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World War I The War to End All Wars 1914 - 1918
MAIN Causes of War• Militarism – Buildup of armed forces.
Preparing for war.
• Alliance System – Agreements or promises by a country to help defend other countries
• Imperialism – Trying to build an Empire.
• Nationalism – Having pride in your country and willing to defend it.
MAIN Causes of War• Militarism
– By 1890 most European Countries had large armies ready to assemble quickly.
• Alliances– Triple Alliance (Formed in 1882)
• Members: Germany – Austria / Hungary – Italy• Problem – Triple Alliance had a treaty w/ Russia. Russia and Austria were
bitter rivals for control of the Balkans.– Triple Entente (Formed in 1907)
• France – England – Russia• Formed as a result of German aggression towards Russia.• Problem – Borders not aligned geographically
• Imperialism– Competition for resources in Africa and Asia
• Rise of Nationalism– Intense Rivalries – Competition for Resources– Territorial Disputes
Crisis in the Balkans• Serbia – Had the desire to annex
the Balkans into one country. (Most of these countries were native Slavs.)
• Austria – Hungary – Had the desire to annex all of the Balkans. Had support of Germany and annexed Bosnia in 1908.
• Russia – Supported Serbia’s quest to unify the Balkans into one nation. Offered Serbia full support but backed down when Germany supported Austria – Hungary.
The Spark!• Leader of Austria – Hungary Archduke Franz Ferdinand
assassinated! – June 28, 1914• Killed by a member of “The Black Hand” secret society with
the intent on freeing Bosnia from Austrian rule.• Austria-Hungary uses this action to punish Serbia.• With German support, Austria-Hungary presents Serbia with
an ultimatum. – July 23, 1914
A Disastrous Chain of Events• July 28, 1914 – Austria – Hungary declares war on Serbia.• Russia vows to protect Serbia and mobilizes troops.• August 1, 1914 - Germany views this as an act of aggression and
declares war on Russia.• August 3, 1914 – Germany declares war on France.• Germany enacts the Schlieffen Plan and invades Belgium, a neutral
country, to get to France.• August 4, 1914 – Britain declares war on Germany for violating
Belgium’s neutrality.• Italians change their alliance to the Triple Entente nine months after
the war began, claiming they did not agree with Germany’s invasion of Belgium.
The Schlieffen Plan
• German Strategy to win the war quickly.• Named after it’s creator General Schlieffen.• Plan– Sweep west and defeat France quickly with a
surprise attack.– Return east after defeating France to defeat a
weaker Russian army.– Had to invade Belgium due to time constraints
after Belgium refused to get involved.
When Battle Plans Fail: Stalemate
• Plans Fail– Plans are based on false assumptions of enemy strength– Schlieffen invasion starts well, ends bad
Belgium and France do not have the infrastructure to support German advance– Battle of the Marne• 600 taxi cabs rush French & British forces to the battle• Hold line 40 miles from Paris• Stalemate on the Western Front
Western Front
• Trench Warfare on French-German Boarder– 500 miles of Trench from
North Sea to the Alps– 1 – 10 miles across– Battles• Verdun, Marne,
Somme Valley• German Hindenburg Li
ne
Trench Warfare• Trench Warfare– Forced by new weapons into the ground– 3ft to 10 ft trenches 100 – 1000yds. apart– Land in Middle is called “No Mans Land”– System of attack – counter attack– Fortified by machine guns, gas, artillery and cement
Eastern Front
• Russia has initial success against Austria-Hungary.
• Germany and Austria-Hungary regain territory and push Russia back to their borders.
• Russia suffers severe losses and will eventually fall to revolution in 1917.
World War I Weapons• Tank
– Armor protection, mobile gun, unreliable in WWI
• Submarine– German U-Boat, Torpedoes, Shipping Blockades
• Poison Gas– Mustard Gas & Chlorine, Choked-Blinded & Killed
• Machine Gun– Caused Trench warfare, Two men could operate
• Air Plane– Air recon., Bombing, Dog Fighting
Even the dog gets a gas mask
U-BoatsU-Boats
America Joins the WarAmerica Joins the War
Sinking of the Lusitania
Zimmerman Telegram
U.S.A. Enters the War
• In response to unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans.
• Germans accidently sank a British Passenger ship in 1915.
• April 2, 1917 – U.S. enters the war on the side of the Allies.
Total War
• WWI becomes a Total War!– All national resources go to support the War effort.– Governments utilized propaganda to drum up support– Women become major contributors to the war effort back
home.• War factory workers – making uniforms, bullets, etc.
Armistice! November 11th 1918European Tragedy
• The Lost Generation– 37% of European Males
between 18-24 Died– Deaths
• Germany 2.1 Million• France 2 Million• Russia 1.7 Million• Austro-Hung. 1.5 Million• Italy 500,000
• 38 Billion in Economic Losses
World War I CasualtiesWorld War I Casualties
01,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,0005,000,0006,000,0007,000,0008,000,0009,000,000
10,000,000RussiaGermanyAustria-HungaryFranceGreat BritainItalyTurkeyUS
A Flawed Peace
• Treaty of Versailles – France and Britain impose harsh penalties on Germany• Must take full responsibility for war• Pay 33 Billion to allies• Restrictions on German Army and Navy • Took traditional German Lands
• Wilson’s Fourteen Point Plan– Rejected as to forgiving to Germans– Point 14 a League of Nations accepted by Europe• US Congress refuses to accept the League of Nations
Europe after WWI
