Transcript WWI Overview

World War I
The Great War
• 1914-1918
• 36 Nations Involved
Facts
– We will look at the main 9
• Austria-Hungary
• Serbia
• Russia
• Germany
• France
• Great Britain
• Japan
• Italy
• United States
Worldwide Statistics
• 65, 038, 810 soldiers, sailors, and
airmen
• 8, 020, 780 military deaths
• 6, 642, 633 civilian deaths
• 21, 228, 813 military wounded
• $281, 887, 000, 000 cost of the war
Background to the war
• Europe had been poised for a war for years.
• All major nations had developed substantial
arms industries.
• All major nations in Europe, except Great
Britain, had instituted programs of
compulsory military service.
• All had developed elaborate war plans.
– Common assumptions
• War would come
• All of Europe would be involved
Motives for the war
• Germany wanted to be more influential and
amass a colonial empire.
• Austria-Hungary had a population with little
in common and subject to nationalist
pressure.
• France wanted to recover lost territory that
was now part of Germany and revenge of
their German adversaries (from previous
war).
Motives Continued
• Russia was boiling over with revolution to
restore its power at the expense of Turkey.
• Great Britain wanted to maintain their
exploration of the empires built in Africa,
Asia, and India during the 19th century.
They needed a stable Europe to accomplish
this.
• Great Britain involved in a naval arms race
with Germany starting n 1890s. Took the
rise of
Motives completed
• Italy and Turkey observed, saw no
gains in starting a war, but planned
to help whichever side would profit
them the most.
• United States: Why would we want
to get involved in a European War?
Background
• Sarajevo—capital of Bosnia, former
province of Yugoslavia.
• 1908 Austrio-Hungarian Empire annexed
Bosnia into the Ottoman Empire.
• The Serbs—neighbors of Bosnia—wanted
the area for their nationalist interest.
• The Sebs—created a secret society named
the Black Hand—trained to resist AustrioHungarian powers.
The Beginning
• June 1914: Archduke of Austria-Franz
Ferdinand, inspector general of the
Austro-Hungarian Army and heir o the
throne, went with his wife to visit the
new acquisition.
• Arrived in Sarajevo, June 28, 1914
– Survived a road side bomb set by the
procession route
– Driver took a wrong turn in an alley, when
backing out, a man named Gavrilo Prinuip
shot Franz and his wife.
Response
• Austria-Hungary issued a list of
demands to nullify Serbia’s
sovereignty.
• Although Serbia agreed to most, it
asked for international mediation on
some issues.
• Austria-Hungary refused mediation
– This started the chain of events to war.
– (obvious they wanted to fight)
How “EVERYONE”
Became Involved
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia July 28,
1914 (one month after assassination)
• Russia, bound by a treaty to Serbia, mobilized an
army.
• Germany saw this mobilization as an act of war
against its ally Austria-Hungary so they declared
war on Russia.
• France, bound by a treaty to Russia, declared war
on Germany and, by extension, its ally AustriaHungary.
Involvement Continued.
• Great Britain, loosely bound to France through
“an understanding” waited until Germany
invaded Belgium to join in. This was done under
the long standing treaty with Belgium to protect
their neutrality.
• 3 weeks after Britain declared war on Germany,
Japan declared an alliance with Britain and
entered the fight.
• Italy and the US stayed neutral at first.
• Italy will join in 1916, and the US in 1917.
Short War?
• In the Summer of 1914 6 million went to
war.
• All countries believed it would be a short
war.
– All already had war plans
– Newer more efficient weaponry
• More powerful explosives
• Machine gun was perfected
• Technology was ready to kill more people faster
(not counted was defensive v. offensive technology = LONG
WAR
U.S. Involvement
• President Woodrow Wilson tried to
keep neutrality.
• 1915 Lusitania-British liner-was sunk
by German U-boats. Many Americans
were killed.
• Germans agreed to respect US
neutrality, and called off unrestricted
submarine warfare, but soon resumed
their practices.
U.S. To War
• Feb. 3, 1917—U.S. Naval Warship: Housatonic
was torpedoed and sunk without warning.
• Wilson cut diplomatic relations with Germany
• Wilson publicized the “Zimmerman Note”.
– From Germany’s foreign secretary, Zimmerman, to
ambassador of Mexico proposing a German-Mexican
alliance against the United States.
• April, 1917—President Wilson asked Congress
to declare war. (April 6, 1917…at war)
U.S. at War
• Oct. 1917 before substantial American units
were committed to battle.
• 1918—massive involvement of 2 million troops
• Americans were able to break the German
stronghold on the western front-turning point
victory for allied forces.
• Great victories by American and British troops
brought about the end of the war, but at a cost.
• American casualty rate was about 10%.
Difference with U.S.?
• American skill and spirit was
an undeniable force to the
Germans, but more so was the
seemingly continuous supply
of fresh troops.
• Unmatchable Industrial might
of the United States.
Armistice
• Means bringing war to and end.
th
• Take place at the 11 hour, of the
11th day of the 11th month of
1918.
The End
• Wilson promised “a war to end all
wars”.
• Wilson wanted terms for peace and
creating a world without the option of
war to disrupt so many nations.
• The other allies wanted revenge on
Germany and a punishment so severe
that Germany would never be able to
start another war.
Results
• Treaty of Versailles created in Germany
the hopeless social, political, and
economic conditions that sealed the doom
of democracy and paved the way for a
militaristic dictatorship.
• Only thing accomplished was a 20 year
truce.
• “The war to end all wars” became the “war
that spawned war”.