Transcript File

The Great War
World War I
1914-1918
Alliances/Treaties
• Purpose: to maintain the balance of power.
– Triple Entente: England, Russia, & France (ERF)
– Triple Alliance: Germany, Italy, & Austria (GIA)
– Entente Cordial: Britain & France
Causes of the Great War
1. Imperialism
• Owning colonies
• The race for colonies would play an important
role in the rivalry between England & Germany
• Much of the trouble is caused by Germany.
– Recent unification & industrialization
– Kaiser wants to be recognized as a world leader.
• (Kaiser means “king” in German.)
• Kaiser William II is a bit of an egotist & does
whatever he can to get his way & antagonize
the other European powers.
• Even though his mother was an English
princess, he doesn’t really like the English; he
believes the Germans are superior to other
countries/cultures.
Other European leaders include
A. King George V of England
B. Nicholas II of Russia
C. Empress Alexandra of Russia
• Kings & queens of the Balkan countries that
have just recently declared their independence
from Turkey (Ottoman Empire.)
George V of England
Kaiser William II of Germany
Czar Nicholas II of Russia
Czarina Alexandra
2. Nationalism
• Feelings of pride & loyalty that people have for
their country or for a shared language or
customs.
• Being ruled by people of different ethnic groups
caused resentment among the people being
ruled.
• Austria annexes Bosnia to stop the growth of
Serbia
• Serbia wants Bosnia b/c the Bosnians are the
same ethnic group as the Serbians
• The Austrians are Germanic in their
culture.
• The Serbs encourage the independence
movement in Bosnia against the Austrian
government in that country.
3. Militarism
• Before the war, England & Germany are in an
arms race to achieve the best military & navy.
• The Industrial Revolution brought advances in
arms production
• MORE, BETTER, FASTER, & NEW
A. Machine guns
B. Long range cannons
C. Air planes
D. Tanks
E. Barbed-wire
F. Chemical weapon
G. Submarines
• Germany has the best army on the
Continent (when WWI breaks out.)
• England has the best navy, but its armed
forces are scattered throughout its empire.
• England had developed the Dreadnought
class of warship which was state of the art.
– 10” armor all around the ship.
– 12-10” guns
4. The Assassination of Franz
Ferdinand
• Archduke Franz-Ferdinand & his wife Sophie
are visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.
• It’s the first trip they take together as a royal
couple.
• He has a reputation as a reformer & a
progressive.
• Members of a terrorist group, the “Black Hand,”
plot to assassinate the royal couple at the
• Gavrilo Princip is the assassin who kills the
royal couple while they are in their car.
• The date is June 28, 1914.
• This murder sets into action the treaties made
by the European powers.
• Austria expects Germany to protect her against
Russia since they are tied to a treaty.
• Russia expects France to help her if Germany
jumps in to help the Austrians.
• Russia hesitates but must honor the treaty with
Serbia.
• Because of the treaty system, a regional conflict
between Austria & Serbia would turn into a
global war involving all the major powers & their
colonies around the world.
• The 2 sides would be
• Allied Powers
Central Powers
• 1. England
1. Austria-Hungary
• 2. Russia
2. Germany
• 3. France
3. Turkey
• 4. U.S.
4. Bulgaria
War on Land
• The Central Powers were fighting on 2 fronts:
– Eastern front with Russia
– Western front with France & England.
• The Central Powers were putting up stiff
resistance against the Allied Powers.
• 1915-1917: War rages on 2 fronts
• The front on the West extended from the North
Sea, into Belgium & France, along the border
with Germany stopping at Switzerland.
• Neither side is able to break thru the other’s
line so……
• Both sides dig trenches & fox-holes, protected
by barbed-wire with machine-gun nests at
certain points.
• The area between the trench lines was known
as “no man’s land.”
• This type of warfare is called trench warfare.
– Soldiers lived in the trenches.
– The conditions were horrifying.
– Rats, disease, corpses, artillery, machine gunfire,
infestations of lice & shellshock)
• Trench warfare wasn’t as effective type of
fighting.
• An attack would start with artillery followed by
soldiers climbing “over the top” charging at the
enemy lines.
• These infantry soldiers were usually mowed
down by machine gun fire or picked off by
sharp-shooters. This happened on both sides of
the line.
• The lines would shift from one group to another
as the war went for years; millions of soldiers
were killed in this back-&-forth fighting.
• The end result was a stalemate: neither side
could win a decisive victory despite repeated
attacks & counter-attacks.
The Bolshevik Revolution
• Bolshevik = Communist (Russia)
• Since the Russians were being beaten by the
Central Powers, large segments of the Russian
population demanded that the Czar withdraw
troops from the front.
• Political instability caused the czar to abdicate
the throne in favor of a constitutional
government.
• This form of government would not last long b/c
of political & social troubles in the country.
• To cause further instability in the country, the
Germans smuggled in V. Lenin a known
Communist agitator.
• Soon, Lenin would gain enough power to cause
the collapse of the Russian government &
create a Communist government.
• Fighting breaks out between the Reds
(Communists) and the Whites (supporters of
the Czar.)
• The Communist government begins peace talks
with the Germans so it can concentrate on
creating a Communist system in Russia
• Under terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,
Russia would recall its troops from the Eastern
front & not aid the Allied powers with supplies &
other war stuffs.
• The Central Powers (mostly Germany) then
transferred all their troops to the Western front
where fighting intensifies & ultimately ends in a
stalemate.
• The Czar of Russia & his family were executed
in 1918.
4 Reasons for U.S. entry
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Sussex Incident
(Unrestricted) Submarine Warfare
Zimmermann Affair
1. Sinking of the Lusitania
May 7, 1915
• The English passenger ship Lusitania was sunk
by a U-boat.
• The ship had deck guns & was carrying a cargo
of guns & ammunition.
• The captain had slowed down the ship since he
was close to the shore of Ireland.
• A German u-boat was waiting in the right spot
at the right time.
• Approximately 1200 people die (128
Americans.)
• President Wilson demanded a German apology
along with paying damages & a promise not to
attack any more ships.
• The Germans apologize & promise not to sink
any more ships.
• Not going to last long.
The Sussex Incident
March, 1916
• The Sussex was a ferry between England &
France that was attacked in March, 1916.
• 80 people killed by a German u-boat attack.
• The Germans say it’s an accident but nobody
believes it.
• Germany is intentionally targeting civilians
which is against the rules of war.
• Germany agrees to apologize, pay reparations,
& promises not to sink any more ships.
• This becomes known as the Sussex Pledge.
• This pledge doesn’t last too long.
• Germany doesn’t want the U.S. to enter the war
on the side of the Allied Powers.
3. Submarine Warfare
• The German U-boats roamed the Atlantic
looking for unarmed merchant ships.
• As part of its battle plan, the English had
blockaded Germans ports to keep war materials
from entering with other supplies.
• The blockade of Germany & the u-boats
prowling the Atlantic hurt American business
(also violated the rights of neutral nations.)
• The English & Americans devised the convoy
system to protect merchant ships from German
u-boats.
• By early 1917, Germany realized the U.S. is not
far from declaring war, so it increases
submarine attacks on shipping.
• The Germans were determined to keep the
U.S. out of the war by scaring it; however, the
opposite occurred.
• Then, the Germans sunk a number of ships (in
rapid succession) causing the U.S. to cut off
diplomatic ties with the country.
4. The Zimmermann Affair
• The Zimmermann Affair put the U.S. on a
direct path for war.
• Arthur Zimmermann was the German Foreign
Relations Secretary.
• In a telegram to Mexico, he proposed an
alliance with Mexico to have the Mexicans
declare war on the U.S.
• Germany would help Mexico fight against the
U.S.
• The prize for Mexican victory would be to
reclaim lost territory in the southwest: Texas,
New Mexico, & Arizona.
• This action was to keep the U.S. busy so we
could not send troops to fight in Europe.
• When the telegram was made public, it caused
many Americans to call for war against
Germany.
• Wilson finally asked Congress for a declaration
of war against Germany (April 2, 1917.)
War with the Central Powers
• Many young men volunteered for military
service but it was necessary to pass a draft law
• (AKA Conscription)
• Selective Service Act of 1917
– Young men of all races, ages 21-31 were drafted
into the American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
– The commander of the AEF was General John J.
“Black Jack” Pershing.
• Men of all races were drafted into the
armed services however, segregation of
units was the norm
• Better treatment & more opportunities for
minorities than in the Spanish-American
War.
• Still doesn’t mean EQUAL TREATMENT.
• Women were not drafted under the SSA of
1917.
– Many volunteered as nurses or they would do other
war related activities.
– Others worked thru the Red Cross or Salvation
Army.
– Others worked in the war plants so the men could
go fight.
– Usually prepared bandages for hospitals & first aid
stations.
– Many knitted socks, gloves, or other things for the
young men in the military.
Life During the War
• Many people left the South to go North to
work in the war plants.
1. Increased wages
2. Union membership increased
3. Women & blacks were able to find better
opportunities.
• Many blacks left the South to work in the war
plants in northern cities (The Great Migration.)
Food Administration
• Allied Powers depended on American food for
its survival.
• Wilson created the U.S. Food Administration
whose head was Herbert Hoover.
• The challenge was to increase production while
keeping prices reasonable.
• Growing more food was not a problem; farmers
were willing to comply since it meant more
money for them.
• The biggest challenge was to get people to
decrease consumption.
• USFA had to persuade people they needed to
cut back on consumption (to share with the
Allies.)
• The plan was through patriotic ads & programs.
• Propaganda campaigns helped to remind
people of their “war duties.”
• USFA encouraged people to plant their own
gardens to reduce consumption of vegetables.
• It was the duty of all patriotic citizens to comply
with the rules & regulations (which couldn’t be
enforced, but peer pressure does work.)
• Some of the catchy slogans were
– “Food will win the war!”
– “When in doubt, eat potatoes!”
– “If you have sweet tooth, pull it!”
– “Meatless Mondays”
– “Wheatless Wednesdays”
• To pay for the war, the government sold “liberty
bonds.”
Propaganda & Protests
• Propaganda: spreading ideas, information, or
rumor to help or hinder a cause (ideas, facts, or
allegations.)
• Persuasion using emotional appeal
• Committee of Public Information
– Influence people’s opinions about the war.
– Praise for America & her allies; criticism for
Germany & the Central Powers.
• The Germans were portrayed as bloodthirsty
Huns.
• Anyone who disagreed with the war effort was
unpatriotic.
• Espionage Act (1917): It is a crime to aid
enemy nations or interfere in the recruitment of
soldiers; the Postmaster General could also
read people’s mail & censor it (redact.)
• Sedition Act (1918): Focused on expressions of
opinion; fines &/or jail time for anyone who
spoke or wrote anything critical of the
government or any branch of the military.
• People could be arrested or fined even if they
criticized the uniforms worn by the soldiers.
• Schenck v. U.S. (1919)
– This case questioned the constitutionality of the
Espionage Act.
– The majority opinion was written by Oliver Wendell
Holmes, one of the greatest American legal minds.
– If there is a “clear & present danger” that something
said or written may hurt the war effort, the
government may act.
– Free speech is not an unlimited right; people can’t
yell “fire” in a theater & cause a panic.
– The decision was not handed down until after the
war.
Versailles Peace Conference
• The “Big Four” negotiate the terms of the peace
treaty with the Central Powers.
– England: David Lloyd-George
– France: Georges Clemenceau
– Italy: Vittorio Orlando
– U.S. Wilson
• Russia was not invited to participate since she
had already made peace with the Central
Power in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
The Fourteen Points
•
•
•
•
•
No secret treaties or secret clauses in treaties
Freedom of the seas (in peace & war)
No trade barriers during war
Disarmament (military for national security only)
Redraw the boundaries of Europe to allow more
self-determination
• League of Nations
League of Nations
• Quite possibly Pres. Wilson’s finest contribution
to the peace process.
• He won a Nobel Peace Prize for this idea.
• General Assembly of 42 allied & neutral nations
with a Council controlled by the Big 3 & Japan.
• Nations which did not obey League decisions
could be punished by sanctions; sanctions
could range from a ban on trade to military
action.
• Disputes would be submitted to the
League for arbitration.
Negative Aspects
1.Germany could have NO army, navy, or air
force (total disarmament)
2. Germany was responsible for the entire war
(War Guilt Clause)
3. Germany would have to pay reparations.
The amount of reparations was put at $33 billion;
money that Germany didn’t have.
The Versailles Peace Treaty is considered a
flawed treaty; World War II would start over many
of the issues from the Versailles treaty.
• During the 1920s, the U.S. would maintain
policy of isolation from the affairs of the
Europeans.
• The U.S. did NOT join the League of Nations.
• Without U.S. leadership, the League of Nations
would be ineffective.
• The Versailles Peace Treaty was never
renegotiated like Wilson wanted.
• The U.S. would remain isolated as Hitler &
Mussolini came to power creating dictatorships
in Germany & Italy.