In the later 1800s, many people in Europe joined groups to promote peace.

They met several times between 1843 and 1907 to urge their cause.

By 1900, there were hundreds of peace organizations

While this movement for peace was building, so were other developments. These other factors would soon plunge Europe into war.

One of those factors was nationalism— the deep feeling of attachment to one’s own nation.

This force helped unify the people of a country. It also helped promote competition between countries. By 1900, six strong nations were rivals for power in Europe.

These nations, were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France. They competed economically, and they competed for neighboring land.

Europe also saw the emergence of imperialist states during the second half of the 1800s.

Imperialism is when one country takes over another country economically and politically. (ex. England-India)

These countries became highly competitive over territories and trade, especially in the Balkans.

Imperialism was another force that helped lead to war. France and Germany, each seeking control of parts of

Africa, almost came to war twice in the early 1900s. Such competition bred mistrust among many of the

power nations.

To protect their interests, many countries formed alliances with one another.

The Triple Entente was an alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia.

The Triple Alliance (later called the Central Powers) was between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.

These two main alliances would divide Europe.

Great Britain

France

Russia Italy

Germany

Austria-Hungary

Triple Entente Triple Alliance

Tension

As tensions between the alliances grew, countries started building up their standing armies in preparation for war. This is known as militarism.

Between 1890 and 1914 European standing armies doubled in size.

The numbers of soldiers in European armies were: -Russia, 1.3 million; -France and Germany, 900,000 each -Britain, Italy, and Austria-Hungary,

250,000 to 500,000 each.

The Industrial Revolution would also have a huge effect on militarism as new technologies and weaponry were developed for warfare.

Electricity allows for better communication. Telegraphs, telephones and radio waves let generals communicate with their officers in the field at a much faster rate.

The developments of the internal combustion engine allowed the development of automobiles, motorcycles, large iron ships, submarines, airplanes, zeppelins and even tanks!

New weapons were developed such as guns with ballistic bullets (no longer powder loaded and flint lock).

Such inventions of weaponry during the Industrial Revolution included rifles, revolvers, machine guns, Gatling guns, explosives such as dynamite and grenades, landmines, flame throwers, torpedoes, heavy shelled guns and even toxic gas.

The development and use of poison gas in World War I was a major military innovation. The gases ranged from disabling chemicals, such as tear gas and the severe mustard gas, to lethal agents like phosgene and chlorine. This chemical warfare was a major component of the first World War.

The Balkans are made up of many small, Slavic countries in southeastern Europe.

The Ottoman Empire, which once controlled this area, was slowly breaking apart due to a weakened government and revolutions in the 1800’s. (Greece, Serbia)

Many of these countries became independent states; however, it remained an area of political unrest.

When forming alliances, Austria-Hungary made a bold move by annexing (adding) Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small Slavic country in the Balkans.

This move outraged Serbia who was hoping to form a large Serbian kingdom made up of Slavic speaking people.

Serbia blames Austria-Hungary for the failure to create a greater Slavic kingdom.

Austria-Hungary now saw Serbia as threat and it must be crushed at some point.

The Russians (also Slavic speaking) supported Serbia.

Austria-Hungary demanded that Russia back off or face potential war with Austria-Hungary and it’s allies.

The allies of both Austria-Hungary and Russia were determined to support one another and by 1914, these tensions reached their peak.

In June, 1914 while visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary (the future king)and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist who believed Bosnia should be part of greater Serbia.

Gavrilo Princip after his assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Princip was part of a Serbian nationalist group called The Black Hand.

Following the assassination, Austria-Hungary and Germany declared war on Serbia.

As a response, Russia came to Serbia’s aid and declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany.

Germany then declares war on Russia. As allies of Russia, France declares war on Germany. Germany demands that neighboring country of

Belgium allow German armies to pass through so they can fight France. As allies of France and Russia, Great Britain declares war on Germany.

By August 1914, the Great War had begun. Really confusing!!!

In the years that led up to World War I, Italy had sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Central Alliance.

In theory, Italy should have joined in the sides of these two nations when war broke out in August 1914.

Italy; however, did not join Germany and Austria-Hungary but instead waited to see how the war progressed.

In 1915, Italy switched and became allies with the Triple Entente.

Despite losing the Italians as an ally, the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey) joined Germany and Austria-Hungary as part of the Central Powers.

The once strong Ottoman Empire was declining and they hoped to regain more power and territory for themselves in SE Asia.

To ensure that there were enough men to fight and the people rallied around the cause of war, the governments of many European countries used conscription and propaganda.

Conscription – required military service or draft

Propaganda – government ideas used to influence public opinion

Germany had a plan for winning the war on two fronts. It called for a rapid push through France, a quick defeat of that nation, and a turn to face Russia in the east.

This was known as the Schleiffen Plan.

The Germans believed that this would give them a quick and decisive victory.

However, it did not go through according to plan.

French defenses strengthened and stopped them in September, 1914.

In the meantime, the Russians had started invading Germany.

The Germans had no choice but to fight the war on two fronts.

The war is fought on two fronts – the western and the eastern front.

The Western Front turned into a stalemate, with neither side able to push the other out of the system of trench warfare they had begun.

The trenches stretched from the English Channel nearly to the Swiss border.

For four years both sides remained in almost the same positions.

Trench warfare is a form of warfare in which both combatants constructed elaborate trench and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assaults by mines and barbed wire.

The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides.

Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties.

Military leaders did not know how to fight trench warfare.

They were used to mobile battles. The only plan they could devise was to order masses

of soldiers to attack the other side and try to break through.

These attacks left men completely exposed to machine gun fire, poison gas, land mines and artillery.

Millions of young men died in these attacks, and no breakthrough came.

Fought in France, 1916 at the Somme River

Over 1 million casualties in 5 months. - 600,000 Triple Entente

casualties - 500,000 German

casualties No clear winner of the

battle as not much land was gained or lost.

Fought in France, 1916

700,000 casualties in 10 months. -350,000 for both

French and German armies

No territory is gained or lost.

The song, “The Green Fields of France”, was re-done by the band Dropkick Murphys in 2005.

The songwriter describes his visit to one of the mass graveyards in France and stopping to rest by the grave of a soldier named Willie McBride.

He wonders about the fallen soldier and asks several questions about the war.

“The sun shining down on these green fields of France,The warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance,The trenches have vanished long under the plow,No gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now,But here in this graveyard that's still no man's land,The countless white crosses in mute witness stand,To man's blind indifference to his fellow man,And a whole generation were butchered and damned…”

Not only did troops have to deal with a constant barrage of bullets and shell fire, but life in the trenches was pretty despicable.

Rats in the millions infested the trenches, engorging themselves on the human dead. The bodies would become grotesquely disfigured as the rats would often time eat out the eyes or nibble on the nose and ears first. Some rats were said to be the size of cats.

Rats were by no means the only source of infection and nuisance.  Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch constantly. Lice also caused the men to come down with a severe fever.

"The rats were huge. They were so big they would eat a wounded man if he couldn't defend himself."

When it rained, the trenches would become wet and muddy, causing the soldiers’ feet to also become wet. A type of fungal infection of the feet known as “trench foot” would occur as a result of the wet, unsanitary conditions.

A soldier suffering from a severe case of trench foot.

Officers walking through a flooded trench.

One of the most remarkable incidents in history was the unofficial truce that took place on the Western Front around Christmas in 1914.

Around December 24th, German troops starting placing candles along their trenches and on trees. They continued to celebrate by singing Christmas carols.

The British troops responded by singing Christmas carols themselves.

The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across the “No Man's Land”, where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats.

The artillery in the region fell silent that night.

The truce also allowed the two sides to collect their recently-fallen soldiers on the battlefield by burial parties.

Joint services were even held.

On December 26th, the fighting commenced once again.

British and German troopsstanding together during the

Christmas Truce of 1914.

On the Eastern Front, the war was far more mobile.

The Russian army moved into eastern Germany but was defeated, making Russia no longer a threat to invade Germany.

The Russians and Serbs; however, were able to defeat Austria-Hungary and dislodge them from Serbia.

Germany comes to Austria’s aid and together they defeat the Russians in several battles.

Regardless, the Russians with their large standing army continued to send troops.

As a result, the Russians would suffer a staggering number of battlefield losses.

Over 2.5 million Russians are killed, captured or wounded.

Unlike many of the countries in Europe, Russia had been slow to industrialize.

Many times, Russian soldiers were sent into battle without proper food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots and blankets.

Russia withdraws from the war in 1917 due to collapse of the government, economic crisis and internal revolution.

With Russia defeated, Germany was now able focus it’s full attention on the Western Front.

Not only was the war fought in Europe, but it moved into Southwest Asia and Africa as well.

The Gallipoli Campaign was a major effort to try and defeat the Ottoman Empire; however, the German led Ottomans were able to defend themselves.

One major battle took place at Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire’s capital.

The Allies also fought and captured German territory in Africa.

Even Japan got involved in the war by taking over German territory in China so that the German supplies were cut off.

Countries from all over the world would fight.

In fact, Great Britain had such a vast empire due to imperialism, that territories from Australia and Africa to India, Canada, and the Caribbean would all fight.

Allies

Central Powers

Neutral

The United States took a stance of isolationism concerning World War I.

The United States wanted to remain neutral from all European conflicts.

The United Stated did; however, bolster their army in the event that war did break out.

The naval war between Britain and Germany became a major reason why the United States joined the war.

In order to keep supplies from reaching their enemy, the British used their strong navy to block all supplies from reaching Germany.

In response, the Germans increased their submarine attacks on ships that brought food and supplies to the Allies.

German submarines sank both military and civilian ships, including passenger ships.

In 1915, German U-boats sank the British passenger ship Lusitania, which was carrying many American passengers.

This outraged Americans and many called for war, yet President Woodrow Wilson decided to remain neutral.

The final straw that brought the United States into the Great War was the interception of the Zimmerman Telegraph in 1917.

Sent by the German Foreign Secretary, Authur Zimmerman, the telegraph was a coded message dispatched from the German Empire to the government of Mexico.

Fearing that the United States was about to enter the war on the side of their “cultural brother” the British, the telegram proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico and if Mexico would make war against the United States.

The Germans promised that Mexico would regain lands lost in the Mexican-American War (1848).

The telegram was ignored by Mexico, but it was enough to outrage the Americans into declaring war on Germany.

With the Russians withdrawing, Germany could focus all its efforts back towards the Western Front.

In early 1918, Germany crushed everything in it’s path.

The Central Powers appeared to have the advantage.

The addition of more than one million American troops in 1918 proved to be the difference and turning point in the war

The American troops were fresh and ready to fight and helped the Allies begin their advance toward Germany.

The Central Powers started to crumble.

First, the Ottomans surrendered, then Austria-Hungary withdrew from the war.

German soldiers abandoned their posts and public opinion turned against the Kaiser.

By the end of 1918, the war had reached an armistice or cease fire.

The armistice started on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Today, Armistice Day in the United States is known as Veteran’s Day and is celebrated on November 11th.

The war was the most destructive conflict the world had ever seen.

Over 10 million soldiers died in the war and up to 16 million total deaths, entire cities were destroyed and countries were left in ruin.

Shortly after in 1919, leaders of the countries met in Versailles, France to discuss a truce.

The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 was the final peace settlement of World War I.

The treaty was negotiated mostly by the “Big Three”, the U.S., Great Britain and France.

Italy and Japan were left out during the negotiations.

The treaty called for a League of Nations — a world organization. It would include 32 nations, with Britain, France, Japan, and Italy making up the leadership. Germany and Russia were initially left out of the League.

Despite formulating the concept and signing the Covenant, the United States never joined the League of Nations.

Italy, who was promised territory and power was left out in the negotiations and did not receive much from the treaty.

The Austria-Hungary empire basically disintegrated and became several new, independent countries such as Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

The Ottoman Empire broke up and its lands were distributed to European powers; however, maintained control of Turkey.

It was also decided that Germany was at fault for the war and that they must pay huge reparations for the damages caused.

The total cost of damages determined was about $55 billion German Marks ($5 billion U.S. currency), which was an unheard of sum of money at the time.

Not only did Germany have to pay, they lost much territory including lands in the east which would form the new country of Poland and an important industrial region in the west to France.

German colonies in Africa and Asia were taken away and redistributed to other countries.

Additionally, the Germans were also forced to reduce their military forces greatly.

Germany was prohibited from importing or manufacturing materials for war.

Germany and Austria were also told that they could not form an alliance.

Russia, who had surrendered to Germany and withdrew from the war, also lost many lands which formed several new countries.

The landscape of Europe drastically changed following the war.

Germany had no choice but to accept the terms to the treaty; however, the Germans were outraged and angered by this.

They thought they were justified in the war and that the punishment and reparations they had to pay were unfair.

This sent Germany into a severe economic depression, greatly reduced morale and caused much discontent in Germany.

It wouldn’t be until the mid 1930’s when a charismatic leader named Adolph Hitler would unite and inspire a nation to come out of a depression.