World War I & the Russian Revolution

1. World War I & the Russian Revolution Unit 16

2. The outbreak of World War I • The world’s first global conflict, the “Great War” pitted the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against the Allied forces of Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. • The introduction of modern technology to warfare resulted in unprecedented carnage and destruction, with more than 9 million soldiers killed by the end of the war in November 1918.

3. The underlying causes of the War I • Several factors prepared the way for the war. Many Europeans believed that some kind of major conflict had become in evitable. • Nationalism • Imperialism • The Alliance system • Militarism

4. Causes of WWI • Nationalism (my nation is superior to your nation and I will promote my nation’s interests) encouraged rivalries between France and Germany and Austria-Hungary and Russia. • The spread of nationalism also led to the creation of new independent nations in the Balkans where the Ottomans had once ruled. • Most of these new countries were unstable and in 1912-1913 they fought a series of local wars that threatened to involve the larger powers. • For example- • Austria-Hungary itself still consisted of several ethnic groups including Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Rumanians, Poles, Serbs, and Croats. • Some of these groups wanted there own nation-state. These demands threatened to break the Austro-Hungarian Empire apart.

5. Cause of WWI • Imperialism – Many European countries believed that the sign of a great power was possession of oversea colonies. • Competing claims created an atmosphere of tension between the major powers. • Behind the nationalistic rivalries of the European great powers were competing economic interests. • By 1900, one quarter of the world was under British rule • German industrialization threatened British economic supremacy. • Russian interests in the Balkans threatened both Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

6. Cause of WWI • The Alliance system- By 1914, Europe had come to be divided into two large alliance. • Triple Alliance of 1882: Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy • Triple Entente: Russia, France, and Great Britain • Why were the alliances formed? • These Alliances were to preserve the existing balance of power. • However, any dispute involving any two of these countries threatened to drag in all the others.

7. Cause of WWI • Militarism occurs when military values and goals take over civilian society. • By the end of the 19th century, societies had become increasingly militaristic. • Bismarck had united Germany through Prussia’s military power, and every European country tried to build up its army. • Kings wore military uniforms, even in daily life. • Generals became influential in government. • Germany and Britain competed to build the most powerful navy. • Military planning played a key role in the outbreak of WWI. • Because it took time to assemble and move armies on railroads, military leaders thought it was better to attack first than to wait to be attacked. This created pressure to mobilize and act quickly.

8. The flash point that ignites the war • In July 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian Empire, was assassinated by a member of a terrorist group, the Black Hand, a Slav nationalist group. Austrian leaders correctly believed that Serb officials had secretly helped the assassins. The Austrians decided to teach Serbia a lesson. Austrian-Hungary invaded tiny Serbia. • This set off a chain reaction. Because of various alliance treaties, Russia entered the conflict to protect Serbia. Next Germany entered the war to fulfill its treaty obligations to protect Austria. • Finally, Britain and France came in to honor their alliance with Russia. • A minor regional crisis in the Balkans had quickly escalated into a major European conflict. • Italy refused to join the Central powers since Austria had attacked first. The Ottoman Empire quickly joined the Central Powers to oppose Russia, while Bulgaria joined to oppose Serbia.

9. Fighting the War The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie set off a rapid chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many in countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Slavic nationalism once and for all. As Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause in the event of a Russian intervention, which would likely involve Russia’s ally, France, and possibly Great Britain as well.

10. Fighting the war On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche or “blank check” assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of war. The Dual Monarchy then sent an ultimatum to Serbia, with such harsh terms as to make it almost impossible to accept. Convinced that Vienna was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize, and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun. Summary video on the cause of WWI

11. Fighting the War • Military leaders on both sides thought the war would be over quickly. In fact, the struggle lasted several years. To avoid a two front war, German war planes called for Germany to march through the lowlands of neutral Belgium and to take Paris quickly before Russia could enter the war. The Germans advanced but were stopped before reaching Paris. Meanwhile, when war broke out President Woodrow Wilson called upon Americans to take no sides and to remain neutral.

12. Fighting the War • New and improved weapons (see pictures) were used in fighting the war, including the machine gun, flamethrowers, poison gas, tanks, submarines or U-boats, and airplanes. Video1 • Trench warfare- (see video 1) both sides dug ditches to create fortified positions. Video2, pictures

13. Fighting the War • Britain placed a blockade around Germany and Austria-Hungary in an attempt to starve then into submission. Russia became isolated from the West. Each side tried to mobilize all its resources, turning the war into a “total war.” • Serbia, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Greece, and Portugal joined the Allied Powers.

14. Fighting the War • Although the United States finally entered the war in 1917. Why? • America was neutral, but the Americans were sympathetic to Britain and France. When American ships sent supplies to the Allies, they were attacked by German submarines. Video 1 • President Wilson declared that the war would make the world “safe for democracy.” • Russia dropped out of the war at this time (1917).

15. Fighting the War • President Wilson announced America’s war aims in the Fourteen Points. • He wanted to redraw the map of Europe so that each nationality had its own state. Wilson also demanded freedom of the seas, an end to secrete diplomacy, and the creation of a League of Nations. • America’s entry into the war broke the deadlock in Europe. In November 1918, Germans laid down their weapons and surrendered.

16. Aftermath of World War I

17. Aftermath of World War I • The human and material cost od World War I were staggering. • Millions of people were killed or injured. • Famine and malnutrition threatened many regions. • Under the stress of the war, governments of Russia and Germany were overthrown.

18. Aftermath of World War I • The Paris Peace conference (1919). • Believing that President Wilson’s offer would be the basis of the peace settlement, Germany agreed to end the war and to overthrow the Kaiser. • Allied leaders Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George from Great Britain, and Georges Clemenceau from France met in Paris to negotiate peace. • ALLIED PUBLIC OPINION WAS EAGER FOR REVENGE.

19. Aftermath of World War I • The treaty of Versailles (1919) concluded peace with Germany; • other treaties dealt with Austria-Hungary and Turkey. • The Final peace terms turned out to be extremely harsh on Germany.

20. Aftermath of World War I • THE PEACE TERMS ENDING WORLD WAR I • Germany’s Territorial Losses- A new independent Poland was created. Germany lost territory to France and Poland, as well as all of its overseas colonies. • Punishing Germany- Germany lost its navy, while its army was reduced to a small police force. Germany was forced to accept blame for starting the war in the War Guilt Clause and was required to pay huge reparations (payment for damages) to the Allies.

21. Aftermath of World War I • THE PEACE TERMS ENDING WORLD WAR I • Austria-Hungary and Turkey- The Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into several new national states. Turkey lost its territories in the Middle East. • League of Nations- The Treaty created the League of Nations, and organization of nations pledged to defend each other against aggressors. The League was severely weakened when several major powers, such as the United States and Russia, failed to join it.

22. League of Nations • According to the Covenant of the League of Nations,its purpose was to promote disarmament and prevent war. • The League had no military force of its own, so it depended on the help of its member states. • The League consisted of a Council, representing the Great Powers, and Assembly in which all member states were represented. • It also creates a new Court of International Justice. Read Acting as an Amateur Historian p. 285 and answer the following question.

23. The Russian Revolution