World War I

Imperialism (Getting
Militarism (Competing to
involved politically and
build bigger and better armies economically in other
and navies than rivals) countries in order to gain
European nations had
wealth and power).
submarines, tanks, gasses, European nations, in need of
machine guns and airplanes
raw materials, fought for
that made warfare more colonies in Asia & Africa.
deadly
The MAIN
Causes of
World War
One
Alliances (to make
Nationalism (the feeling
agreements to support each
that specific nation,
other in times of war).
language or culture is
Groups of nations allied
superior to all others).
themselves to balance the
Groups ruled by other
power of others.
nations
 Long Term Causes

 Nationalism-
 Deep Devotion to One’s Nation
 Competition and Rivalry developed
between European nations for
territory and markets
 Continued….

 Many nations became powerful

because of increase in weapons
 Nations wanted to become
independent
 e.g. Serbia did not want to be part of
Austro-Hungry Empire
 Long Term Causes

 Militarism-
 Elevating Military Power
 Keeping a large standing
army/navy prepared for war
 Arms race for military
technology
Long Term Causes

 Imperialism-
 European competition for colonies
 Quest for colonies often almost
led to war
 Imperialism led to rivalry and
mistrust amongst European
nations
Continued……
 Increase in wealth and power by invading more
land.
 By 1900, British had colonies over five
continents- France had control over large areas in
Africa
 Industrialization needed more land for resources/
market.
 Germany was growing economically quickly-
Britain felt danger as Germany also needed more
land…. It had only small areas in Africa
 Long Term Causes

 Alliance System-
 Designed to keep peace in Europe,
instead pushed continent towards war
 Many Alliances made in secret
 By 1907 two major alliances: Triple
Alliance and Triple Entente
 Bosnian Crisis(Balkan
States)
 In 1908, Austria-Hungrytook control of Bosnia
 Serbians became angry as they wanted to rule
Bosnia.
 Tension increased
 Both threatened each other to war
 Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of
Austria-Hungry by Serbian Terrorist
organization (Immediate cause of war)
The fundamental cause of the war?

Industrial Revolution
 The Two Sides

Triple Alliance Triple Entente

Germany England
Austria-Hungary France
Italy Russia
Central Powers Allied Powers
Germany England, France, Russia,
Austria-Hungary
United States, Italy,
Ottoman Empire
Serbia, Belgium,
Switzerland
 Major Colonies

 Triple Entente  Triple Alliance

 France- Vietnam,  Germany-
Parts of Africa Africa, Parts of
 England- Africa, Asia
Australia, Hong
Kong, India,
Canada, S.
America
 Short-Term Cause

 June 28th 1914

 Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The Spark that Started the War
The assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, heir to the
throne of Austria-Hungary, by a
Serbian nationalist.
 Who Declared War on Who?

 Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia

 Russia Declares War on Austria Hungary
 Germany Declares War on Russia
 Germany Declares War on France
 England Declares War on Germany and Austria
Hungary
The Domino Effect

 Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on

Serbia.

 Germany pledged their support for Austria –Hungary

 Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

 Germany declares war on Russia.

 France pledges their support for Russia.

 Germany declares war on France.

 Germany invades Belgium on the way to France.

 Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany.

 Summer of 1914
Triple Entente/Triple Alliance Actions

 July 23rd Austria Hungary Presents Serbia with an ultimatum

 July 28th Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
 July 29th Russia Mobilizes its troops
 August 1, 1914 Germany mobilizes troops.
 Summer of 1914
Triple Entente/Triple Alliance Actions
 August 2nd Germany declares war on Russia Germany invades Poland and Luxemburg,
invasion of France starts
 August 3: Germany declares war on France
 August 4: Germany declares war on Belgium and invades it,
 August 4:England declares war on Germany
 August 5: Austria declares war on Russia and Great Britain
 Why did this start a war?
 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Because
of an earlier alliance, Russia agreed to defend
Serbia. They mobilized (prepared military) for
war. So…
 Germany declared war on Russia and France,
which led…
 Britain to declare war on Germany, which led…
 Austria-Hungary to declare war on Russia!
 Who’s is on which side now?
 Central Powers Austria-Hungary Germany

 Allied Powers Britain, France, Russia, Italy

 By the end of 1914, not only
Europe was at war, but also all of
Europe’s colonies in Asia, Africa
and South America.
 Western and Eastern front
 On western front …. Was a trench warfare….trenches were dug
and war was dragged on for three years… allied soldiers became
disheartened
 By 1917, France and Britain became hopeless on the western front
 On the eastern front a revolution in Russia in 1917 removed Tsar
Nicholas II and new government was forced to continue the war
 Russia signed a treaty with Germany to give up territories
including Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Baltic States of Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania
 The war went in Germany’s favor on the eastern front and it could
move to western front
 Continued….
 The war was fought on land and sea.
 Germany navy used its ships to attack the merchant ships
of allies.
 Britain replied by attacking German’s ships
 Germany used submarines to cutoff supply between
America and Britain
 Turkey, in secret alliance with Germany joined the
Central power and threatened Russia’s Cuacasian region.
 They defeated the French and British in Galipoli in 1915
but faced defeat by allies in Mesopotamia in 1915-16.
 Continued…..

 In 1917, Germany persuaded Mexico to declare

war on US and claim for its territories
 President Woodrow Wilson declared war to help
Britain and France against Germany and its
allies.
 Germany’s ruler Kaiser Wilhelm was forced to
give up and Germany became Weimar republic
 Russia Exits the War

 In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicates his throne,

 the Russian Duma (a Russian assembly with advisory or
legislative functions) continues to fight.
 In October 1917: Lenin and the Bolsheviks take command:
The Soviet Union is created.
 March 1918: Soviets and Germans sign the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk, ending the war in the East.
 US claims Neutrality
 U.S. remains neutral until 1917
 Practicing (foreign) policy of Isolationism

 Reason:
 1. Europe’s war
 2. Economic reasons
 - trade
 - financial support
 US Declares War

 Senate Declares War April 4th 1917

 House of Representatives Declares War April 6th 1917
 Wilson’s reasoning for War
make the world “Safe for Democracy”
US Road to War

 British Blockade
did not allow products to leave or enter Germany

 German U-Boat Response

counter to blockade, destroy all boats headed for
British shores
1916 Presidential Election
And the Winner is…

Woodrow Wilson

Because
“he kept us out of
the war”
US Road to War
May 7th 1915
Sinking of the Lusitania
 War on the Homefront
 World War I as a Total War
 All Resources devoted to homefront

 Gov’t took over factories to make Military goods

 All had to work (Women took place of men in factories)

 Rationing- limit consumption of resources/goods necessary for the

war effort

 Propaganda- one-sided information to keep support for the war

 Ending the War (1918)
The Tide Turns

 German troops fatigued

 US had 140,000 “fresh” troops
 2nd Battle of the Marne (June 1918)
 Central Powers Crumble
 Revolutions in Austria Hungary
 Ottoman Empire surrenders
 German soldiers mutiny, public turns against Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Ending the War (1918)

 Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates on November 9th 1918

 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in
1918 Germany agrees to a cease-fire
 8.5 million soldiers dead
 21 million soldiers wounded
 Cost of 338 billion dollars
 Ending the War
The Paris Peace Conference
 Meeting of the “Big Four” at the Paris Peace Conference
 Wilson Proposes his “14 points”
 “Big Four” create Treaty of Versailles
 War Guilt Clause
 Break up of German, Austrian, Russian and Ottoman
Empire
 Reparations
 Legacy of bitterness and betrayal
New Technology
Guns

 The Machine Gun

 It was used by both sides,
hundreds of rounds a minute
could be shot by one person.
 The German plan against
France was to rush into the
country as fast as possible: The
Schlieffen Plan

 The Machine Gun stopped this

plan
Trench Warfare

 Both sides dug long trenches that faced each other. The trenches ran for miles.

 From time to time, one side would attempt to cross the “No-Man’s Land” the area
in between the trenches.

 Trench warfare made WWI extend from a few months of fighting to four years of
fighting
French Soldiers Attacking a
German Trench
Technology:
Chemical Weapons

WWI was the first major war to use

chemical weapons

Mustard Gas and Chlorine Gas were

the two most popular weapons: They
caused suffocation, blindness, and
death
Soldiers would protect themselves
using Gas Masks
Technology:
The U-boat (Submarine)

 Germany’s secret weapon during the

war

 Sank dozens of British ships,

controlled the oceans.
Why would the British think the U-
boat was breaking the rules of War ?
Technology:
Airpower

 Both sides used aircraft for observation, limited bombing, and air
battles

 Airplanes were slow, clumsy, and unreliable,

 The most famous German pilot was Baron von Richthofen (The
Red Baron)
Red Baron
Technology:
Tanks
Technology:
Tanks
Technology:
Flame Throwers
Woodrow Wilson 14 Points
 January 191, 36 nations came together for
settlement.
 Britain, France,Italy, USA
 14 points and formation of League of Nations.
 France, Britain did not agree--- wanted Germany
to pay for the loss. Also wanted to keep their
colonies
 However, they accepted for the formation of
League of Nations.
 Turkey was made to sign another treaty in
1920…. Empire broke in 1922
 Treaty clauses were degrading for
Germany
 Unfairly made to accept responsibility
 Penalized for the damage
 Made Germany conscious to rebuild its
image---- led to the cause of WWII
 Treaty of Sevres, 1920
 Besides Germany Turkey was also held
responsible for the war as it sided with Germany
and Italy.
 Egypt, Lebanon, Mesopotamia, Transjordan were
taken away from Turkey.
 Italy to sign peace treaty with Germany and
Turkey.
 USA id not join the League of Nations
 Noble prize for Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
 War Impact
 On the U.S.
 Industrial production increased
 became richest country in the world
 achieved a high standard of living
 citizens became materialistic
 women more opportunities/recognition

 rejecting the Treaty/League of Nations

 U.S. shifts back to a policy of Isolation
 War Impact
 On Europe:
 All economies were bad
 Land was destroyed
 German develop a depression in 1923
 German $ became almost worthless
 Germans were looking for someone to
blame
 On Middle East:
 Territory divided among Allies
 Changes after WWI
 Map of Europe and Middle east changed
 Ottoman Empire was divided among European powers.
 Turkey emerged as an independent state in 1924.
 Germany lost all colonies.
 Austria and Hungary reduced in size.
 Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yogoslovakia became
independent
 Monarchies in Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungry came
to an end.
 Communism philosophy raised in Russia