Unit 11: World War One

Goals of Unit 10
To understand the role of the Alliance system, the arms race, and Imperialism on the outbreak of World War I To understand the concept of Total War and its social, political and economic impact on the world. To understand significance of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war. To understand the Rise in power of the Bolsheviks in Russia and how it changed the traditional Russian government.

Britain in 1914
Strong, stable, prosperous Led by King George V in 1914
Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Germany by 1914
Unified in 1871 Progressed fast Very strong army, industry, economy, etc. Led by Kaiser Wilhelm II

Italy by 1914
United in 1861 (fully by 1870) Poor, struggling nation Regional and political conflicts Led by King Emmanuel III
(Grandson of King Victor Emmanuel II)

France by 1914
Weak republic, but stable and prosperous by 1914 Led by elected president Raymond Poincare

Russia by 1914
Partially modernized, slowly industrializing Conservative constitutional monarch
After Revolutions of 1905

Peasant-based population Led by Nicholas II

Japan by 1914
Meiji era quickly and efficiently modernized Japans military, economy, government, etc Sino-Japanese War (1895) and Russo-Japanese War (1905) Quickly become strongest power in Asia Led by Emperor Taisho
Son of Meiji (Mutsuhito)

Ottoman Empire by 1914

Weak and dwindling Constitution and Assembly created after Young Turk Revolution in 1908 Led by Committee of Union and Progress
(Sultan Mehmed V had no real power)

Austria-Hungary by 1914
1867 Dual Monarchy created Complete disunity and disorganization Chaotic, weak and inefficient empire would last until 1914 Led by Franz Joseph
His nephew & heir to the throne is
Franz Ferdinand

 What major incident led to the break out of World War One? How can one bullet cause a whole world war?

There were four M.A.I.N. causes of WWI

Militarism (Arms Race)

Definition: Making your military bigger and better than other countries. Symbol of national prestige, Social Darwinism, arms race What problems can arise when countries compete against other countries for military strength?

Militarism
Country Defense Expenditures (mil) 1890 1914 144 157 554 384 Germany British Empire

Japan
France Russia US

24
186 145 67

96
287 442 314

Source: W.S. Morton. Japan: Its History and Culture., 3rd ed. (New York:McGraw Hill, 1994), p. 182.

Alliances
An agreement between two or more countries to help each other. It can include military help, money or providing of weapons. Late 1800s many countries in Europe made various alliances, Triple Entente (Britain, Russia and France) and The Dual Alliance (Germany and Austria-Hungary) How can complex alliances cause a problem?

Imperialism / Industrial Revolution

During the 1800s the Industrial Revolution was happening in Europe. Competition for colonies, economic rivalries With the invention of factories, weapons were less expensive to produce allowing countries to improve and buy them in mass quantities. Countries were also experimenting with new weapons such as airplanes, tanks, chemical warfare.

How can imperialism cause a problem among competing nations?

Nationalism
Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation Excessive pride in ones nation

How can excessive nationalism be a contribution to WWI?

Ottoman Empire
North and South of Ottoman Territory are the independent states of Romania, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria The Austro-Hungarian Empire
Included states of Croatia and Slovenia Occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1878

Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism : A movement advocating the political and
cultural union of Slavic nations and peoples. Serbia desired to create a Slavic state

Greece and Romania are not Slavic Movement to unify Slavic states into a single nation: Yugoslavia
Slavic people look towards Serbia as possible center of this new nation Serbia and Bulgaria conflict over Slavic leadership

Crisis in Eastern Europe

Conflict
Bosnian Crisis of 1908
Russia & Austria vs. Ottomans, France & Britain

First Balkan War 1912

Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, & Serbia vs. Ottoman Fight over Macedonia and size of Bulgaria

Second Balkan War 1913

Austria intervenes over Albania; Russia comes to Serbias aid

Third Balkan War 1914

Austria-Hungary wanted a local war but that was impossible

Declarations of War
June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated Ultimatum to Serbia delivered July 24th Austria declares war on Serbia July 28th August 1st Germany declares war on Russia August 3rd Germany declared war on France August 4th Britain declares war on Germany By the end of August, Japan declares war on the Central Powers By 1915, the Ottoman Turks join the Central Powers

Taking Sides
Allied Powers: Russia, France, Great Britain, Japan, Serbia, Italy
Italy claimed its membership in Triple Alliance was a defensive strategy, changed sides

Central Powers: Germany, AustriaHungary, Ottomans, Bulgaria

Bulgaria and the Ottomans hoped to regain lost territories

Germany Strikes
Schlieffen Plan: Attack France in the West first, then turn around and attack Russia in the East
March through unfortified Belgium to take France quickly Russias lack of railroads would make it difficult to mobilize their troops

Battle of Marne
First Battle of the Marne (Sep 1914)
French and British stop and push back surging German army Schlieffen Plan fails Allies win battle Problem Allies are slow to chase retreating Germans Results in trench warfare and the formation of the Western Front

Trench Warfare

The Western Front

Trench Warfare

New Technology
Machine Guns

Flamethrowers Poisonous Gas Tanks & Planes Land Mines Mortars

Consequences of Trench Warfare

By Dec 1914
1.5 million dead Single battles claiming 100,000+ lives Borders on the Western Front hardly moving War of Attrition
A war in which there are no decisive, conclusive battles. The two sides grind away at each other until one side is too exhausted and gives up

Propaganda
Information, ideas, or rumors spread deliberately to harm or influence a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc

The Home Front Total War

1914: Enthusiasm
Nationalism
Support of the masses leads to an energetic war effort

Demand for Men & Weapons

Economic life and organizations had to change

Home Front - Economics

Free market Capitalism abandoned Government decided what was to be produced and consumed
Rationing, price and wage controls Effective and destructive

Soldiers on the Battlefield & the Home Front

there are entire nations armed. Thus the men (and women) who remain to till the soil and man the factories are not less a part of the army than the men beneath the battle flags. - Woodrow Wilson

Home Front Social Impact

Poverty & Unemployment were the norm prior to 1914.But now
Full employment Labor unions part of policy making (socialist ideal) Women: equal pay for equal work Blurred lines between rich and poor

Home Front - Politics

1914-1916 popular support for the war After 1916 there is a shift
Soldier morale declining Easter Uprising in Ireland Public opposition to the war

Government Attempts to Control This

Widespread censorship; propaganda Good news overstated; Bad news avoided

Battle of Gallipoli
1915 British wanted control of Turkish owned Dardanelles Canal to ship supplies to Russia Australia and New Zealand (Anzacs) provide army Fails miserably, over 200,000 die Central Powers win battle

Russia on the Eastern Front

1915 Russias military tactics, technology, and leadership outmatched Russian forces defeated in Poland 1.2 Million Russians killed, 1 million more imprisoned Central Powers win battle

Battle of Verdun
Allies plan:
Deny Germany badly needed supplies Fewer, but bigger attacks

Feb 1916
Fought over strategic location Lasted months French regain lost forts, no clear winner 700,000 dead

Battle of Somme
July 1916 British attack German lines along the Somme River British lose 60,000 in the first day Lasts until November 1.2 Million dead No clear winner Western front

New Alliance
1917 enter US, exit Russia
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Lenin-controlled Russia backs out of war, signs treaty with Germany

German unrestricted submarine warfare Lusitania

German subs sink passenger ship 1,000 die, 100 American

Zimmerman Note
Germany urging Mexico to attack U.S.

The War Ends

July 1918 Second Battle of the Marne
Last German attempt United States adds much needed strength to Allies Bulgaria and Ottomans surrender; Austro-Hungarian Empire falls apart; Turn against Kaiser Wilhelm Germany is forced to surrender Allies win battle, war

The War Ends

November 11, 1918 Armistice Day
Complete surrender in Paris Allies victorious

Treaty of Versailles
Decision-makers
The Big Four
Woodrow Wilson US Georges Clemenceau France Lloyd George Great Britain Vittorio Orlando Italy

Problem: All are going to have very different agendas and visions for post-war Europe.

Goals of the Treaty of Versailles

USA:
Wilsons aim was to achieve a just and lasting peace
The 14 Points The League of Nations

Europe:
But, France and Britain wanted to punish Germany and strip it of its war making power Italy wants compensation

Wilson will have to compromise

Treaty of Versailles
War Guilt/Reparations
The Allies forced Germany to sign a war guilt clause and pay reparations

Military Restrictions
The agreement limited the size of the German army and prohibited Germany from importing or manufacturing war materials

Treaty of Versailles
Territorial Changes
German territories in Africa and the Pacific and Ottoman lands were declared mandates Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia were created as independent nations

Treaty of Versailles
Legacy
Left a legacy of bitterness, betrayal, and hatred that would erupt into a second world war.

Aftermath of WWI
Almost 20 million dead Four empires crumbled:
German Empire Ottoman Empire Russian Empire Austria-Hungarian Empire

Problem with crumbling empires?

Empires replaced with broken up republics with shaky leadership

New political boundaries, trading patterns, etc. Colonial world in disarray

Aftermath of WWI
European economies ruined
U.S. owed more than $10 billion from Europe Allies had borrowed from each other
Bolshevik Russia renounces debts

Weimar Rep. of Germany suffers massive inflation

Cannot afford war debts Causes tension, Euro countries occupy Ruhr to collect fails

U.S. creates Dawes Plan (1924) to handle German reparations

Bends rules of Treaty of Versailles Followed by Young Plan (1929)

European economies begin to improve

U.S. Stock Market Crash (1929)

Leads to the worldwide Great Depression

The Russian Revolutions of 1917

But first: a quick reminder remember 1905?

Revolution of 1905
Russia not modernizing, falling behind other world powers
Loss of Russo-Japanese War (1905) humiliating defeat

Russians upset with oppression, no democracy, loss of war Bloody Sunday

Nicholas II losing popularity fast

October Manifesto
Nicholas II granted full civil rights and an elected Duma

Duma
VERY limited by the Fundamental Laws (Russian Constitution) Dismissed twice; landowners assured seats

The March Revolution (1917)

Russia did not have the resources to fight a modern war - WWI
Nicholas II failing at the frontlines

Spontaneous revolution of striking men and women led to abdication of Nicholas II March 12, 1917 The Duma declared a provisional government The end of Tsarist Autocracy

The Provisional Government

Made a number of reforms
Equality before law; freedom of religion, speech, assembly; right of unions to organize and strike Vladimir Lenin Alexander Kerensky

New Government split in two:

1. Liberal bourgeoisie and moderate socialists (Kerensky) who were technically in power 2. Petrograd Soviet: urban workers, soldiers, and radical intellectuals (Lenin & Trotsky)

Leon Trostky

Their Differences
Provisional Govt (Kerensky): wanted to continue fighting WWI Bolsheviks (left-wing Marxists Lenin and Trotsky) were opposed to the war
Military power essentially in the hands of the Bolsheviks under the leadership of Trotsky

Lenin (1870-1924)
Leader of the Bolsheviks Marxism-Leninism:
Lenin argued that the revolution had to be led by a small conspiratorial elite of revolutionaries Waiting for the so-called proletarian revolution in agricultural Russia would be futile. Urban workers would only develop a trade-union consciousness and lose their vigor and determination for social reform

November Revolution
Lenin arrived in Russia in April 1917 Red Guards: workers armed forces
There was little bloodshed when the Guards began to seize govt property Take over, exile Kerensky

Council of Peoples Commissars

Redistribution of land Worker control of factories through workers committees Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918)
Had to give up some Russian territory with 1/3 of Russian population (Poles, Lithuanians, Finns) Russia is out of WWI

Civil War (19181920)

Whites (Anti-Bolsheviks) vs. the Reds (Bolsheviks)
Allies support the Whites

Lenin turned to a one-party govt: Communists

Encourage worldwide revolution based on the principles of socialism

Trotsky led the Reds to victory

War Communism: Bolshevik policy to
Nationalize banks and industries; seize grains & introduced rationing; and they reestablished the Cheka (secret police) to exterminate foes prison camps, harsh rule, fear

Now the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) AKA Soviet Union

New Economic Policy

War Communism is failing and the USSR is facing economic collapse after the civil war N.E.P. (New Economic Policy)
Designed to restore Russian economy Introduced some aspects of private ownership among the peasants They could sell surpluses in free markets and buy from private traders and manufacturers

Is this true communism?

Lenin compromised his Marxist ideals in order to survive