CH. 14 Study Guide: World War I and the Russian Revolution

Mr. JuddName______

CH. 14 Study Guide: World War I and the Russian Revolution

What started out as a local European war soon became a global war that lasted from 1914-1918. World War I was the first war that involved nations (28 to be exact) from around the world, and is commonly called The Great War or The War to End All Wars. Check out the historical facts on World War I.

World War I - Outbreak of War

On June 28, 1914, a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand (no, not the band), the Archduke of Austria, in Sarajevo. Exactly one month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The war divided Europe into two armed camps - on one side was the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their enemy was the Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain. As other countries began to join sides, the Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers and the Triple Entente became the Allied Forces.

World War I - Life in the Trenches

Most of the action took place in the trenches. They were dug deep into the ground in a zigzag pattern to protect soldiers from advancing enemies. Soldiers spent an average period of eight days in the trench, where they were constantly under threat of attack from shellfire, snipers and diseases. Soldiers experienced everything from Trench Fever (a painful infection caused by lice poop) to Trench Foot, which caused a fungal foot infection that could result in amputation!

World War I - Fighting on the Front

WWI was different from previous wars because soldiers used efficient weapons like machine guns, artillery, tanks and air force. Military operations began in three major areas in Europe - the western front (France/Belgium), the eastern front (Russia) and the southern front (Serbia). Many of the deadliest battles occurred during WWI, including Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Somme and Gallipoli. Although thousands and thousands of soldiers died during these battles, they were all turning points for the Allied Forces in helping them win the first world war. On October 3, 1918, Germany requested a cease-fire. The war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the warring parties signed the Armistice and agreed to stop fighting.

World War I - Did U Know?

• During the Christmas of 1914, soldiers from both sides temporarily stopped fighting and called a Christmas Truce. They laughed, sang carols and exchanged presents!
• Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a surgeon during WWI. Inspired by the sight of red poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers, he wrote the memorable poem called In Flanders Field.
• So far about 4,159 coalition soldiers have died during the latest war in Iraq - compare that to 7,996,888 soldiers who died in WWI.

Causes of World War IMr. Judd

Use the acronym MAIN to remember the four main causes of World War I.

Cause / Definition
Militarism
A lliance System
I mperialism
N ationalism

Alliance / Countries in the Alliance
Central Powers
Allied Powers

Map Skills: World War I in Europe 1914-1918Mr. Judd

Use Pg. 275 in the text to label the map.

Causes of World War I Document Based Question (DBQ’s)

Document A:Source:

The Dual Alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany - October 7, 1879

ARTICLE 1. Should, contrary to their hope, and against the loyal desire of the two High Contracting Parties, one of the two Empires be attacked by Russia, the High Contracting Parties are bound to come to the assistance one of the other with the whole war strength of their Empires, and accordingly only to conclude peace together and upon mutual agreement.

ARTICLE 2.Should one of the High Contracting Parties be attacked by another Power, the other High Contracting Party binds itself hereby, not only not to support the aggressor against its high Ally, but to observe at least a benevolent neutral attitude towards its fellow Contracting Party.

Questions:

1. What country are Germany and Austria-Hungary most worried about?

2. What are Germany and Austria-Hungary “bound” to do for one another?

Document B:Source:

“By the 1890s, the great land armies of France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia had no equals on earth except one another. Nicholas warned that ‘the accelerating arms race,’ which was producing larger armies, more powerful artillery, and bigger warships, was ‘transforming the armed peace into a crushing burden that weighs on all nations and, if prolonged, will lead to the very cataclysm it seeks to avert.’ Unfortunately, participation in the international court was voluntary. The next year, in an attempt to compensate for its small empire, Germany enacted the Second Naval Law, intending to build a navy capable of challenging the British Royal Navy in combat. The British responded. By 1906, keeping ahead of the Germans in modern battleships was a national priority. France, meanwhile, strove to match the German standing army of sixty million men, no small feat for a nation of forty million people.”

Questions:

1. According to Nicholas, what was the arms race leading to?

2. How did Britain and France react to Germany’s military buildup?

Document C:Source:

“One of the main causes of the First World War was imperialism: an unequal relationship, often in the form of an empire, forced on other countries and peoples, resulting in domination and subordination of economics, culture, and territory. Historians disagree on whether the primary impetus for imperialism was cultural or economic, but whatever the reason, Europeans in the late 19th century increasingly chose to safeguard their access to markets, raw materials, and returns on their investments by seizing outright political and military control of the undeveloped world. Between the 1850s and 1911, all of Africa was colonized except for Liberia and Ethiopia. The British, who had imposed direct rule on India in 1858, occupied Egypt in 1882, probably a strategic necessity to protect their Indian interests. The French, who had begun missionary work in Indochina in the 17th century, finished their conquests of the region in 1887, and in 1893 they added to it neighboring Laos and a small sliver of China.”

Questions:

1. According to the passage, why did Britain occupy Egypt?

2. What areas are referred to as “the underdeveloped world” in the passage?

Document D: Source:

Questions:

1. What happened to all European Countries’ expenditures from 1908 to 1913?
2. What might account for this?

1. What two countries spent the most on their militaries in 1913?
2. Are these two countries allies?

Document E:Source:

The Balkan Powder Keg

Serbia was the only Balkan nation to threaten a Great Power directly. Following a change of dynasties in 1903, the aggressive Serbian leader Nicholas Pashich adopted an openly anti-Austrian policy. At the same time, he promoted Pan-Slav nationalism--a vision that the Slavic peoples would one day be united under one nation. Additionally, the Serbians could or would do little to stop the activities of the anti-Austrian secret society, the Black Hand. To the Austrians, the rise of Pan-Slavic nationalism, and particularly Serbian aggression, was a direct threat to the future of the Austrian Empire. Serbia had become “a jackal snapping at the Austro-Hungarian Achilles heel.”

Questions:

1. What does it mean that Serbia was “a jackal snapping at the Austro-Hungarian Achilles heel?”

1. According to the passage, why was Serbia important?

Document F:Source:

On the eve of the First World War, several social movements had influence over the various classes of citizenry in Europe.

Socialism pressed for social justice and economic rights for the working class. Conservatism was the accepted value system of kings, aristocrats, most priests, and many of their lesser supporters, especially in Eastern Europe. In response to the perceived threat of Socialism, a new Conservatism, with roots in anti-Capitalism and anti-Semitism, began to spread amongst the students and shopkeepers of Paris and Vienna. But the movement that had the most influence in Europe in 1914, including over the workers, was Nationalism--emotional loyalty to the state. The idea of popular sovereignty, that the people should be sovereign, easily led to the notion that sovereignty should be supported by the citizenry with extreme enthusiasm.

Questions:

1. According to the passage, what movement had the most influence on Europe in 1914?

2. What other movements influenced Europe?

Document G:Source: Wikimedia Commons

Questions:

1. Which “M.A.I.N.” causes of WWI are represented in the document above?

1. If the various alliances and nations are represented as a “wood pile” in the cartoon, what is the “match” that will set them all ablaze? Why?

World War I Weapons

Weapons and War strategies were developed and created in order to advance the fighting and break the stalemate caused by the trenches.

Weapon/ Technology / Main Information
GAS / •As World War I went on, poison gas was used more often everyday.
•Introduced by the German army in 1915 at the Battle of Ypres, gas could be shot out of a special gun or bombed from planes.
•The gas was made up of many different chemicals, including Chlorine and Phosgene and (Mustard Gas). Anyone breathing it could become very sick or even be killed instantly.
•Soldiers would urinate on cloths and hold them to their mouth and nose as protection from the gas attacks
MINES / •Sea Mines would blow up war ships and Land Mines would blow up trenches
•Buried many alive
TANK / •Idea of the tank inspired by farming vehicles that used caterpillar tracks.
•Armored vehicles were already made, but they weren’t able to cross trenches.
•The first tank was used by the British at the Battle of Somme. The name tank came when the British tried to hide the armored cars in crates marked as “Tanks”.
•Maximum speed 3 mph.
•Largely ineffective but imposing – intimidated the opposition
•Were well-used as shields for advancing troops and for knocking out barbed wire
MACHINE GUN /

• The Machine Gun was introduced allowing for the rapid firing of bullets without having to reload (2 machine guns = 60 to 100 rifles)
• Made it impossible to stand in front of each other and fight – forced a new style of warfare
• Were able to kill hundreds of enemy troops at a time – most casualties ever recorded in single battles
• The armies dug deep trenches into the ground and faced each other and used machine guns to fire 300 to 350 rounds per minute and required 4-6 men to operate them.

GRENADES /

• used to clear paths through ‘No Man’s Land’

ARTILLERY /

• shell bombardment – destroyed the land and buildings of a city entirely

BAYONETS / •Knives attached to the front of guns
•Used in close combat when storming enemy troops
FLAME THROWER / •The Flamethrower, which brought horror to the French and British soldiers during WWI, was first used by the German army.
•The flame-thrower used pressurized air, carbon dioxide or nitrogen to force oil through a nozzle. Ignited by a small charge, the oil became a jet of flame.
•The basic idea of the flamethrower was to spread flames throughout the battlefield or trench to terminate any enemy infantry.
•Used to secure land in front of trenches and used to clear paths through ‘No Man’s Land’
•Could be very dangerous to carry for soldiers (explosive!)
SUBMARINE
DREADNAUGHT / •The submarines were not considered much of a threat at the beginning of World War I, but it wasn’t long until they became a major threat for both sides.
•A submarine is a ship that travels under water. Germany’s were called U-Boats. Most submarines are used in the war to attack enemy ships with torpedoes.
•Sinking of the Lusitania (1915) – Passenger ship with American civilians on board
•Dreadnaught = armed cargo ship
AIRPLANES / •WWI was the first war to have airplanes used as weapons. This changed the way wars were fought.
•The planes were quite small and were made from wood and canvas and thus were quite fragile and crashed easily
•Planes became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns and bombs; they were also used for investigation/spy work
•Pilots known as “aces” would often engage enemy aircraft in the air, in “dogfights”Invented in 1903
•In 1915 they were armed with machine guns and bombs
•shoot down 5 enemy planes = ACE
•Billy Bishop (Famous Canadian ACE)
•Pilots = short life expectancy
ZEPPLINS / •Blimp armed with machine guns
•Bombed cities
•Floated with hydrogen gas – if shot, blimp would blow
•Important for air raids at beginning of war
•By 1916, Airplanes improved and became superior to the Air Balloons
Why was there a Revolution in Russia in 1917?
Tsarist Russia
Until 1917, Russia was ruled by a Tsar. Nicholas II had become Tsar in 1894. He was an autocrat (a ruler who has absolute control over the country). People who spoke out against the government were sent to prison. Rioters were attacked by the Cossacks (Russian soldiers).
In 1905 there had been a revolution against the rule of the Tsar. In order to keep his position, Nicholas had been forced to accept a Duma (parliament) but nothing really changed, Nicholas kept power and if members of the Duma disagreed with him they were sent away. /
Nicholas II
In 1914 Germany declared war on Russia and in 1915, Nicholas took control of the army. The Russians faced a series of defeats and Nicholas was blamed.
While Nicholas was at the front fighting the war his wife Alexandra was left in charge of the country. She was very influenced by the holy man Rasputin. People resented the influence of Rasputin and he was murdered. The Romanovs were very unpopular. By 1917 there were food and fuel shortages. High unemployment meant that huge numbers of people were living in poverty. People were dying.

Karl Marx / Communism
Karl Marx (1818-1883) had said that industrialisation had made the middle classes rich and powerful but had made the workers slaves. He said that the workers should rebel and take power away from the rich. He believed that nothing should be privately owned and that everything should be commonly owned. This theory is called communism. A group of people called the Bolsheviks believed that the royal family should be overthrown and communism introduced.
The leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Lenin but he had been forced to leave Russia to avoid being imprisoned. Lenin continued to be leader of the Bolsheviks while in exile – publishing communist leaflets and raising money for their cause. He also spoke against the war.
The February Revolution
In February 1917 people rioted on the streets in Russia. They were joined by soldiers and members of the Duma. Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and a new government called the provisional government took over. Many Bolsheviks, including Joseph Stalin believed that the Russian people would not accept a Socialist government and supported the provisional government led by Alexander Kerensky who became President of Russia. The workers, soldiers and peasants elected their own councils called Soviets. The Soviets were as powerful as the government.
The October Revolution
Kerensky had not ended the war as the people had hoped but had planned a new offensive against the Germans. Soldiers began deserting and returning to their homes. Many of them used their weapons to take land from the rich.
In April 1917, Lenin returned from exile. He was angry that Russia was still fighting in the war and that many Bolsheviks supported the provisional government. Joseph Stalin had to decide whether to oppose Lenin or whether to abandon his support for the provisional government. /
Vladimir Illich Lenin
He chose to support Lenin and on 24th October the Bolsheviks seized the Winter Palace, the headquarters of the provisional government. In December 1917 Lenin signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk which took Russia out of the war. In 1918, the Russian royal family were murdered by the Bolsheviks.
Civil War
Many Russians did not support the Bolshevik government and tried to oppose the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks were known as the ‘reds’ those that opposed them were known as the ‘whites’. There was civil war between the reds and whites. Armies from Britain, France and America supported the whites but the Bolsheviks were more powerful and by 1922 the Bolsheviks were in charge of Russia.

Comparison: French Revolution and Russian Revolution

EQ: Do revolutions follow predictable patterns?

Directions: Complete the” Russian Revolution” and “same” portions of the Venn Diagram by considering the causes of the revolutions.