Transcript World WARS - Al Iman School

World WAR I
7th Grade
A. FRANZ FERDINAND
 World War I, known at the time as the Great War, began in
1914 following the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz
Ferdinand.
 The war had many causes, including tension following the
outcome of the Franco-Prussian War and the increasing
 1) nationalism,
 2)imperialism, and
 3)militarism in the years before the war.
Causes of the First World
War
 Franco-Prussian War
 Beginning in July 1870, France and
Germany engaged in a nine month
conflict known as the Franco-Prussian
War.
 German states finished their push for
unification, which helped Germany to
emerge victorious from the conflict.
 As part of the victory, Germany
acquired the region of Alsace-Lorraine
on the border of France and Germany
and imposed a harsh settlement on
France.

This settlement was a source of
continuous tension between France
and Germany in the late 1800s and
early 1900s.
Militarism
 Militarism is a political belief that a
country should maintain a strong
military for national interests.
 In the years before World War I, many
countries in Europe embraced this policy.
 As a result, there was a significant
increase in military spending because of
the desire to expand empires or protect
overseas colonies.
Imperialism
 Another source of tension between European
countries was imperialism.
 An increased desire for
 international power,
 natural resources, and
 friendly markets led to greater rivalries among
European nations.
 Germany, Russia, France, and Great Britain
were nations that attempted to consolidate
power by gaining the largest empire.
Nationalism
 The feelings of intense patriotism, known as nationalism,
also impacted Europe in the pre-war years.
 The idea of nationalism was especially popular in the
Balkans, which was surrounded by three large but declining
empires:
 Russia,
 the Ottoman Empire,
 the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Nationalism
continued…(S)

The Balkan League was established as a way to advance the
independence movements of Bulgaria, Montenegro, and
Serbia.
 After winning their independence from the Ottoman Empire,
Serbians and others supported the creation of a new country
for the South Slavs in the region.
 Other nations, such as Great Britain, France, and Germany
tried to preserve a balance of power, ensuring that tensions in
the Balkans continued.
 Leading to the assertion that the Balkans was the "powder keg of
Europe.”
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd2ch4XV84s (:50)
Alliances
 A complicated alliance system was in place in the years before
World War I.
 In the late 1800s, the Triple Alliance united Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy.
 Reacting with fear to the growth of Germany's power and
influence through the Triple Alliance, France and Russia
formed their own alliance.
 They were later joined by Great Britain, and the alliance
between these three nations was known as the Triple Entente.
Alliances…
 The countries of both the Triple Alliance and the Triple
Entente agreed to the mutual defense of all the member
nations.
 They agreed that an act of war against one nation would
be considered an act of war against the whole alliance.
 Though the system was meant to deter aggression, it
actually resulted in bringing more countries into the war
once the hostilities began.
Assassination of Franz
Ferdinand
 In 1914, a Serbian militant group called the Black Hand
conspired to assassinate Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of
Austria-Hungary, when he visited Sarajevo.
 Sarajevo was the capital of the province of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which was controlled by Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
 Black Hand members were extreme nationalists who believed
that all areas with a significant Slavic population, including
Bosnia and Herzegovina, should be united as Yugoslavia.
Assassination of Franz
Ferdinand
 Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed on June 28,
1914. The assassination of the archduke led Austria to
declare war on Serbia and is believed by historians to be
the event that triggered the outbreak of World War I.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgPYgXnu-Aw
Outbreak of War…
 After the assassination of the archduke, the first declaration
of war was made by Austria-Hungary on Serbia, an ally of
Russia, on July 28, 1914.
 This declaration was quickly followed by Russian threats
against Austria-Hungary and the subsequent German
declaration of war against Russia and France.
Outbreak continued….
 Once the fighting in World War I began,
 the Allied Powers, centered on the pre-war Triple Entente,
 included Great Britain, Serbia, France, and the Russian Empire.
 Other nations that joined the Allied Powers included Belgium, Italy,
Japan, Greece, Romania, Portugal, and the United States.
 On the opposite side of the conflict were the Central Powers,
based on the Triple Alliance.
 The Central Powers included Austria-Hungary, Germany, the
Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
WHERE IS THE US….
 The United States attempted to avoid
participation in World War I for as long as
possible.
 Public opinion slowly turned against
Germany and its allies, however, resulting
in the U.S. declaration of war on April 6,
1917.
Isolationism and the US...

In line with their usual policy of isolationism, the United States
declared neutrality immediately following the outbreak of war in
Europe.
 Isolationism refers to a foreign policy that is both militarily noninterventionist and economically protectionist.
 The United States attempted to follow a policy of isolationism
throughout a greater part of its history, especially when dealing with
European wars.
 This policy was difficult to maintain during World War I, however,
because of the close relationship between the United States and Great
Britain and also because of the growing anti-German sentiments of
people in the U.S. throughout the war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y59wErqg4Xg (42 sec. Start)
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare
 In February of 1915,
Germany announced that it
would be pursuing a policy of
unrestricted submarine
warfare in retaliation to the
blockade of Germany by the
British Royal Navy.
 The Germans announced
that they would attack any
ship found within the war
zone.
Unrestricted Submarine
Warfare (ATTACK)S
 On May 7, a German U-boat attacked the British
passenger ship Lusitania.
 Over 1,000 civilians were killed, including over 100
Americans. Outrage swept through the United States, and
Germany temporarily agreed not to attack any more
passenger ships.
Stalemate
 On January 31, 1917, following years of stalemate
where neither the Allied nor the Central Powers were
winning, Germany decided it would again resume
utilizing unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to
destroy the British Navy.
 This action shocked the world and resulted in a U.S.
threat against Germany, moving the United States closer
to war.
Zimmermann Note
 The final straw for the U.S. came in February of 1917.
 British intelligence intercepted a telegram from German
diplomat Arthur Zimmermann to officials in Mexico
proposing a Mexican attack on the United States.
 The telegram was sent to President Woodrow Wilson
and published throughout the U.S. on March 1, 1917.
Declaration of War

Due to the events above, public opinion slowly turned
against Germany. On April 2, 1917, Woodrow Wilson
called a special session of Congress in order to ask for a
declaration of war against Germany.
 During his speech, Wilson called the war made by
Germany a "war against mankind," referencing
particularly the use of unrestricted submarine warfare.
Declaration of War
continue…
 The United States declared war on April 6, 1917.
American involvement broke the stalemate that had
marked the early years of the war.
 Following 1917, the tides turned in favor of the Allies,
and they were ultimately victorious.
Treaty and the League…
 The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919,
officially ended World War I.
 The treaty set up the international association of
countries known as the League of Nations.
 The League was ineffective in dealing with the problems
of post-war Europe and was replaced by the United
Nations following World War II.
 The lesson below discusses the Treaty of Versailles and
the League of Nations in more detail.
The Treaty of Versailles
 The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I and was based on
the principles set forth in Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points.
 The treaty included many territorial clauses, and areas that were
formerly considered part of large empires were given the chance
to form their own sovereign states, an idea known as national
self-determination.
 Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and
Turkey were all created following the war.
 Because of this, large empires such as the German Empire, AustroHungarian Empire, and Ottoman Empire ceased to exist.
Treaty of Versailles
continue….
 The treaty also placed the responsibility for World War I
entirely on Germany and included the following "war
guilt" clauses:
 Germany was required to pay reparations of upwards of
$11 billion to the Allied countries.
 The Rhineland, or the area on either side of the Rhine
River in western Germany, would be a demilitarized
zone.
TREATY OF V.
continue…
 The German military was to be stripped to no more than 100,000
troops, and conscription was abolished.
 Germany was prohibited from manufacturing items such as tanks,
submarines, and military aircraft.
 The idea behind the above clauses was the prevention of another
world conflict. Though other countries in Europe also agreed to
disarm, the restrictions concerning Germany were the harshest.
 The British blockade of Germany was an important part of the
German military defeat but became a tactic used by the Allies to
pressure Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles.
 The blockade continued even after the signing of the armistice and
eventually resulted in the deaths of 750,000 German civilians,
mostly due to starvation.
LEAGUE OF
NATIONS…
 The League of Nations was an association of world
nations set up according to the Fourteen Points and the
Treaty of Versailles.
 The organization's main purpose was to encourage
international cooperation and in order to maintain
world peace.
LEAGUE of
Nations…(S2)
 The League of Nation did not have any real power,
particularly because it lacked its own armed forces.
 Instead, it relied on forces from the world powers to enforce its
sanctions.
 The League also did not represent all the nations in the world.
Germany, for example, was excluded from joining the League.
 The League also suffered because of the absence of the United
States.
 Though President Wilson's original aim was to support such an
association, members of the U.S. Congress such as Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge opposed American ratification of the
Treaty of Versailles, as well as American entry into the League.
LEAGUE….(S)
 The United States ultimately rejected the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles and refused to participate in the
League of Nations.
 This is because many Americans believed the treaty and
the League would interfere with American interests
and would eventually pull the U.S. into yet another
foreign war.
 For this reason, the inter-war period was marked by a
return to the policy of isolationism for the United States.
The mandate System…
 In 1919, the League set up a mandate system to manage
former territories of the German and Ottoman Empires.
 Most of these territories were located in the Middle East
and included Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq.
COMING TOWARDS THE
END….
 Though the United States was prosperous during the 1920s,
many other countries in the world were suffering.
 World War I had ended in 1919, and many countries in Europe
found themselves with huge war debts.
 This caused a strain, and many countries suffered economic
collapse.
 These countries developed many ways of dealing with economic
problems. Mainly, people believed that a strong government
would be able to help the economy.
Questions to consider…
 Look on Website
Fascism
 Fascism is a political philosophy that gives total
power to a dictator, and often, individual
freedoms are denied.
 Fascist governments usually have a strong
military and try to inspire extreme nationalism
(loyalty to a nation) in their people.
 Fascism was popular in the 1920s and 1930s in
places like Germany and Italy.
 Italy's fascist government was formed under
Benito Mussolini, who is often called the father
of fascism.
Rise of Fascists…
 Historians believe the rise of fascist governments was
caused by the economic issues following World War I as
well as the fear of the spread of communism.
 Fears about communism grew as a result of the Russian
Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union
following World War I.
 People believed the fascists could provide a strong
government that would protect against the spread of
communism.