World War I
1914-1918
Causes of the War• Nationalism- Balkans (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania,
Rumania)• Imperialism- ¼ of the world under British rule, fierce
competition • Alliances- Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria- Hungary, Italy)
Triple Entente (Russia, France, Great Britain)• Militarism- Weapons, navies, troops built up and could be
moved quickly (trains, etc.)• July 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated triggered a
chain reaction
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©2012, TESCCC
The Triple Entente The Triple Alliance
Germany
Austria Hungary
Italy
Ottoman Empire 1915
France
Russia
Great Britain
Italy 1915
United States 1917
Serbia Pan-Slavism
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The War
• Both sides thought it would be over quickly• New weapons, trenches, u-boats, airplanes,
submarines, gas• “Total War” was reached as both sides put
everything into war• 1917 USA joins after merchant ships are sunk by
Germans• Also 1917 Russia leaves the war with the October
Revolution (Lenin signs peace with Germany)
World War ITechnology/Weapons
Tanks
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Zeppelins and “Dog Fights”
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GAS
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Trench Warfare
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Trench Warfare
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USA in the war
• Woodrow Wilson announces war’s aim in the Fourteen Points-Redraw Europe so all ethic groups had a country-Freedom of the seas-End secret diplomacy (alliances)-Create the League of Nations to help with international conflict
• November 1918 Germany surrendered
Country (The Triple Entente) Deaths
Russia 1,700,000
Great Britain 908,371
France 1,357,800
Italy 650,000
United States 116,516
Serbia 45,000
Country (The Triple Alliance) Deaths
Germany 1,773,700
Austria-Hungary 1,200,000
Ottoman Empire 325,000
Bulgaria 87,500
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©2012, TESCCC
Europe (1914, 1924)
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Paris Peace Conference 1919 (treaty of Versailles)
• Germany lost all overseas colonies, Poland is created and France gains some territory
• Austria-Hungary is divided up and Ottoman Empire is lost to Middle East countries (Turkey)
• War Guilt Clause blamed Germany for the war, turned military into a small police force, lost navy, and had to pay reparation to allies
• League of Nations pledged to defend against aggressors (USA and Russia did not sign on and it was a weakened group) had no military force
Effects• Treaty of Versailles• Wilson’s Fourteen Points• League of Nations• Economic, Political and Social Effects (Countries that lost the war
were affected severely through mandates, sanctions and war reparations)
• Especially Germany: lost territory, demilitarized and had to pay for war reparations
• Much of Europe was destroyed and economies suffered great losses which led to instability.
• A volatile economy often leads to political distress that may change political systems, leadership, alliances and renewed nationalism.
• A global economic depression soon followed. (interdependence)
WWI and the Middle East
• Turkey did not like Russia so they joined the Central Powers (Ger.)
• Armenian Massacres- 1 million killed for being Christian and they feared they would support Christian Russia (firing squads, burned, drowned, poisoned, drugged, death marches)
• Ataturk (Mustafa Kemal) abolished the sultanate in 1923 and formed present day Turkey
Russian Revolution
• Before WWI most Russian lived in poverty; Tsar and nobles rich
• Russia entered war; lost many battle; food riots broke out; Tsar Nicholas II overthrown then executed; provisional govt. in place Feb. Rev.)
• Bolsheviks take power in Oct. Rev.; Lenin promises, “Peace, Bread, and Land”; withdraw from war and communism is new government
Russian Civil War (1919- 1921)
• War between the Reds (communists) and Whites (anti-Communists) Spoiler alert: Reds win!!
• 1921 New Economic Policy (NEP) allowed some small scale private ownership to be permitted because of a food shortage and the peasants where not growing enough food because the government was taking it all away
• This worked until Lenin’s death 1924; Leon Trotsky (leader of the Red army) was thought to take control, but Joseph Stalin gained control in a power struggle (Trotsky later left USSR and went into hiding; death was knocking)