1. World War I
The Later Years

2. Quick Timeline of Events So Far
June 1914 – Archduke Francis Ferdinand killed
July 1914 – Austria-Hungary gives Serbia an ultimatum, Russia steps in to help Serbia
August 1914 – War breaks out
Late 1915 – War becomes a stalemate; no side can win

3. What Happens in a stalemate?
Nobody really gains or loses territory
Battles go on for a loooong time
Both sides suffer heavy damage
Tons of supplies are used
Many soldiers are killed
The war becomes known as a war of attrition
Both sides keep fighting to wear down their opponent

4. The Ottomans and Gallipoli
The Ottoman Empire controlled a vital sea passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean (Dardanelles)
The allies used this passage to ship supplies to Russia
The Ottomans decide to join the central powers, cutting the Allies’ supply route
The Allies launched a massive attack at Gallipoli to gain control of the passage, but they failed miserably with about 200,000 casualties

5. The Armenian Genocide
The Ottomans claimed that the Armenians, an ethnic group in their country, were helping the Russians
The Ottomans forcibly removed the Armenians from the area, killing over 600,000 in the process

6. Events that Changed the War

7. Problems in Russia
Russia’s economy was in terrible condition and many groups were planning to overthrow the government even before WWI broke out
When war erupted, Czar Nicholas II hoped that nationalism would help unite the country – it did for a while as people rushed to join the military
Unfortunately the Russian army was too large, unorganized, and unprepared for the war
While Russia won a few early battles, they lost several later ones and suffered huge losses

8. Things Get Worse
Nicholas decided to take personal control of the Russian military, even though he knew nothing about war or the military
The Russian army continued to lose and battlefield conditions were horrible
Conditions at home were even worse – there was a major food shortage and peasants were starving
The czar’s wife, who he put in charge while he was fighting the war, grew increasingly unpopular

9. The Russian Revolution
By 1917 conditions got so bad that the people began rioting in the capital, Petrograd
Police sympathized with the rioters and refused to help the government restore order
Nicholas ordered the Russian legislature to disband because he was afraid his political opponents would gain too much control – they defied his order
The czar was forced go give up his power and the legislature created a temporary government

10. The Russian Revolution (cont.)
The new government was also unpopular, especially because it decided to keep fighting in the war
The Bolsheviks, a Marxist political party, wanted to start a communist revolution that they hoped would spread around the world
The Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, armed and organized a group of factory workers to attack the new government, and it collapsed

11. Lenin in Charge
Once the temporary government fell, the Bolsheviks took over and Lenin abolished private ownership of land
He distributed all private lands among the peasants and gave ownership of the factories to the workers
Lenin then signed a peace treaty with the Central Powers so Russia could leave the war
The treaty required Russia to forfeit large chunks of land, which angered many Russians
The angered Russians banded together and formed an army to attack Lenin’s government

12. The Russian Civil War
The Reds – Lenin’s army, fought to make Russia a communist state
The Whites – Angry Russians, the rich, and foreigners opposed to Lenin, fought to destroy the Bolsheviks
The war lasted 3 years and cost many lives
Lenin’s army finally won and he began creating a new country, the Soviet Union

13. The U.S. Enters the War
The U.S. kept neutral for most of the war, but most Americans supported the Allies
Government got upset over German submarine warfare and the sinking of merchant ships
They were very mad over the sinking of the Lusitania, in which 120 Americans were killed
Angry over Zimmerman Telegram
Russia pulls out of the war in March 1917
USA decides to enter the war in April 1917

14. The Zimmerman Telegram
Sent from German diplomat to Mexican officials
Proposed that Mexico should attack the U.S. and in return it could have all of the territory it had lost to America
Germany hoped the U.S. would be so distracted by Mexico that it would enter the European war
When America found out about the telegram it helped motivate the U.S. to enter the war

15. The Zimmerman Telegram

17. Ending the War
US brought in a strong military that had not been fighting, was a great help to the Allies
They helped push back the German military from Allied territory and wear them down
Germany was also facing unrest at home
Germany agreed to sign an armistice, or truce
Armistice was signed and went into effect on November 11, 1918 at 11:00 in the morning

18. The Peace Treaty
REMEMBER: an armistice is just an agreement to stop fighting, not claiming that one side lost
Allied and Central leaders met at Versailles to write out peace treaty
Central powers were not allowed much of a voice at all
Allied leaders were really angry at Germany

19. President Wilson’s 14 Points
Wanted to create a list of rules that would keep the peace after the end of the war
No secret treaties
Freedom of the seas for all nations
More fair trade
Reduction of militaries
Limit colonies
Establish a league of nations to guarantee independence for all countries

20. The Treaty of Versailles
Cut Germen military to just a few thousand
Make Germany pay reparations for the war (amounted to billions of dollars)
The war cost about $300 billion
Germany had to admit guilt for the war
A league of nations was created