War and Revolution 1914-1919

War and Revolution 1914-1919

The Causes of WW1

•Militarism

•Alliances

•Imperialism

•Nationalism

Militarism 1.

• Germany was competing with the UK to build battleships.

• The British feared an attack on their Empire

Militarism 2.

• Germany was competing with Russia and France to expand their armies

1880 1914

• Germany 1.3m 5.0m

• France 0.73m 4.0m

• Russia 0.40m 1.2m

Alliances • By 1914 all the

major powers were linked by a system of alliances.

• The alliances made it more likely that a war would start.

• Once started, the alliances made it more likely to spread.

Imperialism

• All the great powers were competing for colonies / territory.

• The British feared Germany in Africa.

• The Austrians feared Serbia / Russia in the Balkans

Nationalism

• This was an age when all nations wanted to assert their power and independence.

• In Europe Slavs, aided by Serbia and Russia, wanted to be free of Austrian rule.

Serbia’s

national

flag

Significant Individuals

• Kaiser Wilhelm II

• Built up German army and navy

• Aggressive foreign policy

• Determined to make Germany a top nation.

• Distrusted by other powers

“Germany must have

its place in the sun”

“The world belongs to

the strong.”

Significant Individuals

• Count Berchtold

• Austrian Prime Minister.

• During the July Crisis, decided on a very tough ultimatum for Serbia

“Were the Serbs to

agree to all the

demands, this would

not be to my liking”

Significant Individuals

• Bethmann Hollweg

• German Prime Minister

• Gave very strong support to Austria during the July crisis while Kaiser was cruising on his yacht

“The Austrian demands

are moderate. Any

interference by Britain,

France and Russia would

be followed by

incalculable

consequences”

The Crisis 1.

• June 28, 1914 • Heir to Austrian

throne Franz Ferdinand visits Sarajevo.

• Capital of Bosnia, recently grabbed by Austria from Turks

• Hotbed of Slav nationalism

Seal of the

Black Hand

group

The Crisis

• “Black Hand” terrorists attack the Arch Duke

• Bomb attempt fails in morning

• Gavrilo Princip shoots Archduke and wife in the afternoon.

• Austrians blame Serbia for supporting terrorists.

The Crisis • Austrians, supported by

Germany, send Serbia a tough ultimatum.

• Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum.

• Russia mobilises her troops to support Serbia

• Germany demands that Russia stands her armies down.

• Germany declares war on Russia

“Demands must be

put to Serbia that

would be wholly

impossible for them

to accept …”

Why did Britain get involved? • Britain had Ententes

with France and Russia.

• Only “friendly agreements” but French and Russians given impression Britain would fight.

• The Schlieffen Plan forced Britain to protect neutrality of Belgium

Sir Edward Grey

British Foreign Secretary

… “There’s some devilry

going on in Berlin”

The Schlieffen Plan • Germany’s military

plan to defeat France and Russia.

• “Knock out blow” aimed at France first.

• Avoid French defences by invasion of Belgium.

• Germans thought Britain would not intervene.

Britain’s Reaction • 1838- UK had signed a

Treaty to protect Belgium.

• Britain also scared of Germany controlling Channel ports.

• Did not want Germany to defeat France and dominate Europe. Britain next?

• UK issued ultimatum to Germany to withdraw troops from Belgium.

• War declared August 4 1914

The First World War:

•War involving nearly all the nations of the world

•1914-1918

• What?

• When?

The First World War: • Why? Long term causes:

1. Militarism

2. Alliance system

3. Imperialism

4. Nationalism

(Memory tip: Think MAIN.)

Short term cause: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his Wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg one hour before their deaths, June 28, 1914. The assassination was the spark that ignited the war.

The First World War:

• Who?

•Germany •Austria-Hungary •Ottoman Empire •Bulgaria

•Russia •France •Great Britain •Italy •Japan •United States (1917)

Central Powers: Allies:

Kaiser Wilhelm II, Mehmed V, Franz Joseph: The three emperors of the Central Powers in World War I

The First World War: • Where?

Map of Europe during WWI: Originally, Italy joined the Triple Alliance but after the war broke out, it switched sides and went to fight with the Triple Entente. Turkey later joined the Triple Alliance.

• rapid-fire machine guns were used

early machine guns:

• were big & heavy

• needed a crew of four to six people to operate

• lacked cooling mechanisms

• shot 400-600 small caliber rounds per minute

• later machine guns were lighter & more portable

• lighter weight, but still too heavy

• 1918 guns for infantrymen now existed – lighter weight

– lacked enough ammuntion

• by end of war, guns had been added to tanks, warships, & aircraft

• aka: landships

• armored vehicles

• could cross rough battlefield terrain – such as no man’s land

• first tank, “Little Willie” – 14 tons (weight) with 12-foot long track

frames

– space for three men (cramped)

– maximum speed of 2 mph (on rough terrain)

• first developed in Great Britain – France & the US soon became

interested

• not very reliable or useful at first

• used later in the war – November 1917,

Battle of Cambrai

Uses of aircraft:

• observe enemy positions

• armed with machine guns & bombs

• attacked battlefields & cities

• attacked enemy planes (“dogfights”)

• useful from beginning of war

• most countries had few planes at start of war

• production of planes increased rapidly

• planes had to be easy to fly – first, designed for stability

– later, designed for maneuverability

• generals began including planes in planning

• U-boat: submarines used by Germans in WWI and WWII – developed by Germans

• unrestricted submarine warfare – any ship traveling in water around

Great Britain was subject to attack

• easy to attack without being seen • attack merchant ships

– cut off (British) supply lines

• Great Britain developed convoys

– helped against threat of attack

• United States entered war on Allied side – Americans had been killed because of

unrestricted submarine warfare

• flamethrower – different sizes for different

circumstances

• grenade – detonate two different ways: impact or

timed-fuse

• bayonet – had more of a psychological use

• mortar – could be fired from inside a trench

A New Kind of War •Trench Warfare

•Poison Gas

TRENCH WARFARE

a form of combat in which soldiers dug trenches, or deep ditches, to seek protection from enemy fire & to defend their positions

LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

• lived very close to other soldiers

• not much room

LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

• trenches could be miserable sometimes

– rainstorms

• “trench foot”

– sanitation

– lice & rats

POISON GAS

• a new weapon used in the war

• different types – blind

– choke

– burn

• limited value – wind

– gas masks

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• 1. Blockades • Britain blockaded (stopped) all German ships going to America.

HMS Renown seen from another British warship (circa 1917)

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• 1. Blockades • May, 1915: Germany told Americans to stay off British ships, and they could and would sink them. • Germany torpedoed the Lusitania, sinking it with 1200 passengers and crew (including 128 Americans). • It was eventually found to be carrying 4200 cases of ammunition.

The New York Times reports on the Lusitania’s sinking.

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• 1. Blockades

• The US sharply criticized Germany for its action.

• Germany agreed not to sink passenger ships without warning in the future.

Note in bottle after Lusitania disaster

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• 2. Unlimited Submarine Warfare

• In 1917, Germany announced “unlimited submarine warfare” in the war zone.

• Otherwise, Germany’s blockade would not be successful.

A British ship torpedoed by a German U-boat

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• 3. Zimmerman Note

• The U.S. intercepted a note from Germany to Mexico.

• It promised to give Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona back to Mexico in return for an alliance and attacking the United States.

The decoded Zimmerman Telegram

What did it take to get the U.S. involved?

• The Zimmerman Note and the sinking of four unarmed American ships led to a declaration of war.

New York Journal (4/7/1917) announcing the declaration of war the previous day

How was the war looking for the allies?

• Russia left the war after its communist revolution in 1917.

• Russia’s withdrawal allowed Germany to fight a one- front war with all its troops concentrated on France (remember this point when you study WWII!).

• Not Good...

Calling for a Communist revolution, anti-Tsarist protesters gather outside the Winter Palace in Petrograd, Russia, February 1917.

What ended the war? • The Treaty of Versailles

• After the Central Powers were exhausted by the war, especially

after the US began fighting, it sought an armistice (the end of

fighting).

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed between the Allied powers

and Germany.

• It took land away from Germany.

• It dismantled Germany’s military.

• It forced Germany to make reparations

(payments) to the countries it harmed

in the war.

• This treaty so destroyed the German economy and the morale of

the German people, that within 20 years, they would start another

world war.