1. The Great War
Chapter 29

2. The War Europe Expected
Superiority in armed forces was a priority to European nations seeking to protect peace
Modern war was to be short (modern weapons would cause this)
Most advanced country would win
Alliance system was for defense as well as to protect common interests
Triple Entente: France/ Great Britain/ Russia
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
G/ A.H. had a shared interest in the Balkans

3. Crisis in the Balkans Russia supported them (mostly Slavic nation)
Austria-Hungary feared rebellion among their Slavic population
Crisis: assassination of Archduke Ferdinand-heir to Habsburg throne
Austria gave Serbia an ultimatum, which they could not meet
Declared war July 28, 1914
Area composed of an assortment of ethnic groups
Some of these groups had already successful freed themselves from Ottoman rule (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia)
Russia and Austria-Hungary were in conflict over the issue of Serbia and Serbian nationalist movements

4. Domino Effect
Alliance system collapsed when Austria declared war on Serbia (pulled in Russia and other alliances)
Russia’s main plan of defense was to mobilize troops prior to war-due to the poor RR system they would not be able to mobilize troops as quickly as Germany
Began mobilizing troops towards Austria and Germany
French Plan XVII: concentration of troops in one specific area: Lorraine and Alsace
However, left Paris exposed and the heartland of France exposed to a northern attack

5. The Schlieffen Plan
Alfred von Schlieffen: Chief German General: main war plan
In the event of war with Russia, Germany was to attack France first
France was more industrialized and would be harder to defeat. Afterwards, Germany could concentrate on the Eastern Front with Russia
Attack France by way of neutral states

6. Stalemate on Western Front
Eastern front wasn’t limited to trench warfare due to large border
Tannenberg Forest-1914: Russian loss
Masurian Lakes-1914: Russian loss
Enjoyed success along southern front against Austria until Germans pushed them back (Limanowa)
Russians suffered incredible losses (2 million)! Support for the war and government began to wane
At first Schlieffen Plan worked well
First Battle of the Marne: Sept 5: Allies attacked Germans and pushed Germans into a retreat (60 miles)
Battle of Verdun: 1916: German offensive against France-each side lost more than 300,000 men
Battle of Somme: 1916: 7 mile advance-Allies were successful, but at a total cost of 1 million lives
2 Front War

7. World War I Trenches ran from the English Channel to Swiss border
Machine guns, poison gas, and heavy artillery made short work of infantry
Tanks, flame throwers, poison gas, and barbed wire
submarine

8. New Weapons
chlorine, phosgene and mustard.

9. New Weapons
Fokker DR.I

10. Russia/ Gallipoli
Czar Nicholas, faced with revolution, abdicated his throne on March 15
Nov second revolution: Communist leader Vladimir Lenin seized power-insisted upon ending Russia’s involvement in the war
March 1918: truce: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (lost lands)
Feb. 1915: Allies attacked Ottomans in the area of the Dardanelles-led to capital Constantinople
If they could take Dardanelles they could supply Russians
Known as the Gallipoli (Gaa-lip-O-lee) campaign
In Dec. Allies gave up campaign and evacuated

12. U.S. Enters War
1917 Zimmerman note discovered: basically made a deal with Mexico that it could recover its lost lands the U.S. seized if when the U.S. entered the war it would support Germany and fight against the U.S.
1917 U.S. entered the war
U.S. sent 2 million soldiers
Unrestricted submarine warfare: proved to be German's most effect naval weapon-attacked Allied and neutral ships
1915 sank Lusitania (100 Americans / British passenger ship)
1917: sank 3 American ships

13. Tides of War Change
March 1918 Germans make one last effort to defeat the Allies –Ludendorff offensive
By May Germans had reached the Marne river (France)
July 1918 second battle of the Marne-Allies counterattacked
Allies defeated Germany and began advance toward Germany
Nov. 9, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II (G) was forced to step down
Germany declared itself a republic
Signed an armistice or agreement to stop fighting
Nov. 11, 1918 WWI came to an end

14. A Flawed Peace
French border was extended to the west bank of the Rhine river
Germany surrendered overseas colonies in Africa and the Pacific
Limited the size of the German military
Prohibited from importing or manufacturing weapons/ subs
Germany force to pay Allies $33 billion in reparations over 30 years
Woodrow Wilson-U.S., Georges Clemenceau-France, and David Lloyd George-Great Britain, and Vittorio Orlando-Italy met to establish peace terms (Jan. 18)
June 28, 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed
League of Nations-keep peace (Germany and Russia excluded)
Punished Germany-”war guilt” clause (place sole responsibility for the war on Germany)

15. New Nations Costs: 8.5 million soldiers died, 21 million wounded
Left countless civilian casualties via starvation, disease, and slaughter
Shattered economies of European nations, especially Russia and losing nations like Germany (hyperinflation, worthless currency)
Left many disillusioned
Treaties created new states to act as buffer states to stop the spread of communism and German power
New states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia
Old states winning independence: Finland and Poland
Austria-Hungary separated