World War I

1. World War I

2. Overview • World War I was the first true world-wide conflict; referred to as “The Great War” • The first total war (the govt mobilized every person and resource for the war) • New military technology made it more destructive than all previous conflicts • Toppled several monarchies • Created several new nation-states in Eastern Europe • Helped lead to the Russian Revolution

3. The Road to War • The early 20th century was dominated by European imperialism • No major wars for a century

4. The Road to War • Europe had always had a history of conflict • In the previous century, the continent had been overrun with Napoleonic Wars • Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) had created a balance of powers that was upset with the creation of new empires such as Germany. • Otto von Bismarck humiliated France and challenged Britain • Germany joined the quest for new colonies in Africa and Asia

5. Underlying Causes of World War I • Nationalism – each ethnic group wanted their own nation and you should promote your nation’s interest above all others • Sometimes nationalists assert their nation is more superior than others • Encouraged rivalries between several European countries • Led to creation of new independent states in the Balkans • Austria-Hungary was composed of several ethnic groups that wanted to break up the empire and create their own countries

6. Underlying Causes of World War I • Imperialism – possession of oversea colonies was a sign of great power • Many European countries were competing for colonies in Africa and Asia; competing claims created tension • One quarter of the world was under the British Empire • Germany threated British economic supremacy • Russian interests threatened Austria-Hungary and Turkey

7. Underlying Causes of World War I • The Alliance System – Europe had divided into two major alliances: • Triple Alliance (1882) – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy • Triple Entente (understanding) - Great Britain, France, and Russia • Alliances were meant to preserve power but it meant that if any two of these countries went to war, they all went to war

8. Underlying Causes of World War I • Militarism – military values and goals took over civilian society • Bismarck had united Germany through Prussia’s military power • Every country built up military power • Kings wore military uniforms • Generals became influential in government

9. The Spark • June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated by the Serbian nationalist group “The Black Hand”. • July 5, 1914 Germany issues A-H “blank check” • pledging military assistance if A-H goes to war against Russia • July 23, 1914 Austria issues Serbia an ultimatum • Declared war when Serbia only agreed to 8 out of 10 demands

10. The Spark • July 28, 1914 A-H declares war on Serbia • July 29, 1914 Russia orders full mobilization of its troops • August 1,1914 Germany declares war on Russia • August 2, 1914 Germany demands Belgium declare access to German troops

11. The War Begins

12. The War Begins • Began with France, Britain, and Russia on one side (the Triple Entente) against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire(Central Powers) • Italy was part of the Triple Alliance with Germany, but joined the Entente after a secret agreement guaranteeing land from Austria-Hungary • Most European countries chose sides • As Triple Entente grew, came to be known as “Allied Powers”

13. Illusions of Grandeur • Many Europeans were excited about war • “Defend yourself against the aggressors” • Domestic differences were put aside • War would be over in a few weeks • Ignored the length and brutality of the American Civil War (prototype to World War I) • Belief that Modern industrial war could not be conducted for more than a few months • “Home by Christmas”

14. Illusions of Grandeur • “Fatal attraction of war” • Exhilarating release from every day life • A glorious adventure • War would rid the nations of selfishness • Spark a national re-birth based on heroism

15. Fighting the War • Schlieffen Plan • German plan finalized in 1905 to plan victory in a war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts – France (west) and Russia (east) • Concentrate troops in the west, quickly defeat France, and then rush troops to the east by rail to face the Russians before they had a chance to mobilize • It was successful for the first month but ultimately failed

16. Fighting the War • King Albert I of Belgium denied permission for Germans to move troops through Belgium • “Belgium is a country, not a road” • August 2, 1914 Germany declared war on France • August 4, 1914 Great Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgian neutrality • Germany made vast encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris • Underestimated speed of the British mobilization • Quickly sent troops to France

17. A War on Multiple Fronts • In the end, Germany had a war to fight on two fronts • Technically three when Italy entered the war between the Italians and Australians • President Woodrow Wilson called upon Americans to remain neutral

18. Fighting on the Western Front • Sept 6-10, 1914 • Battle of Marne • Stopped the Germans but French troops were exhausted • Both sides dug trenches for shelter

19. Fighting on the Western Front • Trench warfare: Both sides dig ditches to create fortified positions • Separated by fields of barbed wire and mines called “no man’s land” • Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland • 6,250 miles • 6 to 8 feet deep • Immobilized both sides for 4 years

23. In the Trench • Elaborate systems of defense • Barbed wire • Concrete machine gun nests • Mortar batteries • Troops lived in holes underground

24. In the Trench • Boredom • Soldiers read to pass the time • Sarah Bernhardt came out to the front to read poetry to the soldiers

25. In the Trenches • “We all had on us the stench of dead bodies.” • Death numbed the soldier’s minds. • Shell shock • Psychological devastation • Mustard gas • Carried by the wind • Burned out soldier’s lungs • Deadly in the trenches where it would sit at the bottom

26. In the Trenches • Trench warfare baffled military leaders • Attempt a breakthrough • Then return to a war of movement • Millions of young men sacrificed attempting the breakthrough

27. Battle of Verdun • 10 months • 700,000 men killed • Longest and one of the most devastating battles of war and the history of warfare • Tactical victory for France • Had recaptured most of its defensive system

28. New Technology • New weapons crippled the “frozen front” • Poison gas (mustard gas) • Hand grenades • Flame throwers • Tanks • Airplanes • Tanks • Subs

29. New Technology • Airplanes • Dog fights in the air • Bombing inaccurate • Romanticized the battlefields • Paris and London bombed • Pilots fired pistols and threw hand grenades

30. New Technology • German submarines or U-boats dominated the seas • Used to attack large ships • Britain placed a blockade around Germany and Austria-Hungary in an attempt to starve them into submission • Russia became isolated from the West

31. Eastern Front • Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on August 30, 1914 • Defeated • The Austrians kicked out of Serbia • Italians attacked Austria in 1915 • Germany came to Austrian aid and pushed Russians back 300 miles into own territory

32. Eastern Front • Much more mobile more than the West • But loss of life still very high • 1915: 2.5 million Russians killed, captured, or wounded • Germany and Austria Hungary joined by Bulgaria in Sept. 1915 • Attacked and eliminated Serbia from war

33. Eastern Front • The Russian army fought badly, driven out of East Prussia and Poland in 1915 • Failed counterattacks in 1916 and 1917 • Lack of leadership and heavy causalities caused increased hostilities towards Czar Nicholas II • Helped lead to the eventual takeover by Lenin and the Bolsheviks • Withdrawal of Russia from the war in 1917

34. War Outside Europe • Serbia, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Greece, and Portugal joined the Allied Powers • The US was officially neutral but was sympathetic to Britain and France • American ships sent supplies to Allies and were attacked by German submarines • Lusitania sinking • 1917 – US enters the war (same year Russia leaves it) • Most solders went to the Western Front and called “doughboys”

35. War Outside Europe • World War I led to the end of the Ottoman Empire • Sultan joined Central Powers to oppose Russia • Armenia Massacre • Ottomans fearful Christian Armenians would side with Christian Russians • Millions of Armenians were jailed or killed by Turkish soldiers • Minor skirmishes in African colonies • Both sides sent soldiers from various colonies to fight • British Indians hoped support would earn their independence • Britain gained support from Jewish settlers in Palestine by promising to help carve them a homeland

36. The Home Front • Women took war factory jobs • Received lower wages than males • Food shortages made running a household difficult

37. The Home Front • Censorship • Not told about high death toll • Romanticized the battlefields • “Soldiers have died a beautiful death, in noble battle, we shall rediscover poetry…epic and chivalrous” • “Newspapers described troops as itching to go over the top.” • “Government reported to the press that life in the trenches promoted good health and clear air”

38. The Home Front • “On Leave” • Troops would stay together so they could sympathize with each other • Impossible to hide death • Women in mourning • Badly wounded soldiers returned home • Opposition began to emerge

39. The War Ends • 1917 – Russia surrenders (a separate peace) • U.S. joins the war on the Allied side • Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice • The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month • Now celebrated at Veteran’s Day

40. Death Toll

41. Impacts • Social Impacts • Men lost limbs and were mutilated • Birthrate fell markedly • Invalids unable to work • Ethnic hostility • Influenza epidemic • Psychological impact • “Never such innocence again” • Bitterness towards aristocratic officers whose lives were never in danger

42. Paris Peace Conference 1919 • All victorious nations attended • Central Powers (or Russia) were not allowed to come and had no say in the agreements • Three most influential leaders were Woodrow Wilson (US), David Lloyd George (Great Britain) and Georges Clemenceau (France) • Wilson wanted a world “safe for democracy” and this would be the “war to end all wars” • Fourteen Points • Britain and France wanted to punish Germany

43. Wilson’s Fourteen Points • Wilson announced his 14 Points when the US entered the war • Wanted each nationality in Europe to have its own state • Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey • Also demanded freedom of the seas • End of secret diplomacy • Creation of League of Nations – nations would protect each other • Free trade • Reduced national armies and navies • Adjustment of colonial claims

44. Treaty of Versailles – 1919 • German Territorial Losses • Independent Poland created • Lost territory to France and Poland • Return of Alsace-Lorraine to France; extension of French border to Rhine River • Lost all of its oversea colonies • Britain and France divide the Ottoman Empire/Arab lands (Sykes Picot Agreement) • Austria-Hungary and Turkey • Austro-Hungarian Empire divided into several new nation states • Turkey lost its territories in the Middle East

45. Treaty of Versailles - 1919 • Punishment of Germany • Germany lost its navy, and army reduced to small police force • Forced to accept all blame for starting the war in the War Guilt Clause • Required to pay huge reparations (payments for damages) to the Allies • League of Nations • Created the League of Nations, an organization of nations pledged to defend each other against aggressors • No military force of its own • US, Russia, and several other major powers failed to join it • Prelude to the United Nations

46. Economic Impact • Germany was prohibited from importing or manufacturing war materials and weapons • Article 231 (“War Guilt Clause”):  Germany forced to pay over $30 billion in war reparations over 30 years • Severe inflation and economic disaster affect Germany after the war since large amounts of paper money printed to pay off war debts • German people have trouble accepting that one nation should be blamed for starting the war • United States implements the Dawes Plan in 1924 to loan $200 million to strengthen the German economy and implement a more realistic schedule of reparations • United States rejects Treaty of Versailles and signs a separate peace with Germany.