Chapter 13: The Great War1914-1918

CHAPTER 13, SECTION 1

Marching Toward War

Rising Tensions In Europe: The Rise of Nationalism

• Nationalism was causing both unification within countries and competition among nations

• A rivalry developed between Europe’s Great Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France

Rising Tensions In Europe: Imperialism and Militarism

• The quest for colonies also caused competition in Europe

• By 1914, all of the Great Powers (except Britain) had large standing armies and engaged in militarism- the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war

Tangled Alliances: Bismarck Forges Early Pacts

• Germany’s prime minister, Otto von Bismarck saw France as the greatest threat to peace

• Bismarck formed the Dual Alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879, and Italy joined in 1882 making the Triple Alliance

• Bismarck also signed a treaty with Russia in 1881

Tangled Alliances: Shifting Alliances Threaten Peace

• In 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck to resign

• Wilhelm let the treaty with Russia lapse and Russia then formed an alliance with France

• Germany began building a large navy, causing Great Britain to enter into an alliance with France and Russia in 1907, called the Triple Entente

• By 1907 Europe has the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia)

Crisis in the Balkans: A Restless Region

• By the early 1900’s the Ottoman empire was in decline and new nations such as Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia formed

• In 1908, Austria took over Bosnia and Herzegovina, arising huge tensions between Austria and Serbia

Crisis in the Balkans: A Shot Rings Throughout Europe

• On June 28, 1914 the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia

• The assassin was Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian and member of the Black Hand, a secret society to rid Bosnia of Austrian rule

Crisis in the Balkans: A Shot Rings Throughout Europe

• Austria used the murder as an excuse to punish Serbia

• They issued Serbia several ultimatums to avoid war, and Serbia worked to negotiate

• On July 28, 1914 Austria rejected negotiations and declared war on Serbia, beginning World War I

CHAPTER 13, SECTION 2Europe Plunges into War

The Great War Begins

• In response to Austria declaring war, Russia (Serbia’s ally) mobilized towards Austria and Germany

• Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914 and then on France two days later

• Great Britain then declared war on Germany

Nations Take Sides

• By mid-August 1914, the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria) were pitted against the Allies (Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy and Japan) and troops began marching off to war

The Conflict Grinds Along

• By the fall of 1914, the war turned into a bloody stalemate in Northern France along the Western Front

• Germany developed a plan for fighting a two-front war known as the Schlieffen Plan, which called for defeating France in the west and then rushing east to fight Russia

• When Germany lost the First Battle of the Marne to France on September 5, 1914, the Schlieffen Plan was ruined

War in the Trenches

• By early 1915, both sides dug miles of trenches to protect against enemy fire, known as trench warfare

• The space between trenches was known as “no-man’s land”

• The slaughter reached a peak in 1916- by November, each side had reached more than a half-million casualties

The Christmas Truce

• On Christmas Eve, 1914, along the Western front of the war, troops began to sing Christmas carols from their trenches

• On Christmas day, German troops left the trenches and walked across “no man’s land” to wish the Allied troops a Merry Christmas

• Both sides left the trenches and exchanged presents of cigarettes and food

• The next day, fighting resumed

The Battle on the Eastern Front

• The Eastern Front was along the German/Russian border

• Russian forces launched attacks into Austria and Germany at the beginning of the war

• By August, Germany counterattacked and more than 30,000 Russians were killed in the 4 day battle

• Russia defeated Austria early on, but Austria drove them out by December 1914

Russia Struggles

• By 1916, Russia’s military was near collapse

• The Russian army was continually short on supplies as a result of not industrializing

• The biggest advantage Russia had was its large population

• They continued to send troops to the front, and suffered staggering losses

CHAPTER 13, SECTION 3A Global Conflict

War Affects the World

• World War I was more than just a European conflict

• Australia and Japan entered the war on the Allies’ side, while India supplied troops to their British rulers

• None of these alliances did much to end the slow conflict

The Gallipoli Campaign

• The Allies decided to attack the area known as the Dardanelles in the Ottoman empire to capture the capital, Constantinople

• This was called the Gallipoli Campaign, and began in February 1915

• Both sides dug trenches and Gallipoli turned into another bloody stalemate

• The Allies pulled out in December 1915 after suffering about 250,000 casualties

Battles in Africa and Asia

• In parts of Africa and Asia, German colonies came under attack and the Allies won three of four German colonies in Africa, as well as their Pacific island colonies

• The British and French used their colonies to help supply troops and labor

America Joins the Fight

• In January 1917, Germany announced it would sink any ship in the waters around Britain. This policy was called unrestricted submarine warfare, and Germany sank several American ships

• In the Zimmerman note, Germany said it would help Mexico “reconquer” land lost to the U.S. in return for an alliance

• The telegram was intercepted, and on April 2, 1917, the U.S. declared war on Germany

Governments Wage Total War

• World War I soon became a total war, meaning countries devoted all resources to the war effort

• Factories produced munitions and equipment, and every citizen was put to work

• Governments turned to rationing- limiting the amount of goods people can buy

• In order to keep up morale, countries also produced propaganda, or one-sided information designed to keep up support for the war

The Influenza Epidemic

• In spring of 1918, a deadly strain of influenza emerged in England and India, called the Spanish Flu

• By the fall, it spread through Europe, Russia, Asia, and to the United States

• 20 million people died worldwide

Women and the War

• Governments turned to women to help keep production at home going

• Women worked in factories, offices, and shops

• Many women worked on the front lines as nurses and for the Red Cross

The Allies Win the War: Russia Withdraws

• By 1917, 5.5 million Russian soldiers had been wounded, killed, or taken prisoner

• The Russian army refused to fight any longer

• In March 1918, Russia offered Germany a truce and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The Allies Win the War: The Central Powers Collapse

• Russia’s withdrawal from the war allowed Germany to send all forces to the Western front

• By May 1918, the German army was only 40 miles from capturing Paris, but they were weak

• The Allies launched a huge counterattack at the Second Battle of the Marne, and crushed the Germans

• Germany signed an armistice ending World War I on November 11, 1918

The Legacy of the War

• About 8.5 million soldiers died in WWI and another 21 million were wounded

• The total combined cost of the war was $338 billion

• Thousands of miles of homes, farmland, and entire cities were destroyed in Europe

CHAPTER 13, SECTION 4A Flawed Peace

The Allies Meet and Debate

• Delegates of 32 countries attended the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles in January 1919

• The meeting’s major decisions were made by the Big Four: Woodrow Wilson (U.S.), Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George (Britain), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

Wilson’s Plan for Peace

• In January 1918 during the war, Wilson drew up a series of peace proposals called the Fourteen Points

• The idea behind the Fourteen Points was self-determination, or allowing people to decide their government for themselves

• The last point proposed an association of nations to negotiate world conflicts peacefully

The Versailles Treaty

• The Treaty of Versailles between Germany and the Allied powers was signed June 28, 1919

• The treaty adopted Wilson’s fourteen point and created a League of Nations

• Germany lost territory and gained severe military restrictions

• Through Article 231, or the “war guilt clause”, sole responsibility for the war was placed on Germany

• Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies and their colonies were taken away

New Nations and Mandates

• The Allied powers signed treaties with the other defeated nations including Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire

• These treaties led to huge land losses, and many new countries were created. Austria-Hungary was also disbanded

“A Peace Built on Quicksand”

• The Treaty of Versailles did little to build a lasting peace

• The U.S. rejected the treaty and signed a separate one with Germany

• The Treaty of Versailles left a legacy of bitterness and hatred with the German people

• Some Allied powers were upset they didn’t gain more land