IB World History 5.5: Factors leading to the defeat of Germany and the other Central Powers, and to the victory of the Entente Powers

Inflation and Costs of War

- An issue after the war because the governments were forced to print out money in order to keep up with the costs of war and to pay debts. - The issues regarding debts and the overall issues with inflation led to issues with the economy.

Blockade of Germany

- The British navy blockaded the Central powers from receiving any "contraband." - The British included foodstuffs in their definition of contraband. While some neutral nations complained, none attempted to force the issue and Germany was cut off from the markets of the Americas and Asia. - The United States and the British controlled the seas and had a more powerful navy.

Lack of Resources in Germany

- The United States were the leaders in exports with the amount that they were exporting rising from $2 billion to $6 billion. - Germany was denied access to American markets and was forced to become self-sustaining. - This led to Germany having to rely on self-sustaining resources which didn't help the economy -Led to Germany being forced to allocate fewer resources toward making materials for war.

How did the US contribute to an allied victory?

- US navy supplied forces to allies to make anti-sub measures effective - US conscription was established - US mandated a significant reduction in civilian consumption (everything was considered a war tool)

Chemical Weapons

-Early development of chemical weapons such as tear gas led to large numbers of deaths. -Dramatically changed how war was fought.

Alfred von Schlieffen

-German field marshal and strategist who served as chief of the Imperial German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. -Drew up the Schlieffen plan in 1905 -Thought the Germans could defeat the French in 6 weeks and then move on to fight the Russian forces on the Eastern Front.

Schlieffen Plan

-German war plan, proposed by Alfred von Schlieffen -Proposed a defeat of France by a tremendous army through Belgium and then turn at more leisure against Russia. -However, Belgium resisted and other countries came to Belgian aid -Led to a drawn-out fight and the use of trench warfare

Allies

-Germany allied with Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. -All of these countries were fairly weak-- Germany didn't have very much support during the war from their allies.

Germany Declares War on Russia

-Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914 -Part of the Schlieffen Plan -Russia pushed two armies into Germany, going into East Prussia -Weakened Germany's military and their lines of communication -In 1915 Germany put more effort in defeating Russia but despite suffering two million deaths, injuries, or captures, Russia continued to fight -Eventually Russian forces, as well as aid from other countries, led to Germany having to pool more resources into the Eastern front which hurt their military and economy.

Triple Entente

-Military Alliance between Great Britain, France, and Russia prior to WW1

Entry/Role of the US

-US entered the war due to Germany's unrestricted warfare -Able to effectively provide aid for the allies (as well as more than 2 million soldiers) to counter the opposition -They entered so late, and were not as tired/worn out as the other countries who had already been fighting for 4+ years. -This is considered the final deciding factor to turn the tide in the favor of the allies.

Submarine Warfare

-Used during World War I mainly between German U-Boats and Atlantic supply convoys for Great Britain -Was important because prior to this, Britain maintained the strongest naval powers and this gave a leg up to Germany -Ultimately Britain, with the help of the US, was able to defeat Germany's submarines

Industry was More Common

Because Europe was at war this accelerated industrialization in other countries.

Lack of resources

The United States were the leaders in exports with the amount that they were exporting rising from $2 billion to $6 billion. Germany was denied access to American markets and was forced to become self-sustaining. This led to Germany having to rely on self-sustaining resources which didn't help the economy and led to Germany being forced to allocate fewer resources toward making materials for war.