The Road to War Chapter 12, Section 1

Terrorism! Austro-Hungarian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a member of Serbia’s Black Hand group Those in the Black Hand didn’t want Austria-Hungary to rule over their land Austria-Hungary was not happy– and the Serbs would have to pay.

The MAIN causes of WWI M- Militarism Rather than use diplomacy, countries began to build up their armies and to give the military more power Chose hard power over soft power… Chose stick over the carrot… This meant new weapons and warships for their armies This made war a greater option for resolving conflicts

A- Alliances A complicated system of alliances turned an assassination into a war When Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated, A-H considered it an attack. Germany had promised to come to A-H’s aid Russia had Serbia’s back France had an alliance with Russia Great Britain had a loose alliance with France If you give a moose a muffin…

I- Imperialism In the 1800’s, European powers scrambled for colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific By 1910 (4 years earlier) the most desirable colonies had been taken. What makes a colony desirable? Britain and France had started colonizing earlier than Germany. They had more and better lands. Other countries would have to take lands away from Britain and France if they wanted new colonies

N- Nationalism Countries tended to do things that were best for their own country, which could cause conflicts with other countries Both France and Germany wanted to own Alsace-Lorraine (a small strip of land between France and Germany) Diverse ethnic populations inside bigger countries often longed for their own country Millions of Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, and others in A-H Poles in Germany and A-H wanted to build an independent Poland This is still an issue today! Happy Birthday Kosova!

The Conflict Expands July 28, 1914: A-H declared war on Serbia July 29: Russia began mobilization to protect Serbia France and Germany both began to mobilize August 1: Germany declared war on Russia Stuck between l’rock and a hard place: the Schlieffen Plan Avoid a war on 2 fronts Knock France out quickly, and then go east and defeat Russia Germany had to pass through Belgium to get to France quickly August 4: When Germany invaded Belgium, Great Britain came to its aid From peace to war in 1 week

The Sides Germany and Austria-Hungary ↓ The Central Powers Russia, France, Great Britain, and Serbia ↓ The Allies (The Entente)

A Stalemate Each side was pretty sure they were going to win quickly and decisively. Not so much. On the Western Front, German was pretty well matched with the forces from France and Great Britain Neither side was able to gain an advantage, so it was a stalemate

The Eastern Front Russia had some early victories, which scared Germany into sending soldiers to the Eastern Front ahead of schedule. These two armies were relatively equally matched as well

Trench Warfare Both sides dug into the ground for protection Each side had rows of trenches In between was “no man’s land” Heavy casualties when soldiers were sent “over the top”

The Realities of War Trenches were disgusting– full of mud and bugs and disease New weapons changed the face of war: Machine guns Rapid-fire artillery Gas: Chlorine and Mustard Gas Strategies that worked in the wars of the past only led to more casualties in WWI Both sides became desperate and began to attack civilians by burning fields, poisoning wells, and killing livestock

Dulce et Decorum Est Written by Wilfred Owen Most widely known poem from WWI "It is sweet and right." “It is sweet and right to die for your country.”

The War Expands Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire (end of 1914) ↓ The Central Powers Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, and Italy (spring of 1915) ↓ The Allies (The Entente)

American Response: The Personal Connection More than 1/3 of Americans were 1st generation immigrants or the children of immigrants Nearly ¼ of these were from Germany. It’s not hard to guess who they favored in the war. An 1/8 were from Ireland and held a grudge against Great Britain. Which side they would have liked to be on? Millions of Americans had recently come from or identified strongly with Great Britain. Immigrants from occupied countries hoped that a defeat of the Central powers would mean independence of their homeland Most Americans favored the Allies

Mistrust and Propaganda Many Americans mistrusted the leader of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II. Kaiser = Emperor Autocrat = Ruler with unlimited power Germans were seen as embodying militarism and cold-blooded efficiency Propaganda swayed public opinion with exaggerations of German crimes and cruelty

American Propaganda

German Propaganda

American Neutrality Overseas trade was a huge business for the US Fear of German submarine attacks and a British naval blockade of the North Sea risked interrupting US business To protect trade, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the US a neutral country

The Preparedness Movement American business leaders led the Preparedness Movement They wanted the US to be ready to help Great Britain if necessary Summer, 1915: the leaders convinced the government to set up training camps Summer, 1916: Congress agreed to increase the armed forces

The Peace Movement Former Populists, progressives, and social reformers formed The Peace Movement Women (and suffragists) were a big part of this opposition to potential war Congress increased taxes on income and on the makers of arms in the hopes of discouraging preparedness.