Transcript World War I - HRSBSTAFF Home Page

World War I
st
21
Century view on WWI
• Began with a squad of suicide bombers intent on
striking an imperial target
• Perpetrated by an avowedly terrorist organization
with a cult of sacrifice, death, and revenge
– was extra-territorial, no clear geographical or political
location, scattered in cells across political borders
• Today the world is far more complex than the era of
the bipolar Cold War of the 20th century
• Old powers are declining (Europe) and new powers
are rising (China, India)
Background
Franco-Prussian War – 1870-1871
• France attempted to stop the
unification of the German states
under Prussian leadership
• Prussia and the German coalition
defeated France, marched into Paris
and crowned the King of Prussia,
Wilhelm I, as the new German
Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm I in the
Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
• The man responsible for this victory
was Otto Von Bismarck who would
become chancellor of Germany in
1871
German
States 1789
German
Empire
1871-1918
French Humiliation
• France was humiliated and
forced to pay war reparations
• Also lost the territory of
Alsace-Lorraine and the city of
Strasbourg to the new
Germany Empire
• The desire for revenge would
be strong in France
undoubtedly contributing to
the desire for war with
Germany in WWI
Occupied territory by Germany
until France paid reparations
In France,
children were
taught in school
to not forget the
lost provinces,
which were
coloured in black
on maps.
Europe on the Brink of War
Rising tensions in Europe, 1914
• Tensions result of four
factors
– Militarism (Arms Race)
– Imperialism (Competition
for Colonies)
– Nationalism
– Entangled Alliances
Europe on the Brink of War
Militarism
• Massive military buildup in
European countries, late 1800s
and early 1900s
• Wanted to protect overseas
colonies from other nations
• Growing power of armed forces
left all sides ready to act at first
sign of trouble
• Minor disagreements had
potential to turn to armed
conflict
Europe on the Brink of War
Imperialism
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Late 1800s and early
1900s saw quest to build
empires
Created rivalry, ill will
among European nations
Germany, France, Russia,
Great Britain vied to
become great imperial
nations
Each did no want others
to gain power
Europe on the Brink of War
Alliances
• Nations formed partnerships to
protect against opposing forces
• Triple Alliance united Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and Italy
• Great Britain joined France and
Russia in the Triple Entente
• Believed no one nation would
attack another because allies
would join the fight
Europe on the Brink of War
Nationalism
• Strong devotion to one’s national
group or culture, increased in late
1800s
• Led to formation of new countries,
struggles for power
• Most visible in Balkan Peninsula,
southeastern Europe
• Home to many ethnic groups trying
to break free from Ottoman and
Austro-Hungarian Empires
Europe on the Brink of War
Some of the strongest nationalist tensions in the Balkans were in Serbia,
an independent nation
• Throughout the 1800s the Serbian people had fought a war against the
Ottoman Empire for Serbian independence – something they would
achieve in stages
• Serbian leaders wanted to expand the borders of Serbia even further,
uniting all the Serbian people into a “greater Serbia” – many ethnic
Serbs remained in the borders of other lands
• Austria-Hungary, a powerful empire to the north, opposed expansion
• Feared growth of Serbia might encourage ethnic groups in their empire
to rebel
• Tensions continued to rise in the early 1900s
Europe 1815
The Balkans
The Balkans
The Balkans
The Balkans
The Shot Heard Round the World
In the midst of the tensions with Serbia, archduke Ferdinand of
Austria-Hungary decided to visit the Bosnian city of Sarajevo
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28 June, 1914 - 19-year-old university student
Gavrilo Princip assassinated the archduke and his
pregnant wife – he was Serbian by ethnicity but a
citizen of Austria-Hungary
During his arrest and interrogation he implicated a
number of members of the Serbian military
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Russia, seeing itself as the protector of the Slavic
people, prepared to support Serbia
Germany, ally of Austria-Hungary, saw Russia as a
threat and prepared to support Austria-Hungary
Germany declared war on Russia – who in turn
was allied with France
War Breaks Out
Fighting Begins
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Germany faced war on two fronts: Russia to the east, France to the
west
Decided to strike France quickly then move to face the larger but slower
Russia
Began with a quick strike through neutral Belgium
Attack on neutral country led Great Britain to declare war on Germany
Italy, the last member of the Triple Alliance, declined to join its allies at
the start of the war stating that the agreement had been meant as a
defensive alliance
May 1915 – Italy joined the war against Germany and Austria-Hungary
The Schlieffen Plan
• Fearing a war on two fronts, the Germans
adopted the Schlieffen plan
• It called for a lightening fast sweep
through Belgium and on to France,
encircling Paris
• The aim was to knock France out of the
war quickly before Russia could mobilise
its forces
• It failed for two reasons:
– Britain entered the war after Germany
invaded Belgium
– Russia mobilised far quicker than expected
Fighting in 1914
Germany’s plan
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Germany wanted to quickly defeat France, move east to fight Russia
Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany doomed its plan
The Great War became a bloody stalemate
Early battles
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Battle of the Frontiers pitted Germany troops against both French and
British
Both sides suffered heavy losses – Germany victorious
Russia enters fighting
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Russia attacked German territory from the east
Russians defeated in Battle of Tannenberg
Germany distracted from France, Allies turned on German invaders
Fighting in 1914
Trench warfare begins
• Allied troops drove Germans back, Battle of the Marne,
September 1914
• Retreating Germans dug a series of trenches along Aisne
River
– Waited in trenches for Allied attack
– Trenches elaborately contrasted, cleverly concealed
• Allies dug trenches of their own
– Major battles for months with little change in positions
– Deadlocked region become known as the Western Front
End of the War
• Empires would be destroyed
– Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Ottoman Empire
• 20 million military and civilian lives would be lost – another
21 million wounded
• Europe would be bankrupt
• The victors would redraw the borders of most of the world
(poorly) and sew the seeds for the majority of the wars of the
20th century
• Fascist and Communist movements would arise across
Europe out of the ashes of the destruction and within 18
years rule most of the continent