World War 1 • Totally shapes the world we live in today
• Begins 30 years of Europe tearing itself apart, and rising world power of peeps outside of Europe
Four main reasons driving Europe to war
• Militarism • Alliance
systems• Imperialism • Nationalism
Opposing Alliances
Central Powers- Germany- Austria-Hungary- *Ottoman EmpireAllied Powers
- France- Russia- Great Britain- *Italy- *Japan- *USA
Europe 1914
Trouble in the Balkans
• Balkans divided by ethnic groups, religions
• A-H controls some areas and is trying to squish revolts
• Serbia resists A-H control and aids rebels
• Assassination of heir to A-H throne in Bosnia sees A-H crack down on Serbia, Russia step up to help Serbia, and A-H and Russia’s allies line up and start frontin’
The Western Front • Germany fights France and England in northeastern France
• 500 miles of trenches, and years of bloody fighting
• Battles of Verdun and Somme in 1916 – 2 million die and lines don’t move
• “total war” – demands civilians support the war effort; propaganda used to justify sacrifices of loved ones and $$$$$$
Eastern Front • Germany and Austria-Hungary fight Russia
• Slow, steady movement towards Russia, who can’t keep up with industry and resources
• Russian people suffer from massive shortages of all necessities
• March Revolution drives out Czar, but decides to stay in the war… bad idea…
Why the US enters World War 1• At 1st, the US claims neutrality• US anger grows over German u-
boat attacks in the Atlantic• Germany reaches out to Mexico• US trades with GB and France
much more than Germany and A-H
• US banks loan GB and France money – what if they lose??
• Shared language and history with British
• Shared democratic governments with GB and France
A “World” War • Ottoman Empire joins Central Powers and war spreads to the Middle East
• Genocide against the Armenians
• Japan joins the Allies for its own reasons
• British and French promise more freedoms / independence to colonies if they help in the war… not so much…
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia • Staying in the war sees things
go from bad to worse in Russia after March 1917
• Vladimir Lenin leads the Bolsheviks in a revolt that seizes major Russian cities
• They declare the creation of the communist “Soviet Union”; execute the Czar’s family, and sue for peace with Germany
• 3 years of civil war follows before the Soviet Union sees peace; Lenin makes a communist dictatorship
The end of the war, and the “peace” after??? • US in the war spells the end for
Germany• President Woodrow Wilson wants a
“fair and lasting peace” – The 14 Points
• The Treaty of Versailles was instead motivated by revenge; only the League of Nations makes it in from the 14 Points*
• The Treaty blames the war on Germany, imposes harsh reparations, redraws the map of Europe, and gives England and France control of much of the Middle East
• the “war to end all wars” will instead become a big reason why there will be another world war 20 years later…
Europe 1919 – after the Treaty of Versailles
