Chapter 23

War and Revolution

1914 – 1919

Key Events• Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by

a Serbian nationalist• Militarism, nationalism, and alliances drew

nations into war• The United States’s entry into the war helped the

Allies• The impact of the war at home led to an increase

in the federal government’s powers and changed the status of women

• The Russian Revolution ended with the Communists in power

• Peace settlements caused lingering resentment• The League of Nations was formed

The Impact Today• World War I led to the disintegration

of empires and the creation of new states

• Communism became a factor in global conflict as other nations turned to its ideology

• The Balkans continue to be an area of political unrest

Chapter Preview

“The Battle of Somme”

Section 1

The Road to World War I

Voices From the Past – Page 717

• On June 28, 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, was assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo.

• This event was the immediate cause of World War I, but underlying forces had been moving Europeans toward war for some time.

Nationalism and the System of Alliances

• The system of nation-states that emerged in Europe in the last half of the nineteenth century led not to cooperation but to competition

• Two loose alliances formed:– Triple Alliance (1882) – Germany,

Austria-Hungary, and Italy– Triple Entente (1907) – France, Great

Britain, and Russia

• In the early 20th century the alliances were tested with several crises

Internal Dissent

• Socialists were increasingly inclined to use strikes, even violent ones, to achieve their labor movement goals.

• Some conservative leaders feared that European nations were on the verge of revolution.

• Some historians believe that the desire to suppress internal disorder may have encouraged various leaders to take the plunge into war in 1914.

Militarism

• The growth of mass armies after 1900 increased the existing tensions in Europe.

• Conscription (A military draft) had been used in many European countries before 1914.

• Militarism (Aggressive preparation for war) was growing.

Approximate Size of Armies (1914)

• Russian – 1,300,000 soldiers

• French – 900,000 soldiers

• German – 900,000 soldiers

• British – 250,000 to 500,000 soldiers

• Italian - 250,000 to 500,000 soldiers

• Austro-Hungarian - 250,000 to 500,000 soldiers

Approximate Size of Armies (1914)

Russian French German British Italian Austro-Hungarian0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000Number of Soldiers

The Outbreak of War: Summer 1914

• The Serbian Problem (Page 719)• June 28, 1914 – Archduke Francis

Ferdinand (Heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary) and his wife Sophia are shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip (A 19 year old Bosnian Serb). He was part of a Serbian terrorist group that wanted Bosnia to be free of Austria-Hungry

• With the support of Germany, Austrian leaders sent an ultimatum to Serbia on July 23rd. Serbia rejects and Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th.

The Outbreak of War: Summer 1914 (Continued)

• Russia was determined to support Serbia’s cause

• Czar Nicholas II ordered full mobilization of the Russian army on July 29th (Knowing that Germany would consider this order an act of war)

• Germany ordered Russia to halt mobilization within 12 Hours. Russia ignored the warning. Germany declared war on Russia on August 1st.

The Outbreak of War: Summer 1914 (Continued)

• The Schlieffen Plan (Germany) – A 2 front war with France and Russia.

• Germany declared war on France on August 3rd. Also demanded that Belgium allow German troops to pass through.

• Great Britain declares war on Germany on August 4th. They were allied with France and Russia. Feared that if Germany and Austria-Hungary won the war where would that leave a “Friendless England”.

The Schlieffen Plan

Section 2

The War

1914 to 1915: Illusions and Stalemate

• Government propaganda genuinely convinced most people that their nation’s cause was just.

• In August 1914 almost everyone believed that the war would be over in a few weeks.

• The Western Front – Trench warfare kept both the French and Germans in virtually the same positions for 4 years. Two lines of trenches reached from the English Channel to the frontiers of Switzerland.

1914 to 1915: Illusions and Stalemate (Continued)

• The Eastern Front – Marked by mobility. The cost in lives was equally as enormous as the Western Front. In the beginning of the war the Russians were soundly defeated in Eastern Germany. However, Austria-Hungary (Germany’s ally) faired poorly in Serbia.

• Italy betrayed their German and Austrian allies and joined the Allied powers (Allies).

• Germany Aids the Austrians and devastates the Russian army at Galicia.

New Technologies in WWI

Major advances in military technology were made to shorten the war, but only caused massive casualties and lengthened the war

• Machine Guns

• Airplanes

• Tanks

• Submarines

• Airships (Zeppelins)

1916 to 1917: The Great Slaughter

• The trench warfare caused the Western Front to turn into a war of attrition.

• By the end of 1915, airplanes had appeared on the battlefront for the first time in history. First used to spot positions, then used for attacks.

• Fight for air control. At first pilots used pistols to shoot at each other. Later, machine guns were mounted on planes.

• Germans used giant airships (zeppelins) to bomb London and Eastern England.

German Gun Crew in Gas Masks

German Machine Gun in Support of Attack

German Airship (Zeppelin)

German Tri-Plane

American Bi-Plane

Planes as Infantry Support

German Tank in WWI

British Tanks in WWI

WWI Tank Crossing a Trench

French Light Tank used in WWI

French Renault Light Tank

German U-Boats (Military Submarine)

German Submarine Crew

Widening of the War

• Both sides sought to gain new allies who might provide a winning advantage.

• The Ottoman Empire joined Germany’s side and the Allies declared war on the Ottoman Empire in November 1914. Bulgaria also joined Germany’s side.

• In return for a promise of the Austrian territory, Italy joins the war with the Allies.

• By 1917, the war that had started in Europe had truly become a world conflict.

Widening of the War (Continued)

Widening of the War (Continued)Most Significant Nations Central Powers and Allies

Central Powers • Germany• Austria-Hungary• Ottoman Empire• Bulgaria

Allies• Russia• Great Britain• France• Italy• Japan• United States

(Entered the war in April 1917)

Entry of the United States

• The U.S. tried to remain neutral at first.• The immediate cause of the U.S. entry into the

war was the naval war between Germany and Great Britain. British naval blockade vs. German unrestricted submarine warfare.

• Sinking of the British ship Lusitania on May 7, 1915 by German forces killed about 1,100 civilians, including over 100 Americans (Germany suspends unrestricted sub warfare)

• The return to unrestricted submarine warfare in April, 1917 brought the U.S. into the war. The U.S. did not arrive in large numbers in Europe until 1918.

The Home Front: The Impact of Total War

• The war affected all citizens of countries at war, regardless of how remote they may be from the battlefields

• Increased government powers:– Countries drafted tens of millions of young

men– Planned economies took over for Free-market

capitalist systems– The difference between the soldiers at war

and civilians at home was narrowed (All were dealing with the war efforts)

The Home Front: The Impact of Total War (Continued)

• Governments were forced to continue and also change the way they manipulated public opinion about the war

• This was especially true as moral dropped

• Women took on many important employment roles while the men were away at war

• Women in Germany, Great Britain, United States, and Austria were given the right to vote following the war

Section 3

The Russian Revolution

Background to Revolution

• Russia was unprepared both militarily and technologically for World War I (Lack of military leaders and weapons)• Massive casualties from 1914 – 1916. By 1917 the Russian will to fight had vanished

Czar Nicholas II

• The Romanov family ruled in Russia for decades, and Nicholas II was the last to rule.• Due to the failure of Russia

during WWI, and his leadership at the battlefront, Czar Nicholas II steps down from rule in 1917

Rasputin’s Influence

• While Czar Nicholas II was leading Russia’s armies, his wife, Alexandra, was in charge of domestic affairs in St. Petersburg (Petrograd).

• Alexandra was brought under the influence of a spiritual leader, Rasputin, who continually interfered with Russian government decisions.

Revolution and Lenin

• The soviets were groups of workers and soldiers throughout Russia that rose up to challenge the governments authority in March 1917.

• From this group of soviets, the Bolsheviks became the most influential, and led to the rise in power of Vladimer Ulianov, who became known as V.I. Lenin.

Lenin and the Bolsheviks• Lenin believed the Bolsheviks should

use the soviet soldiers, workers, and peasants to overthrow the government.

• Three slogans summed up the Bolsheviks program:– “Peace, Land, Bread”– “Worker Control of Production”– “All Power to the Soviets”

• To secure peace, Lenin signed the Treaty of BrestLitovsk and gave up eastern Poland, Ukraine, Finland and the Baltic provinces.

Civil War in Russia• The Bolsheviks (Communists), under

Lenin’s leadership believed that everyone should have the same rights, and that the ruling party (The Romanovs) should be disposed of

• On July 16, 1918 the Bolsheviks had the Czar and his family killed

• The civil war in Russia was between the White Army (non-communist) and the Red Army (Bolsheviks)

Triumph of the Communists• The Red Army wins the Russian Civil

War and establish a communist rule in the new Soviet Union

• War communism becomes policy in Russia (The Soviet Union) which guaranteed regular supplies for the Red Army

• By 1921, the Red Army controlled all of the Soviet Union, creating a communist, totalitarian government under Lenin

Section 4

End of the War

The Last Year of the War• In 1917 it did not look good for the

allies:– Badly defeated on the Western front– Russian revolution led to Russia’s withdrawal

from the war

• However, the entry of the U.S. into the war in 1917 gave the allies a psychological boost

• German forces attempted a grand offensive in the west to break the military stalemate.

Influence of American Troops

• American troops arrived in France in 1918.

• Allied troops (French, Moroccan, and American) were able to stop the final German assault at the second battle of the Marne, in July.

• With more than a million American troops pouring into France, Allied forces began a steady advance towards France.

Germany Collapse and Armistice

• William II gives into public pressure and left the country on November 9th.

• The Social Democrats under Friedrich Ebert announced the creation of a democratic republic.

• On November 11, 1918 the new German government signed an armistice.

Revolutionary Forces• A German communist party tried to

seize power from the Social Democrats in Berlin and Munich.

• Austria-Hungary also experienced disintegration and revolution. By the time the war ended the Austria-Hungarian empire was no more.

• The Empire was replaced by independent republics and the monarchical state of Yugoslavia.

The Peace Settlements• In January, 1919 representatives of

27 victorious allied nations met in Paris to make a final settlement of the Great War.

• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson became the spokesperson for a new world order based on democracy and international cooperation

The Paris Peace Conference• The big 3 – U.S. (Wilson), France

(Clemenceau), and Great Britain (George) didn’t all have the same agenda

• In the end, only compromise made it possible to achieve a peace settlement

• League of nations was formed (international peacekeeping organization) – A wish of President Wilson

• Reparations – German payments to cover the costs of the war

The Treaty of Versailles• June 28, 1919 – German lands taken from France in 1871

are finally returned, to create a buffer zone between France and Germany

– Germany was forced to reduce the size of its military forces to 100,000 troops, which essentially served as a police force

– The new German government complained but, unwilling to risk a renewal of the war, they accepted the treaty

A New Map of Europe• German and Russian empires lost a

lot of territory and the Austro-Hungarian Empire disappeared

• The following nation states emerged from the lands of these empires: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia.

The War’s Legacy• World progress was halted:–The death of 10 million people during the war–Incredible destruction from the war

• World War I was a total war, one that involved a complete mobilization of resources and people

Chapter 23

War and Revolution

Wrap Up and Review

Key Events (Re-visited)• Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated

by a Serbian nationalist• Militarism, nationalism, and alliances drew

nations into war• The United States’s entry into the war helped

the Allies• The impact of the war at home led to an

increase in the federal government’s powers and changed the status of women

• The Russian Revolution ended with the Communists in power

• Peace settlements caused lingering resentment• The League of Nations was formed

The Impact Today (Re-visited)

• World War I led to the disintegration of empires and the creation of new states

• Communism became a factor in global conflict as other nations turned to its ideology

• The Balkans continue to be an area of political unrest