7. The First World War and Russian Revolution

4st ESOMaira Gil Camarón

Why did war break out in Europe in 1914?

The armed peace in EuropeBetween 1870 and 1914 there was a period known as the Armed Peace: although there was peace, tension between the European countries was growingThe importance of the German Empire

After the unification of Germany in 1871, it became the most important power in Europe (economic and military development)Emperor: Wilhelm I – Chancellor: Otto von Bismarck they used diplomacy to maintain the balance of power between the European countriesThey established a system of alliances with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Italy, known as the Bismarckian system. They wanted:To maintain Germany hegemony in EuropeTo prevent France from declaring war on Germany to recover territories (Alsace-Lorraine)

Colonial conflictsBerlin Conference (1885) had tried to establish rules for the colonisation, but the new international expansionist polity (Weltpolitik) undertaken by the German Emperor (Wilhelm II) after the Bismarckian system reopened conflicts between European countries and destabilized the international situation Moroccan crises (Germany against France)

Rivalry between powers and nationalismEuropean countries became nationalistic in order to defend their interests in Europe and in their colonial empires

Some European peoples had nationalist aspirations (they wanted to be independent) and others defended their status as great traditional empires

The French region of Alsace-Lorraine was annexed by the German Empire after their victory in the Franco-Prussian war and France wanted to recover it

Strong rivalry between the British and German Empires over economic control of Europe and its trade routes GB saw the supremacy of its merchant navy threatened when the German Empire constructed a large fleet of merchant ships in order to dominate international trade

The Balkan warsThe Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire competed for control of the Balkans (under the control of the Ottoman Empire). At the same time, Serbia (a Balkan country) was angry about the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the area. The situation led to recurring crises in the Balkans

1912-1913: Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire for the possession of its territories in the Balkans. After their victory, a second war was fought between these countries over the division of the territories. The Treaty of Bucharest was signed in 1913, ending the was in which Bulgaria was defeated; and Serbia expanded its Balkan territories, provoking the hostility of Austria-Hungary because it had interests in this area

Military alliances and the arms raceThe Great Powers divided into two opposing military alliances in preparation for a possible confrontation:TRIPLE ALLIANCE

1882: German Empire + Austria-Hungary + ItalyTRIPLE ENTENTE

1907: France + Russia + Great Britain

The mistrust between the Great Powers also caused an arms race: all of them spent vast amount of money on manufacturing new weapons and strengthening their armies28 June 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Autro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) by a nationalist, and the Austro-Hungarian government blamed Serbia for the assassination and sent an ultimatum which was ignored28 July 1914 Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia. The First World War was started

The phases of the war1. Initial German offensives (1914)

Schlieffen Plan: Launching a rapid offensive on the Western Front, invading Belgium (a neutral country) and the north of France with the aim of reaching Paris. After that, German troops advanced on the Eastern Front to fight the Russians. The Germans hoped to win quickly so it would be able to the concentrate on the Eastern Front this plan did not succeed because France an Britain stopped their advance in the First Battle of the Marne

At the same time, Japan occupied the German colonies in the Pacific and China

2. Trench warfare (1915-1916)The Western Front between Germany and the Allies stabilised a new phase of the war: it became immobile and both sides focused on defending their positions building trenches from where they could defend themselves using new weapons (machine guns, heavy artillery, tanks, poison gas and flamethrowers)Both groups had to find new allies who could provide more soldiers the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria and Romania entered in the warThe Germans launched a new offensive in 1916 but were stopped by the French at the Battle of Verdun. The French and British attacked German lines at the Battle of Somme. Both offensives achieved very little despite enormous casualties on both sidesThey used battleships and submarines: in the Battle of Jutland, the British fleet defeated the German fleet

3. Incorporation and withdrawal of allies (1917)

The United States declined to join the war on the side of the Allies because German submarines had sunk neutral merchant ships Germany has initiated attacks, endangering the American merchant fleet that supplied Britain and France global conflictA political and social revolution in the Russian Empire caused Russia to withdraw from the war after signing the Peace of Brest-Litovsk

4. The end of the war and the Armistice (1918)The help of the American troops and weapons allowed the Allied forces to advance on the Western Front (the Second Battle of the Marne). Exhaustion and an ever-increasing lack of resources drove the central powers to seek peaceKaiser (emperor) Wilhelm II abdicated and on 11 November 1918, the Armistice was signed

A total warThe involvement of the civilian population

A new type of national army emerged as a consequence of the 19th century revolutions: compulsory enlistment the involvement of most of the male civilian population of army-recruitment age. So, the war affected the entire population as husbands and sons had to take part in the war.

The first great refugee movement (civilians from Belgium, northern France, Prussia, Russia and Serbia)

Women and men who were not eligible for inlistment were recruited to work in factories (munitions and provisions)

The war was the priority, and this slowed down the production of food and basic consumer goods. Hunger become common

Propaganda and opinion controlFor the first time, modern marketing techniques were used to create propaganda for the war, with the aim of maintain public morale as well as supporting the war effort patriotism, and a way of engaging the entire population in the conflictNewspapers and letters sent from soldiers were censored in order to avoid public dissent, and pacifist or anti-war socialists were arrested and silenced

Economy at the mercy of the warThe Governments of the countries at war

established war economies with heavy state intervention.

Munitions industries had to work to their full potential

Female population and non-enlisted males were forced to work in factories and any complaints or poor performance were considered treason

The war had to be paid for and governments got into debt and had to ask for loans allies were financed particularly by the USA, the richest power that remained neutral until 1917

Europe at the end of the warAn economic and demographic disaster

The war caused the deaths of around ten million soldiers and a large number of civilian casualties due to malnutrition and disease. This high death toll caused widespread demographic declineFrom an economic point of view, WW1 meant the permanent loss of European hegemony. European industry reduced in size by 40% and agriculture by 30%. All European countries were in debt.USA was the great beneficiary of the war and its economy became the most powerful in the world and the dollar replaced the pound sterling as the main currency in international transactions

The organization of peace1919: Treaty of Versailles

imposed the terms of peace with Germany, while other treaties were signed with other countries. They broke up Europe’s empires and drew new borders

A new European map

The WW1 and the Russian Revolution changed the map of EuropeThe end of the great empiresNew nations

The borders of many of theses states did not correspond to nationalities (Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia)

US president Wilson presented a manifesto (Wilson’s 14 points) based on his vision for peace and a desire to not seek revenge League of Nations was created to guarantee peace and cooperation between states, but the project failed because Germany and the USSR were initially excluded and US senate voted not to join. Ultimately, the LN and the USA had no influence on international politics

New problems, new conflictsInstead of bringing stability, the peace conference created new disputes. Germany considered the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles a humiliation (War Reparations) and Italy’s frustration at not receiving the land they had requested also led to increase nationalism

Why was there a revolution in Russia?

An autocratic empire20th centuries: the tsars ruled a vast empire with an absolute monarchy absolute power (the tsar ruled by decree, was no subject to any constitution and did not have to answer to a parliament)A loyal bureaucracy and a powerful army controlled the empire, while the Orthodox Church was one of the ideological pillar of the regime

Feudal agriculture and dependent industryAgriculture was the main economic activity and the land was controlled by a powerful and wealthy aristocracy Feudalism still existed in Russia: the majority of the population was peasants Industrialization had begun in some areas: a large industrial proletariat had emerged

Opposition to TsarismPeasants (without clear alternatives) and proletariat (Marxist ideas):

Russian Social Democratic Labour Part (1898), founded by Lenin it soon split into two wings, the Mensheviks ( the minority) and the Bolsheviks (the majority), who wanted a revolutionary path to change the country. From 1905 they were organised in Soviets: groups or assemblies of proletariat, peasants and soldiers

Bourgeois liberal parties:Constitutional Democratic Party

(Kadet)Socialist Revolutionary party

(Srs or Esers), which was influential among the peasants

1905 RevolutionOn January 22, 1905, about 200,000 workers and their families approached the Tsar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. They carried a petition asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. Nicholas II’s generals ordered soldiers to fire on the crowd. More than 1,000 were wounded and several hundred were killed. Russians quickly named the event “Bloody Sunday.” Bloody Sunday provoked a wave of strikes and violence that spread across the country. In October 1905, Nicholas reluctantly promised more freedom. He approved the creation of the Duma (Russia’s first parliament). The first Duma met in May 1906. Its leaders were moderates who wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain. But because he was hesitant to share his power, the Tsar dissolved the Duma after ten weeks.

The crisis of the WW1In 1914 Russia was not prepared for a world war: its army was not ready, its transport system was inefficient and its arms industry could not cope with demand famine appeared in cities the Tsar Nicholas II was very unpopular1916: the opponents to Tsarism saw the chance to end the regime and take power

The Russian RevolutionThe February Revolution of 1917. The fall

of Tsarism1915: the Tsar took personal command of the Russian army. People blamed him personally when the war went badly1917: demonstrations, a general strike and riots. The Tsar ordered to fire on the protesters, but many of them joined the protests instead. The Tsar abdicated and the Duma formed a Provisional Government which included liberals and socialists who introduced liberal reforms but decided did not end the war this made impossible to improve the living conditions of the populationPopular discontent grew and the Soviets began to demand the dismissal of the government two powers face to face: the provisional government and the Soviets

The October Revolution. BolsheviksMost of the Soviets supported the Bolsheviks. His leader (Lenin) returned to Russia from exile and published his ideas in the April Theses: he wanted to establish a government of workers and peasant Soviets and to sign a peace treaty with Germany.Thy created their own army: the Red Guards, and prepared for an insurrection on 25 October 1917: the rebels occupied Petrograd, took the Winter Palace and overthrew the provisional government. The revolution quickly spread to Moscow and the industrial regions they proclaimed a workers’ government led by Lenin (Trotsky and Stalin)November 1917: elections were held for the Constituent Assembly Lenin dissolved the Assembly and put an end to political pluralism in the new Soviet Russia. The new government decreed the first revolutionary measures: land was expropriated to distribute among the peasants, and workers’ committees were given control of factories

The civil war and the formation of the USSRRussian who opposed the Bolsheviks formed the White Army to face them Civil WarThe Bolsheviks held the Tsar and his family prisoner, and in 1918 they executed themAt the start of the war, the Reds faced various problems:

The WW1 allies helped the Whites because they were worried about communism spreading to other countries

The Reds were surrounded by the Whites The Whites were led by professional soldiers

The Reds controlled Petrograd, industrial areas and the railway: 1921, the Reds won the civil war

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet Union): in theory it was a union of equal states, but it was dominated by Russia and controlled by the Communist Party. From the start, it had bad relations with Western countries