Origins of World War IA. Background Causes

1. Economic Rivalrya. Britainb. Germany

2. Colonialisma. Disputes over Control

3. Alliancesa. Triple Ententeb. Triple Alliance

4. Nationalisma. Politicalb. Ethnic

Economic Rivalry

• Rapid Industrialization by Germany

• Threatened Britain

• Also threatened France

• France and Britain grew closer

Colonialism

• 1905 and 1911

• France and Germany almost to the brink of war

• Morocco: France vs. Germany

• Britain sides with France/resents Germany industrial strength.

• Britain and France develop closer ties.

Entangling Alliances

• Otto von Bismarck/isolate France at all costs

• Triple Alliance: Germany, Italy & Austria-Hungary

• Triple Entente: Britain, France, & Russia

• Alliances to keep the peace

Colonialism

Causes of World War I: Nationalism

Aggressive Nationalism France and Germany Germany proud of military and Industrial

strength. French loss in Franco Prussia War/revenge Recovery of lost provinces Alsace and

Lorraine

Nationalism: Eastern Europe

• Russia -> Pan Slavism• Serbia: young just freed nation• Ottoman And Austrian-Hungarian Empires afraid

of the spread of Nationalism• Greece and Serbia• Several Balkan States Attack Turkey• Balkan states fighting among themselves• Powder Keg ready to explode

Militarism

• Survival of the Fittest

• Militarists painted war in romantic colors

• Rotation in Service

• Building up of military

• Protection of oversees colonies

• nationalism

• Britain 2 power standard

Assassination in Sarajevo

• Immediate cause: June 28, 1914

• Gavrilo Princip kills Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary

• Member of Black Hand Serbian Nationalist Group

• Match that lights the Balkan Powder Keg

The War Begins

• Austria sends Serbia an ultimatum

• Serbia refuses

• Germany gives Austria a blank check

• July 28, 1914 Austria declares war on Serbia

• European nations begin to mobilize their military forces

The Schlieffen Plan

• Germany’s plan to fight a two front war• Wanted a quick victory• Germany would lose a long drawn out two

front war.• Attack France 1st then Russia/Russia would

take longer to mobilize• August 3 invade France through Belgium• Britain declares war on Germany

Bloody Stalemate

• Western Front

• Allied Victory at the Marne breaks the back of the Schlieffen Plan

• Trench Warfare

• High casualties

- "Are'nt those Europeans the same people who send missionaries to civilize us ?"

AT THE BORDER between (neutral) Holland and Belgium -

An high voltage electric wire, established by the Germans,

prevented Belgian refugees to flee.

                                                      

             

                                                        THE STRUGGLE FOR WORLD POWER - The position of the neutrals

                                                      

             

VERDUN ! - The winner !

( Alb

                                                                                                      

WAR WINTER - Red becomes even better on white than on green

( Albert Hahn - 1915 - Toelichting op deze prent )

New Weapons

• Automatic machine gun

• Submarine

• Tank

• Zeppelins

Major battles

• Battles of the Marne 1914, 1918• Battles of Ypres 250,000 killed many

drowned in liquid mud• Battle of the Somme 1916 4 months British

killed 419,000/ Germans killed over 500,000

• Battle of Tannenburg Russians forced out of war over a million killed many civilians

Global Conflict

• Russians/ lose battle of Tannenburg

• Ill equipped/ went into battle lacking necessary equipment

• Southern Europe

• War Outside Europe: Ottoman Empire

• Battle of Gallipoli Turks defeat British

• Colonies drawn into war

Winning the War

• Conscription

• Economic Troubles

• Propaganda

• Impact on Women

• Collapsing Morale

• Revolution in Russia Treaty of Brest Livosk

• Russia withdraws from the war

United States Declares War

• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

• Cultural Ties

• Zimmermann Note

• Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points/Self determination

WWI Posters

The Treaty of Versailles: Major Provisions

• League of Nations• Territorial Losses/Germany returns Alsace

Lorraine; French Border extended to the Rhine; Germany surrenders all of its overseas colonies in Africa and the Pacific

• Military restrictions/limits size of German Army; cannot build or import weapons, submarines, airplanes

The Treaty of Versailles: War Guilt

• Sole responsibility for the war placed on Germany’s shoulders

• Germany forced to pay the Allies 33 Billion in reparations over 30 years.

• Laid the ground work for WWII.

Th e G rea t W ar

A llian ces M ilita rism N ation a lism Im p eria lism

L on g te rm C au ses

Th e G rea t W ar

a g en era tion o f E u rop ean sare k illed

orw ou n d ed

B itte rn ess lead s to W orld W ar II P rob lem s s tillexis t:n a tion a lism

com p etit ion ,m ilita rism

L on g Term E ffec ts

n ew cou n triesa re c rea ted

O ttom an E m p ireA u s trian H u n g arian

E m p ires a reD es troyed

Im m ed ia te E ffec ts

The Legacy of War

• 8.5 Million Killed

• 21 million wounded

• War Costs 338 billion, destroys towns, and land in Europe and Russia

• disillusionment

Collapse of the Empires

• Breakup of Austrian Hungarian Empire– Austria and Hungary become independent

nations– Czechoslovakia & Yugoslavia were formed– Italy and Romania gained land

Ottoman Empire Dissolved

• Turkey becomes independent

• Most of the Arab nations were put under the control of Britain and France

• Russian and German Losses

• Other nations Formed: Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Armenian Massacre

• Ottomans traditionally allowed minorities great freedom

• Nationalism: Turkish nationalists vs minority people who sought their own states.

• 1890/Over 25 years Christians Armenians were accused of supporting Russian Plans against the Ottoman Empire/Armenians protested/ over 1 million were killed2 million deported to Greece

Turkish Nationalism

• Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

• General and war hero in Turkey

• Ataturk: “Father of the Turks”

• Westernizes and Modernizes

Kemal Ataturk

• Modernization and Westernization• Replaces Islamic law with Western European law• Muslim calendar replaced by western calendar• Western dress• State schools: Arabic Script replaced by Western

(Latin) script• Women : right to vote/western dress• Turkey was industrialized: roads, canals, railroads,

factories