World History Unit 13: World War I (1914­1918) NC Essential Standard 7: Conflict and World Wars I. Long­term causes A. Nationalism 1. Pride or devotion to one’s country 2. Countries act in their own national interest; belief that your country is superior to others B. Imperialism 1. Creating an empire; Strong countries dominate weaker ones 2. Competition for colonies led to conflict 3. As Germany built a bigger navy, Britain was forced to leave its “splendid isolation” and form an alliance with France C. Militarism 1. Aggressively build up a nation’s armed forces in preparation for war 2. Buy more weapons and warships (new weapons such as machine guns, airplanes, poison gas) 3. Germany and Britain tried to outdo each other by building the better navy D. Alliances – a group of countries aiding each other in case of an attack 1. The Alliance System started with Otto von Bismarck who tried to keep Germany from being isolated in a war. Bismarck wanted to isolate France and keep Russia friendly so that Germany would not have to fight a two front war. 2. The alliance system was the greatest single cause of WWI. 3. Alliances created before WWI began: a. Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria­Hungary, Italy b. Triple Entente – France, Great Britain, Russia 4. Pre­war alliances changed to “Powers” as new countries joined once war began:
a. Central Powers – former Triple Alliance (except Italy), Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and others b. Allied Powers – former Triple Entente, Italy, US, and others II. Short­term (Immediate) Cause of WWI A. The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand – heir to throne in Austria­Hungary 1. Gavlrio Princip – Serbian member of the Black Hand Terrorist Organization assassinates Ferdinand because Serbia is rebelling against rule by Austria­Hungary; wanted independence 2. The assassination has been known as the spark that ignites the war B. The effect of the assassination is that alliances supporting each other, turning it into a global war 1. Austria­Hungary declares war on Serbia because of assassination 2. Russia declares war on Austria­Hungary because of alliance with Serbia 3. Germany declares war on Russia because of alliance with Austria­Hungary 4. France declares war on Germany because of alliance with Russia III. Schlieffen Plan A. Germany’s plan for fighting and winning the war B. Germany was surrounded by France on one side and Russia on the other and wanted to avoid fighting both at the same time C. Plan was to strike and defeat France first and then attack Russia (all in 6­8 weeks) D. Alsace­Lorraine – border between France and Germany E. Germans cross into Belgium to invade France; unable to stop Germany from taking Belgium F. Battle of the Marne – Allies halted German advance into France; caused the Schlieffen Plan to fail IV. Fighting on the Western Front A. Trench Warfare ­ fighting in ditches on the open land where both sides dig trenches for defensive positions; goal is to overtake enemy trenches; became static or stationary warfare B. soldiers lived in the trenches for weeks; they were dirty, muddy, rat infested, full of disease C. “no man’s land” – area between the trenches (new weapons/technology – tanks, land mines) D. “over the top” – command to leave your trench, cross “no man’s land” and take enemy trenches E. new weapons and technology: barbed wire protects trenches; grenades thrown in trenches; hand­to­hand combat; improved machine guns; poison gas and gas masks; artillery shells with shrapnel; etc.) F. most trench warfare battles end in stalemate; no real winner; battles ended in massive casualties G. war on the western front turned into a war of attrition (the wearing down of one side by the other) H. Key Battles 1. Battle of the Somme – example of bloody trench warfare; 1.2 million killed; British first used tanks 2. Battle of Verdun (1915­1916) – the largest battle of the war; Germany used new tactics of storm troopers and flame throwers causing massive casualties 3. Battle of Ypres – Germans first used poison gas 4. Battles at Belleau Wood and Chateau­Thierry – US troops stopped the German advance towards Paris 5. 2nd Battle of the Marne – German defeat leads to the end of the war V. Fighting on the Eastern Front A. Germany and Austria­Hungary vs. Russia –not as static as the western front B. Russia was unprepared for war on this scale VI. The War at Sea A. The British instituted a blockade to prevent Germany from trading. German ships were unable to do much damage to the British and French fleets and were destroyed soon after the war started. B. German U­boats – submarines which Germany hoped would break the allied blockade by sinking merchant ships supplying food and munitions from around the world (like from the US) to Great Britain and France. C. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare – the German practice of sinking any ship that came into a certain area around Great Britain, without warning the ship D. Hydrophones – devices to detect the sounds of a submarine underwater (British invention) E. Battle of Jutland – the largest naval battle of the war; the battleships fought, but neither side won VII. Air Warfare A. Dogfights – battles between airplanes; planes were used to drop poison gas over trenches, for scouting enemy positions, and then for fighting B. Aces – famous pilots (Red Baron – German), (Eddie Rickenbaker – US; shot down 26 German planes) C. Zeppelins – German floating ships; blimps VIII. Causes of American Entrance into WWI A. Opposition to autocratic rulers (rulers with unlimited power) B. Lusitania 1. British passenger ship that carried weapons for the allies sunk by a U­boat on May 7, 1915 2. 1200 killed; 128 were American; angered the US; motivation for the war 3. Germany signed the Sussex Pledge promising to warn ships before attacking so crew and passengers could get off the ship; lasted less than one year C. Zimmerman Note 1. telegram from Germany to Mexico that was intercepted by the British 2. message asked Mexico to declare war on the US and Germany would help Mexico gain back land lost to the US 3. Germany had hoped to keep the US fighting in the western hemisphere and not in Europe 4. Mexico never received telegram or declared war on the US; final motivation for the US to declare war on Germany D. American policy prior to war ­ Neutrality 1. August 4, 1914 – President Woodrow Wilson proclaims the US to be neutral (not take sides) in order to stay out of “foreign wars” and continue trading with all countries to improve the economy 2. Due to the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Note, on March 20, 1917, President Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war (signed on April 6, 1917) 3. US policy then became ­ “Make the world safe for democracy” – belief the US had to join the war to pave the way for future peace and freedom
IX. America Prepares for War A. Mobilization 1. General John J. Pershing – leader of the US forces (AEF – American Expeditionary Force); nicknamed “doughboys” for the rice/flour meal they cook with their rations or because they were fed better than their European counterparts a. Alvin York – American hero for single­handedly capturing 132 German soldiers b. George Patton and Douglas MacArthur – later became WWII generals 2. Selective Service Act – draft 3. Propaganda – efforts to sway public opinion in support of the war B. Minorities 1. 11,000 volunteers were women – nurses, drivers, clerks, government workers 2. African Americans enlisted, but were mostly used for manual labor; segregated units 3. 369th infantry – Harlem Hell Fighters – received France’s highest medal of honor for their efforts in the Battle of Argonne Forest C. Effect on Society 1. women replaced men in the workplace as men go to war 2. Great Migration – African Americans left the south to find jobs in the north 3. Citizens support the war effort – conserve so that extra can be sent to the soldiers a. one meatless and gasless day per week b. no second helpings at meals; do not waste food; clean your plate c. plant “victory gardens” to grow your own food d. buy War Bonds and Liberty Bonds (loan money to government to cash in later for value plus interest) 4. daylight savings time – use sunlight to work rather than electricity 5. Increased suspicion of Germans – restricted immigration, ban “German things” such as teaching the language in schools; increased in censorship of press, movies, music, etc. created by German Americans X. Russian Revolution (1916­1917) A. First revolution (the March Revolution) started because of an economic collapse. Russia was not ready to fight a modern war. Czar Nicholas II – Russia’s autocrat (total control) abdicated (removed himself from power) and a Provisional Government (republican government) took over. B. Second revolution – Bolshevik or Communist Revolution – The Germans schemed with Vladimir Lenin and smuggled him into Russia. He led the Bolsheviks to overthrow the republican government and establish communism (government control of the economy; classless society). C. Treaty of Brest­Litovsk ­ Lenin signs a truce with Germany on March 3, 1918 D. Germany won much land in the western part of Russia; ends Germany’s struggle of a two front war XI. WWI Ends A. Armistice – cease­fire at 11:00 am on 11­11­1918; fighting stopped B. Paris Peace Conference ­ international peace conference 1. Big Four at Paris Peace Conference a. United States – Woodrow Wilson b. Great Britain – David Lloyd George c. France – Georges Clemenceau d. Italy – Vittorio Orlando C. Treaty of Versailles (1919) ­ ends WWI but unknowingly sets the stage for WWII 1. new nations created from old empires 2. war­guilt clause – Germany is given blame and guilt 3. reparations – Germany is forced to pay war damages of $33 billion (Dawes Plan) 4. Germany is forced to give up territory and reduce their military D. Fourteen Points – peace plan written by President Woodrow Wilson 1. goal – to end alliances that caused war 2. grant self­determination (power to make decisions about one’s future) to ethnic groups 3. included the creation of the League of Nations – a peacekeeping organization where all member nations would protect each other in case of attack a. US Senate votes to not join the League of Nations because they did not want to be constantly involved in war b. the US returns to a policy of isolationism – stay out of major arguments between nations c. without the involvement of the US and due to its design, the League had no real power d. in contrast to the Treaty of Versailles, which only lasted about 20 years, the Congress of Vienna (1815) kept peace in Europe for almost one hundred years (1815­1914) because all European nations at the time were allowed a say in the peace process; here, Germany was not allowed a voice which contributed to their desire to fight back ­ WWII XII. Effects of WWI A. End of Empires and Dynasties – German, Austro­Hungarian, Ottoman, Russian B. New countries are formed – ex. Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc. C. 20­22 million casualties; 21 million wounded – more destructive because modern weapons were used D. disease and sickness ­ epidemics (influenza); lung damage from poisonous gas, amputations, and trench diseases E. cost was about $343 billion ($4.6 trillion today) F. terms of the Treaty of Versailles will contribute to the cause of WWII