World War I

1. World War I

2. Marching Toward War Rising Tensions in Europe • The Rise of Nationalism • By 1907 Europe was split into two rival sides • Germany, Austria, and Italy (The Triple Alliance) • France, Britain, and Russia (The Triple Entente) • Both sides formed alliances to protect the other if one was attacked • Each nation-state saw war as a chance to expand the state and achieve their political ambitions

3. Marching Toward War • Imperialism and Militarism • European countries establishing colonies (imperialism) around the world led to an intense competition • Between 1890 and 1914 European armies doubled in size as countries sought to build the largest, most technologically advanced militaries (militarism)

4. Marching Toward War • Crisis in the Balkans • A Restless Region • As the Ottoman Empire declined, states in the Balkans wanted to free themselves from Ottoman rule; but Austria-Hungary and Russia both wanted to control the states in this region • Serbia, supported by Russia, was determined to create a Slavic state in the Balkans but Austria was determined to prevent that from happening; many saw Serbia as a catalyst for war • Assassination of Francis Ferdinand • June 28, 1914 Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were assassinated by GavriloPrincip, a member of a Serbian terrorist organization

5. Marching Toward War • Austria saw this incident as an opportunity to take out Serbia • Austria asked Germany for support • With German support, Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia on July 23 which was designed so Serbia would reject it, giving Austria-Hungary the excuse to declare war • “July Ultimatum” was rejected and Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28; this launched World War I

6. World War Military Alliances

7. Marching Toward War • Declarations of War • Russia, supporting Serbia, launched full mobilization of its army to Germany and Austria on July 29th • On August 1st, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia • On August 2nd, Germany demanded that Belgium (neutral country) allow German troops to pass thru Belgian territory to attack France • August 3rd Germany declared war on France • On August 4th Britain declared war on Germany “officially” over the violation of Belgian neutrality; this officially launched all the great powers of Europe into war- one which was met with enthusiasm at first

8. Europe Plunges Into War Great War Begins • Nearly all of Europe took sides • Germany and Austria-Hungary (later joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria) became known as the Central Powers • Great Britain, France, and Russia became known as the Allied Powers (or the Allies); Italy and Japan later joined as well

9. Europe Plunges Into War Bloody Stalemate • General Alfred von Schlieffen developed the Schlieffen Plan which would prepare Germany for a 2 front war against both France and Russia • More troops would be sent to France because Russia lacked railroads to send supplies and troops to the front • Plan depended on quick French surrender, after the surrender troops would be sent east to Russia • September 1914 Schliffen Plan was in ruins after the Battle of the Marne outside of Paris • Allies defeated the Germans and they knew quick victory in France was not possible and Germany would have to fight a two front war • A stalemate soon developed where neither side could win a convincing victory • Both sides dug into trenches for the next 4 years

10. Europe Plunges Into War Trench Warfare • Armies on both sides dug miles of trenches and attacked each other across a “no man’s land” (area between the opposing sides trenches) for minimal military gain • Life in the trenches was full of mud, poor food, sickness and misery

11. Europe Plunges Into War Trench Warfare • Trenches stretched 500 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss Border • New weapons(tanks, machine guns, poison gas, submarines, airplanes) killed greater numbers of soldiers but did not bring a swift end to warfare • 1916 slaughter reached its peak • Battle of Verdun 300,000 causalities on both sides • Somme River 500,000 causalities over 4 months • Gains for each side in these battles? Germans advanced 4 miles, British advanced 5 miles

12. Europe Plunges Into War The Battle on the Eastern Front • Stretched from Germany to the Russian border • Russians and Serbs battled Germans and Austro-Hungarians • More mobile war than in the west • Russian Struggles • Russia was less industrialized than the rest of Europe • Army constantly short of supplies and weapons • Harder for Russians to receive supplies because of their access to the ocean • Russian armies main asset was men • Russians used their advantage in manpower to keep the Germans occupied in the east so they could not fully attack Western Europe 

13. A Global Conflict War moved beyond Europe • As the war dragged on the European powers looked for new fronts and other allies around the world to help to the balance in their favor • Europeans attacked the Ottoman Empire at the Dardanelles • Wanted to open a supply line to Russia • February 1915 Battle of Gallipoli turned into a bloody stalemate after a huge loss of life • In Asia and Africa Germany’s colonial possessions were attacked • Japanese attacked German Pacific colonies • English and French attacked Germany’s colonies in Africa • British and French colonial subjects were enlisted to fight for their colonial masters

14. A Global Conflict • America Joins the War • 1915 Germans use new technology, the submarine, to control the seas • Germans begin to sink boats without warning around Britain, policy called unrestricted submarine warfare • May 1915 the Germans sink the Lusitania, a British passenger ship that had Americans on board • Americans were outraged and the Germans shortly agreed to stop sinking neutral ships

15. A Global Conflict • Germany did not keep their word about submarine warfare and returned to this tactic in 1917 • They knew that it could lead to U.S. entering war on the side of the allies • Germany hoped that the naval blockade of Great Britain would starve the Allies into defeat before the U.S. entered the war • February 1917 the U.S. intercepts the Zimmerman note that promises German help to Mexico regain lost territory to the U.S. if Mexico helps Germany • This was the last straw and the Americans entered the war on the side of the Allies • April 2, 1917 U.S. declares war on Germany

16. A Global Conflict War Affects the Home Front • War affected soldiers and civilians • War became a total war, countries devoted all of their resources to winning the conflict • Government took control of the economy • Told factories what to produce, production all for war effort • Goods in short supply were rationed • Governments suppressed anti-war activity and used propaganda (one sided information) to keep up morale and support the war effort • Many women went to work in factories • Changed the view of what people thought women were capable of

18. A Global Conflict • American troops gave Allies military advantage • March 1917 Russia withdraws from the war, no longer had the leadership or resources to continue fighting • Germany could focus all of their forces on the Western Front • By May 1918 German forces had reached the Marne River • July 1918 Allies using fresh American troops defeated the Germans in the Second Battle of the Marne • German offensives became less effective, troops became exhausted • Fall 1918 Armies of the Central powers began to collapse and surrender • Fall 1918 German troops mutinied, deserted, refused to fight • Germans signed an armistice with the allies Nov. 11, 1918

19. A Global Conflict Legacy of the War • Entire generation of young European men were wiped out • 8.5 million died, 21 million were wounded • Idea of war on a global scale • New technologies led to more destruction and death • Economic Impact • Drained countries of wealth, to fight was and rebuild • Destroyed farmland , villages and towns • Led to feelings of insecurity and despair that was reflected in the art and literature of the time • The peace treaty promoted anger and resentment • We are Making a New World • Paul Nash (1918)

20. A Flawed Peace • January 1919 Allied powers met to discuss what would happen now that the war was over • Big Four countries dictated most of the decisions (U.S., France, Great Britain, Italy) • Russia, Germany and the other Central Powers were not represented • U.S. president Woodrow Wilson came with a plan called the Fourteen Points, Wilson’s plan to bring peace to Europe • Main goal was to provide countries with the idea of self determination, or the right to choose their own government • European nations wanted to punish Germany and did not want to go along with Wilson’s ideas

21. A Flawed Peace • June 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed between Germany and the Allied powers • Treaty established a League of Nations to negotiate peace among nations and to prevent future wars • Punished Germany • Germany and other Central powers lost huge amounts of territory in Europe, Africa and the Pacific • New countries were formed out of the Central Powers • Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia • In the Middle East former Ottoman Territory came under the control of Great Britain and France • Russia also suffered loss of land

22. A Flawed Peace • Placed the responsibility of starting the war on Germany and made them have to pay reparations (pay for damages caused by the war) to the Allies • Treaty created bitterness and hard feelings in Germany and other European nations • Treaty was a factor in starting World War II • U.S. came out of the war as a world power