Chapter 13 World War I

Setting the Stage for War

The rise of nationalism led to fierce competition and rivalry in Europe.

Imperialism made European countries compete for overseas empires and deepened their mistrust of one another.

By 1914, Militarism involved a race for arms (weapons) and the building of large standing armies in all European countries except Great Britain.

Alliances were formed as early as the 1870’s to keep peace. (This soon changed!)

Tangled Alliances

Triple Alliance (1879,1881) – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

Triple Entente (1907) – Great Britain, France, and Russia

The stage was now set for a crisis!

Crisis in the Balkans The Balkans

were known as the “powder keg” of Europe.

All the countries in this area longed for expansion of their borders.

Shot heard around Europe

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife, Sophie, were visiting the capital city of Bosnia, Sarajevo.

On June 28th, 1914, the couple were in an open car during a parade.

Gavrilo Princip, a 19 year old Serbian, was a member of the Black Hand, a secret society committed to ridding Austrian rule – He shot the Archduke and his wife point blank.

The Great War Begins

The countries of Europe followed through with their support of one another.

In response to Austria’s declaration of war, Russia began to move it’s army to the Austrian border.

Russia then mobilized along the German border. On August 1st, Germany declared war on Russia.

Russia looked to its’ ally, France, for help. On August 3rd, Germany declared war on France.

By mid-August 1914, Germany and Austria-Hungary were known as the Central Powers and Great Britain, France, Russia, and eventually, Japan were the Allies.

Germany’s Two Front War

German General Alfred von Schlieffen came up with a plan to attack and defeat France in the West and then rush to the east to fight Russia.

The plan quickly fell apart! (Looked good on paper!)

A Bloody Stalemate

First major clash was in the northeast of Paris at the Battle of the Marne. The Germans were defeated and the Schlieffen Plan lay in ruins.

The war turned into a stalemate with the digging of trenches.

Life in the Trenches/Western Front

Life in the trenches was pure misery. The space between the opposing

trenches became known as “No Man’s Land”.

The Western front trenches stretched for 500 miles, from the North Sea to the Swiss Alps.

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New weapons and tools of war killed greater numbers of people more effectively.

The most bloody year of conflict was 1916. The Battle of Verdun saw over 900,000 causalities. The Battle of the Somme saw over 1 million.

The outcome: The Germans gained 4 miles and the British gained 5 miles.

The Eastern Front/Frozen Front

The war in the east was more mobile than the west.

By 1916, Russia’s war effort was near collapse. Russia was not industrialized and was short on supplies.

The Russian army held up hundreds of thousands of German troops. As a result, the Germans could not hurl its full fighting force at the west.

A Global Conflict

The Gallipoli campaign was an attempt by Allied forces to establish a supply line to Russia.

Gallipoli turned into a stalemate and the Allies retreated after losing 250,000 men.

Battles in Africa and Asia occurred due to Germany’s colonial possessions.

Japan overtook Germany’s areas in China and in the Pacific.

America Joins the Fight

In 1917, the focus of the war shifted to the high seas.

A German submarine (U-Boat) sunk the British passenger ship Lusitania. 1,198 people died including 128 Americans.

The Zimmerman note was a telegram sent to Mexico from Germany to help them reclaim portions of the United States.

April 2nd, 1917 the United States declares war on Germany

The Home Front

America joined the war after it had already raged on for 3 years.

Europe lost more men in battle in WWI than in all the wars of the previous 3 centuries.

World War I became a total war. All of the countries devoted their resources to the war effort.

Rationing became a way of life for most countries.

Governments used propaganda to keep up morale and support for the war.

Women in the War Thousands of

women replaced men in factories and shops.

They built tanks, munitions, paved streets, and ran hospitals.

Many women saw war firsthand through work as front line nurses.

The Allies Win the War

The entry of the United States in the war, tipped the scales in the Allies favor.

Russia withdraws from the war in March, 1917. The communist leader, Vladimir Lenin takes control in November, 1917.

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-bloodiest-battles-of-world-war-i.php/battle-of-the-somme

With the withdraw of Russia, Germany sent all of their troops to the Marne River in France for a final battle. (2nd Battle of the Marne)

With the help of the Americans, the Central Powers soon surrendered.

The End of a War

On November 9th, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down. Germany declared itself a Republic.

On November 11th, 1918, World War I officially came to an end.

Allies Meet and Debate

The Big Four: Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, David Lloyd George, and Vittorio Orlando meet and discuss the war torn Europe.

Wilson comes up with the 14 points which dealt with peace and freedom (did not work!)

The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Paris Peace Conference on June 28th, 1919.

France and Great Britain wanted Germany to be stripped of its war-making power.

The League of Nations was created to be an international association to keep peace between nations.

Germany lost substantial territory, severe restrictions on their military, and they had to pay reparations to the Allies.