World War I
Fourteen Points (Wilson)
A plan for achieving a just and lasting peace. -end of secret treaties, - freedom of the seas, - free trade, - reduced national armies and navies. -self determination - League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
Germany and the Allied Powers signed an agreement to a compromise. Adopted Wilson's 14 points -punished Germany (War guilt, which blamed Germany for the whole cause of the war & reparations fee & military restrictions)
Eastern Front
German and Russian border
Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary and Ottoman empire and Bulgaria
Balkans Powder Keg
- Within the Balkans, the intense nationalism of diverse ethnic groups led to demands for independence. - Strong nationalism -Serbia had a large Slavic population and wanted to unite all the Slavs in the Balkan region. Russia supported this nationalism because it had a great Slavic population as well. However, Austria-Hungary did not support this nationalism because they feared the little population of Slavs in its country would rebel. So they took Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had large Slavic populations. Serbia was angry, had support of Russia to go to war. However, Russia was unprepared to go to war and Austria-Hungary had the support of Germany. Tension increased.
Why did the Treaty of Versailles fail to provide a lasting peace?
-The US rejected the treaty and made another deal with Germany. - Americans believed that the US's best hope for peace was to stay out of European affairs. -The treaty left Germany feel bitter and hatred, especially the war guilt -European colonialism continued - Without the US, the League of Nation had no power.
Nationalism
A deep devotion to one's nation. - Nationalism can serve as a unifying force within a country. However, it can also cause intense competition between nations, with each seeking to overpower the other. -Competition for materials and markets -Great Britain, home to the industrial revolution, was Europe's leader and Germany was a growing power, challenged Great Britain. -Nationalistic rivalries also grew out of territorial disputes. (Ex: France never got over the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War.)
Gallipoli campaign
Allies wanted to attack Dardanelles to defeat Central Powers.
Self-determination
Allowing people to decide for themselves under what government they wished to live.
Otto von Bismarck
Bismarck used war to unite Germany, however, later, he focused his power on maintaining peace in Europe. He believed France was a threat because of the loss of Alsace-Lorraine, wanted to isolate France, so formed the Triple Alliance. and made a treaty with Russia.
Zimmermann note
British intercepted a telegram from ambassador of Mexico saying that Germany would help Mexico reconquer the lands lost to the US if they would ally itself with Germany. American allied with Britain because they had similar systems, language and culture.
Russia's withdrawal from the War
Civil unrest in Russia, due to shortages brought the czar's government to the brink of collapse. Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne because of revolution. Provisional government was set up, wanted to continue fighting in the war. However, Russian soldiers could not fight anymore. Communist leader , Lenin and the Bolsheviks were organized and gained popularity compared to the democratic government before. Lenin did not want Russia to be involved in the war anymore. Signed the Brest-Litovsk treaty with German y and lost territory.
Total War
Countries devoted all resources to the war effort. -Governments took over economy.
Western Front
Germany's border with France
Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Allies
Great Britain, France and Russia
Triple Entente
Great Britain, France and Russia
The direct cause of WWI
Heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife visited Bosnia and was assassinated by a Serbia nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, a secret society determined to rid Bosnia of Austrian control. Austria found a way to punish Serbia, so presented a harsh ultimatum. Serbia did not agree, Austria declared war.
The Effects of the War
Immediate effects: - A generation of Europeans are killed/ wounded. - Dynasties fall in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia - New countries are created (Austrio-Hungarian empire nations) - The League of Nations is created to maintain/ promote peace. Long Term Effects: - Many nations feel bitter and betrayed by the peace settlements(Germany had to agree to "war guilt" and pay reparations, felt humiliated) (Japan and Italy were not happy that they were not included in the Treaty of Versailles and did not get the land they were expecting) - Problems that helped cause the war- competition, nationalism- remained. -Caused WWII
Chain Reaction
In response to Austria's declaration of war, Russia (ally of Serbia) mobilized to Austrian and German border. Germany declared war on Russia. Germany also declared war on France.
Schlieffen Plan
In the event of a 2-front war, called for attacking France and then Russia. A large part of the German army would race west, to defeat France, and then return to fight Russia (Russia lacked railroads) However, France had troops along border, so Germany wanted to invade France through neutral Belgium, which brought Britain into war.
End of WWI
Russia's withdrawal allowed Germany to focus on the western front with France. However, the German force weakened and shortages. Sensing this weakness, the Allies, with the help of the additional American troops, launched a counterattack. The Central Powers began to fall apart. (Bulgarians and Ottomans surrendered, revolution in Austria-Hungary, and German soldiers mutinied, turned against the Kaiser. Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down and turned to republic. Signed an armistice, an agreement to stop fighting.
Trench Warfare
Soldiers fought each other from trenches - Bad conditions - modern weapons/ technology (machine guns, poison gas, tanks) - unsanitary - Gained little land
Alliances
Tangled alliance. Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente involved many nations into the war.
First Battle of Marne
The Allies attacked Germans. First clash on the Western Front. -The First Battle of Marne was important because it left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins. Russian forces had already invaded Germany. Germany had to right a 2-front war.
League of Nations
The league was to be an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations. The 5 Allied powers would be permanent members.
Imperialism
The nations of Europe competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia. The quest for colonies sometimes pushed European nations to the brink of war. As countries continued to compete for overseas empires, their sense of rivalry and mistrust of one another deepened.
Militarism
The policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war. The nations of Europe believed that to be truly great, they needed to have a powerful military.
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
US became involved in the war. The Germans announced that their submarines would sink without warning any ship in the waters around Britain. German submarine sunk British passenger ship Lusitania, contained many Americans. Germans returned to USW, gambled that their naval blockade would starve Britain before US could mobilize.
How did industrialization change warfare in WWI?
WWI was total warfare and involved factories making more modern weapons and technology. Industrialism was also involved in the trench warfare.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Wanted to assert own power and to show how powerful Germany was. Did not want to share power so broke treaty with Russia. Russia, as a defensive move, signed a treaty with France. This was what Bismarck feared, because if Germany went to war with either France or Russia, they would fight a 2-front war. The kaiser was also jealous of Britain's empire, caused Great Britain to increased own military. Britain also created the Triple Entente
Rationing
When in short supply, government controlled the amount of goods the people could buy/consume.
The Big 4
Woodrow Wilson (US) , Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George (Britain)
Russia's War Effort Weakens
unlike the other European countries, Russia has yet to become industrialized. The Russian army was constantly in shortages. The only asset was its number. The Russian revolution was also rising.
