World War I

Chapter 11

Causes of WWI

Nationalism- pride for your country Imperialism- growth of empires/colonies Militarism- build up of the military Alliance system- treaties that force countries to

enter war If country “A” is attacked, then countries “B” and “C”

must come to their aid

Military Competition

Germany and England competed to have stronger navies and militaries

Other countries soon joined this arms race

Triple Entente (Allies)

France, Britain, Russia, USA

Triple Alliance (Central Powers)

Germany Austria Hungary Italy Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

Assassination

Serbian Gavril Princip killed Austrian Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Princip was a member of the terrorist group, The Black Hand

Ignited the “powder keg” and started WWI

Alliance System at Work

Russia declared war on AH to defend Serbia Germany declared war on Russia to defend AH Germany declared war on Russia’s ally, France England declared war on Germany after it

invaded Belgium

WWI

War was fought in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East

Heaviest concentration of fighting was in Europe

War spread to other areas b/c of colonization

Schlieffen Plan

August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium Split the German army in two

One half invaded Belgium and then would invade France Other half would fight the Russians to the east and hold

them off After defeating France and Belgium, both halves of the

German army would combine to attack Russia

First Battle of the Marne (1914)

Counterattack by British and French against the Germans

Stopped the month long offensive by the Germans

Set the stage for 4 years of trench warfare

Trench Warfare

Used in WWI New kind of warfare 3 kinds of trenches

Front line trench Support trench Reserve trench

Soldiers live, ate, slept in the trenches “dugouts” were built for command posts “no man’s land” was between the trenches

25 yards to a mile wide Open flat land between the trenches No “cover” for soldiers as they advanced from trench to

enemy trench

1st Battle for the Somme (1916)

British had 60,000 casualties the first day 1.2 million casualties total for the battle Only 7 miles of land traded hands during the

battle

Gallipoli (April 1915-Jan 1916)

Major battle in Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Victory for the Ottomans

Most significant contribution to the war by the Australians

Goal was to move inland, capture capital of Istanbul and have a sea route to Russia

2nd battle of the Somme (1918)

Last ditch offensive by the Germans against the Allies

Was unsuccessful plan/attack by Germans Marked the beginning of the end of WWI

Russian Revolution (1917)

Forced Russia to leave WWI Overthrew the gov’t and killed the Czar and his

family Result was a new communist government led by

Vladimir Lenin

Zimmerman Note

Telegram from Germany asking Mexico to attack US

Lusitania

Cruise ship sunk by German submarines 130 Americans were killed Angered American gov’t and people

British Blockade

British ships blocked ships from getting to the German coast

750,000 Germans starved to death as a result

German U-Boats

Submarines Used unrestricted warfare (any ship was fair

game for attack)

1916 Election

Woodrow Wilson runs for re-election Runs under slogan “He kept us out of war” Wilson did not want war, but wanted equal

peace were the loser was not destroyed by the treaty

US Declares War

April 1917 “make the world safe for democracy” President

Wilson

Eddie Rickenbacker

Famous US pilot of WWI Fought against the “Red Baron”-German pilot

Selective Service Act

Passed in 1917 24 million men registered in a year 3 million men were used

New Weapons of WWI

Poison gas Machine gun Airplane Tank Submarine (U-boat)

Convoy System

Used to protect ships on the sea Heavily armed ships would surround the cargo

ships, protecting them

AEF

American Expeditionary Force Led by General John “Black Jack” Pershing Soldiers known as “doughboys”

Alvin York

US soldier Was a conscientious objector Killed 25 Germans and captured 132 almost

single handedly From rural Tennessee

War Ends

11/11/1918 at 11am Germany surrendered Signed an armistice or cease fire

WWI Totals

22 million killed 20 million wounded 10 million refugees Cost $338 billion

US lost 42,000 in battle and 62,000 from disease 200,000 Americans wounded

War Industries Board

Encouraged business to use mass production to increase efficiency

Daylight Savings Time

Established in 1918

War Economy

Costs and wages increased Stockholders in several companies saw record

profits Dupont Company- profits rose 1600% during 1914

and 1918

Food Administration

Set up to help conserve food for the war effort Rose the price on wheat and other item

Farmers farmed 40 million more acres and increased income by 30%

War Financing

$35.5 billion spent on the war (USA) Raised money through:

Progressive income tax War profits tax Higher excise taxes Liberty Bonds and Victory bonds

Propaganda

Committee on Public Information (CPI) was set up to influence people’s thoughts about the war

Used paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war

Anti-Immigrants

People of German descent lost their jobs German wasn’t taught in schools Books and music by Germans were not read and

played Violence against German Americans

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Thousands of Americans were punished and paid fines and were imprisoned as “spies and traitors”

Great Migration

Large scale movement of hundred of thousands of African Americans up north More jobs up north Cotton crop was destroyed by bugs Escape racial discrimination

Women during WWI

Took over the jobs men left while at war Helped support their effort for the right to vote 1919, 19th amendment was passed and women

got to vote

Flu Epidemic

30 million killed worldwide 500,000 Americans were killed

14 Points

Speech President Wilson gave to Congress Listed 14 ways to end war, create peace, and

sustain peace

1st 5 points were how to prevent another world war

Next eight points were about boundary changes Last point called for the creation of the League

of Nations to fix diplomatic problems therefore preventing war

Treaty of Versailles

Created 9 new nations and changed the size of others

Barred Germany from maintaining an army Germany had to pay war reparations (war

damages) $33 billion

War guilt clause was part of treaty Germany lost its colonies in the Pacific Ocean

Would have helped pay the war reparations

War Guilt Clause

Part of the treaty of versailles Forced Germany to admit sole responsibility for

starting WWI

Problems with the League of Nations

Many Americans thought it interfered with US policy of isolationism Keep to ourselves

Henry Cabot Lodge

Conservative republican US senator who opposed the League of Nations

USA & League of nations

USA never joined the League of nations Too many senators opposed the League of

nations and would not sign the Versailles Treaty

US & Germany Treaty

1921, USA and Germany signed a separate treaty b/c Congress would not approve/sign the Treaty of

Versailles

Effect of WWI on USA

Strengthened US military and gov’t Created social change (African Americans and

women)

Effect of WWI on Europe

Damaged social and political systems Enormous loss of life and destruction Communism and fascism grew out of WWI

War to End All Wars ?

Name for WWI at the time Treaty of Versailles settled nothing Treaty of Versailles made people more angry Laid the “seed” for Hitler and others like him to

rise to power and “cause” WWII less than 20 years later