Chapter 11) I

World War I: The Great War (Chapter 11) I. World War I Begins (Chapter 11, Section 1) a. Causes of World War I (M.A.I.N) i. Militarism 1. Militarism— development of armed forces (weapons and standing army) and their use in diplomacy (deterrent) a. Cost of building and defending empires led to more military spending b. By 1890, Germany had strongest army on European continent i. competed with Britain for sea power ii. led other powers to join naval arms race—Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and the U.S. ii. Alliances 1. Alliance System—a union between one or more nations with each promising to aid the other in case of attack by a third power a. Alliances gave security as a deterrent—nations unwilling to tip balance of power b. Alliances, while helping to avoid war, can create the risk that a minor incident could trigger a major war c. Allies or Triple Entente—United Kingdom, France, Russia (to 1917), United States (from 1917) d. Central Powers (Triple Alliance)—Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire iii. Imperialism 1. Imperialism—the policy in which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories a. Germany industrializes, competes with France, Britain for colonies iv. Nationalism 1. Nationalism—devotion to interests, culture of one‘s nation; (i.e. U.S.—patriotism) a. Nationalism leads to competition (land, military, etc.), antagonism between nations b. Many feared Germany‘s growing power in Europe c. Various ethnic groups resented domination and wanted independence d. Russia saw itself as the protector of all Slavic peoples b. Crisis in the Balkans i. Balkan Peninsula known as ―the powder keg of Europe‖ because: 1. ethnic rivalries among Balkan peoples 2. leading powers have economic, political interests ii. Many Balkan groups struggled for independence form Ottoman Turks, many succeeded (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia) iii. With growing sense of nationalism, each group sought to extend its borders 1. Example: Serbia wanted to absorb all the Slavs on the peninsula iv. 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina which upset Serbia 1. Serbia vowed to take Bosnia and Herzegovina away while Austria-Hungary vowed to crush any Serbian efforts c. An Assassination i. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophi visited Bosnia ii. As his royal entourage drove through the city, the Archduke was shot by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip 1. Princip was a member of the Black Hand, an organization promoting Serbian nationalism iii. As punishment, Austria presented Serbia with an ultimatum containing numerous demands 1. Despite Serbia‘s efforts, the wheels had been greased for war d. War Erupts i. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia—they expected a short war ii. Alliance system pulls one nation after another into war 1. Russia supports Serbia 2. Germany supported Austria-Hungary 3. Ottoman empire supports Germany and Austria-Hungary (Central Powers) 4. France supports Russia and Serbia (Allies) 5. Britain supports Allies after Germany invaded France through Belgium e. Schlieffen Plan i. Schlieffen Plan—Germany‘s plan to quickly win the war 1. Called for a holding action against Russia, combined with a quick drive through Belgium to Paris and then after France had fallen the two German armies would defeat Russia 2. Outcome: Belgium held stronger than expected; Britain entered the war; Russia mobilized quickly f. War Reaches a Stalemate i. First Battle of Marne— German invasion pushed Allies back to the Marne Rive in Northeastern France before Allies pushed the German lines back 40 miles ii. Battle of Verdun: the worst battle of WWI; began in February 1916 and lasted over 300 days 1. Germans launch a huge offensive designed to ―bleed the French army white‖ by causing unsustainable casualties 2. Almost 2 million casualties – half were deaths. Although an accurate figure will never be known 3. Both sides thought it would be a quick war but by Spring 1915, 2 sides were at a stalemate g. The Christmas Truce—December 24, 1914 i. Moral on both sides was down realizing they would not be home for holiday ii. Started with singing and turned into informal truce as soldiers on both sides laid down their weapons to celebrate Christmas together iii. They celebrated and played soccer together iv. Fighting only resumed after vicious acts by superior commanders h. Trench Warfare Begins i. It was not long before both sides realized that traditional warfare would not win this war ii. Armies equipped with new weapons—tanks, machine guns, poison gas, new artillery, submarines, planes– forced a new type of fighting—Trench Warfare iii. Machine Guns 1. These weapons were first used in the American Civil War to devastating effect 2. But with World War One their effectiveness reached frightening new levels 3. Firing up to 600 bullets a minute (the equivalent of 250 men with rifles), Machine Guns were then deemed to be ‗weapons of mass destruction‘ iv. Airships and Planes 1. They had everything from mini scout planes to huge blimp like bombers called Zeppelins 2. Air warfare was not seen as important as any other type so it did not have its own category 3. Initial airplanes flimsy and just used for scouting 4. Initial dogfights—individual air combats involved pilots shooting pistols 5. Was not until mounted machine guns powered by the propeller belt (interrupter gear) that plains became a lethal device 6. Skilled pilots were known as aces a. Most successful was the German Baron Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron—he reported 80 kills (enemy aircraft shot down) b. Top American ace was Edward Richenbacker with 26 kills v. Artillery 1. These were the new and upgraded versions of cannons a. Never in the history of man, where there so many cannons used in one war alone 2. But Germany had a plan up their sleeve a. For years, German scientists were developing the biggest artillery ever known b. It was call the ‗Big Bertha‘—it could fire at the heart of Paris from 120 kilometers away 3. Shells were upgraded as well a. Instead of ordinary shells, new High-explosive shells were developed b. The Shells were thin casings and were filled with tiny lead pellets—artillery fire killed hundreds and thousands of men vi. Tanks 1. Tanks were used to used to ―mow down‖ barbed wire and soldier 2. Based on the caterpillar track (first invented in 1770 and perfected in the early 1900s), early tanks were fitted with: a. Maxim type guns or Lewis guns b. amour plating c. their caterpillar tracks were configured to allow crossing of an eight-foot wide trench. 3. Although these beasts were powerful, they were not so reliable. Most broke down and a good example is the battle of Amiens a. The British sent 525 tanks, and after four days, only 25 were left in working order vii. Gas Grenades 1. These were highly toxic, and very effective weapons 2. The Germans had invented 3 main gas grenades. a. 1st—Chlorine gas, which was used at the battle of Ypres in 1915, killing thousands. b. 2nd—Phosgene gas c. 3rd—Mustard gas—this burned the lungs of the inhaler leaving them to die in agony. 3. Gas masks were issued to everyone in the country, but they weren‘t so useful and many people died i. Trench Layout i. To protect themselves from the constant barrage of automatic gunfire and heavy-duty artillery, each side dug a series of trenches that extended for over 475 miles from Switzerland to the North Sea ii. The rival trenches were typically about 250 yards apart, although in some places the trenches were so close that a soldier could practically touch his enemy in the opposing trench. 1. The space between the trenches was referred to as ―no man‘s land‖ 2. No man‘s land was typically gutted by bombs, crossed by tons of barbed wire, and dotted with land mines iii. Trench warfare consisted of long artillery bombardments followed by charges from infantrymen across no man‘s land toward enemy lines—‖Going over the Top‖ iv. Between battles, soldiers lived in rear trenches called dugouts—tiny rooms sunken into the seemingly endless cycle of disease, mud, fear, hunger, and death j. The Battle on the Eastern Front i. Early Fighting 1. Eastern Front—site of main fighting along the German-Russian border 2. Russians pushed into Austria and Germany, but was soon forced to retreat ii. Russia Struggles 1. Russia‘s war effort suffering by 1916; they had many casualties and too few supplies 2. However, the huge size of Russian army kept it a formidable force a. prevented Germany from sending more troops to the Western Front k. War Affects the World i. The Gallipoli Campaign 1. Allies moved to capture Ottoman Dardanelles strait in February 1915 2. Hoped to defeat Ottoman Empire, a Central Powers ally 3. Also wanted to open a supply line through region to Russia 4. Effort ended in costly Allied defeat ii. Battles in Africa and Asia 1. Allies took control of German holdings in Asia and Africa 2. Britain and France used their colonial subjects to help in war effort l. Americans Question Neutrality i. Divided Loyalties 1. Socialists, pacifists and many ordinary people against U.S. in war 2. Naturalized citizens concerned about effects on country of birth 3. Many feel ties to British ancestry, language, democracy, and legal system 4. U.S. has stronger economic ties with Allies than with Central Powers a. By 1917, U.S. banks had loaned $2.3 billion to the Allies and only $27 million to the Central Powers 5.

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