Transcript Arms Race and the First World War

World War I
The Beginning of the TwentiethCentury Crisis:
War and Revolution
Long-term Causes of WWI
Nationalism
Imperialism
Militarism
Alliances
Crises
The Great Powers of Europe
prior to 1914
Great Britain
Germany
France
Austria
Russia
“As many more individuals of each species
are born than can possibly survive; and as,
consequently, there is a frequently recurring
struggle for existence, it follows that any
being, if it vary however slightly in any
manner profitable to itself, under the
complex and sometimes varying conditions
of life, will have a better chance of surviving,
and thus be naturally selected. From the
strong principle of inheritance, any selected
variety will tend to propagate its new and
modified form.”
Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species
Causes of WWI-Imperialism
ECONOMIC
MILITARY/
POLITICAL
HUMANITARIAN
TECHNOLOGICAL
Need for markets Need for military
bases
White Man’s Burden
New Medicine
Raw Materials
National Security
Spread of Christianity New Weapons
Source of
Investments
Source of
National-Pride
Social Darwinism
(superiority of
Western Society)
New forms of
transportation
The Berlin Conference
Tensions began
to mount between
rival European
nations
Conference called
in 1884 by Bismarck of Germany to defuse
disputes and set guidelines for colonization
Slide 7
The Berlin Conference
Conference in Berlin essentially divided up
Africa – no African representatives were in
attendance (or were even invited)
While dividing up the continent tribal
territories and rivalries were not considered.
Boundaries were drawn that divided tribes and
coupled enemies together, leading to modern
problems in Africa.
Slide 8
Scramble for Africa
Slide 9
Spheres of Influence (China)
Local rulers maintain control of internal affairs
Europeans control port towns
Slide 10
Causes of WWIBismarck’s Alliance System
Dreikaiserbund-Three Emperor’s League (1873)
Wilhelm I of Germany, Franz Joseph of Austria,
Alexander II of Russia
Russo-Turkish War (1877-78)• Bulgaria revolts against the Ottoman Empire
• Serbia and Montenegro respond by declaring war on
Ottomans
• Russia self-proclaims protector of the Slavs and
Orthodox Christians
Treaty of San Stefano (1878)
• Ottomans defeated and must recognize the
independence of Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania
• Creates a large Bulgarian state (under Russian
influence)
*Austria did not like the amount of power Russia was gaining in
the Balkans and neither did the British; thus increasing the
possibility of war
*The Congress of Berlin (1878) was called by Bismarck; the
“honest broker” to settle the dispute of San Stefano
*Treaty of Berlin (1878) replaced Treaty of San Stefano
1. Granted independence for Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania
2. Size of Bulgaria was reduced
3. Austria was allowed to occupy and administer Bosnia and
Herzegovina (but no annexation)
4. Great Britain gained right to occupy the island of Cyprus
*Bismarck intended for the Treaty of Berlin to show
Russian dominance over the eastern Balkans and
Austrian dominance over the western Balkans, but in
reality Austria gained more influence.
Treaty of San Stefano 1878
Treaty of Berlin 1878
Dual Alliance 1879
Three Emperor’s League collapses after Treaty of
Berlin 1878
Bismarck creates a defensive alliance with Austria
Each would bring mutual aid if either was attacked
by Russia
Revival of the Three Emperor’s League 1881
Bismarck is able to restore this alliance between
Germany, Austria, and Russia
The alliance was fragile due to the animosity
between Russia and Austria over the Balkans
Triple Alliance 1882
Italy, Germany, and Austria
Italy initiated this treaty due to their anger of losing
influence in Tunisia to France
Reinsurance Treaty 1887
Continued conflict over the Balkans led Russia to
not renew the Three Emperor’s League
However Bismarck is able to convince Russia to
sign a treaty with Germany only
“benevolent neutrality” in case either went to war
with exceptions
• Germany attacked France
• Russia attacked Austria
Bismarck is dismissed by Wilhelm II 1890
Wilhelm II/Germany does not renew the
Reinsurance Treaty with Russia; Wilhelm II felt
that an autocratic Russia and a Republican
France would never create an alliance with each
other…oh, how wrong he was
Wilhelm II wants “a place in the sun”
Franco-Russian Alliance 1894
Secret military alliance; originally aimed at Great
Britain’s presence in the Mediterranean
Secret Italo-French Agreement 1902
Italy would recognize French claims in Africa; and
France would recognize Italy’s future claims in
Africa
This would help France during the First Moroccan
Crisis
Entente Cordial 1904
Agreement between France and Great Britain
primarily over colonial claims
France recognized British claims over Egypt; Great
Britain recognized French claims over Morocco
Alliances and the First World War:
Triple Entente, 1907
In 1907 Russia joined Britain and France to make the Triple Entente.
So by 1914 Europe had divided into two massive superpower blocs.
People thought this BALANCE OF POWER would keep the
peace.
Militarism:
the control of
government and
policies by the
armed forces, and
a willingness to
build up the armed
forces and to
consider a military
solution for
foreign relations
problems.
Wilhelm II’s Weltpolitik
The aim of Weltpolitik (world policy) was
to transform Germany into a global power
through aggressive diplomacy, the
acquisition of overseas colonies, and the
development of a large navy.
We have conquered for ourselves a place in the sun. It will
now be my task to see to it that this place in the sun shall
remain our undisputed possession, in order that the sun's
rays may fall fruitfully upon our activity and trade in foreign
parts... The more Germans go out upon the waters, whether
it be in journeys across the ocean, or in the service of the
battle flag, so much the better it will be for us.
A speech by Kaiser Wilhelm to the North German Regatta Association, 1901.
Naval Race 1898-1914
Between Great Britain and Germany
Germany wanted to expand its navy to 2/3
the size of Great Britain
This plan to increase its navy was sparked
by Great Britain’s invasion of the Transvaal
and the eventual Boer War
1902-1910 Great Britain’s navy went
through massive expansion to keep its naval
dominance over Germany
Technologically advanced ships like the
HMS Dreadnought, became the British
standard
HMS Dreadnought
Haldane Mission-Great Britain sent a mission to
Germany to negotiate the number of ships both sides
could build; the mission was a failure due to Wilhelm
II’s announcement of a naval construction bill to the
Reichstag the day before Haldane’s arrival
The naval race would be a primary reason Great
Britain would join the Triple Entente
By 1913-Due to financial constraints and increasing
tension with Russia, Germany began to focus more on
U-Boats than large warships; money was also used to
increase army needs along the German-Russian border
Slides 24-36 are from John Clare’s Website:
http://www.johndclare.net/causes_WWI2.htm
Arms Race and the First World War:
Essential Background - 1
The Arms Race was as much about nations’
INSECURITY as about their NATIONALISM and
EXPANSIONISM.
e.g. the Daily Mail ran MANY stories
(such as this one by William Le Queux)
imagining German invasions.
c.f. also John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine
Steps (about German spies).
Arms Race and the First World War:
Increase in Spending
Defence Spending, 1870-1914
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
£m
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1914
94
130
154
268
289
398
There was a four-fold increase in defence
spending of the great powers, 1870-1914.
Arms Race and the First World War:
Attitude towards war
But note that militarism is also a government's attitude
of mind, seeing war as a valid means of foreign
policy. (GERMANY was especially militaristic.)
Arms Race and the First World War:
Armies - 1
GERMANY, worried because it was in-between France
and Russia, built up the largest land army. The German
army was accepted as being the biggest and the best in
the world.
Arms Race and the First World War:
Armies - 2
This Russian postcard of
1914 shows Russia
(symbolised by a woman)
nailing the German eagle to
a pillory after a war.
But other countries built up their land armies too – in
1914, the fastest growing army was that of RUSSIA.
This worried GERMANY a lot.
Arms Race and the First World War:
Armies - 3
As well as their STANDING ARMIES, the nations
introduced CONSCRIPTION, so they also had large
numbers of trained RESERVES. All the nations
except Britain had HUGE armies.
Arms Race and the First World War:
Essential Background - 2
IMPERIALISM
led to an arms race
… in 1900, Kaiser
Wilhelm said that
GERMANY
wanted ‘a place in
the sun’ – i.e., that
Germany wanted an
empire as big as
Britain’s. This
TERRIFIED the
British.
This British postcard
interprets Kaiser Wilhelm’s
statement about wanting ‘a
place in the sun’ – it shows
him making everybody in the
world bow down to him.
Arms Race and the First World War: Navies - 1
If GERMANY was to
have an empire, it needed
a navy, so in 1900 Admiral
Tirpitz introduced the
German Navy Law, which
announced a huge
programme of building
warships.
Arms Race and the First World War: Navies - 2
Both BRITAIN
and GERMANY
started building
Dreadnoughts –
the most advanced
class of warship in
the world. The
Dreadnought
essentially reduced
everybody else’s
number of
warships to zero.
Arms Race and the First World War: Navies - 3
Building Dreadnoughts, 1906-1914
8
6
4
2
0
1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
Germany
0
0
4
3
1
3
2
3
1
Great Britain
1
3
2
2
3
5
3
7
3
There was a race between Germany and Britain to build the most
Dreadnoughts. The graph shows the number built each year.
Arms Race and the First World War: Navies - 4
Reginald McKenna, First Lord
of the Admiralty 1908-11.
In 1909 he told Parliament that
the German navy was just about
to become more powerful than
the Royal Navy, and he
instigated the press scarecampaign that forced Parliament
to build more Dreadnoughts.
The British government planned to build four Dreadnoughts in
1909, but the British public panicked, demanding: 'We want eight
and we won't wait'.
Arms Race and the First World War: Navies - 5
Total Dreadnoughts
30
25
20
15
10
5
1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
Germany
0
0
4
7
8
11
13
16
17
Britain
1
4
6
8
11
16
19
26
29
0
In the end, Great Britain built many more Dreadnoughts
than Germany.
Arms Race and the First World War: Effects
The arms race was tied in to both NATIONALISM and
IMPERIALISM. It increased SUSPICION and HATRED of
other nations - and it gave the nations the WHEREWITHAL to
wage war.
Crises Leading to WWI
Let the Crises Begin…
First Moroccan Crisis 1905
Wilhelm II/Germany provoked a crisis with France
over its claim to Morocco; Wilhelm II said
Germany had a stake in Morocco and wanted its
independence
Algeciras Conference 1906
• Germany only had support from Austria-Hungary
• Great Britain, Russia, and Italy supported France’s claim
to Morocco
First Bosnian Crisis 1908-1909
Austria annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina
Russia and Serbia are both outraged at this
event
Russia and Serbia back down once
Germany gives “full support” to Austria
Once again Russia is humiliated
Second Moroccan Crisis 1911
Germany renews objections to France’s
claim over Morocco; sends a warship to the
area
France relents and cedes part of French
Congo to Germany
Germany then recognizes France’s claim to
Morocco
Attention!!!
The Second Moroccan Crisis alarmed both
Great Britain and France. So much so that
Great Britain begins to concentrate its navy
in the North Sea, and France sends the bulk
of its navy to the Mediterranean.
First Balkan War 1912-13
Creation of the Balkan League (Bulgaria,
Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece)
Balkan League declares war on the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey)
Treaty of London 1913
Austria persuades the great powers (except
Russia) to create the new Balkan state of
Albania
Russia and Serbia are infuriated-once again
both lose influence in the Balkans
Second Balkan War 1913
Serbia did not receive access to the Adriatic
Sea that it sought during the First Balkan
War; wants part of Bulgaria’s share in
Macedonia
Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Romania, and
Turkey go to war with Bulgaria
Bulgaria loses and must give territory to
Romania; Serbia and Greece get most of
Macedonia
Alliances and the First World War:
The Balkans
But Russia was also allied to Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. When
trouble erupted in the Balkans in 1914, the nations found their alliances
dragged them into war…
Alliances and the First World War:
How the Alliances caused war
… like mountain climbers tied to the same rope.
(i.e. it is arguable that THE SYSTEM OF ALLIANCES CAUSED
WORLD WAR ONE.)
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Europe in 1914
World War I
The Great War
The Road to World War I
Nationalism and Internal Dissent
Nationalism
• Diplomacy based on national states to bring peace
• Led to competition instead of cooperation
Socialist labor movements create fear
Militarism
Conscription
Influence of military leaders
The Outbreak of War: The Summer of 1914
The effects of the Balkan Wars prior to 1914
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and wife Sophia,
June 28, 1914
German “full support” to Austria (Blank Check)
Russian mobilization-(Wilhelm II was trying to keep Czar
Nicholas II out of the war through constant communications)
Schlieffen Plan
Who is fighting who???
Triple Entente becomes
the Allied Powers:
Great Britain, Russia,
France and eventually
Italy and the United
States
The Triple Alliance
becomes the
Central Powers:
Germany, AustriaHungary, Ottoman
Empire, and
Bulgaria
4 Steps to War
1. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
2. Russia begins to mobilize for war with
Austria-Hungary (defending Serbia)
3. Germany initiates the Schlieffen Plan
leading Germany to declare war on Russia
and France
4. Great Britain declares war on Germany
due to its invasion of a neutral Belgium
Special Note: Once mobilization of land armies
begin, it is impossible to stop.
http://www.johndclare.net/causes_WWI1.htm
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The
Schlieffen
Plan
The War 1914-1915: Illusions &
Stalemate
European attitudes toward the beginning of war
Failure of the Schlieffen Plan
First Battle of the Marne, September 6-10, 1914
Russian failures
Battle of Tannenberg, August 30, 1914
Battle of Masurian Lakes, September 15, 1914
Austrian failures
Galicia and Serbia
Germans come to Austria’s aid
Battle Scene in Northern France
The War 1916-1917: The Great
Slaughter
Trench warfare
“No-man’s land”
“Softening up” the enemy
Battle of Verdun, 70,000 lost
Battle of the Somme,
• Heaviest one-day loss in WWI
Trench Warfare in France
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history/videos/life-in-a-trench
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
The Western Front, 1914-1918
The Widening of the War
Ottoman Empire enters the war
Battle of Gallipoli, April 1915
Italy enters the war, May 1915, against Austria-Hungary
Bulgaria enters the war, September 1915, on the side of the
Central Powers
Middle East
Lawrence of Arabia (1888-1935)
Entry of the United States
The United States tried to remain neutral
Sinking of the Lusitania, May 7, 1915
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history/videos/u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915
Return to unrestricted submarine warfare January 1917
United States enters the war, April 6, 1917
Bolshevik Revolution, 1917
A New Kind of Warfare
New Technology
Airplanes
Machine Guns
Zeppelins
Tanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLxzD6Luj4
The Home Front: The Impact of
Total War
Governments become more centralized
Conscription
Effects on Economics
Public order and public opinion
Dealing with unrest
Defense of the Realm Act
Propaganda
Social Impact of Total War
Labor benefits
New roles for women
• Male concern over wages
• Women began to demand equal pay
• Gains for women
War and Revolution: Russia
The Russian Revolution
• Nicholas II was an autocratic ruler
• Russia not prepared for war
• Influence of Rasputin
The March Revolution
•
•
•
•
•
Problems in Petrograd
March of the women, March 8, 1917
Calls for a general strike
Soldiers join the marchers
Provisional Government takes control




Alexander Kerensky (1881-1970)
Tried to carry on the war
Soviets sprang up
Bolshviks the most important
Russian Revolutions
The Bolshevik Revolution
Under the leadership of Vladimir Ulianov, 1870-1924
• Sent back to Russia in a sealed train by the Germans
• “Peace, land and bread”
Bolsheviks control Petrograd and Moscow soviets
Collapse of Provisional Government, November 6-7, 1917
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3, 1918
Civil war
Bolshevik (Red) army and Anti-Bolshevik (White) army
Red Terror by the Cheka
Allied invasion
Differences among the white army
Communists and “War communism”
Invasion of allied troops
Communists will control Russia
The Last Year of the War
Last German offensive, March 21-July 18, 1918
Allied counterattack, Second Battle of the Marne,
July 18, 1918
General Ludendorff informs German Leaders that
the war is lost
Wilhelm II abdicates, November 9, 1918
German Republic established (Weimar Republic)
Armistice, November 11, 1918
The Peace Settlement
Palace of Versailles, January 1919, 27 Allied
nations
Woodrow Wilson, Fourteen Points
Pragmatism of other states
Lloyd George determined to make Germany pay
Georges Clemenceau of France concerned with his
nation’s security
January 25, 1919, the principle of the League of
Nations adopted
http://www.history.com/topics/worl
d-war-i/treaty-of-versailles
The Treaty of Versailles
The most important was the Treaty of Versailles,
June 18, 1919
Article 231, War Guilt Clause
Created the League of Nations
Reparations for the cost of the war ($33 billion)
Military Clauses
• 100,000 man army/no tanks/demilitarize the Rhineland
• Allowed 6 ships/no submarines
• No Airforce
Land Clauses
• Loss of Alsace and Lorraine
• Anschluss denied (combining Germany & Austria)
• Sections of Germany given to create Poland and
Czechoslovakia
German charges of a “dictated peace”
The Other Peace Treaties
German and Russian Empires lost territory in eastern
Europe
New nation-states: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary
Romania acquired additional lands from Russia, Hungary,
and Bulgaria
Yugoslavia
Compromises will lead to future problems
Minorities in every eastern European states
Ottoman Empire dismembered
Promises of independence of Arab states in the Middle East
Mandates
• France – Lebanon and Syria
• Britain – Iraq and Palestine
United States Senate rejects the Versailles Peace Treaty
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
Europe in 1919
©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning ™ is a trademark used herein under license.
The
Middle
East in
1919