Chapter 14: World War I and the Russian Revolution (1914-1924)
Chapter 14: World War I and the Russian Revolution (1914-1924)
Section I: The Great War Begins
· Many saw the world as a peaceful one..others did not
· Bismark said there would be a world war that he would not live to see.
I. Alliances Draw Lines
· Many of the great powers of Europe signed treaties out of fear of each other.
A. The Triple Alliance
1. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
2. Remnants of treaties signed by Bismark
B. The Triple Entente
1. France and Russia were eventually joined by England.
2. entente – non-binding agreement to follow common policies.
3. this entente led to close military and political alliance.
II. Rivalries and Nationalism Increase Tension
· European powers closely guarded their status as world leaders.
· They competed for positions of power in every area.
A. Competition
1. economic rivalries helped kill the relationships among nations.
2. England felt threatened by Germany’s new found economic successes.
3. Germany and France nearly went to war over control of African lands.
4. England and Germany began a great arms race as Germany began to build a massive naval fleet to protect it’s growing empire.
a. Militarism – glorification of the use of the military.
b. Painted war in a romantic color
B. Nationalism
1. Extreme Pride in one’s nation, nationality, or ethnicity.
2. Often led to issues like…
a. German and French issues over border province known as Alsace-Lorraine
3. Pan Slavism – Russian inspired nationalism that inspired all Slavic people to share a common nationality.
a. Russia felt it had a duty to protect all Slavic people.
4. Austria-Hungary feared that nationalism would encourage rebellion against their rule.
5. Ottoman Empire was worried that new Balkan states would want to take land away from their empire to united Slavic people.
III. The Powder Keg Ignites
A. Assassination in Sarajevo
1. Heir to the Austrian throne – Archduke Franz Ferdinand scheduled a trip to Bosnia (Sarajevo).
2. Bosnia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
3. Serbian nationalists were very angry about Austrian rule over Serbian people.
4. Serbians viewed Austrians as foreign oppressors.
5. Black Hand – Serbian nationalist group that was very outspoken against Austrian rule.
6. Gavrilo Princip – Member of Black Hand who assassinated Ferdinand and his pregnant wife.
B. Austria Strikes Back
1. Francis Joseph and Austro Hungarian leadership very very angry over the events.
2. However, he was reluctant to go to war over fears of Russia siding with Serbia.
3. Germany told Austria they would back them if war started over it…essentially they pushed Austria into attacking.
4. Austria gave Serbia an ultimatum or list of demands that they knew Serbia would not meet
a. Must end all anti-Austrian action
b. Punish any Serbian official involved in the murder plot
c. Allow Austria to assist in investigation
5. Serbia did not meet all the demands and Austria declared war 7-28-1914
IV. Alliances Kick In
· This could have been just another conflict among European nations had it not been for alliances created.
A. Russia and France Back Serbia
1. Nicholas II telegraphed his cousin, William II of Germany asking him to get Austria to soften their demands.
2. When germany said it could not, Russia began to mobilize – or get their troops ready for war.
3. Russia declared war on Austria.
4. Germany declared war on Russia and France.
5. France and England declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany
B. Germany Invades Belgium
1. Schleiffen Plan – War plan created by General Alfred von Schlieffen.
a. designed to avoid fighting a 2 front war.
b. Quick victory in France and then quickly transport all soliders on trains to the eastern front to fight Russia.
2. Germany invaded Belgium as a way to get to France Aug 4, 1914.
V. Reaction to the War
· Before the war many European nations had domestic issues causing problems.
· Once war broke out, these issues were put onto the back burner as nations focused on winning.
Section 2: A New Kind of War
· Largest Conflict in history in terms of the number of soldiers fighting.
I. Stalemate on the Western Front
1. Germany’s plans for a quick defeat of France failed.
2. Belgians resisted Germany’s attempts to cut through Belgium and slowed the process.
3. Russian began attacking Austrian sites and the Germans were forced to shift troops to the east before they were ready.
4. 1st Battle of the Marne – ended Germany’s hopes for a quick victory as both sides dug trenches and settled in for a long fight.
II. Technology of Modern Warfare
· Destructive power of modern weapons led to massive amounts of casualties.
· Machine guns and long range artillery were only the beginning.
B. Poison Gas
1. Chlorine gas was used to choke, blind, and kill enemy troops dug into trenches.
C. Tanks, Airplanes, and Submarines
1. 1916 – Britain produced the 1st armored tank
a. used to power through barbwire and over trenches.
2. Germans used large hot gas balloons called zeppelins to bomb the English coast.
3. German U-Boats or Subs were used to wage unrestricted warfare against shipments of cargo and goods bound for England.
III. Battle on Other European Fronts
A. Russian losses on the Eastern Front
1. Russia easily pressed into German lands early in the war.
2. least industrialized = least supplied
3. Germans were able to drive the Russians back as they were dangerously undersupplied. Some soldiers did not even have rifles.
B. New Combatants in the Balkans and Southern Europe
1. Bulgaria joined the Central Powers to help defeat it’s old rival Serbia.
2. Romania joined the Allies to gain territory, but was easily crushed.
3. Italy turned on Germany and Austria after a secret treaty with Allies. The Allies helped Italy regain land that the Austrians held.
IV. War Around the World
A. The Ottoman Empire Joins the Central Powers
1. Closed of the Dardanelles Strait which denied allied access to supply the Russians.
a. Allies sent a massive force to Turkish city of Gallipoli to try to open the strait and supply Russia
b. after 10 months of fighting…theAllies were defeated and forced to withdraw.
2. Armenians
a. Many Armenians sided with the Christian Russians..instead of Muslim Ottoman Turks.
b. As punishment Armenians were targeted by the Turks
c. Between 60k and 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottomans.
d. Many Armenians that survived escaped to the U.S. and other areas.
3. Middle East
a. Arab nationalists declared a revolt against Ottoman rule
b. English sent T.E. Lawrence to help Arabs
c. T.E.Lawrence – British colonel sent to help the Arabs revolution against the Turks. He later became known as Lawrence of Arabia. He actually led raids of Arab soldiers against the Turks.
B. War and the Colonies
1. Allies overran German colonies in Africa & Asia
2. Allies asked people living in their colonies to serve in their armies.
3. England actually told the people of India this would help their chances of freedom…but it was a lie.
Section 3: Winning the War
I. Waging Total War
· Total War – Channeling a nations entire resources into the war effort.
A. Economies Committed to War Production
1. conscription – military draft. All nations except Britain began immediately requiring military service.
2. Governments raised taxes to pay for the war.
3. food was rationed
4. setting prices and forbid strikes.
B. Economic Warfare
1. England used it’s navy to blockade the German ports on the North Sea.
a. International law allowed naval blockades to stop contraband, but not food etc..
b. England used the blockade to stop both contraband AND food.
2. Germany used it’s submarines call U-Boats to retaliate.
a. Germany warned the world that it would use it’s U-boats to sink vessels bringing supplies to the Allies.
b. Even took an ad out in American newspapers.
c. Lusitania – British passenger liner that held contraband cargo in it’s hold was sunk. 1200 killed, 128 were American.
d. Woodrow Wilson threatened to cut off ties with Germany..and Germany promised to play nice and follow international law…for now!
C. Propaganda Warfare
1. Controlling public opinion became very important
a. You wanted your populations support and for them to want to fight against the enemy.
b. Censured the press…so casualty reports were not known.
2. Propaganda – spreading ideas to promote a cause or to damage an opposing cause.
a. Used to motivate troops, urge citizens to donate money, play up the brutality of the German army.
D. Women Join the War Effort
1. Women took their husbands jobs in factories while they were off fighting the war.
2. Had to handle the duties of the husband at work and still take care of the family.
3. Women served as nurses
4. Women developed a sense of pride and confidence in their efforts to support the war….this helped them in the quest for voting rights.
II. Morale Collapses
· Morale had fallen across the board
· Germany was reduced to sending 15 yr olds off to fight.
A. War Fatigue
1. There was no great glorious war, no poets writing romantic tales of honor and glory.
2. This was an ugly war the likes that no nation had ever seen before.
3. Some troops in France and Italy mutinied or simply left their posts.
B. Revolution in Russia
1. 3 years of war hit Russia hard.
2. undersupplied, under equipped, unqualified leadership, poor results, and poverty at home
3. Bread riots in St. Petersburg led to a full blown revolution we will talk about later.
4. Allies thought the revolution would bring democratic changes to Russia.
5. Lenin brought Communism and a promise to end the war for Russians.
a. Treaty of Brest Litovsk – Treaty between Germany and Russia to end their fight\
b. With Russia out of the conflict, Germany could now focus on the war with France/England.
III. The U.S. Declares War
· U.S. joined the war in 1917
A. Why Join the Allies?
1. Cultural ties to our “friends” England and France.
2. German attacks on American shipping.
3. Zimmerman Note – German ambassador Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegraph to Mexican President suggesting an alliance between the two nations to defeat the U.S.
B. Declaring War
1. Wilson asked for a declaration of war to preserve peace and make the world safe for democracy.
2. nearly 2 million U.S. soldiers joined the weary Allied troops…..AND $$$$$ to fund the war.
C. The 14 Points
1. 14 Points – Woodrow Wilsons plan for a peaceful end to WWI.
a. freedom of seas, freedom of seas, reduction of arms, end to secret treaties, and self determination – The right to choose your own government.
IV. Victory at Last
A. Germany was desperate to achieve victory before the Americans arrived, but in their strong push to win..they exhausted their soldiers and supplies.
B. Once the Americans arrived, the Germans were repeatedly pushed back
C. German Generals advised the Kaiser to step down..which he did..leaving for the Netherlands to hide in exhile.
D. Austrian Empire also collapsed from within as did the Ottoman and Bulgarian Empires.
E. The new German government asked for an armistice – end to the fighting, on 11-11-1918 at 11AM.
Section 4: Making the Peace
I. The Costs of War
· Millions dead on both sides
· Influenza pandemic – The spread of disease across a large area. The flu spread throughout the world killing an estimated 20 million worldwide.
A. The Financial Toll
1. Homes, factories, farms, livestock, crops, roads, churches etc.. destroyed.
2. People returned to their homes to find everything had to be rebuilt.
3. Citizens in allied nations began to demand Reparations – payments for war damages.
4. Germany was being held as the scapegoat for all the problems that war brought to Europe.
a. The German position was that this was a cease fire…not a surrender and that they did not have to pay any reparations for that reason.
B. Political Turmoil
1. Many radicals – people who wanted to make extreme changes in government. Wanted to make a new social order of all the chaos that happened.
2. people were panicked by the rapid spread of communism.
3. European nations colonies broke away confident that the European nations were too distracted from the war to care.
II. The Paris Peace Conference
A. Conflicting Goals
· U.S. President Woodrow Wilson - wanted to create a treaty that would assure the world peace and prevent future world wars from occurring.
· David Lloyd George (England) – Wanted to build an England “fit for heroes”.
· Georges Clemenceau (France) – Wanted to weaken Germany so that it would never be capable of rising again to threaten France.
B. Problems with the Peace
1. Italians wanted Austrian lands they claim they were promised.
2. many other nationalities wanted control of other lands…so many lands and ethnicities making demands that it was impossible to keep track of it all.
3. Wilson stood firm on the issue of collective security – A system in which a group of nations act as one to preserve the peace of all. He insisted that the League of Nations be part of the treaty.
III. The Treaty of Versailles
A. Allies FORCED the new German government reps to sign the new treaty.
B. Germans were HORRIFIED!!!
1. They had to assume full blame for the war.
2. $30 billion in reparations ($2.7 trillion today)
3. Treaty crippled Germany’s ability to rebuild itself or even pay the reparations.
4. Stripped their colonies.
5. Germans signed because the really had no other choice.
IV. Outcome of the Peace Settlements
A. Self Determination in Eastern Europe
1. New nations formed out of lands that were once part of the losing empires
a. Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Yugolslavia, Austria, Hungary