world war i 1914-1918 what was the status of these countries prior to wwi? germany france great...
TRANSCRIPT
What was the status of these countries prior to WWI?
• Germany
• France
• Great Britain
• Austria-Hungary
• Russia
• Italy
• Unification
• Loss of Alsace Lorraine by Treaty of Frankfurt
• Fully industrialized• Leading trading nation• World’s banker• Greatest naval power• Largest colonial empire
• Lack of cultural unity• Growing nationalism stirring unrest
• Expansionism• War with Japan 1905
• Sought recognition as a major power
Alliances
• Triple Alliance—1882 Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
• Reinsurance Treaty—1887 Germany and Russia— neutrality guaranteed if either went to war
• 1890 Bismarck dismissed• Treaty not renewed• Russia looks for ally—1894 Franco-Russian Alliance
• Triple Entente 1907—Great Britain, France, Russia
Imperialism
• Fashoda Crisis—Sudan—Great Britain and France
• Moroccan Crisis—1905 and 1911—France and Germany
• Balkan Crises—1912-1913—Russia [Pan Slavism] supports expansion plans of Serbia
“Powder Keg”
• Pan Slavism• Russia demoralized after defeat by Japan turns
attention to Balkans• 1st Crisis
– Bosnia annexed by Austria-Hungary– Italy takes Libya
• 1st Balkan War– 1908 Creation of Albania—Serbia loses access to Adriatic
Sea
• 2nd Balkan War– 1913 Serbia’s attempt to gain Albania fails with German
support for Austria-Hungary– Serbia frustrated and Russia humiliated
Immediate Cause
Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in
SarajevoJune 1914
Gavrilo Princip and the Black Hand
Mobilization• Home by Christmas• No major war in 50 years• Nationalism
It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell, Leicester Square,
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary,
But my heart’s right there!
Animated War
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml
Battle of VerdunLongest and Bloodiest Battle
32,000,000 . Estimated artillery shells fired in Battle of Verdun
German offensive.
Each side had 500,000 casualties.
German offensive.
Each side had 500,000 casualties.
Verdun—February 1916
60,000 British soldiers killed in one day.
Over 1,000,000 killed in 5 months.
60,000 British soldiers killed in one day.
Over 1,000,000 killed in 5 months.
The Somme, July, 1916
Russia’s Role• War revealed the
ineptitude and arrogance of the country’s aristocratic elite
• Corrupt military leadership had contempt for ordinary Russian people
• Ill-trained, ineffective officers, poorly equipped– – the result was mass
desertions and 2 million casualties by 1915
• Battle of Tannenberg (August, 1914) – massive defeat at hands of Hindenburg and Germany
• Nicholas left for the Front—September, 1915
America slow to enter the War
•Neutrality
•Trade partners with England and France
•Lusitania sunk
•Zimmerman Telegram
•Unrestricted submarine warfare
•April 6, 1917—Congress declares war
Flying Aces of World War I
Eddie Rickenbacher, US
FrancescoBarraco, It.
Rene PaukFonck, Fr.
Manfred vonRichtoffen, Ger.
[The “Red Baron”]
Willy Coppens deHolthust, Belg.
Eddie “Mick”Mannoch, Br.
1918 Flue Pandemic: Depletes all Armies
50,000,000 – 50,000,000 – 100,000,000 died100,000,000 died
50,000,000 – 50,000,000 – 100,000,000 died100,000,000 died
Human Costs of War
• 8,000,000 . . . Estimated civilians killed in Great War: Non-influenza
• 8,300,000 . . . . . . . Estimated combatants killed, all nations
• 21,500,000 . . . . Minimum deaths in 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
Note: Georgia’s population is approximately 9.5 million
Atlanta’s population is approximately 500,000