Transcript European Empire Building Leads to WWI

European Empire Building Leads
to WWI
SS6H6d. Explain the impact of empire
building in Africa and Asia on the
outbreak of WWI
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1885-1910
Scramble for Africa
• Great Britain, France, Portugal,
Spain, Denmark, Germany,
Italy, Netherlands – divided
Africa among themselves
• Why
– Natural resources
• Gold, diamonds, oil
– Politics
• National pride (more
colonies = more status)
– Worldview
• Desire to “civilize“ and
Christianize Africa
Scramble for Asia
• Europe changed from
Asia’s trading partner to
Asia’s conqueror
• British took India
• French took Vietnam
On the rise in Europe:
• Nationalism: love of
one’s country
• Militarism: using strong
armies and threats of
war
European countries signed treaties agreeing
to help each other in case of attack.
Alliances
The Great War (WWI) 1914-1918
Causes:
1. MAIN : Militarism,
Alliances, Imperialism, and
Nationalism
2. Tensions over territory in
the Balkans
3. Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand of Austria
and his wife by Gavrilo
Princip, a Serb
WWI “The War to End All Wars”
Central Powers
• Austria-Hungary
• Ottoman Empire
(Turkey + colonies)
• Bulgaria
• Germany
• Plus all their colonies
Allied Powers
• Russia
• France
• U.S.
• U.K.
• Plus all their
colonies
Events
1. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
2. Russia came to Serbia’s defense.
3. Germany backed its Germanic ally and went
to war against Russia & Serbia.
4. France & Britain then went to war against the
monarchies of Germany & Austria-Hungary.
Major Battles!!
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The Battle of Verdun, 1916
The Battles of the Marne, 1914, 1918
The Battles of Ypres 1914, 1915, 1917
The Battle of the Somme, 1916
The Battle of Cambrai, 1917
Battle of Verdun
• Battle of Verdun was
a ten month long
battle between the
French and German
armies.
• The battle was part
of an unsuccessful
German campaign to
take the offensive on
the western front.
Battle of Verdun
• Both the French and German
armies suffered incredibly with an
estimated 540,000 French and
430,000 German casualties and no
strategic advantages were gained
for either side.
• The Battle of Verdun is considered
to be one of the most brutal events
of World War I, and the site itself is
remembered as the "battlefield
with the highest density of dead
per square yard."
Battles of Marne
• On September 4, 1914, the
rapid advances of the German
army through Belgium and
northern France caused panic
in the French army and
troops were rushed from
Paris in taxis to stop the
advance.
• Combined with the BEF
(British Expeditionary Force)
the Germans were eventually
halted and the War settled
into the familiar defensive
series of entrenchment's.
Battles of Marne
• Ironically, by the end
of May, 1918, the
Germans had again
reached the Marne
after the enormous
successes of offensives
of that year. The four
years had cost
hundreds of thousands
of lives and the armies
Battles of Ypres
• There were three battles
fought around the Ypres
salient during the War.
• The first, in 1914 was an
attempt by the BEF to halt
the rapid advances made
by the Germans.
• The second, in 1915, was
notable for the first use of
poison gas by the
Germans.
Battles of Ypres
• The long-planned offensive of July 31, 1917. By the time
the offensive was called off total casualties for both sides
had been approximately 250,000.
• The horrors of the battle, in which men drowned in liquid
mud has become closely associated with the images of the
War.
Battle of the Somme
• On the 1st July, 1916, after a weeklong artillery bombardment
launched the now infamous "Big Push" attack across the river
Somme.
• The British intended to breakthrough the German defenses in a
matter of hours.
• When the attack began the Germans dragged themselves out of
their dugouts, manned their posts and destroyed the oncoming
waves of British infantry.
Battle of the Somme
• After the first day, with a gain of only 1.5km, the British had suffered
57,470 casualties. Despite this, both sides pressed on with the attack
until November 19th of the same year.
• For the insufficient achievements, total losses on the British
numbered 419,654 with German casualties between 450,000 and
680,000.
• When the offensive was eventually called off the British were still 3
miles short of Bapaume and Serre, part of their first-day objectives.
Total Death?
• The total number of deaths
includes about 11 million
military personnel and about 7
million civilians.
• The Triple Entente (also known
as the Allies) lost about 6
million military personnel
while the Central Powers lost
about 4 million.
• At least 2 million died from
diseases and 6 million went
missing, presumed dead.
THE U.S. TRIES TO STAY NEUTRAL
• Most Americans supported the ALLIES.
• But - many German-Americans and IrishAmericans were anti-British, supporting the
CENTRAL powers.
• Britain’s navy stopped all shipping carrying
weapons to Europe.
WORLD WAR I: U.S. NEUTRALITY
• Later, Britain stopped all trade with nations on
the European continent.
• The US protested, but Britain remained careful
in its relations with the U.S.
• Germany tried to break the British blockade
by using the submarine, called U-BOAT.
Why the U.S. Entered the War
• In May, 1915, Germany
sank the British liner
LUSITANIA.
• 1198 died, including
128 Americans.
• As Wilson campaigned
for re-election, he
began a naval
rearmament program.
U.S. Enters the War
• Germany sank all ships in the waters around
Britain.
• This UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE
made Wilson break off diplomatic relations
with Germany.
• Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of
war, which he got on April 6, 1917.
THE U.S. FIGHTS TO VICTORY
• American DOUGH BOYS began fighting in
Europe in 1918.
• 1918: Russia pulled out of the war after the
Communists took power.
• In Belgium and France, TRENCH WARFARE led
to stalemate.
• Germany first used POISON GAS in 1915, and
Britain introduced the tank in 1916.
War Ends
• The turning point came in mid- 1918 in favor
of the Allies.
• Germany signed an ARMISTICE at eleven
o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh
month of 1918, which ended the war (now
called Veteran’s Day).
• The Allies won.
• Germany was blamed for the war.