1. Mr. Stowinsky World History
World War I
Mr. Stowinsky
World History

2. Marching Towards War Nationalism
Can unify a country but cause tension among countries
Fierce rivalries among Germany, Austria-Hungary, Britain, Russia, Italy, and France
Competition for resources & markets
Territorial disputes

3. Imperialism & Militarism
European powers competed for land and colonies in Africa & Asia
Militarism – the policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war
All European powers but Britain had large armies ready at all times

4. Tangled Alliances Alliances meant to keep peace instead pushed for war
Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
Meant to limit France’s power
Russia eventually joined this alliance as well but then sided with France
Germany began a massive shipbuilding program to rival Britain’s navy. Britain responded by joining France and Russia’s alliance
Triple Entente – France, Russia, Britain

5. Crisis in the Balkans
Balkans – mountainous peninsula in southeastern Europe
Once part of the Ottoman Empire, the countries of Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia formed in the Balkans
Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia & Herzegovina, areas that Serbia hoped to take. Tension grew between the 2 nations

6. A Shot Rings Throughout Europe
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, visited Bosnia.
An assassin shot him and his wife at point-blank range.
Austria declared war on Serbia.
Russia sent its army to the Austrian border.

7. Section 2 – Europe Plunges into War
Russia sent its army to German borders since Germany was an Austrian ally. Germany took this as an act of war and declared war on Russia.
Germany then declared war on France.
Britain then declared war on Germany.
Confused yet?

8. Nations Take Sides
1914
Central Powers – Germany & Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria join later
Allies – France, Britain, & Russia
Japan & Italy join later
Most nations thought the war would be over in weeks

9. A Bloody Stalemate
Western Front – deadlocked region in northern France. Neither France nor Germany could advance
Schlieffen Plan – German plan to defeat France in the west and then rush east to defeat Russia
Russia attacked Germany, forcing Germany to fight on two fronts

10. War in the Trenches
Trench warfare – hiding in and fighting from trenches
The Western Front had 500 miles of trenches on either side
Men lived in mud. Rats and disease were common. Fresh food wasn’t available. Sleep was almost impossible
No-Man’s Land – land between the two armies’ trenches

11. New machines of war:
Machine guns
Tanks
Poison gas
Trench warfare continued until The Germans gained 4 miles. France & Britain gained 5 miles.

12. The Battle on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front – German/Russian border
More mobile than the Western Front but still became a stalemate
Russia was not industrialized yet, so supplies and food were harder to get
The Russian army was pushed back into Russia
World War I spilled into Africa and Asia

13. Section 3 – A Global Conflict War Affects the World
Gallipoli Campaign – Allies’ battle strategy to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and establish a supply line to Russia
The effort resulted in a stalemate. The Allies retreated

14. Battles in Africa and Asia
Allies attacked Germany’s African and Asian colonies
The British and French recruited soldiers from their colonies, particularly British India
Many fought for the hope of independence, most wanted nothing to do with their rulers’ war

15. America Joins the Fight
Unrestricted submarine warfare – German policy of sinking any ship around Britain, regardless of its country of origin
Germany sank some American ships. It then promised to help Mexico “reconquer” land the US took from it.
In 1917, the US entered the war and joined the Allies

16. War Affects the Home Front
Total war – when countries devote all their resources to the war effort
Rationing – letting people buy only small amounts of items needed for the war effort
Propaganda – one-sided information designed to persuade
War news was censored. Anti-war movements were shut down

17. Women and the War
Thousands of women entered the workforce, replacing men off fighting
Women took on civilian jobs and worked as nurses for the military
After the war, women were expected to leave the workforce but still began changing men’s perspective and expectations of women

18. The Allies Win the War
Russia was too low on soldiers and supplies. It withdrew from the war in 1917
Vladimir Lenin – Communist leader of Russia who signed a treaty with Germany
Germany focused on the Western Front, but American troops helped the Allies win
Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire surrendered.
Revolution forced Austria-Hungary to surrender
The German people turned on their leader
Armistice – agreement to stop fighting
11/11/18 – World War I ends

19. Legacy of the War
8.5 million dead, more than the last 300 years of warfare combined
21 million wounded
Countless civilian deaths
Economies were wiped out
Farmland was ruined
Treaties and compromises left anger and resentment

20. Section 4 – A Flawed Peace
Paris Peace Conference – 32 countries represented
Most decisions were made by representatives from 4 countries:
USA – President Woodrow Wilson
France – Georges Clemenceau
Britain – David Lloyd George
Italy – Vittorio Orlando
Germany and its allies were not represented

21. Wilson’s Plan for Peace
Fourteen Points – Wilson’s peace proposals
1-4 – end of secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, reduced national armies/navies
5 – adjustment of colonial claims with fairness toward colonial peoples
6-13 – suggestions of border changes and new nations
Self-determination – allow people to decide for themselves how they wished to be governed
14 – proposed a “general association of nations”

22. The Versailles Treaty
The US wanted lasting peace. Britain and France wanted to punish Germany and make sure it had no power
The Treaty of Versailles was signed 5 years to the date of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination
League of Nations – international association whose goal was world peace
Germany lost its territories and had its army severely cut. It also had to pay reparations to the Allies

23. A Troubled Treaty Austria-Hungary became 4 countries:
Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia
The Ottoman Empire was limited to Turkey.
Palestine, Iraq, Transjordan, Syria, and Lebanon were created from their former lands
Russia’s losses:
Poland and Romania took Russian land
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all became independent nations

24. “A Peace Built on Quicksand”
USA seen as dominant world power after WWI
Most Americans wanted the US to stay out of European affairs after the war
Colonies that wanted independence were ignored
Italy and Japan did not gain as much land as they had hoped