to work  Ethnic hostility  Influenza epidemic  Psychological impact  “Never such innocence again”  Bitterness towards aristocratic officers whose lives were never in danger

Paris Peace Conference 1919  All victorious nations attended  Central Powers (or Russia) were not allowed to come and had no say in the agreements  Three most influential leaders were Woodrow Wilson (US), David Lloyd George (Great Britain) and Georges Clemenceau (France)  Wilson wanted a world “safe for democracy” and this would be the “war to end all wars”  Fourteen Points  Britain and France wanted to punish Germany

Wilson’s Fourteen Points  Wilson announced his 14 Points when the US entered the war  Wanted each nationality in Europe to have its own state  Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey  Also demanded freedom of the seas  End of secret diplomacy  Creation of League of Nations – nations would protect each other  Free trade  Reduced national armies and navies  Adjustment of colonial claims

Treaty of Versailles – 1919  German Territorial Losses  Independent Poland created  Lost territory to France and Poland  Return of Alsace-Lorraine to France; extension of French border to Rhine River  Lost all of its oversea colonies  Britain and France divide the Ottoman Empire/Arab lands (Sykes Picot Agreement)  Austria-Hungary and Turkey  Austro-Hungarian Empire divided into several new nation states  Turkey lost its territories in the Middle East

Treaty of Versailles  Punishment of Germany  Germany lost its navy, and army reduced to small police force  Forced to accept all blame for starting the war in the War Guilt Clause  Required to pay huge reparations (payments for damages) to the Allies  League of Nations  Created the League of Nations, an organization of nations pledged to defend each other against aggressors  No military force of its own  US, Russia, and several other major powers failed to join it  Prelude to the United Nations

Economic Impact  Germany was prohibited from importing or manufacturing war materials and weapons  Article 231 (“War Guilt Clause”): Germany forced to pay over $30 billion in war reparations over 30 years  Severe inflation and economic disaster affect Germany after the war since large amounts of paper money printed to pay off war debts  German people have trouble accepting that one nation should be blamed for starting the war  United States implements the Dawes Plan in 1924 to loan $200 million to strengthen the German economy and implement a more realistic schedule of reparations  United States rejects Treaty of Versailles and signs a separate peace with Germany.