World War I The spark June 28, 1914 Slav separatist group “the Black Hand” assassinates the heir to the Austro - Hungarian Empire Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand Austria - Hungary believes Serbia is involved (rightly so)

World Response The world supported Austria – Hungary’s right to act. But Austria – Hungary was too slow to act and world outrage cooled Austria – Hungary (Austria) needed German approval for any action Russia saw itself as the defender of all Slavic peoples

The Domino Effect - Alliances  Austro-Hungarian Empire  Wanted to get rid of troublemaking Serbia  Biggest Fear – Russia  Needed – Promises of German military help against Russia if needed  Germany  Issued A.H. a “blank check” to act against Serbia  Biggest fear – that their main ally, A.H., would be torn apart by ethnic troubles if it didn’t crush rebellion  Needed –a strong ally, a passive Russia, Neutral Britain

More Dominos  Russia  Russian people demanded that the gov’t help Serbia  Russia had always been more talk than action in regards to “Slavic Brothers”  Biggest fear – Internal Revolution  Needed – To get Austria to back down without dragging other countries into conflict  Britain & France  Wanted to remain neutral but had treaty obligations  France - Russia  Britain – Belgium and Luxembourg

War Clouds Russia mobilizes her army – hoped a show of force would make Austria – Hungary back down July 30, 1914 – A.H. mobilizes As their allies Germany was now committed Germany only had one military strategy in place – the Schlieffen Plan

Mistaken Expectations # 1 Mobilization was seen as a very aggressive act – perhaps even an act of war Russia was so large it had to mobilize at the first sign of trouble Germany and A.H. see that as a sign of war France thought it could stay neutral

Mistaken Expectations #2 Military leaders and politicians did not understand that new technology meant that warfare would be different It was now easier to defend than attack Countries overestimated their own strength and underestimated others strengths Countries were generally evenly matched

The War  Germany invades France through Belgium and Luxembourg  British and French hold the line at the Battle of the Marne (1914)  Both sides dig in and trench warfare begins  Much the same happens on the Eastern Front (Germany and Russia)

War on the Seas  Britain has naval superiority  Britain tries to blockade Germany and starve her out  Germany responds by using U-Boats (submarines) to sink any ships in British waters  German u-boat sinks the British passenger ship Lusitania – 118 U.S. citizens on board died  Americans eventually declare war on Germany (April 1916)

Unexpected Events #1 The Russian Revolution - March 1917 After a long period of social upheaval peasants and workers rise against Russian Monarchy Poverty, starvation and anti war sentiment Bolsheviks (communists) eventually gain power – take Russia out of the war Treaty of Brest – Litovst

Unexpected Events #2 Germany tries to break the deadlock on the Western front with one final offensive Battle of the Bulge – 1918 Offensive fails – American forces bolster the Allies – Germany faces defeat – sues for peace

Major Problems of Peace  Problem # 1 – Versailles Peace Treaty  U.S. wanted fair treatment for Germany  France and Britain wanted revenge  Financial hardships imposed on Germany  Land taken away from Germany  Military restrictions placed on Germany  “War Guilt”

More Problems  Problem #2  New Maps  Austro – Hungarian Empire is completely dismantled  New state – Czechoslovakia – is formed – large German minority in this new country are very unhappy  State of Poland is revived

Maps cont’d  Bulgaria and Hungary are reduced in size  Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania become independent states (former Russian states given to Germany in Treaty of Brest – Litovst)  Ottoman Empire is dismantled and much of it’s territory is given to France and Britain as “protectorates”

Problem #3  The “Knife in the Back”  German and Austrian people had been told that they were winning the war – surrender came as a shock  The brutal peace treaty was never accepted, especially in Germany who had not been “conquered”  Hitler uses the treaty to blame democrats, socialists, and communists

Problem #4  Political vacuum in central Europe  Austro – Hungarian destruction meant no strong power surrounding Germany and Russia  New governments that were created from the former A.H. empire were weak and had internal problems