WORLD WAR I

Chapter 11

Countries - 1914

Great Britain – King George V; Constitutional Monarchy; strong imperial power

Germany – Kaiser Wilhelm (William) II; near absolute monarchy; strong military

France – democracy; lost Franco-Prussian War; Germany took Alsace and Lorraine

Russia – Czar Nicolas II; absolute monarchy; lost Russo-Japanese War; struggling economically large population

Austria-Hungary – dual monarchy; made up of many different ethnic groups (Austrians, Hungarians, Serbs, Slavs, Romanians, etc).

Serbia – Newly independent nation; struggling to stay independent from AH and Russia

United States – Woodrow Wilson; isolationist

Great Britain

France

GermanyRussia

Austria-Hungary

Serbia

Long Term Causes

Nationalism

•A devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation•Most visible in Balkan Peninsula• Led to formation of new countries, struggles for power

•Serbian leaders wanted to expand borders, unite people in “greater Serbia”•Austria-Hungary opposed expansion

ImperialismCountries compete and rival one another for • Power• Raw materials

Militarism• The development of armed

forces and their use as a tool of diplomacy

• Original purpose was to build and defend empires

Alliances•Two major defense alliance in Europe•Triple Entente – France, GB, and Russia•Triple Alliance – Germany, A-H, and Italy•Provided security because they were afraid to disturb the balance of power

Causes of WWI

Princip assassinates

Archduke Ferdinand and

wife

Austria-Hungary send demands to

Serbia and declared war.

Russia mobilizes troops in support

of Serbia

Germany views as a threat and

declares war on Russia

Germany declares war on Russia’s

ally France

Germany carries out Schlieffen Plan. Attacks

France through neutral Belgium.

Great Britain declares war on

Germany.

War Breaks Out

Great Britain

France

GermanyRussia

Austria-Hungary

Serbia

Italy

Ottoman

Empire

Belgium

Trench Warfare

Schlieffen Plan lead to the formation of the Western Front

Both armies dug trenches for protection, spanning from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps

Little movement for nearly 3 years No man’s land – barren and desolate

wasteland between the trenches

Life in the Trenches

Germans were the first to build trenches & had best land above sea level

Rat infested Lice infested Constant bombardment Often flooded Dysentery and other disease spread quickly

Life in the Trenches

Waterlogged trenches led to Trench foot Caused by cold, wet,

unsanitary conditions. Only way to prevent-

change socks often & keep feet dry.

Also told to coat feet in whale oil

Fun Fact: The British Army treated 20,000 soldiers for trench foot during the winter of 1914-15.

Mechanized Warfare

First used for scouting Dogfights (individual air combats) Used pistols Later incorporated machine guns

and bombs

Invented and first used by the British

Made of steel so bullets bounced off

Useful in charging through barbed wire clearing a path for infantry

Airplane Tanks

war relied on machines powered by gasoline and diesel engines

America Questions Neutrality

Many American’s didn’t see the need to get involved

America was dividedHow did each group feel about U.S. participation in WWI?

Naturalized Citizens

(immigrants included)

Pacifists Socialists Parents Economists

In the end, most Americans favored the Allies.

British Blockade

British used in naval force to blockade the German coast Weapons and military supplies Later food

Resulted in famine in Germany Americans didn’t approve of the

blockade because it threatened freedom of the seas

More angry over German response to the blockade

German U-Boat Response

Germany practiced unrestricted submarine warfare Any British or Allied ship around Britain would be sunk

Lusitania – British ocean liner sunk because it supposedly carried ammunition 128 Americans killed

Many Americans outraged Deal stuck: Germany abandon the tactic of

unrestricted submarine warfare, but would go back if U.S. didn’t persuade G.B. to list the blockade of food and fertilizers

Overt Acts of War

Resuming of unrestricted submarine warfare 4 unarmed merchant ships sunk

Zimmerman Note - German foreign minister to German ambassador in Mexico that proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico

Russian monarchy replaced with a rep. gov. (now a true war of democracies)

U.S. Declares War

April 1917, Congress voted to declare war Make the world “safe for democracy” 50 members voted “no”

Propaganda

Used by the government to popularize the war

Gain support for government agencies Committee on Public Information

Paintings, posters, cartoons, sculptures Four-Minute Men

German Offensive

Germany wanted one more chance to beat the Allies before the U.S. came over. Russia withdrawals March 1918 – last major assault on the

western front

2 downsides High cost U.S. aid arrived

German Collapse

Second Battle of Marne Allies stopped German advances Allies used tanks and aircrafts for help Went on the offensive Broke through the Hindenburg lines

Armistice (truce or cease fire)

“the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month”

Section 4

Wilson Fights for Peace

The Big Four

Georges Clemenceau – prevent future attacks from Germany

David Lloyd George – “make Germany pay”

Vittorio Orlando – Wanted control of Austrian-Hungary territory

Woodrow Wilson – Lasting peace

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

1. No secret treaties2. Freedom of the seas3. Tariffs should be lowered or abolished to foster

free trade4. Arms should be reduced to “the lowest point

consistent with domestic safety”5. Colonial policies should consider those of the

colonized people6-13. boundary changes

self-determination Established along nationalistic lines

14. Establish the League of Nations

Treaty of Versailles

Germany Provisions Not allowed a

standard army Return Alsace and

Lorraine to France Pay $33 Billion in war

reparations Stripped of Pacific

colonies Demilitarized zone War Guilt Clause

Other Provisions 9 new nations Ottoman Empire

divided into mandates

Austria-Hungary dissolved into new nations

Russia lost more land than Germany

League of Nations created

Opposition to the Treaty

Senate opposed the League of Nation because it went against U.S. isolationism policy

Henry Cabot Lodge – opposed due to joint economic and military action Wanted to keep declaration of war powers

with Congress Wilson ignored Congress’s attempts to

amend the treaty and compromise on the League of Nations

 

Costs of WWI

Economic Costs - $338 Billion Human Costs –

22 million casualties 20 million wounded 10 million refugees

Political costs New countries New governments Strained relationships

Domestic Consequence of WWI America emerged as the world’s greatest

industrial power Contributed to the Great Migration Intensified anti-immigrant and anti-

radical sentiments One million women entered the

workforce