Things Everyone and their Mother Should Know

Top Facts about World War I

Chapter 20

Ultimatum

Emperor Franz-

Josef of Austria

HungarySerbia

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany

Gives Austria

100 % support

Gives Austria-Hungary “blank check” -100% support

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

Supports Serbia, threatens Austria with war

France

Supports Russia, threatens war with Germany

Threatens France & Russia

• World War I lasted from 1914-1918.

• It was supposed to be “a war to end all wars.”

The beginning… The reality of war…

“The entire campaign a resounding march of victory- “We’ll be home at Christmas,” the recruits shouted laughingly to their mothers in August of 1914 . . .”- Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday

“The wall of the trench is plastered with smoking splinters, lumps of flesh, and bits of uniform. . . The first recruit seems actually to have gone insane. ”- Erich Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front

Primary Source: Views of the War

• Bismark made an alliance system that isolated France from all other European powers. •He wanted France to be a loner… • People are still upset about what Napolean did

France = Loner

Original Allies

France

Serbia

Russia

In the beginning, there were two sides:

•Austria-Hungary + Germany = B.F.F.•The 2 other countries that were fre-nemies with A + G were: • Russia (3 Emperor’s League)• Italy (Triple Alliance)

3 Emperor’s League

Triple Alliance

• Franz Ferdinand was heir to the throne

• He & his pregnant wife got shot by a Serbian Terrorist

• (Part of Black Hand Group)

Austria-Hungary

• Joined Allies when Germany invades neutral Belgium• This broke all rules of war & showed Germany’s bully side

Great Britain

• Owned passenger liner Lusitania

• Got sunk by a German u-boat

Great Britain

Used zeppelins and submarine warfare effectively during the war mainly against Gr. Britain

Germany

• Joined WWI after uncovering Germany’s plan to have Mexico fight the Central Powers• They were not as isolated as they thought

United States

• Troops helped turn the tide of the war against Central Powers• Became a world power as a result of WWI

United States

WWI

Propaganda

• US• France had dominant leaders • Britain at Paris Conference• Italy• Reparations = Payments for war damages• Germany had to pay $37 billion

Paris Peace Conference

• Both sides are at a standstill •Most trench warfare in WWI ended up in this situation

Stalemate

Whatever happened to Russia?• Enters WWI with largest army in the

world• Terribly unprepared for long war

• Military defeats, fatalities and economic devastation made Russia pull out of war.

• Corrupt and inefficient government at home lead to:

• 2 Revolutions and Communists take over• Vladimir Lenin

• Irony:• It was the United States

President’s creation, BUT the United States was NEVER part of it!

Leagues of Nations

Primary Source: Peace Making Reality

A 25 year old Adolf Hitler cheers the start of war in 1914