From the “Isms” to WWI:
What’s the Connection?
CHY4U
Revisiting the “Isms”
•  Define the following terms:
–  Nationalism
–  Industrialism
–  Imperialism
–  Communism/Marxism
•  How do the “isms” echo in history
leading up to WWI?
Nationalism & War
•  How did the rise in nationalism impact
the developments leading up to the First
World War?
Economic Interests
•  How did the desire for economic power
impact the coming of the Great War?
Germany’s Aims in the First
World War
•  “Economic expansion was the basis of
Germany’s political world diplomacy, which
vacillated [fluctuated] in its methods between
rapprochement [establishing cordial relations]
and conciliation at one moment, aggressive
insistence on Germany’s claims the next, but
never wavered in its ultimate objective, the
expansion of Germany’s power.”
- Fritz Fischer, Germany’s Aims in the First
World War, 1961
Imperialism & War
•  What impact did the rise in imperialist
actions during the 19th Century have in
the road to war?
Imperialism & War
•  “The imperialist war broke out on August 1, 1914: It was the
cumulative result of sharp imperialist contradictions.”
•  “Not content with the home market, the capitalists made their
way into the colonies and economically underdeveloped
countries in search of profit.”
•  Imperialism, with its domination of giant monopolies,
accentuates this unevenness, both in the economic and political
fields.”
•  “With the world already divided up among the biggest capitalist
states, its re-division could only take place at the expense of
one or another of these states, that is, through war.”
- History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1963.
1914 War Erupts:
A (selected)Timeline
•  June 28, 1914: Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand of Austria who is killed in
Sarajevo
•  July 5, 1914: Austria-Hungary seeks German
support in case of Russian militarism.
•  July 23, 1914: Austria-Hungary sends
ultimatum to Serbia; Serbian response is
seen as unsatisfactory.
1914 War Erupts:
A (selected)Timeline
•  July 31, 1914: Germany warns Russia to stop
mobilizing. Russia says mobilization is against
Austria-Hungary only
•  August 1, 1914: Germany declares war on Russia;
Italy declares neutrality; Germany and the Ottoman
Empire sign a secret alliance treaty
•  August 2, 1914: Germany invades Luxembourg
•  August 3, 1914: Germany declares war on France
and Belgium; Germany invades Belgium to outflank
French army
1914 War Erupts:
A (selected)Timeline
•  August 4, 1914: Britain protests the violation
of Belgian neutrality, guaranteed by a treaty;
•  German Chancellor replies that the treaty is
just a chiffon de papier (scrap of paper).
•  United Kingdom declares war on Germany
But… what led up to 1914?
•  Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) and notions
of ‘Collective Security’
•  A hope for Peace and World Fairs: 1851
London, 1853 New York, 1862 London, 1889
Paris…
–  The first era could be called the era of "industrialization"
and covered, roughly, the period from 1800 to 1938. In these
days, world expositions were especially focused on trade,
and were famous for the display of technological
inventions and advancements. World expositions were the
platforms where the state-of-the-art in science and
technology from around the world was brought together.
The Unification of Germany
and the Rise to Power
•  The formal unification of Germany into a
politically and administratively integrated
nation state officially occurred on 18 January
1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors
in France.
•  Germany, through unification, would rise to
challenge Britain as a leading power in
Europe and the world.
Germany and War
•  “Germany did not plot a European War, did
not want one, and made genuine, though too
belated efforts, to avert one. She was the
victim of her alliance with Austria and of her
own folly. Austria was her only dependable
ally… She could not throw her over, as
otherwise she would stand isolated between
Russia… and France.”
- Sidney B. Fay, The Origins of the World War
Modern Warfare:
Chemical Weapons
•  Considered uncivilized prior to World War One, the
development and use of poison gas was necessitated by
the requirement of wartime armies to find new ways of
overcoming the stalemate of unexpected trench
warfare.
•  Although it is popularly believed that the German army
was the first to use gas it was in fact initially deployed by
the French.
•  the German army was the first to give serious study to
the development of chemical weapons and the first to use
it on a large scale.
Chemical Warfare
•  A Gas Attack:
–  Gas was first effective used on April
22,1915.
–  With an east wind blowing toward the
French and Canadian lines, 5,000 chlorine
gas-filled cylinders were opened causing
panic in the lines.
Chemical Warfare
•  “… running blindly in the gas-cloud, and dropping
with breasts heaving in agony and the slow poison of
suffocation mantling their dark faces. Hundreds of
them fell and died; others lay helpless, froth upon
their agonized lips and their racked bodies powerfully
sick, with tearing nausea at short intervals. They too
would die later - a slow lingering death of agony
unspeakable…”
•  “The whole air was tainted with the acrid smell of
chlorine that caught at the back of men’s throats and
filled their mouths with its metallic taste. Behind the
gas-cloud came the advancing hordes of Germans,
under cover of a violent artillery fire.”
Chemical Warfare
•  Mustard Gas: Germany unveiled an
enhanced form of gas weaponry in 1917.
•  an almost odorless chemical, was
distinguished by the serious blisters it caused
both internally and externally, brought on
several hours after exposure.
•  Protection against mustard gas proved more
difficult than against either chlorine or
phosgene gas.
Casualties From Gas The Numbers
Country
Austria-Hungary
British Empire
France
Germany
Italy
Russia
USA
Others
Total Casualties
100,000
188,706
190,000
200,000
60,000
419,340
72,807
10,000
Deaths
3,000
8,109
8,000
9,000
4,627
56,000
1,462
1,000
The Weapons of War
•  The modern tank traces its origin to designs
submitted to the (UK) War Office in 1914.
•  Churchill decided to proceed with the
development of the “land ship”.
•  For two years the secrecy of the project was
protected with the code word “tank”.
•  September 15, 1916 the first tank lumbered
into action at the Battle of the Somme
•  By the end of the war the relative strength of the tank
force was:
–  British 2630
–  French 2870
–  Germany 100
The Machine Gun
•  Although artillery
caused more casualties
during the war, the
machine gun was the
perfect weapon to stop
an infantry attack
across no man’s land.
Spitting out bullets at
rates of 500-600 rounds
per minute, it could
mow down men like
wheat.
Artillery Support for Infantry
•  Rolling barrage: a wall of exploding shells just in front of
the attacking troops would keep the enemy confined to his
trenches and he could not use his machine gun.
•  Box barrage: the attacking infantry would also have the
line of exploding shells protect his flank as he attacked.
•  Counter battery: through observation balloons, airplane
reconnaissance and listening devices, the enemy guns
would be located. When the infantry attacked, the counter
battery guns would shell enemy guns to prevent them
from being used against attacking troops.
Industrialism & War
•  What impact did the thriving movement
of the Industrial Revolution have on
the machine of war?
•  Is this still a consideration today?
Treaty of Versailles
•  Article 232. The Allied and Associated Governments
recognize that the resources of Germany are not adequate,
after taking into account permanent diminutions of such
resources which will result from other provisions of the
present Treaty, to make complete reparation for all such
loss and damage. The Allied and Associated Governments,
however, require, and Germany undertakes, that she will
make compensation for all damage done to the civilian
population of the Allied and Associated Powers and to
their property during the period of the belligerency of each
as an Allied or Associated Power against Germany.
The Cost of War:
Human Casualties
Total Forces Military
Deaths
Military
Wounded
Civilian
Dead
Prisoners
and missing
Allies
42,188,810
4,888,891
12,809,280
3,157,633
4,121,090
Central
Powers
22,850,000
3,131,889
8,419,533
3,485,000
3,629,829
Total
65,038,810
8,020,780
21,228,813
6,642,633
7,750,919
The Cost of War:
Financial Implications
•  Canada’s Public
Debt:
1911
$350M
1914
$350M
1915
$475M
1916
$625M
1917
$900M
1918
$1,175M
During 1918, the war
cost Canada over
one million dollars
per day.
By March of 1919,
the war had cost
Canada about
$1,300,000,000.
Who is to “blame” for WWI?