World War IUnit VI: Accelerating Global Change

and Realignments

Causes of the

Great War

Partner Discussion

• What are some of the

causes of World War I?

Name and describe at

least TWO!

Imperial Tensions

• European nations competed for

colonies

Militarism

• Glorification of war and increase in

military spending

• Military leaders were very influential

in European governments

Partner Discussion

• What is the definition of

“Nationalism?” How can

nationalism tear countries

apart? How can nationalism

create countries?

Nationalism• Great pride in one’s country or

aspiring to become one’s own country

–Germany and Italy had only recently

become united, independent countries

• Many countries torn by tensions of

different nationalist groups

–Austria-Hungary, Russian Empire, and

Ottoman Empire

The System of Alliances

• Due to tensions and the balance of

power, European countries created

alliances

–Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-

Hungary and Italy

–Triple Entente: France, Russia and

Great Britain

How do I possibly

REMEMBER all

of that?

• These are the MAIN causes for

World War I

• MAIN

–Militarism

–Alliances

–Imperialism

–Nationalism

War Breaks

Out

Nationalism in the Balkans

Nationalism in the Balkans

• People with diverse religions, ethnic backgrounds, languages

• As Ottoman Empire receded, new nations were born

• Russian and Austria competed for control of new nations

• Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia in 1908 and Serbia resents this

Partner Question

• Why would Serbia resent

Austria-Hungary’s

annexation of Bosnia?

Nationalism in the Balkans

Powder Keg of Europe

The Assassination of the Archduke

The Assassination of the Archduke

• Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria visited Bosnian capital (Sarajevo) on June 28, 1914

• The Black Hand

• 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip kills the Archduke and his wife (THE SPARK)

The Assassination of the Archduke

Austria-Hungary’s Ultimatum

• Germany and the “blank check”

• Austria-Hungary’s serves ultimatum

to Serbia

• Serbia refuses to let Austria-

Hungary’s officials run an

investigation in Serbia

• Austria-Hungary declared war on

Serbia July 28,1914

The Alliance System Leads to

War

• Russia supported Serbia and Germany

supported Austria-Hungary

• Within one week, almost all of

Europe plunged into war:

–Germany declares war on Russia and

France

–Britain declares war on Germany

Alliances and

Fronts of the

War

What has changed about the alliances????

The Alliances

• Allied Powers — Britain, France,

Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Japan

• Central Powers — Germany, Austria-

Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire

The FrontsThe Western Front

• Schlieffen Plan = failure

• Modern weaponry led to

massive casualties

• Trench warfare = hardly any

change in location of the

front lines

• Led to war exhaustion on

the front lines as well as on

the home front

• War ends without the Allies

occupying any part of

Germany

The Eastern Front

• Lack of trenches = changing

location of the front lines

• Russia’s lack of modern

technology = numerous

defeats

• Led to Bolshevik

(Russian)Revolution in 1917

• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

(1917) signed with

revolutionary government in

Russia—lost one-fourth of

territory

The Western Front

The Eastern Front

Brest-Litvosk Treaty

Group Discussion – Recall

Question

• Name TWO major

differences between the

Western and Eastern

Fronts.

The War Ends

• 1917 – USA enters war – replaces Russia in Triple Entente

• Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were first Central Powers to be defeated

• War exhaustion and a lack of resources in Austria-Hungary and Germany helped end the war quickly

Modern Weaponry• Machine Gun

• Long-range artillery

• U-Boats

• Airplanes

• Tanks

• Flame throwers

• Poison Gas

Casualties of Modern Weaponry

• Tactics of sending masses of men toward enemy didn’t work against modern weapons (No Man’s Land)

–Britain suffered 57,470 casualties on the first day of the Battle of Somme

–Total losses for WWI exceeded 10 million

The Reality

of Soldiers’

Lives

Patriotic Fervor

• Many Europeans looked forward to war at the start

Attitudes Change• Soldiers changed Europeans’

optimistic fervor through letters about the horrors of war

The Return Home

• No crowds or heroes’ welcome after

the war

• Soldiers were shunned by society

–WHY???

Trench

Warfare

http://www.information-imaging.com/speakman/wwi/trenchdetail01.jpg

Group Discussion

•What do you think life

was like in the

trenches?

Life in the Trenches

• Charging over the top, crossing no

man’s land to reach enemy trenches

• Boring, terrifying and caused shell

shock

• Horrible living conditions

Effect of the

War on the

Home Front

Mobilizing for Total War

• Civilians back home made huge

sacrifices

• Governments controlled industries,

rationing

• Propaganda and Censorship used

often

Partner Discussion

• How do you think the war

affected women and their

role in society?

New Jobs for Women

• Worked in jobs traditionally held only

by men, who were at the front

• Number in paid employment rose

greatly

• Middle/Upper class women also

worked in paramilitary organizations

to support soldiers at front

Women’s Wages

• Paid less than men for same work

• Industrial and civil work provided

better pay and working hours than

traditional jobs

Women’s Changing Role

• Women discovered the benefits of

financial autonomy and greater

mobility

• Some refused to return to domestic

service

• Women won right to vote throughout

Europe

Effect of the

War on

Colonial

Peoples

Partner Discussion

•How did the war affect

native people in the

European colonies?

Colonial Peoples’ Role

• Fought alongside Europeans in battles

on the Western Front and in their

homelands

• Colonial military units experienced

high casualty rates

Colonial Peoples’ Goal

• For fighting in the war, colonial

peoples expected social and political

equality with Europeans

• Independence movements grew

The Paris

Peace

Conference

Signing of the Treaty of Versailles

Group Discussion

• What were the

goals/objectives of each

of the attendees of the

Paris Peace Conference?

What did nations want?

• Britain and France wanted to punish

Germany and its allies

• Britain and Italy wanted parts of

Germany/Ottoman territories

• United States wanted to establish an

international peacekeeping

organization

– League of Nations – Wilson’s 14 Points

Treaty of Versailles with Germany

• France and Britain created a severe

treaty that punished Germany

• Germany had to:

–Return Alsace-Lorraine region to France

–Keep area near France, called Rhineland,

demilitarized

–Pay war reparations of 32 billion dollars

–Agree to war guilt clause

Effects of the Treaty of Versailles

• USA never ratifies the treaty or joins the

League of Nations

• Italy doesn’t get promised territory

• European colonies are not awarded

independence (self-determination)

• Japan gets German colonies in the Pacific

Ocean

• Britain and France gain mandate territories

in the Middle East

The New Europe

• Treaties similar to Germany’s signed

with other Central Powers

• Many countries experienced a change

in their borders

• Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, Germany

and Russia lost territory

• Many new countries were created

The New Europe