The Road to World War 1

Section 1

AlliancesTriple Alliance (1982)Germany Austria-Hungary and Italy

Triple Entente (1907)France, Great Britain and Russia

Issues in Europe (late 1800s-early 1900s)

Internal Dissent:The Socialists were increasingly inclined to use strikes, even violent ones, to achieve their goals. Some conservative leaders alarmed at the increase in labor strife and class division feared that European nations were on the verge of a revolution.

MilitarismVarious European super powers (Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France) were increasing military numbers heightening the tension amongst the major powers.

The Start of the War: Summer 1914

Crisis in the BalkansA catalyst issue which contributed towards the start of the War was the Serbian Problem. The Russians controlled the majority of the land and were determined to create a Slavic Serbian state, on the other hand, Austria-Hungary was determined to stop this from occurring.

Assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand

1914, the Archduke of Ferdinand who was the heir of the throne of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by a Serbian terrorist organization.

The response to the assassination of the Archduke was fast and aggressive.Fearing that Russia would intervene in

Serbia's behalf, they sought to attack with their German allies, Emperor William II.*Group which attacked the Archduke is known as the Black Hand.

Russia Mobilizes; Conflict Broadens

Determined to Support the Serbians, the Russians began to mobilize a military in 1914.This action was deemed by the Germans as an act of aggression, with Germany declaring war on Russia on August 1st (1914).

All Out War

The Germans under their Schlieffen Plan (Created by General Alfred von Schlieffen) was ready on a two-front war with the French and Russians (Small attacks against the Russians and invade France).In order to attack France, the Germans had to attack Belgium, a neutral nation. In reaction to Germans violating Belgian neutrality the British declared war on Germany.

Tension amongst the European nations

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand Mobilizati

on of troops by

the Russians

A German declaration of WarGermany goes through neutral

nation Belgium in order to mobilize troops against FranceIn reaction

to Germans in Belgium, The British

declare War on Germany All Major

European Powers involved in WWI (1914)

The War

Section 2

Propaganda and Illusion

Prior to the War, politicians believed that urgent pleas of European governments would be enough to appease an all out War.

This proved incorrect with each nation full of nationalism and fervor, each nation believed their causes were just.

Western Front

In the Western, the Germans made vast encircling movements through Belgium into northern France. The German advances were halted close to Paris at the Battle of Marne.The Germans were no longer able to advance and the Western front remained a stalemate where both sides remained in trenches in the same positions for four years.

Eastern Front

At the eastern front, the German military defeated the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg and the Battle of Masurian Lakes.Austria, faired poorly. One of their allies, the Italians betrayed them and attacked Austria with France, GB and Russia. Eventually the Germans came into help the Austrians defeat the Russians and eventually eliminate Serbia from the War. Allowing the War to focus on the Western Front.

Trench Warfare

Lines were dug up by both sides and protected by barbed wire, concrete machine-gun nests were then planted to protect those barriers. In between existed a so-called, No Mans Land.-Attacks rarely worked because men advancing no mans land were shot down by machine guns, between 1916-17 millions of men died.

War in Air (Dog Fighting)

• WWI was the first time where planes fought in midair.

• Originally, pilots fired at each other with handheld pistols, which eventually turned into machine guns being mounted on the nose of planes.

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of the Germans in 1914.The Allies attempted to break on the Balkan front by landing forces at Gallipoli, the attempts were futile and the Allies were forced to retreat.Lawrence of Arabia, a British officer in the middle east urged Arab princes to revolt against their Ottoman overlords.By 1918, British forces had taken over the Ottoman Empire.

Entry of the United StatesThe US initially tried to remain a neutral player in the War.Over 100 US civilians were killed when the British ship Lusitania was sunk by German forces. This led towards a suspension of German submarine warfare in order to appease the Americans.However, in 1917 when the Germans began to use naval forces once again, the United States reacted by officially joining the War on the behalf of the Triple Entente.

Total War-Governments were in complete control of the economy and set up prices, wages and rent.-They drafted millions of men and prolonged the fighting.Manipulation of the PublicAs the death toll and morale began to rise simultaneously each government censored any type of dissent they had for the War.For example the British parliament had DORA, the Defense of the Realm Act.Figures and death tolls were manipulated by all governments in attempt to gain public support for war.

Woman & WWIWith so many men out on the front line, various jobs opened up for women, chimney sweeping, truck drivers, farm laborers and factory workers were new positions for women to fill in.Although most of the women lost their jobs when the men returned from the War, it was a period in time which helped advance women's rights movements.

Russian RevolutionSection 3

Background to the Revolution

The defeat in WWI highlighted the incompetence of the Russian Rulers.Unlike the German troops, Russian troops were not mobilized efficiently, and often not provided with technology and weapons necessary to fight a War. For example, some soldiers were given broomsticks to fight the War.

The Beginnings of UpheavalsCzar Nicholas II: Autocratic ruler who relied heavily on the army and bureaucracy.Alexandra: The wife of Nicholas II who took over the throne when Nicholas was awayGrigori Rasputin: The teacher of Alexandra who did not hesitate to interfere in governmental affairs.

March Revolution

Strikes broke out in 1917 in the city of Petrograd (Former St. Petersburg) by working-class women for bread. This eventually sparked into a 10,000 women march, which even included soldiers who were initially there to appease the situation.This led towards a Provision Government, where many middle-class members were represented. -Nicholas II stepped down from his position and the new government was headed by Alexander Kerensky

The Rise of Lenin

Bolsheviks:A small faction of a Marxist party called the Russian Social Democrats.The leader of the Bolsheviks was V.I. Lenin-Lenin believed that only a violent revolution could destroy the capitalist system.Three simple slogans by the Bolsheviks was “Peace, Land, Bread” “Workers Control of Production” and “All Power to the Soviets”.

Seize of Power

By the end of October the Bolsheviks made up a slight majority in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets. The number of the party had grown from 50,000 to 240,000. - In November, the Bolsheviks took over the provision government with little bloodshed.- Lenin turned his power over to the all-Russian Congress of the Soviets, however the real power passed through the Council of Peoples Commissars headed by Lenin.

Treaty of BrestLitovskWas signed with Germany and gave up the eastern part of Poland Ukraine, Finland and the Baltic provinces.

Civil War in Russia

Groups loyal to the Czar, liberals and anti-Leninist Socialists opposed to the new Bolshevik/Communist regime.-Allies sent thousands of troops to anti-Communist forces in order to weaken the Bolsheviks.-The anti-communist force from Siberia, the White Forces fought the Red Force (Communists). By 1920, the majority of the White forces have lost and the Communist regime regained control over the independent nationalist governments in Georgia, Russian Armenia and Azerbaijan.At the end of the Civil War, the Czars family was taken and murdered.

Leon Trotsky

The leader of the Red Army, the commissar of war. His organizational genius is often sited as one of the main reasons for Bolshevik success.Trotsky ran the army with an iron fist, those who refused to enlist would be executed on the spot.

Communist Policies and Secret Police

Following victory, the Communist powers were beginning to implement new policies.-Government control of banks-Seizing of grain for peasants-Centralization of the stateA red secret police known as Chelka, used violence and terror to suppress those who resisted.

Christmas Truce 1914

Though there was no official truce, roughly 100,000 British and German troops were involved in unofficial cessations of fighting along the length of the Western FrontThe Germans began by placing candles on their trenches and on Christmas trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols.The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across No Man's Land, where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats. Adopted from Wikipedia

Section 4The Wars Legacy

Second Battle of Marne

The Germans attempted to take over Paris in 1918, but was stopped in the Battle of Marne.German advances were stopped by French, Moroccan and American troops.

Collapse and Armistice

William II is pressured to leave the country.After his departure the Social Democrats under Friedrich Ebert announce the creation of a democratic republic. The new republic signs an armistice.

German Communists & Fall of Austria-Hungary

Revolutionary forces in Germany had set up a group of radical socialists, the German Communist Party.The communist party in Germany was not as successful as the communists in Russia and the rebels were suppressed and murdered.The Austrian-Hungarian empire was replaced by the new republics Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

Wilsons Proposal

Woodrow Wilson proposed his “Fourteen Points” to the US congress as a basis for a peace settlement that he believed justified the enormous military struggle.-His proposal was made in public, which he preferred over secret diplomacy.-Wilson portrayed WWI as a peoples war against “Absolutism and Militarism”.

Paris Peace Conference

Great Britain's new prime minister, David Lloyd Georges main platform for election was to make the Germans pay for the war.Frances approach to peace was guided by the desire for national security. The premier of France Georges Clemenceau desired some revenge against the Germans through stripping Germany of all weapons and having Germans pay reparations to cover the cost of war.

Big Three: USA, Great Britain, France(Big Four with Italy)Wilson wished to create an international peacekeeping organization (The League of Nations)

Treaty of Versailles

The final peace settlement of Paris consisted of five separate treaties with the defeated nations-Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Turkey.The Germans considered it a harsh peace, the treaty ordered Germany to pay reparations for all the damage to which the Allied governments suffered and made Germany officially sign a contract (Titled Article 231 or the “Guilt Clause) that stated they were fully responsible (and Hungary) for starting the war and will pay for all damages.

-Germany had to reduce its army to a hundred thousand men, cut back its navy, and eliminate its air force. Alsace and Lorraine, taken by the Germans from France in 1871, were now returned.-German land along both sides of the Rhine was made a demilitarized zone and stripped of all weapons and fortifications.

A New Map of Europe

-Reduced size of Germany and Russia-Austro-Hungarian Empire disappears-New nation states, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Hungary emerge.In the Eastern parts of Europe many nations had ethnic minorities which would create problems several decades later.

-The Ottoman Empire was broken up by the peace settlement with France taking Syria and Lebanon and Britain receiving Iraq and Palestine.Mandate System:The newly acquired nations were called mandates. Wilson opposed the outright annexation of a colonial territory and instead vouched for a system where one nation would govern another through taking their place in the League of nations.

The Wars LegacyWorld War I was a total war, with entire populations mobilizing its resources and people to fight.World War I led towards many revolutions and broke up former empires into smaller states.-10 million deaths (30 civilian deaths)-Incredible destruction of land and property