Transcript World War 1 aka: the great war

“the causes and results of”
WORLD WAR 1
AKA: THE GREAT WAR
How to start a War!
Economic Rivalry
Nationalism
 Germany and Great Britain
 When national pride goes
both had control over
weaker nations and their
trade this led to economic
rivalry- or the struggle for
new markets in the world
too far, people of one
nation believe they are
always right. This sense of
pride or nationalism often
leads to dislike of other
countries. This was also
one of the factors that lead
to World War 1.
Arms Race
 Great Britain and Germany both had huge
navies. Each tried to become better and
more powerful than the other this was called
the Arms Race
 Other nations in Europe also had strong
armies and navies, it was only a matter of
time until they found a way to use them
Rivalries and Allies
 Rivalries- competitions between nations
 The troubles in the Balkan peninsula
simmered rivalries among many of the
regions ethnic groups.
 Several small nations shared the rest of the
peninsula and joined other powerful nations
to secure allies for the upcoming war.
 Serbia- secured Russia as it’s ally.
 Austria- opposed this and took over some
areas that Serbia hoped to have
Alliances “the clubs of WW1”
 Just as people join clubs, so did the nations of
Europe. Their “clubs” were called alliances
 An alliance is a formal agreement between
two or more nations to help each other in
time of war
Alliances of World War 1
Triple Alliance
Triple Entente
 Germany
 Great Britain
 Austria-Hungary
 France
 Italy
 Russia
The spark that set things
off
 June 28, 1914 – Francis Ferdinand, Archduke
of Austria-Hungary, was visiting Serbia. An
assassin shot and killed him (assassin is
someone who kills a politically important
person)
 One month later, Austria-Hungary declared
war on Serbia
Francis Ferdinand and his family
The World at War
 Austria-Hungary used the killing of Francis
Ferdinand as an excuse to declare war on
Serbia
 By August 1914, Austria-Hungary and
Germany were now at war with Great Britain,
France and Russia.
The Alliances are now Powers
Central Powers
Allied Powers (Allies)
 Germany
 France
 Austria-Hungary
 Great Britain
 Italy (until 1915)
 Russia
 Italy (later)
 United States (later)
The Western Front
 Germany defeated the little country of
Belgium and invaded France.
 Great Britain rushed to help France.
 Germany was fighting Russia on the east at
the same time it fought France and Great
Britain on the west
The Western Front
 The western fighting line was called the
Western Front
 Great ditches called trenches were dug.
 The armies put up barbed wire and brought
up guns.
 All of Europe was prepared for war!
To Fight or not to fight?
 Some nations, did not take sides, but rather
stayed neutral. Others were joining sides.
 The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria helped
Germany and the Central Powers
 Italy joined the Allies against the Central Powers
in an attempt to gain more land
 Japan joined the Allies hoping to gain some of
Germany’s colonies
 Switzerland did not take sides, but stayed
neutral
The U.S. is brought into the
fight
 The United States had decided to stay
neutral.
 However, Germany began using its
submarines to sink ships bringing supplies to
the Allies.
 On May 7, 1915, a German submarine sank
the ship Lusitania in the Atlantic Ocean
The U.S. declares war
 Of the 1,198 passengers who died in the
sinking of the Lusitania, 139 were Americans.
 In March 1917, the Germans sank three
American ships in two days.
 Two weeks later, the United States declared
war on Germany
World War 1 marks
many firsts…..
 The first time so many nations of the world
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joined sides to fight against one another.
The first time that submarines were used in
large numbers
It was also the first time that airplanes were
used in warfare.
It was the first time the tank was used
Poison gas was also another invention
American troops begin
arriving in France
 By June 1917, American troops were arriving
in France.
 After many battles, the Allies and Germany
signed armistice (an informal agreement to
stop fighting a war)
 The other Central Powers had already
stopped fighting, and Russia had withdrawn
after undergoing a revolution.
 On November 11, 1918 the war was over
United States declares War
on Germany
 In January 1917, A German official named Arthur
Zimmermann cabled a German ambassador in
Mexico. Zimmermann proposed if war broke out
with the US and Germany that Mexico should
ally itself with Germany and in return Mexico
would regain lost territory in Texas, Arizona, and
New Mexico after the war.
 The British intercepted the telegram and gave it
to the American newspaper.
 This outraged Americans and Americans began
demanding WAR on Germany!
U.S. declares war on Germany
 German submarine began sinking U.S. ships
again without warning.
 Between March 21 and Feb. 3 German Uboats sank six American merchant ships.
 On April 6, 1917, Woodrow Wilson asked
Congress to declare war on Germany.
The War Ends
 In November of 1917, the Russians pulled out of
the war.
 German troops on the Eastern Front were sent
west to strengthen Germany’s army as it
advanced toward Paris in 1918.
 On June 1, American and French troops blocked
the advance at the town of Chateau-Thierry.
 Four months later the Americans launched their
own massive attack in the Battle of Argonne
Forest.
 The Americans suffered major losses but
shattered the German defense.
Meanwhile…
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was in chaos,
and the Ottoman Turks surrendered.
The German emperor stepped down after
conspiracy (mutiny) within the German
navy and a revolt in Berlin.
On Nov. 11, 1918, Germany signed an
armistice (or cease-fire) that ended the
war
Treaty of Versailles
 In January 1919, peace talks began at Versailles
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outside Paris.
U.S. President- Woodrow Wilson, British Prime
Minister –David Lloyd George, French PremierGeorges Clemenceau, and Italian prime ministerVittorio Orlando created the Treaty of Versailles.
The treaty stripped Germany of armed forces and
required Germany to pay reparations (war damages)
of 33 billion dollars to the Allies.
Created a League of Nations, so countries could
settle differences by reason rather than by war
The U.S. Congress didn’t approve of the League of
Nations.
New nations in Europe
 The War recreated a new map of Europe.
Both the German and Russian Empires lost
territory in Southeastern Europe.
 Austro-Hungarian Empire became many
separate smaller nations
 The Ottoman Empire became Turkey and new
Arab nations Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan,
Palestine
World War 1 was over!
 Some 30 nations had been involved in the
war.
 Over 10 million people had died, and twice
that number had been wounded
 No one knows how many people lost their
homes and farms in the fighting
Homecoming Parade: Los Angeles, California April 22, 1919
A Plan for Peace
 When World War I ended, the problems of
keeping peace began.
 The President of the United States ,Woodrow
Wilson, had some good ideas. He called
them his Fourteen Points.
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen
Points
 Wilson wanted all lands to be free from fear
of other nations.
 He wanted an end to the arms race and
freedom around the world.
 Most important, a League of Nations would
be set up so nations of the world could solve
their problems by reason rather than by war
What’s wrong with Peace?
 Many of the Allies did not like President
Wilson’s ideas.
 They wanted Germany to be punished for the
war and to pay for war damages.
 In spite of what Wilson wanted, the United
States refused to join the League of Nations
The official end of the war
 Germany and its allies signed the Treaty of
Versailles in 1919, which officially ended the
war.
 The treaty left out many of President Wilson’s
ideas for peace.
 Germany lost its colonies in Asia and Africa.
Some German land was to be used by France.
 Austria-Hungary became two completely
separate nations, and other new nations were
formed.
Not so fast,
 The United States did not even sign the peace
treaty.
 Russia was not involved in the Versailles treaty. It
signed a separate treaty with Germany in 1918,
after its revolution.
 The war was over, but the world’s problems were
not
 Hate and bitterness still filled the hearts of
many……the world had not learned from this
terrible war, and in another twenty years, nations
would be fighting again.