Transcript World War I - 20thCenturyConflicts

The Great War:
A war like no other that the world had
ever seen!
Who was involved?
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Allied Powers (main):
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Russian Empire
France
British Empire
Italy
United States (joined in 1917)
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Central Powers:
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German Empire
(1871)
Austro-Hungarian
Empire (became
Allies with Germany
in 1879)
Ottoman Empire
Bulgaria
Europe in 1914
Europe before and after World War I
Who were the leaders?
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Allies:
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Russia – Tsar Nicholas II
France - Raymond
Poincaré - President of
France
England – King George
V and David Lloyd
George
Italy – Victor Emmanuel
III
United States – Woodrow
Wilson
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Central:
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German Empire – Kaiser
Wilhelm and Paul von
Hindenburg (remember
him for WWII)
Austria-Hungary – Franz
Joseph I
Ottoman Empire –
Mehmed V
Bulgaria – Czar Ferdinand
I
Why was it so unlike any other war?
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To begin, NOT UNLIKE other wars in the past, this
too was a family feud because all of Europe had been
intermarried for generations
Modern war fought with large/centrally organized
armies with fairly young countries (Germany, AustriaHungary and Italy were created in the mid 19th
century.)
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Industrialization was barely a century old
Scale of the conflict was historically unique – 1st total
war
War on a Grand Scale
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Armies were conscripted like never before
Modern technology allowed for lethal arsenals
Leaders who created the war were ruined by the
war, ushering in new styles of leadership and
dictators as a result
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Thereby creating another world conflict 30 years
later
What was the impact of this dance?
exposed the bankruptcy of long-lasting political
institutions
 Readily discredited cultural traditions (by carving
new states that were not there before)
 Generated fundamental military innovation
 Served as a rehearsal for the war that followed less
than 30 years later
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What was the “official end?” The Versailles Treaty!
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Did not lay to rest issues that caused the war
Sewed the seeds for renewed conflict
Why did this whole thing begin?

Assassination of Francis Ferdinand, Archduke Austria, and his
wife Sophie, by a Serb in Bosnia, on 28 June 1914
o
Serbia viewed Francis Ferdinand as a threat to what they coveted. He
advocated ‘Trialism,’ the triple reorganization of the Empire which was
now existing in ‘Dualism’
How/when did it really begin? 1870?
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Germans took Alsace and Lorraine, Napoleon III
and crushed France’s 2nd Empire – France
provoked this war and was defeated without remorse
from the Germans
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Seeds of French/German hostility
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Out of the conflict comes France’s 3rd Republic
other factors
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Expanding Industry
Intensifying trade competition for markets abroad (imperialism)
Birthrate falling in France, rising in Germany
Or was it 1871?
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18 January 1871, Wilhelm I of Prussia was
proclaimed Emperor of the German Empire in the
Hall of Mirrors at Versailles
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Used to be a loosely group of provincially minded states,
now the most powerful nation in Europe, dominated by
War-minded Prussia
France was demoralized and bankrupt, but
recovered quickly
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1878, visitors saw France as robust at the Paris World’s
Fair (Eiffel Tower)
Europe divides!
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CENTRAL POWERS
1879 - alliance between Germany
and Austrio-Hungarian Empire
 Bismarck sought to solidify
borders, not expand
1881 – Wilhelm I (Germany) and
Francis Joseph (Austria-Hungary)
joined Alexander III (Russia) in the
Alliance of 3 Emperors
 Was a reaction to France’s
quick recovery
1882 – Italy joined the 2 Central
Powers thereby forming the Triple
Alliance, in fear that she would be
attacked by France
1887 – Germany refuses to renew
an alliance with Russia, who
therefore seeks alliance with France
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Allies:
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1891 – Russia and France
agree that if attacked they will
come to the other’s rescue.
By 1893 agreed that they
would mobilize should any
member of the Triple Alliance
(Germany, Italy or AustriaHungary) attack the other.
1904 – UK becomes semiattached to Franco-Russian
alliance by the entente cordiale
with France. In 1912 the
govts agreed that if the peace
was threatened or one had a
reason to feat an unprovoked
attack they would consult on
what to do.
1904-1905 the Russians
fought the Japanese and were
humiliated proving their army
was inept and leaders were
unfit.
Questions to ponder
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Where/when/who started it?
What were methods used?
How was this unlike any other war the world
had seen?
What were peacemaking/peacekeeping strategies
of the 20th century (beginning with this war)?
Aftermath of Assassination:
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Germany gives Austria a blank check to deal with Serbia.
Britain does not use her influence to prevent war:
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They did not know about the blank check therefore did not see the magnitude of danger
Britain was preoccupied with the potential Civil War with Ireland therefore were not looking to
commit to a war
Francis Joseph I
14
Austria
Any amount needed
The defense of the Central Powers
Kaiser Wilhelm I
Aftermath of Assassination:
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23 July, Austrian Ambassador Baron Vladimir von Giesl
demanded that the Serbian Government formally condemn
all anti-Austrian propaganda; expel anyone from office who
would be fomenting.
Legal action against the instigators of the Sarajevo plot with
free entry into Serbia for Austrian officials who would
oversee the investigation
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This affronted Serbian sovereignty but Belgrade was given 48 hours
to comply
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Serbia was more yielding in form than in substance, she gave what she
could honorably concede but could not agree to Austrians officially
waging political warfare against her own soil and for any other points of
contention, asked to submit them to the International Tribunal at the
Hague.
War is Declared
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11am on 28 July
1914, one month
from the Sarajevo
murders, AustriaHungary notified
Serbia by telegram
that she had
declared war - 1st
thought to be a
hoax.
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Austria was
unyielding in their
demands and
went into war as
a force to be
reckoned with,
and Germany
would be right
behind
Because of treaties, everyone must mobilize
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Russia had the handicap of slow
mobilization, with its vast land and
inadequate railways
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France gave steps for a short
mobilization in face of immediate
danger where certain reserve forces
would be activated while frontier
troops readied, horses were
reshoed and naval vessels were
returned to harbor.
Russia began with 1.4 million men
and built up to 6 million a
seemingly inexhaustible army that
were mostly unlettered but willing
to fight
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Military service was compulsory 21 to 43
Guns were modern and fire
control was efficient, but
technologically backwards
Supply of professionally trained
leaders was too small for the
masses mobilizing
France vs. Germany:
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French Army was rated 2nd to
German; had utmost confidence
in their moral superiority - felt
their courage was unmatched
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Weakness was lightness in
artillery establishment
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75mm gun was no match for
the German 105mm or 150mm
French had 300 guns to the
Germans’3500
Aggregated 17K men, of whom
13,300 were foot soldiers
France had 2500 automatic
weapons against Germany’s
4500
British Mobilisation:
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Authority over the seas
was unquestioned, with a
fleet of 177 to Germany’s
87, much power
concentrated in their own
waters.
Only able to take 4 five
inch guns per division and
2 machine per infantry
battalion
Some Strategy: A new way to make war
o
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Kaiser to his
departing troops,
“You will be
home before the
leaves have fallen
from the trees.”
On the eastern
front - stand
where possible,
buy time
September 1914,
the battle
between German
and Allied armies
along the line of
Aisne had
trenched itself
into immobility
Gas Attack: A new way to make peace
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22 April 1915, the French were in trenches recovering from 2 days bombardment, heard a
distant rumble and saw fog rolling towards them.
“It was scarcely higher than the head of a man and it moved as gently as ‘mists seen
over water meadows on a frosty night.’”
Some were transfixed by its beauty. Then gradually it swept over them, visiting slow
death, excruciating invalidism, and shock and panic in more than 15K men
Emission of Chlorine – choke out your opponent
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The emission of chlorine gas
lasted 15 minutes but the
poison cloud dropped into
the trenches and lingered
 Where thickest, men
died where they stood,
retching into
unconsciousness. A
few saved themselves
by urinating on
handkerchiefs or shirts
and used them as
masks.
Gas warfare continued and
became more complex, therefore
all troops had to don a mask and
learn anti-gas discipline
 Also a weapon called a
projector that was lobbed
into an enemy trench line
and exploded
 By the summer the
Germans were using
phosgene.Allies decide they
have to embark on gas
warfare to stay even
A World War? A European War? BOTH!
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Because of imperialism
this war spread further
than just the immediate
countries that were
making alliances.
Africa soon became
involved because the
British and French had
colonial outposts in the
region. Others had
claims as well.
The Ordeal of each nation . . .
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Germany could not win a long war because its
manpower and reserves were too thin
England was its great adversary, there was no way to
get England
 Plan was to bleed France and cause a collapse of the
alliance
 Targets were Belfort and Verdun
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Germans took Verdun with amazing speed and humiliated
the British while doing so
France was deceived!
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Germans
had their
troops
placed in a
very narrow
front
French were
unable to
rationalize
the
irrational,
therefore
could not
make sense
of what the
Germans
were doing.
England’s Problems
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Service issues:
 By Jan of 1916 1 million British
males entered the service
voluntarily, 400K lost in battle
 Lord Derby suggested that on a
given day all males of age should
register to fight, married men being
called after bachelors
 Many came thinking they would
not be called, another million
remained home
 4 months later only another million
joined which would not be
enough
 1916 was the year that the
French, Russians and
British decided they would
roll back the Germans and
end the war
The Battle of Verdun
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21 February 1916 shells came down at 100K an hour,
obliterating the French
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Survivors fled to the woods to die among splintered ruins
By 2nd day, 1200 British command force had dwindled
to 7 wounded Lieutenants and 100 Chasseurs
Germans crossed over expecting to see rows of
corpses, instead were met with rows of ashen soldiers
pumping away at their rifles.
By 24 February 1916, Verdun was in imminent danger
The Real Heroes of Verdun
The Battle of Somme – redemption and death
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Somme had to be fought to redeem the French from Verdun,
though the losses were insurmountable.
The British soldiers were fresh conscripts who never saw
battle
On 1 July 1916, French/English jumped from trenches into
the unknown
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By the end of the day 60K lost but no ground was won
Casualties were about the same on both ends but British
birthed the tank, something that could move on caterpillar
treads.
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By the fall the 1st platoon of tanks was going over the top
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The war would last another 2 years but nothing equaled Verdun or Somme
Some images of the Somme
Why did the US hold off?
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The US tried to remain
neutral while mediating
an end to the conflict
Wilson’s Administration
openly favored England
and France, though
would not engage in
combat until 6 April
1917.
Up until this point the
US was not affected too
much
All that changes in 1917
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Germany planted 2 time
bombs that would bring
America into full scale war
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Kaiser Wilhelm I sent orders
for unrestricted submarine
warfare to begin.
Zimmermann note - said that if
America entered the war, the
German ambassador was to
approach the Mexican govt.
and offer an alliance
What does Mexico have to do with
any of this?
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In late 1915, Pancho Villa expected
US support in order to obtain the
presidency in Mexico.
Instead US recognized the new
government of Carranza.
Villa retaliated and swore revenge
on the US.
The Zimmermann note was a way
to pit the US concentration on
Mexico and force them to get
involved in the war.
It made headlines on 1 March
1917.
Former President T. Roosevelt on the war:
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“There is no question about
going to war, Germany is
already at war with us.”
On 16 March 1917 American
ships were torpedoed by Uboats.
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Also the day Tsar Nicholas II
abdicated from his throne
On 6 April 1917, the US
declared war on Germany.
And now a few words from W.W.
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“There is one choice we can
not make, we are incapable
of making; we will not
choose the path of
submission.”
“The world must be made
safe for democracy. Its peace
must be founded upon the
trusted foundations of
political liberty.”
“It’s not an army that we
must shape and train for war.
It is a nation.” (easier said
than done.)
OK, so Wilson agrees to go to war . . . . . . .
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He still has to have the
House and Senate vote
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At 3am on 6 April the
Senate voted 82 to 6 and
the House 373 to 50.
The only Congresswoman
of the time, Jeannette
Rankin of Montana
whispered a ‘No’
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She did the same on WWII
when she was the ONLY
‘no.’
The US gears up for war . . .
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Though the vote to go to war
was agreed upon, how they
were going to get there was
not yet fully thought out.
One had to get the army
ready for the field which was
no easy task.
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Training requirements and
standard of discipline was
almost to point of harshness.
Few married men were taken
by draft boards; marriage was a
good way to ‘dodge the draft.’
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Leave was only granted if a
dire emergency was at home.
Drill field work, inspection
and review filled 6 days.
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First call was 5:30 am and work
ended at 5:30 pm
Once the troops were
strengthened, 20 mile hikes
over unpaved roads were not
uncommon.
Government gave troops
nothing but the clothes on
their back, bedding, a
toothbrush and a safety razor.
Some wartime figures . . . .
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Before the war ended over
337K men were classified as
deserters and in the final
count over 163K were
apprehended
There was still trouble with
the railroads
Growth of exports with little
imports choked yards in the
East
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New York braced for a coal
less winter
200 ships lay idle waiting for
fuel
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Newspapers cried that
something had to be done . .
. .and it was
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Wilson took over the railroads
under the Army
Appropriations Act, and gave
his Secretary of Treasury (and
son-in-law) full authority over
wage scales, rates, routings and
finance.
Every good show must have media!
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George Creel was
brought to Washington
as the chief propagandist
for the Government.
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He was the mouthpiece
that coined most of the
war slogans. (Classwork. .
. Find me three slogans
coined by this man
regarding World War I.)
His office was the oracle
for dispensing war news.
The Home Front
Nearly 600 women were in the
armed forces by the end of 1917
And the war continues
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6 April 1917, after Wilson
campaigned under “He kept
us out of the war,” the US is
in the conflict.
By 16 April, Lenin reached
Petrograd and the Bolshevik
revolution was underway!
By 26 November, Trotsky
appealed to Germany for
negotiations.
Goodbye Russia (as we knew it) . . .
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Foreign Commissioner to the New
Government, Trotsky said to Allied
Ambassadors, “We don’t want a
separate peace, but peace we must
have and if we can’t seek it
together, the blame is on you.”
Nicolas II had abdicated, his family
was arrested and exiled to Siberia.
In 1918 the family was shot by the
Bolsheviks and the Romanov
Dynasty was a memory.
Russia was losing badly . . .
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For every 3 soldiers there
was 1 gun
Men were starving and would
use bullets to shoot a rabbit
and then eat it raw
Food riots were breaking out
all over Russia
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They had to exit the war
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Germany was willing to
negotiate terms
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Germany took enough of
Poland for there to be a buffer
zone between the countries,
the rest would go to Austria
Lithuania would go to the
House of Hohenzollern along
with the armies, being
transformed into German
Duchies and lieges of the
Kaiser.
12 December 1917
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Tentative agreement of
the terms of the
armistice.
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It was signed 3 days later
to run for one month
In March of 1918, the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
would be signed after
months of bitter
negotiations, which would
then be flouted by the
Versailles Treaty.
Son-of-a-Preacher(man) – 14
Commandments?
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Turn to pages 120 and 121 and look at Wilson’s
14 Points
What does each term mean?
What are some issues that come to mind with #5?
 Why is #8 going to anger the Germans?
 Number 13, why is this a problem?
 What is #14 referring to?
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After a while, everyone grew tired of war . . .
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By 1918, Russia pulled out, the
Allies were winning, and Germany
was tired of fighting.
By 8 November 1918, Germany
was willing to surrender
unconditionally.
Allies decided on 11am, 11
November, the war would end.
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Kaiser Wilhelm, “I will wait here in
Spa for the armistice, and then
return home at the head of my
army.”
“Sir, you no longer have an army.
The army will march home in
peace. But it no longer stands
behind Your Majesty.”
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The German Empire is no more.
Hindenburg warned the Kaiser, “I
must advise Your Majesty to
abdicate and to proceed to
Holland.”
Wilhelm’s response, “And now I
must have a cup of good, hot,
strong tea, yes, make it English.”
The soldier’s reaction to the end of war . . .
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“Men stood
mute, mouths
wide open, as if
awaiting some
terrible
renunciation,
then broke into
tears and
laughter that
subsided, to be
followed by
wild cheering as
they shook
hands, slapped
one another on
the back, and
then stood
straight to walk
hesitantly into
the open.”
So the war is over? . . . The 1st Part is,
please join us again on 1 September 1939.
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The last shot was fired at
6am, Eastern Standard
Time.
Wilson, “The Armistice
was signed this morning.
Everything which
America fought for has
been accomplished. It
will now be our fortunate
duty to assist by
example.”
In Germany . . . Lose a Kaiser, Gain a Nazi!
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In Berlin, by
order of Prince
Max, placards
were placed at
every kiosk and
street corner
announcing that
Wilhelm II had
abdicated.
Mobs went
through the city
looking for
soldiers to strip
them of their
decorations.
Corporal Hitler upon hearing the
Armistice
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He did his accustomed stand in the wooden sentry box. What
went on in his mind no one really knows.
In the end . . .
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Almost 10 million men
and women were killed
in the fighting
More than 6 million
crippled for life
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There was some illusion
that all of humanity
would profit from this
great lesson.
World War I statistics:
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Russia – 12 million mobilized, 1.7 million dead
France – 8.4 million mobilized, 1.4 million dead
Brit Emp.-8.9 million mobilized, 1 million dead
US – 4.3 million mobilized, 100K dead
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Total – 42.1 million mobilized, 5.1 million dead
Germany-11 million mobilized, 1.7 million dead
Austria-Hungary – 7.8 million mobilized, 1.2 million
dead
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65 million mobilized, 8.5 million dead
And Versailles was the answer . .
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Germany was defeated,
therefore passive.
What was imposed on them
would lead to resentment.
The blockade was
maintained, long after
fighting had ceased.
Suffering of old and children
did not cease.
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Overseas mail and food
service did not improve in
the 1st months of peace.
Wounded men were taken
from base hospitals while still
recovering, taken to
forwarding camps and
forgotten.
Influenza was raging and the
last arriving troops brought
40% of their men with the
flu.
America during the Flu Pandemic
Wilson goes to Europe!
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Clemenceau of France, Wilson would try “to settle
the destinies of nations by
empiricism and idealism.”
Wilson had already appealed
to the opposing Republican
party for Congressional
elections, but when they won
anyway, he overlooked its
eminent members when
planning his trip abroad.
How the winners stack up . . .
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France was the biggest loser
of the Allies
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Her exchange was falling on
the world markets
Lost most human life, and
suffered most property damage
Railways were worn and
overburdened by reparations
Port facilities were in shambles
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Once it was clear that
Germany lost, they wrecked
the coal mines in the north of
France that they planned on
gaining in victory
The deliberate vandalism
would cloud Clemenceau’s
view when dealing with the
Germans (earned nickname
‘The Tiger.’)
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He was determined to lay
waste to Germany
18 January 1919
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Conference of 70 delegates
of 27 countries (not
Germany) assembled
without getting to business
Wilson’s speech told that
the League of Nations was
an integral part of the
peace treaty.
Lloyd George said that
only men who had seen the
devastation of France were
prepared for the task at
hand.
Orlando of Italy threatened
that Italy would withdraw
if Wilson did not modify
his ideas.

Wilson felt the others
were too harsh and the
others felt Wilson was
too soft.
As a result . . .
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This was the 1st time in modern history of Europe that
the Great Powers acted in radical spirit.
There was no progress in
establishing peace with Germany.
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Dread of German militarism
survived and had principles
of 1919 been applied to 1914
and the Kaiser’s Empire, the
terms would have been
fitting.
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Germany 1914 – armed to
the teeth, worshipping the
Kaiser b/c of his saberrattling, contemptuous of
democracy, organized for
war, strong industry,
prosperous.
Germany 1919 – militarily
bankrupt, trying to make
democracy work under semisocialism, half-starving
people, industry flattened,
commerce gone
And the debate raged on . . . .
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The Japanese wanted to
add, “endorsed the
principal of the equality
of nations and the just
treatment of individuals.”
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This was aimed at the
American Exclusion Act
that aimed to keep
Japanese and Chinese out
of America during the late
19th century. It was not
taken off the books yet.

Clemenceau and Wilson
were not speaking.
Clemenceau regarding
Wilson, “How can I talk
to a fellow who thinks
himself the 1st man for
2000 years who has
known anything about
peace on Earth. Wilson
imagines he’s the 2nd
Messiah.”
Germany was left out . . .
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The vanquished nations were not represented while “peace” was being
hammered out – the conference was a victor’s brawl over spoils.
Germany who was formerly the great producer of the continent was deprived
of industry and energy, therefore Europe had no chance of recovery.Europe
strangled itself after the war, even the victorious nations gained nothing.
Still in talks in March
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25 March 1919 – the Council
of Ten gives way to Council
of Four; Wilson, Lloyd
George, Clemenceau and
Orlando
In the end, Germany would
be forced to sign the treaty.
(please refer to page 472 of
your book for a map of PostWar Europe)
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What did signing mean for
Germany?
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She caused the war
Turn over Kaiser and other
national leaders for trials as war
criminals
Pay for all civilian damages
suffered by Allies, with a $5
billion down payment by 1
May 1921

Germans put name to blank
check that would cover the
estimate of the Allies, $32
billion
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This was never collected
Many saw the dangers . . .
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Herbert Hoover, when seeing the terms said,
“We agreed that it was terrible and we would do
what we could to make the dangers clear.”
Lloyd George was having 2nd thoughts and
asked his colleagues to back down and cut
reparations, allow Germany to enter the League,
and revise eastern frontiers – this time Wilson
refused to yield.
Where do the Germans go from here?

They have to return
to Paris and sign to
get blockade lifted.
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There were mass
protests from the
German public
A delegations of
2ndary figures went
to Versailles.

21 June, the
papers were
finished and
parades formed
and champagne
flowed like water.
The League of Nations

The US wouldn’t join



Wilson snubbed the
Republican majority Congress
therefore they wanted to know
nothing
The fact that stated if one
country went to war the others
would aid to defense, made
American’s leery; they did not
want to be dragged into
another European war
In the end, Wilson’s idea of the
League of Nations was joined
by European Nations, never
the United States.
End of 1 War, Beginning of Another
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Germany struggled to recover, was plunged into a depression
and by 1933 Hitler was in power (turn to pages 481-483)
Victor Emmanuel III was no longer and Italy became Fascist,
ushered in by Benito Mussolini
The Tsars were history and Lenin ushered in Communism,
followed by Stalin
The US went into Depression by 1929, after 10 years of glitz and
glamour
Spain broke out into Civil War in 1936
That same year, Britain’s depression got so bad the coalminers
were on strike, damaging their own property in protest.

No wonder this all happened again!