Transcript World War I

World War I
Causes of World War I
• Near the beginning of the 20th century, there
were many calls for long term peace.
• The first Olympic games held in 1896, the
Nobel Peace Prize was established.
• However, there were even stronger forces
pushing the world to widespread war.
Causes of World War I
• Intense nationalism was growing between
countries like France and Germany.
• France was still bitter at the harsh ways that
the Germans ended the Franco-Prussian War.
• France desired to regain it’s power in Europe
and the world.
Causes of World War I
• Nationalism also ran high for the Slavic people
– Russia was the largest Slavic country.
• Another Slavic area called Serbia dreamed of
having their own nation.
• Austria-Hungary however controlled many
Serbians in their empire and this made many
Slavs unhappy.
Causes of World War I
• The competition for power around the world
through imperialism was also causing tension.
• European countries began fighting each other
in Africa to control more land.
• This was an economic problem – more land
meant more money for your country.
Causes of World War I
• Militarism was also a cause of World War I –
countries tried building the best military.
• Germany began building a strong navy to rival
the British navy – British became suspicious.
• In order to keep up with other European
countries – each of them built strong
militaries.
Causes of World War I
• Distrust and suspicion between the European
countries led to a tangle of alliances.
• Alliances were agreements between two or
more countries.
• Idea was to make your alliance big and strong
enough that no other country would attack
you.
Causes of World War I
• The Triple Alliance was formed – Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy (until war started).
• The Triple Entente – France, Great Britain and
Russia.
• If any of the countries in each of the alliances
started fighting, then they all would help fight.
Causes of World War I
• All of this competition and suspicion of one
another served as the “firewood” to the camp
fire.
• But in order to light the fire – or start the war
– there needs to be a spark.
• The spark was the assassination of Archduke
Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
Causes of World War I
• Archduke means he is the heir to the throne –
Francis Ferdinand was the nephew of Francis
Joseph the leader of Austria-Hungary.
• Ferdinand visited Bosnia on political business there were many Serbians in Bosnia.
• Remember – Serbians do not like AustriaHungary – viewed them as foreign oppressors.
Causes of World War I
• A Serbian nationalist by the name of Gavrilo
Princip shot and killed Ferdinand as he was
riding in his car.
• Princip was a member of the Black Hand – a
Serbian terrorist group.
• Austria-Hungary is outraged and demands
Serbia pay for the murder.
Causes of World War I
• Serbia did not agree to all of Austria-Hungary’s
demands – and asked Russia to protect them.
• Russia agrees and warns Austria-Hungary – so
Austria-Hungary asks Germany (alliance) for help.
• Germany agrees and declares war on Russia –
France comes to help Russia (alliance) and war
begins.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• Explain how each of the following are
considered causes of World War I.
– Nationalism
– Imperialism
– Militarism
– Alliances
– Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
A New Kind of War
• As war began, Germany knew they could not
win a “two-front war”.
• They had to fight France to the west of them,
and Russia to the east – means dividing their
army.
• To prevent a two-front war Germany had a
plan called The Schlieffen Plan.
A New Kind of War
• The Schlieffen Plan called for a quick knock
out blow to France.
• One problem of Schlieffen Plan – to invade
France, Germans had to cross Belgium.
• Belgium was supported by Great Britain and
when Germans entered Belgium – British
declared war on Germany.
A New Kind of War
• Germans were advancing quickly into France –
but British came to help and stopped German
advance at the Battle of the Marne.
• This caused both sides to stop and dig in for
the winter – causing a long stalemate.
• Stalemate is a deadlock where neither side is
able to defeat the other.
A New Kind of War
• On the Western Front (Germans vs. French
and British) both sides dug elaborate trenches.
• Trenches protected the soldiers from gun fire,
and it was difficult to successfully attack your
enemy’s trench.
• For the next four years, the trench lines
changed less than 10 miles.
A New Kind of War
• The land between the trenches was called “no
man’s land” because no man wanted to be
there.
• There were craters from artillery explosions,
trees and grass were destroyed.
• Barbed wire was also in front of the trenches
to slow down any attackers.
A New Kind of War
• Each side kept trying to advance – command
would be heard “over the top” and soldiers
charged at the enemy trench.
• After the attack failed, the other side would
counterattack – but that failed too.
• Reinforcements would then be called in to
replace the dead and wounded.
A New Kind of War
• Soldiers lived in the trenches and the
conditions were far from nice.
• Trenches were muddy, infested with rats,
wounded and dead were near.
• Constant explosions from artillery caused
“shell shock” for many troops.
A New Kind of War
• Advancements in weapons also led to the
stalemate and high death rate.
• Machine guns – could fire a rapid, continuous
stream of bullets – could kill waves of soldiers.
• Flame throwers – soldiers had tanks of gas on
their back and fired stream of fire – good to
“clear” out trenches.
A New Kind of War
• Improved artillery – fire shells into your
enemy’s trenches from long distances.
• Tanks – first introduced by British to move
across “no man’s land” – largely ineffective.
• Airplanes – first used to observe enemy troop
movement – later used mounted machine
guns and fought in the air and bomb the
trenches.
A New Kind of War
• Poison gas – loaded into artillery shells and
fired at enemy trenches.
• Gas was intended to disorient the enemy and
then attack them while they were
unorganized.
• Mustard gas became the worst – blindness,
internal bleeding, large blisters on skin.
A New Kind of War
• The war on the Eastern front was no better –
masses of Russian peasants were killed but
still hardly any advancement.
• Italy backed out of the Triple Alliance and
helped fight the Germans and Austrians.
• Japan sided with Britain and attacked German
territories in China.
A New Kind of War
• The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) sided with
Germany and helped fight the war.
• The main sides were:
– The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary
and the Ottoman Empire
– The Allies: France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy,
Japan…..and the United States later on.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• Why did the war on the Western Front turn
into a stalemate?
• Describe three ways in which new technology
affected the war.
The War Drags On
• As the war dragged on nations realized to win
they had to fight a total war.
• A total war caused each nation to channel all
of their resources together to win.
• Countries required all eligible men to serve in
the war and used taxes and rationing to fund
the war.
The War Drags On
• Total war also meant controlling public
opinion – especially news from the press.
• Both sides also issued a propaganda war to
promote their cause.
• England told stories of German atrocities in
Belgium and Germany promoted anti-English
songs.
The War Drags On
• Women played a critical role in total war – as
men went to fight women filled the jobs and
kept economy going.
• Many women worked as nurses caring for the
wounded on the front lines.
• The war gave women a new sense of pride
and accomplishment as well.
The War Drags On
• As the war dragged on the morale on both
sides began to fall.
• Stalemate, food shortages and heavy
casualties caused the low morale.
• Russia was especially hard hit by the effects of
the war.
The War Drags On
• Russians were growing tired of the tsars and
food shortages and high death rate was the
final straw.
• Bread riots in 1917 led to a full scale
revolution.
• Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown and Russia
became the first communist nation in the
world.
The War Drags On
• The new Russian government signed the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.
• This treaty ended Russia’s role in the war –
faced a harsh terms of surrender from
Germany.
• Germans now did not have to fight a two-front
war and could focus forces on Western Front.
The War Drags On
• Even though the United States remained
neutral at beginning of the war they still
“sided” with Great Britain and France.
• The U.S. sent supplies, weapons and money to
British and French armies.
• Germany tried to counter this through
submarine warfare – using U-Boats.
The War Drags On
• On May 15, 1915 a German U-Boat attacked
and sunk the Lusitania a British passenger
ship.
• 1,200 passengers were killed – including 128
Americans.
• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was furious –
demanded that U.S. have freedom of the seas.
The War Drags On
• In early 1917 British intelligence intercepted a
message from Germany to Mexico.
• British revealed the message to the U.S. – it
showed Germans trying to persuade Mexico
into attacking U.S. and joining Central Powers.
• This message was called the Zimmerman Note
– and the U.S. declared war on Germany.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What impact did the war have on women
around the world?
• What impact did the war have on Russia?
• What were the reasons why the United States
declared war on Germany?
The War Ends
• Once the United States entered the war it
took them several months to recruit an army
and train them.
• But U.S. troops served as a great morale boost
to Allied soldiers (France and Britain).
• Germans planned to make one final push to
win the war in early 1918.
The War Ends
• Germany launched a huge attack that pushed
the Allies 40 miles back into France.
• With the help of fresh American troops, the
Allies counterattacked and pushed the
exhausted Germans back.
• German generals informed Kaiser Wilhelm II
that the war could not be won.
The War Ends
• Citizens of Germany were becoming angry –
demanded that Kaiser Wilhelm II step down.
• Austria-Hungary was also facing collapse from
angry citizens.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II scared for his life flees
Germany and the new German government
seeks peace and an armistice.
The War Ends
• On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. the
Great War came to an end.
• President Wilson wanted to be the world’s
leader for world peace.
• Gave a speech in which he outlined 14-points
for peace.
The War Ends
• Wilson called for no secret treaties, freedom
of the seas, and reduction in arms.
• Wilson traveled to Paris to discuss the terms
of the peace with the other Allied leaders.
• The devastation in Europe from the war was
shocking.
The War Ends
• More than 8.5 million people were killed.
• More than 16 million people were wounded –
handicapped for life.
• Famine threatened many areas.
• Flu pandemic spread killing 20 million people.
The War Ends
• From France to Russia, homes, farms,
factories, roads, and churches had been
shelled into rubble.
• Citizens were bitter about the war – and the
winners were looking for payment from the
losers for damages.
• This is called reparations, or payments for war
damage.
The War Ends
• Great Britain and France were looking to
punish Germany because they blamed them
for the war and destruction.
• The Germans were forced to sign a harsh
treaty at Versailles – The Treaty of Versailles.
• Germans had no choice but to sign even
though they were being severely punished.
The War Ends
• The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to
take total blame for the war.
• Germany was forced to pay over $30 billion
dollars for reparations.
• There were also restrictions put on the size of
the German military, and returned bordering
lands back to France.
The War Ends
• Italy was also left dissatisfied because they
were not given the lands in Austria that they
wanted.
• Japan was also not allowed to keep the lands
they fought for in China.
• Former lands controlled by Russia and AustriaHungary became independent nations.
The War Ends
• The Paris Peace Conference also established
the League of Nations.
• More than 40 nations joined it with the goal
to negotiate disputes rather than go to war.
• The U.S. however did not join the league and
it proved to be powerless to stop war.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What were some parts to President Wilson’s
Fourteen Points?
• Why was the Treaty of Versailles harsh to
Germany?
• Describe Europe after World War I.