The Great War 1914–1918

World History

Roots of War

Causes of World War I

NEXT

Continued . . .

Imperialism • European nations’ colonies supply raw

materials, provide market places for

domestic goods.

• Germany industrializes, competes with

France, Britain for colonies

Militarism • Cost of building, defending

empires leads to more military

spending

• Militarism—development of

armed forces, their use in

diplomacy

• By 1890, Germany has strongest

army on European continent

- competes with Britain for sea

power

- leads other powers to join

naval arms race NEXT

continued Causes of World War I

General Hindenburg, Emperor Wilhelm II

(the Kaiser) and General Ludendorff

Tangled Alliances

Bismarck Forges Early Pacts

• Believes France wants revenge

• Treaty with Russia in 1881

Triple Alliance

(Germany,

Austria-Hungary,

Italy) in 1882

Tangled Alliances

Shifting Alliances Threaten Peace

• Kaiser Wilhelm

–alliance with Russia dropped;

–Russia allies with France

–effort to strengthen German navy alarms Britain

• Britain, France, Russia form Triple Entente alliance in 1907

Alliance System • Triple Entente or Allies—France, Britain, Russia

• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire are

Central Powers

• Alliances give security; nations unwilling to tip balance

of power

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/

Crisis in the Balkans

A Restless Region

• New nation of Serbia made up largely of Slavs

• Austria-Hungary annexes Slavic region Bosnia and Herzegovina (1908)

• Serbia outraged, sees itself as rightful ruler of Slavic lands

A Shot Rings Throughout Europe

• Serbian rebel kills Austro-Hungarian royal official in June 1914

• Austria declares war on Serbia; Russia comes to aid of Serbia

An Incident in the Balkans Pulls on Alliances Throughout Europe

Europe Plunges into War

Armies on the March

• Russian troops to borders with Austria/Germany

• Germany declares war on Russia, attacks France

– Invades neutral Belgium to attack France

• Great Britain declares war on Germany

Nations Take Sides

• By August 1914, two sides at war:

– Central Powers—Germany, Austria-Hungary (and other nations)

– Allies—Britain, France, Russia (and other nations)

War in the Trenches

Trench warfare

• Battles = many deaths, small land gains

• Life in trenches is miserable, difficult, unsanitary

• New weapons only lead to more deaths

Russia Struggles

• Russia’s war effort suffering by 1916; many casualties, few supplies

• Huge size of Russian army keeps it formidable

New Technologies in WWI

• Armored Tanks

• Mortars – 8 mile range

– 42 cm shells

Poison Gas

Mustard gas

Gas masks

Flame Throwers

• Air Planes – Recognizance

– Bombs

– 1st Aircraft carriers

– Aerial warfare

– Flying Aces

War Affects the World

America Joins the Fight

• Germany seeks to control Atlantic to stop supplies to Britain

• Uses unrestricted submarine warfare

• Sinking of Lusitania angers U.S.

• Effort to enlist Mexico anger U.S.

• U.S. declares war against Germany in April 1917

America Joins the Ranks

• MAY 16, 1918 – Selective Service Act passes

• President Wilson realizes that a volunteer army will not meet the needs of fighting a war in Europe.

• All men between ages of 21 and 30 must sign up for draft.

• Enlistees randomly selected.

A Global Conflict

The Gallipoli Campaign

• Allies move to capture Ottoman strait in 1915

• Hope to defeat Ottoman Empire; Central ally

• Want to open a supply line to Russia

• Effort ends in costly Allied defeat

Battles in Africa and Asia

• Allies take German holdings in Asia, Africa

• Britain and France use their colonial subjects to help in war effort

War Affects the Home Front

Governments Wage Total War

• Total war — devote all resources to war

• Governments take control of economy

• Nations turn to rationing — limiting purchases of war-related goods

Women and the War

• At home, thousands of women fill jobs previously held by men

• Many women also war nurses

The Allies Win the War

Russia Withdraws

• Civil unrest forces czar to step down in 1917

• Communists take control of Russia’s government

• Russia signs treaty with Germany in March 1918, pulls out

The Central Powers Collapse

• Allies win war; armistice—end of fighting—signed in November 1918

A Flawed Peace

• Group of leaders known as the Big Four dominate

• Wilson proposes Fourteen Points

– Free trade, end secret alliances, military buildups

– Promotes self-determination right of people to govern own nation

• Envisions international peace-keeping

The Versailles Treaty

• Britain, France oppose Wilson; want to punish Germany

• Treaty of Versailles

– creates League of Nations

– blames Germans for war, forces Germany to pay damages to nations

– League to rule German colonies

• Versailles treaty changes the look of Europe

– Austria, Bulgaria, Ottoman all lose

– New countries created in southeastern Europe; Russia gives up land

P

Europe before WWI

Europe after WWI

A Peace Built on Quicksand

• Treaty of Versailles creates feelings of bitterness on both sides

• German people feel bitter and betrayed after taking blame for war

• America never signs Treaty of Versailles

– Many oppose League of Nations

• Some former colonies express anger over not winning independence

• Japan, Italy criticize agreement; gain less land than they want

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