World War I Libertyville HS. In 1914, Europe was a powder keg… Europe was an armed camp –France vs. Germany –Austro Hungary vs. Russians Principles of.
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World War I
Libertyville HS
Long Range Causes of WWI
• Militarism– Large standing armies– Arms race (ex.
battleships)– Quick mobilization
• Alliances– “Triple Entente”
• Great Britain, France, Russia
– Triple Alliance• Germany, Austro
Hungary, Ottoman Empire
Long Range Causes of WWI• Imperialism
– Quest for colonies brought conflict
– Ex: Berlin Conference / Africa
• Nationalism– Intense love of country– Created competition – National rivalries
developed over territory (Russia vs. Austro Hungary; Germany v. France)
Short Term Cause of WWI
• Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand– Heir to Austro-Hungary throne– Gavrilo Princip (Black Hand)– AH: declared war on Serbs– Russia declared war on AH– Chain reaction of war
declarations, due to alliances– Map to show beginning of war
“The German Right Hook”• Germans strike first
– Schlieffen Plan (1905)• Plam to avoid a 2 front
war• 90% of German army =
attack through Belgium• 5% hold Russian border• 5% defend French border
– Later changes to plan• Driven by Nationalism• Weakened R. hook• Strengthened defenses
Schlieffen Plan, in Action
• Schlieffen plan failed• French mobilized too
quickly!• Right hook slowed
down by British, in Belgium; too weak to finish beyond Paris
• German defenders of A-L too strong
War in Europe – the West• Triple Entente = French
and British• Triple Alliance =
Germans
• Trench Warfare– 300 mile long system of
defensive ditches dug from Swiss border to North Sea
“Over the Top”The Myth
The Reality
“No Man’s Land”
In the East
• Main combatants– Triple Entente =
Russia– Triple Alliance =
Austrians (& Germans)
• Few trenches; instead, a war of maneuver
WWI in SW Asia• Main Combatants
– Triple Entente = Britain and it’s empire (ANZAC)
– Triple Alliance = Ottoman Empire
• Allied goal was a “Third Front” to drain German / Austrian troops from other theaters
Unsuccessful: Gallipoli
• Assault on the Dardanelles, by British and ANZAC troops
• Slaughter, on both sides– About 250k casualties
on each side (stalemated)
Successful: Lawrence of Arabia
• British officer who welded Arabians into army against Turks
• Hit and run raids on horses, camels
• Eventually took most of SW Asia for the British
1917-18: End of WWI
• In East, Russian Communist Revolution in October 1917 took Russians out of war– Freed up 100,000s of
German troops for Western Front
– Russian Soviets made peace w/ Germans in 1918
End of WWI, Western Front
• American Entered war, 1917– Americans entered
war just as British, French troops reached breaking point
– Fresh soldiers, equipment critical to Triple Entente’s success
End of WWI, Western Front
• Germans attempted to win it all at the Somme– After initial success,
offensive ground to a halt
– Germans set up for big losses after overextending army
Collapse of Central Powers• Bulgarians signed
armistice (peace treaty) first, in 9/18
• Ottomans surrendered 10/30/18
• Austrians knocked out on 11/3/18
• German state underwent revolution, overthrowing Kaiser, and became republic on 11/9/18
Collapse of Central Powers
• On 11-11-18, at 11 am, Germany signed armistice to end fighting
• Armistice signed in railroad car in France
• Peace treaty signed in Versailles in July, 1919
Casualties of Triple EntenteCountry Civilian
DeathsMilitary Deaths
Total Deaths Total Wounded
Great Britain 109,000 886,939 995,000 1.6 million
France 300,000 1,397,800 1.7 million 4.2 million
Russia 1.5 million 1.8 to 2.2 million
3.3 to 3.7 million
3.7 to 4.9 million
United States 757 116,708 117,500 205,690
All Entente Countries
3.7 million 5.7 million 9.4 million 12.8 million
Treaty of Versailles• Required Germany to pay
massive war reparations to allies– Germany couldn’t pay, so
borrowed $ from USA– German economy collapsed
(hyper inflation) as the DM became worthless
• Treaty blamed Germans for the war (“War Guilt Clause”)
Treaty of Versailles• Treaty caused bitter
feelings in Germany– “Stabbed in the back”
theory: no foreign troops on German soil!
– Nationalist parties came to power in Weimar Republic
– Example: National Socialist Workers Party, aka Nazis
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