Chapter 26: World War I

Section 1: The Great War Begins There were four main causes to WWI: 1. Militarism: Massive military buildup. 2. Alliances: Countries formed partnerships to protect themselves. 3. Imperialism: Rival empires seek to keep power. 4. Nationalism: Loyalty and devotion to their country or culture.

The event that triggered the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

He was killed by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a terrorist organization known as the Black Hand.

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28. Russia had promised that they would protect Serbia, so then Germany declared war on Russia as well as France.

Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire.

Allies: France, Great Britain, Russia, United States.

Germany had developed a battle plan years earlier called the Schlieffen Plan. It called for German troops to quickly defeat France in the West and then head East to fight Russia. The first thing Germany did was to move through Belgium, a neutral country, which led to Great Britain declaring war on Germany.

The Battle of the Marne in September 1914, was the beginning of trench warfare.

The Germans were on their way to Paris when the Allies pushed them back. The Germans and the Allies then dug a series of trenches and the battle quickly became a stalemate. This region became known as the Western Front.

Section 2: A New Kind of War Life in trenches was miserable. Rainstorms produced puddles and thick mud and sanitation was a big problem.

Dead bodies would often stay there for days and lice and rats were always around. Sometimes soldiers would go “over the top” and attack the enemy trench. Many soldiers would be cut down by machine guns.

Poison gas was used for the first time Poison gas was used for the first time. It could blind, choke, or burn soldiers and even kill them. Gas masks were developed as a way to combat this. Machine guns came into wide use as well as artillery and shells.

Tanks and airplanes were used for the first time during WWI Tanks and airplanes were used for the first time during WWI. Tanks could cross rough terrain and offered some protection. Aircraft was used for observation and attack.

Factories started to produce military equipment and civilians conserved food and goods so they could be used by the military.

Governments also censored newspapers and used propaganda to influence people’s opinions. Women also started to work in factories.

Battle of Verdun (Feb-Dec 1916): Attack by the Germans in an attempt to kill as many French troops as possible. France would suffer 400,000 casualties. It ended in a stalemate.

Battle of the Somme (July-Nov 1916): British launch attack to push Germans away from Verdun. The British would lose 60,000 troops the first day. Over a million troops would die in all. The battle also ended in a stalemate.

Gallipoli Campaign (April-Dec 1915): The Allies used the Dardanelles to ship supplies to Russia. The Allies would give up after 200,000 troops had been killed.

In late 1914, Russia launched an attack on Turkey where ethnic Armenians lived. Ottoman leaders claimed the Armenians were helping the Russians so they ordered the removal of Armenians. 600,000 Armenians would die and the Ottoman Empire would be accused of genocide.

Section 3: Revolution in Russia The Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Lenin and wanted to make Russia a socialist country.

Economic conditions started to worsen in Russia and many people wanted Russia to leave WWI by 1917. On March 8, 1917, Russian citizens took to the streets to protest a lack of food and fuel. Police would not follow orders to shoot the protesters.

Czar Nicholas II ordered the Russian Duma to disband, which they didn’t. By March 15, Nicholas realized that he no longer had power over the Russian people and he was forced to step down. A provisional government would be put in place.

In November 1917, Bolshevik factory workers attacked the government, which caused it to collapse.

The Bolshevik’s controlled Russia and their leader was Vladimir Lenin. He would establish a Communist government. They would give land to Russian peasants.

Russia then signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending their involvement in WWI. This upset some people because the Russians lost land. Two armies fought for control: White Army and Red Army. The Bolsheviks would win in late 1920.

Section 4: The War Ends President Woodrow Wilson did not want to enter the war, which is how most Americans felt. This is called isolationism!

German U-boats kept attacking merchant ships in the Atlantic, angering many. The British passenger ship, Lusitania, would be sunk by a German U-boat in Sept. 1916, killing 200 Americans.

In February 1917, the Zimmermann Note was discovered In February 1917, the Zimmermann Note was discovered. This proposed that Mexico attack the United States with German support. By April 1917, the U.S. entered the war on the Allied side.

Germany started to lose more troops and more battles until finally the end was in sight. On November 11, 1918 an armistice was signed. The Allies had won the war.

Woodrow Wilson had come up with his own plan for peace called the Fourteen Points. It called for freedom of the seas and for the right of all people to choose their own government.

It also called for a League of Nations, a place where all countries could meet to discuss their differences.

The Treaty of Versailles would be signed in 1919 The Treaty of Versailles would be signed in 1919. Germany was blamed for starting the war and had to pay reparations to other countries. They also had to limit the size of their military.

Nearly 9 million soldiers were killed in battle Nearly 9 million soldiers were killed in battle. 13 million civilians died and over 20 million were wounded. The war cost about $332 billion.

50 million more people would die in the Spring of 1918 because of a world wide influenza outbreak.

Summary of WWI Who fought – Central Powers (Triple Alliance)… Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, Ottoman Empire VERSUS Allied Powers (Triple Entente)… Britain, Russia, France, and later the United States All started with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian Assassin Germany ended up splitting its army to fight on both the Western Front vs. France and the Eastern Front vs. Russia The U.S. is brought into the war with the sinking of the Lusitania WINNER – Allied Powers Treaty of Versailles – blames Germany for the war Woodrow Wilson – president of U.S. wanted the fourteen points and league of nations, but it did not last

Effects of WWI United States becomes a world power Loss of an entire generation Economic Loss Germany blamed for WWI Embittered countries, Japan and Italy Creation of the United Nations New Nations are created – Austria, Czech, Yogu, Hungary, Iraq, and Palestine