The document provides background information on World War I and its aftermath. It discusses the various causes of WWI, including nationalism, militarism, and alliances. It then describes how the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand led countries to take sides and declare war on each other. The war resulted in millions of casualties and heavy fighting in trenches. After huge costs, the war ended in 1918 and led to the restructuring of Europe and collapse of empires. The Treaty of Versailles imposed punishments on Germany but was ultimately unsatisfying and contributed to tensions.
2. Preview Questions
What were the causes that led to
WWI?
Why did the United States enter the
war?
How did the war end erode European
dominance on the world?
Results and Aftermath
3. The Road to WWI
Main causes leading to war
Nationalism
Militarism/Industrialization
Alliances
The spark that ignited the war
Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
*What is Nationalism?
The unique cultural identity of a people based on patriotism
or pride for one’ nation or ethnic group.
4. Causes of WWI
Nationalism
Political experts believed Nationalism would
help Europe and that the new and old nations
would work together and create a peaceful
Europe. They were wrong.
The nationalism within the neighboring
nations led not to cooperation, but to
competition and rivalries with between
established countries.
Also, some national/ethnic groups began to
seek their own independence from their
oppressors.
5. Causes of WWI
Alliances
All of Europe’s great powers had been
divided into 2 major alliances.
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy made
up the Triple Alliance.
• France, Great Britain, and Russia made up
the Triple Entente.
Each country was guided by its own self-
interest and success and when angered,
they became eager for revenge.
9. Causes of WWI
Militarism
The heightened tensions in Europe led to an
increase in militarism, or aggressive
preparations for war.
European armies doubled in size between 1890
and 1914.
• The Russian, German, and French armies totaled
over 3 million men.
• Many began to use a conscription, or a military draft.
As the armies grew, so did the influence of
military leaders.
• Complex “all or nothing” plans were put in place.
• European political leaders were forced to make
decisions for military instead of political reasons.
10. Causes of WWI
Nationalism, Militarism, and the
formation of Alliances all played a role in
starting of WWI, but it was another crisis
that would ultimately be the spark that
started the war…
Anyone know the “spark”?
11. Serbian Problem
• Serbia was determined to free Bosnia from Austria-
Hungary control and create a large, independent Serbian
kingdom.
12. The Spark
In 1914, a Serbian
terrorist group
assassinated
Archduke
Francis
Ferdinand, the
future heir to the
throne of Austria-
Hungary.
13. Austria-Hungary Response
Austria-Hungary wanted to attack Serbia
after the assassination, but Serbia had the
protection of Russia and A-H feared a Russian
response.
They turned to their own ally, Germany for
support.
Germany responded with a “blank check”
saying that A-H had the full support of
Germany – even if it meant war with Russia.
What happened next?
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
14. Russia Responds
Russia was determined to support Serbia’s
cause.
Russian Czar ordered partial mobilization of
the Russian army, but the leader of the
Russian army insisted that “partial”
mobilization was impossible as they have
only practiced “full” mobilization.
Based on this claim, the Russian Czar ordered
full mobilization of the Russian army.
What happens next?
15.
16. Germany Responds
Germany responded quickly as they
considered Russia’s action as an act of
war.
Germany warned Russia to halt its
mobilization, but Russia ignored the
warning.
Germany declared war on Russia.
17. Germany Responds
Like Russia, German’s military leaders
had only prepared for “full” war and “full”
mobilization of their army.
Although they were only at war with
Russia, their military plan was designed to
be a two-front war.
– Half the troops to the Russia (East)
border and half the troops to the France
(West) border.
Therefore, Germany also declared war on
France.
18. Great Britain’s Response
Part of Germany’s plan was to march
troops through the neutral country of
Belgium to get to the French Border.
Britain claimed this act violated Belgium’s
neutrality.
Britain was also looking out for its own
self-interest that if Germany won the war,
they would become more powerful then
Britain.
Britain declared war on Germany.
21. Europe at War: 1914-1915
Most thought the
war would be
over in weeks.
The war raged on
however with
many stalemates.
Many troops
were involved in
trench warfare.
*What was trench warfare?
22.
23. Gas Warfare
•Poison gasses (Chlorine and mustard gas) were
introduced to help break the stalemates of trench
warfare.
• Blinded solders walking
in line
24. War in the Air
Another way to help break the
stalemates in the trenches was the
introduction to planes to the battlefield.
At first, they were used to simply spot
the enemy’s position.
Pilots used to fire at each other with
handheld pistols.
Mounted machine
guns were soon added
as well as the capability
to drop bombs.
25. War at Sea: Britain vs. Germany
The U.S. remained neutral but was keeping
an eye on the naval war between Germany
and Britain.
The U.S. was soon alarmed at the Germany’s
use of submarine warfare especially when
Germany sunk a British passenger ship
carrying 1,100 civilians including 100
Americans.
To avoid a response from the U.S., Germany
suspended any further civilian ship attacks.
27. Entry of the United States
Britain and Germany continued their
war at sea, but after 2 years of little
progress Germany went back to their
unrestricted submarine warfare on
British passenger ships.
The United States entered the war in
April of 1917.
28. Propaganda
To increase support for the war,
governments used propaganda.
Propaganda – Ideas spread to influence
public opinion for or against a cause.
With propaganda, governments hoped:
– It would bring more men to enlist in the army
– Increase support from civilians in the home
front.
31. American woman and child
drowning after the sinking
of the Lusitania
What do these
propaganda posters say?
32. What do these
propaganda
posters say?
Encouraging
woman to help
in the factories?
Almost all domestic
production came to a stop
as all attention was turned
to making war materials.
34. Total War: The Home Front
As the war continued not only were more
soldiers needed, but more supplies as well.
In an effort to maximize resources some
European nations set up planned
economies.
– Governments took over all transportation and
industries
– Government set all prices for products and all
wages for workers
– All food and materials were rationed
*How is this different than war today? Are us
civilians affected the same way?
35. Total War: The Home Front
The difference between soldiers at
war and civilians at home were
narrowed and all citizens were
considered part of the nation’s army.
“The men and women who remain
to till the soil and man the factories
are no less part of the army than the
men beneath the battle flags.”
- President Woodrow Wilson
36. WWI: Affect on Women
Although the war was hard on everyone, it did
create some positive new roles for women.
Women had to take over the jobs left behind
by men even in jobs that were once
considered beyond their capacity.
These changes would directly affect the
women’s rights movement.
Women in Britain, Germany, Austria, and
the Unites States gained the right to vote
immediately after the war.
40. Disaster following the war
8 – 10 million dead
Millions of refugees
Influenza outbreak (1918-1919)
– 20 million lives
Environmental destruction
41. World War I Casualties
10,000,000
9,000,000 Russia
8,000,000 Germany
7,000,000 Austria-Hungary
6,000,000 France
5,000,000
4,000,000 Great Britain
3,000,000 Italy
2,000,000 Turkey
1,000,000 US
0
42.
43. AFTERMATH AND PEACE
Wilson comes up with plan called 14
points
– No secret treaties
– Freedom of the seas
– Countries need to reduce arms
– Colonial powers should consider feelings of
the people living there
– League of Nations
44. A Flawed Peace
Paris Peace Conference
– U.S., Britain, France
– Formation of a League of Nations
• U.S. Refused to join
• France receives Alsace and Lorraine
• Britain acquires new territories in Africa and Middle East
– Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919)
• Germany forbidden to have an Air Force, allowed a small
Army and Navy (100,000 men, 6 Battleships)
• Germany forced to pay reparations and accept guilt of
war
• Development of new territories: Poland, Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslavia
45. Two Periods of Peace and
Adjustment
1919-1923: Painful recovery and
readjustment
– Severe inflation plagues *Germany & Russia
1924-1929: Growing peace and prosperity
– Germany joins the League of Nations
– Reparations become easier to stomach
League of Nations remains a failure
without U.S. involvement
46. TREATY OF VERSAILLES
1. Reduce size of German army
2. Germany to return Alsace Lorraine to
France
3. Troops would occupy Rhineland
(German border) for 15 years
4. Poland became independent
5. War guilt clause – Germany had to pay
reparations (war damages) to the allies
6. Other Boundry changes
1. Austria-Hungary broke apart
47. TREATY OF VERSAILLES
Huge problems with treaty – no one truly
happy
Germany could not pay
World wide depression
Treaty of Versailles one of the biggest
failures. Lack of strength and structure
leads to WWII
48. Russian Revolution
Russia was unprepared both militarily and
technologically for the total war of WWI.
Incompetent military leaders and lack of
industrialization.
Soldiers sent into battle unarmed and told to pick up a
rifle from a dead comrade.
Between 1914-1916, two million Russian
troops were killed and another 6 million
were wounded or captured.
– By 1917, the Russian soldiers had lost their will to
fight and the people grew upset with the regime.
49. Failed Communism
As Russia’s Economy slowly declines,
more and more people demand food
Lenin announces the New Economic
Policy
– Allows peasants to own land and sell crops
– Private merchants to trade
– Private workshops to produce goods and sell
them
50. Outbreak of Russian Civil War
Bolshevik (Communist) Revolution (1918-1921)
– Division between Communists and Tsarists
1920: Ukrainian Communists declare the
independence of a Soviet Republic of Ukraine
– 1922: Soviet Rep. of Ukraine merges with Russia
to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR)
– 1922: Soviet republics of Georgia, Armenia, and
Azerbaijan join the USSR
– Russia gains control of tsarist peoples
51. Russian Civil War
1918 Political opponents contest
Communists
Taking Sides:
– Reds = Communists
– Whites = Moderates (assistance from Allies)
Fighting destroys Russia for 3 years
– Starvation & economic depression
52. Outcome of Civil War
Lenin & Communists maintain power &
defeat the Whites in 1921
1922 Communists rename Russia the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union)
Communists remain in power until end of
the Cold War (1989)
53. A Socialist State
Bolsheviks become the Communists
End private ownership of property
Distribute land among the peasants
Workers control factories & mines
Officials:
– Leon Trotsky = Foreign Affairs
– Joseph Stalin = National Minorities
54. A new Communist State
Death of Lenin in 1924 leads to bitter
rivalries for power
Leon Trotsky (commander of Red Army)
Joseph Stalin (general secretary of the
Communist party)
1929: Joseph Stalin emerges as the leader
of the Communist party , and prepares to
industrialize the nation
55.
56. Revolution in Asia
Boxer Rebellion (1898-1901)
– Chinese desire to remove foreign influence from
China
– Qing wages war on Imperialist Expansion/
Westernization
– Revolution in 1911 leads to formation of Chinese
Republic
57. Transformations in the Middle East
Super powers create a compromise for expansion
– Mandate System focus on self-determination
– Class C Mandates
• Treated as colonies (South Africa, German Islands)
– Class B Mandates
• Ruled for benefit of the inhabitants
– Would receive autonomy at some future time
– Germany’s African colonies
– Class A Mandates
• Developed, only under administrative advice, promise of
independence (Palestine, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon)
59. Arab Lands in Question– A phony
independence
European presence viewed as occupation NOT liberation
Changes to Arab Lands post WWI
– Loss of Nomads
– Urbanization
– Westernization (education, dress, jobs)
– Balfour Declaration of 1917
• Encourages Jews to settle in Palestine
• Jews (minority) take Arab (majority) lands
60. Restructure of Europe
1. Became countries
1. Czechoslovakia
2. Yugoslavia
3. Romania
4. Poland
5. Lithuania
6. Latvia
7. Estonia
8. Ottoman Empire broke apart – Iraq, Palestine, Syria,
Lebanon
61. Military Casualties in World War I: 1914-1918
Germany 1,935,000 United States 116,516
Russia 1,700,000 Bulgaria 87,495
France 1,368,000 Belgium 45,550
Austria-Hungary 1,200,000 Serbia 45,000
British Empire 942,135 Greece 23,098
Ottoman Empire 725,000 Portugal 8,145
Italy 680,000 Montenegro 3,000
Romania 300,000 Japan 1,344
Military Deaths: app. 9 million
TOTAL DEATHTOLL: 20-25 Million