World War One

World War OneA Two Front WarGermanys Schlieffen Plan failed, and Germany quickly found itself fighting a two-front war: against Britain and France in the west and against Russia in the east

The Western FrontBoth sides dug interlocking trenches (deep expansive ditches) for shelterConditions were unbearable hot in summer, cold in winter, wet and muddy when it rained - leading to the rampant spread of disease and trench foot

Trench Warfare

Trench Foot

No Mans LandThe area between the Entente Powers trenches and the German trenches came to be called no mans land everything there had been destroyed and no one could survive there for long because there was no shelter from enemy fireNo mans land was riddled with corpses, land mines, unexploded ordinance, and barbed wire

StalemateThe wars Western Front quickly became a stalemateGermans attacked at Battle of Verdun: over 500,000 combined casualties in 11 months, before the German attack failedBritish attacked at Battle of the Somme: over 1 million casualties in 5 months, including 60,000 British soldiers killed or wounded in just one day, before the British attack failed.

The Eastern FrontRussia invaded Germany in August 1914, but were pushed back; all remaining fighting in the east during the war took place in RussiaRussia was not industrialized and struggled to keep its troops supplied, but it had nearly limitless numbers of poorly trained peasants to send into combat

The OttomansThe Ottomans closed the entrance to the Black Sea (a vital supply route for British aid to Russia)In 1915 a mix of British and colonial troops tried to capture the entrance at the Battle of Gallipoli, but were forced to retreat after 10 months and 200,000 casualtiesThe Ottomans, however, lost much (including Iraq) when Arabs under their rule took advantage and rebelled (with British aid).

Other ParticipantsItaly left the Triple Alliance and joined the Entente Powers (Britain, France, & Russia) in 1915 after promises of new territory at wars endJapan joined the Entente Powers and seized German outposts in China and the Pacific after promises of being given a free hand in China

Colonial FightingFighting also took place between the various colonies in Africa, but colonial recruiting efforts received mixed results many refused to fight for the powers which oppressed them, while others saw it as an opportunity to achieve citizenship or to earn independence

The War Drags OnBy 1917, troops and civilians on both sides were demoralizedGermany was drafting 15 year oldsBritain was nearly bankruptFrench troops had begun to mutiny and Italian troops had started deserting

Russia Exits the WarRevolution in RussiaMarch 1917: bread riots in St. Petersburg grew into a full scale revolutionThousands of Russian troops left the front to return home to take part in the revolutionEarly in 1918, new Russian leader Vladimir Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, surrendering huge amounts of territory, and pulled Russia out of the warRussias withdrawal closed the Eastern Front and allowed Germany to mass all of its troops on the Western Front

Submarine WarfareGerman U-boats conducted unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking any Entente Powers ships without warningU.S. insisted that Americans had a right to safe sea travel, even on British shipsMay 1915: Germans sank the passenger ship Lusitania, killing 1200 civilians, including 128 Americans this led U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to openly denounce Germany

The Zimmermann NoteEarly 1917: British agents intercepted a message from German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann to the Mexican governmentGermany offered to help Mexico retake the American Southwest if they would begin a war that would keep the U.S. from being able to help the Entente Powers in EuropeBritain publicized the note; many Americans reacted angrily and called for declaring war on Germany

The U.S. Enters the WarApril 1917: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on GermanyThe U.S. sent 2 million troops, plus fresh financial aid to Europe in 1918

Wilsons Fourteen PointsJanuary 1918: Wilson proposed Fourteen Points or terms for ending the war:No more secret alliancesFreedom of the seas for all nationsThe removal of barriers to international tradeDemilitarization by all nationsAn end to colonizationAllow Russia to stabilize itself without interferenceGermany must pull out of Belgium

Wilsons Fourteen PointsAll captured French territory, including that from the 1871 war, must be returnedAll captured Italian territory must be returnedAustria must be freed of German influenceAll the Balkan states should become free, independent nationsThe Ottoman Empire should be reduced to just TurkeyAn independent Poland should be created between Germany and RussiaA League of Nations should be formed to resolve future disputes between nations

The War EndsMarch 1918: Germany launched an offensive which stalled out by July and used up Germanys last remaining resourcesJuly 1918: Entente Powers launched a counter-offensive; by September, German military leaders advised the Kaiser that the war was lostNovember 1918: Kaiser Wilhelm stepped down as leader of Germany after rioting by German civilians over food shortages11 AM, November 11, 1918: All fighting stopped after Germany reached an agreement with the Entente Powers to end the war

Costs of the War8.5 million dead17 million woundedWidespread famine due to loss of farm productionInfluenza pandemic swept around the world in 1918, spread by returning soldiers, killing another 20 millionMuch of Europe was in ruins and all of the European governments were deeply in debtGovernment had collapsed in Russia, Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire

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The Peace ConferenceThe terms of peace would be determined by The Big Three after Germanys unconditional surrenderWoodrow Wilson (U.S.): wanted a lasting peace based on his Fourteen PointsDavid Lloyd George (Britain): wanted to punish Germany and force them to make financial reparations for costs of warGeorges Clemenceau (France): wanted to leave Germany so weak that they could never again threaten France

The Treaty of VersaillesJune 1919: Allies presented Germany with the terms:Germany was to accept all public blame for the warGermany was to make reparations ($30 billion in 1919 or about $350 billion in todays dollars)Limited size of German militaryGermany was to return territory to France that was taken in 1871Germany was stripped of its coloniesGermany signed the treaty because they had no choice, but they were furious over the terms

Nationalism Wins OutEastern Europe was broken into many small states:Latvia, Lithuania, & Estonia were broken off of RussiaPoland was recreated from Russian, German, & Austrian territoryAustrian Empire was broken into independent nations of Austria, Hungary, & CzechoslovakiaBalkan region was rearranged into Yugoslavia, Romania, & Bulgaria

Reorganized ColoniesGerman colonies were divided up and Ottoman territories in the Middle East were taken as new colonies by Great Britain and FranceColonized peoples who had sent troops to help the Allies had hoped to be given self-government in return they werent, and felt betrayed as a result

Some Still UnhappyItaly was angry because they did not gain any of the territory that the Entente Powers had secretly promised to give themJapan angered over Entente Powers refusal to allow them free reign in ChinaRussia was angry over their exclusion from the treaty process and their loss of territory

The League of NationsWilsons League of Nations, with more than 40 member nations, was created to settle international disputesU.S. did NOT join (also never ratified the Treaty of Versailles), because U.S. became isolationist (wanted to stay out of foreign problems) after the war.