“The Shots Heard ‘Round the World” and how WWI began “The Great War” “The Shots Heard ‘Round the World” and how WWI began

Balance of Power At the turn of the century (1900) Europe maintained peace through a “balance of power” Balance of power – war is unlikely if all sides are relatively evenly matched The trick is to maintain the balance Problem: all nations are competitive and suspicious of each other Any upset to the balance could trigger war.

What challenges faced the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

The Balkans: The “Powder Keg of Europe” The Balkans – European nations of Serbia, Alabania, Montenegro, Greece and Bulgaria Austria-Hungary illegally annexed Bosnia-Herzogovinia in 1908 Serb terrorist oganization – the “Black Hand” – wished to reconnect this region with the Kingdom of Serbia

The Shots heard ‘round the world The Black Hand engaged in assassination attempts against the Royal family of Austria-Hungary. On June 28, 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia visited Sarajevo Franz Ferdinand was progressive – favoured giving ethnic regions more autonomy

The wrong turn that lead to WWI The Black Hand had a number of assassins stationed throughout the city After a failed attempt to assassinated Franz Ferdinand the plot was called off Franz Ferdinand’s chauffeur made a wrong turn after leaving the hospital after visiting those wounded in the assassination attempt The car came face to face with Gavrilo Princip who seized the moment and fired shots into the car, killing Franz Ferdinand and his wife

The Funeral of Ferdinand and Sophia

Franz Ferdinand’s Tunic

The Arrest of Gavrilo Princip

The Guns of August After the assassination Austria issues Serbia an ultimatum Serbia accepts virtually all the points but refuses to surrender its sovereignty. July 28, 1914 Austria opens fire against Serbia Russia mobilizes against Austria to protect Serbia and appeals to Germany to reign in Austria Germany gives Austria a “blank cheque” – fully supports Austria Germany mobilizes against Russia France mobilizes its troops

The Schlieffen Plan

The Schlieffen Plan In 1904 France and Great Britain established an Entente Cordial (friendly understanding) to help each other in the event of German aggression Later Russia was included and the Triple Entente was formed As a result, a German general, Alfred von Schlieffen, created a plan to defend itself against a combined attack, particularly from France and Russia

The Plan Von Schlieffen believed it would take the Russians 6 weeks to mobilize and reach the German border. France would be invaded first through neutral Belgium Schlieffen’s original plan called for German forces swinging to the coast to prevent British forces from connecting with French forces Paris would then be taken from behind

The Plan Continued With France defeated, Germany would race its entire force to the Eastern front and defeat Russia.

Changes to the Plan 1906 General Moltke modified the plan. Instead of sweeping through Holland and swinging close to the sea, the German forces would only trounce through Belgium and head more directly to Paris Moltke assumed two things: Britain would not join the fight Belgium would not resist the German army He was wrong on both accounts Your Task: Draw the original route in one colour Draw the changed route in a different colour.

How the Plan Failed On August 2, 1914 Germany put the plan into action when Russia declared Germany invaded France through Luxembourg & Belgium However, the Belgians put up strong defence, slowing the German advance, and the British Expeditionary Force reached Belgium and France quicker then expected The German army advanced to within 60 km of Paris before being repelled at the Battle of the Marne German hopes for a quick decisive victory had been dashed.

Race to the Sea With the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, Germany attempted to outflank the Allies The Allies in turn tried to outflank the Germans The Race ended with the First Battle of Ypres on October 19, 1914 Now a battle front extended from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps and both sides dug in for what would be 4 years the most brutal warfare in the history of humanity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fELflpkGsr4

Canada Prepares for War

Canada’s Reaction When Britain declared war on Germany, Canada was automatically at war. Canada could, however, decided how much support she would offer Reaction in English Canada was strong, even exuberant Prime Minister Robert Borden

Laurier supports the War Effort Former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier supported Canada’s involvement in WWI, however he opposed Borden’s plan for conscription “Let the friends and foes of Britain know that there is in Canada but one mind and one heart, and that all Canadians stand behind the mother country, conscious and proud that she has engaged in this war to save civilization from the uncontrolled lust of conquest and power.”

Early Preparation Canada was poorly prepared for war in 1914 Sir Robert Borden appointed Sam Hughes (an officer in the Boer War) as Minister of Militia Hughes acts quickly to recruit and organize a Canadian Expeditionary Force Established training base in Valcartier, Quebec

Sam Hughes Controversial character Praised for how quickly he organized Canadian recruitment and training But, he was anti-Catholic and very stubborn Made poor decisions for equipping Canadian soldiers Ross rifle – would jam when dirty MAcAdam Shield Shovel – useless as either

The War Measures Act (1914) Confers emergency powers on the federal Cabinet Allows government to govern by “decree” – gives extreme power to federal government Suspends normal democratic rights Censor publications, communications Arrest, detain citizens without charge Seize and dispose of property Thousands of Canadians of “enemy origin” (Austrian, German, Ukrainian) were detained and imprisoned