UNIT 5 – WWI NOTES
I.
The Great War Begins
A. Alliances Draw Lines
1. The Triple Alliance
a. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
i. Later to become Central Powers – Germany, Austria – Hungary, Ottoman Empire
2. The Triple Entente
a. Great Britain, France, Russia
i. Later to become Allies – Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, U.S.
B. Rivalries and Nationalism Increase Tension
1. Competition
a. Imperialism – countries bumping into each other in Africa
b. Militarism – glorifying the military
2. Nationalism
a. Larger countries took over smaller countries ignoring ethnic lines
i. Bosnia – Slavic region taken over by Austria Hungary
C. The Powder Keg Ignites
1. Assassination in Sarajevo
a. Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand shot and killed by Serbian Nationalist
i. Wanted A/H to free Bosnia
2. Austria Strikes Back
a. Declares War on Serbia
D. Alliances Kick in
1. Russian and France Back Serbia
a. Germany declares war on Russia and France
2. Germany Invades Belgium
a. Britain declares war on Germany b/c they went through a neutral country to attack France
II. A New Kind of War
A. Stalemate on the Western Front
1. Each side dug trenches along eastern border of France
2. Trench Warfare
a. Manmade trench used for protection against enemy fire
b. Soldiers would “go over the top” to attack opposing trench
c. Trenches could be nice, or very bad
i. Disease, Rats, Dead bodies
B. Technology of Modern Warfare
1. Poison Gas
a. Mustard gas blinded or choked its victims
2. Tanks, Airplanes and Submarines
a. Zeppelins – modern day blimps used for scouting
b. U-boats – German Submarine
i. Used torpedo’s to stop American Merchants from resupplying Allies
C. Battle on Other European Fronts
1. Russian Losses on the Eastern Front
a. Russia was not prepared for the war, and was easily pushed around by Germany
2. New Combatants in the Balkans and Southern Europe
D. War Around the World
1. Ottoman Empire Joins the Central powers
a. Ottomans were good for Central powers b/c it stopped them from being surrounded by the Allies
III. Winning the War
A. Waging Total War
1. Total War – using all the government’s resources for the war effort
2. Economies Committed to War Production
a. Conscription – Drafting of soldiers
b. Gov’ts raised taxes to pay for the war
c. Rationed food for the soldiers
3. Economic Warfare
a. Britain used its navy to keep Germany from getting supplies from outside resources
i. Food and weapons
b. U-Boat attacks
i. German’s attacked merchant ships from resupplying Allies
a) Lusitania – Ship carrying 128 American citizen
b) Unrestricted warfare helped get American into war
4. Propaganda War
a. Propaganda – spreading of ideas to promote the war effort or to make enemy look bad
5. Women Join the War Effort
a. Women took jobs in factories and on farms
b. kept the home front steady for the men while they were gone
c. Nurses for the soldiers
B. Morale Collapses
1. War Fatigue
a. Soldiers got tired, and quit on they country
2. Revolution in Russia
a. Russia was struggling with the war, and had an internal revolution in 1917
b. Communists took over and got Russia out of WWI (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)
C. The United States Declares War
1. Why Join the Allies
a. German U-Boats sank the Lusitania – Had 128 Americans on board
b. Zimmerman Note – Note from Germany to Mexico asking Mexico to attack the United Sates
i. Germany wanted to keep U.S. focus away from Europe
c. Britain and France have similar governments
2. Declaring War
a. U.S. joined war effort in 1918
3. The Fourteen Points
a. Peace plan presented by U.S. president before the war was over
D. Victory at last
1. Allies slowly push Germany back, and force armistice
IV. Making the Peace
A. The Costs of War
1. The Financial Toll
a. War destroyed all factories, farms, and cities in Europe
b. European powers wanted to make Germany pay reparations
i. Repayment for war damages
2. Political Turmoil
a. Larger countries were forced to give up overseas colonies
b. Smaller countries realized they could rebel against larger empires
B. The Paris Peace Conference
1. Europeans met in Paris to start talks after war
2. Conflicting Goals
a. U.S. President Wilson wanted “Peace without Victory”
i. Didn’t want to punish anyone
ii. Wanted to prevent further wars
b. Europeans leaders wanted to punish Germany for the war
3. Problems with Peace
a. Self Determination – letting countries decide how they wanted to divide themselves after the war
b. Collective Security – How could you prevent another war
i. League of Nations
C. The Treaty of Versailles
1. Forced Germany to sign
a. Made Germany assume full blame for the war
b. Germany had to pay reparations
c. Limited the size of the German military
d. Shrank the size of Germany
D. Outcome of the Peace Settlements
1. Self Determination – Many new nations in Eastern Europe arose
a. Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia
2. The Mandate System
3. The League of Nations Offers Hope
a. Part of Wilson’s 14 points
b. Job was to settle international disputes
c. 40 Nations joined the league
d. U.S. Never Signed