World War I
Inevitability of war
• June 28, 1914 Archduke
Francis Ferdinand of
Austria assassinated
• July 5, 1914 Germany
issues A-H “blank check”
– pledging military
assistance if A-H goes to
war against Russia
• July 23, 1914 Austria
issues Serbia an
ultimatum
The inevitability of war
• July 28, 1914 A-H
declares war on Serbia
• July 29, 1914 Russia
orders full mobilization
of its troops
• August 1,1914 Germany
declares war on Russia
• August 2, 1914 Germany
demands Belgium declare
access to German troops
“Belgium is a country, not a road”
• King Albert I of Belgium
denied permission
• August 2, 1914 Germany
declared war on France
– Why???
– The Schlieffen Plan!
• August 4, 1914 Great
Britain declared war on
Germany for violating
Belgian neutrality
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• Many Europeans
were excited about
war
– “Defend yourself
against the
aggressors”
– Domestic differences
were put aside
– Parties and
celebrations were held
at the start.
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• War would be over in
a few weeks
– Ignored the length and
brutality of the
American Civil War
(prototype to World
War I)
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• Belief that Modern
industrial war could
not be conducted for
more than a few
months
• “Home by Christmas”
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• “Fatal attraction of war”
– Exhilarating release
from every day life
– A glorious adventure
– War would rid the
nations of selfishness
– Spark a national rebirth based on heroism
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
The Schlieffen Plan
• Invade western front
1st; quickly defeat French
• After defeating
France concentrate
on the Eastern front
• Avoid fighting a 2
front war
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
• Germany made vast
encircling movement
through Belgium to
enter Paris
• Underestimated
speed of the British
mobilization
– Quickly sent troops to
France
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
• Sept 6-10, 1914
– Battle of Marne
– Stopped the Germans
but French troops
were exhausted
– Both sides dug
trenches for shelter
STALEMATE
War of Attrition: Waiting
out enemy until they
give up [stop supplies!]
The Trenches
• Trenches dug from
English Channel to
Switzerland
• 6,250 miles
• 6 to 8 feet deep
• Immobilized both
sides for 4 years
The Trenches
Life in the Trenches
• Elaborate systems of
defense
– barbed wire
– Concrete machine gun
nests
– Mortar batteries
– Troops lived in holes
underground
Life in the Trenches
• Boredom
– Soldiers read to pass the
time
– Sarah Bernhardt came out
to the front to read poetry
to the soldiers
“Death is everywhere”
• “We all had on us the
stench of dead bodies.”
Death numbed the
soldier’s minds.
• Shell shock
• Psychological devastation
“Death is everywhere”
• Mustard gas
– Carried by the wind
– Burned out soldier’s lungs
– Deadly in the trenches
where it would
sit at the bottom
Life in the Trenches
• Trench warfare
baffled military
leaders
– Attempt a breakthrough
– Then return to a war of
movement
– Millions of young men
sacrificed attempting the
breakthrough
Battle of Verdun
• Germany wanted to
inflict heavy losses
and capture Verdun
• 10 months
• 700,000 men killed
• Extremely costly
and deadly. Almost
1 million injured.
Battle of Verdun
• 10 months
• 700,000 men killed
• French lost some
ground but not very
much.
• Germany lost 336K
• France lost 362K
The changes of war
• New weapons crippled the “frozen front”
– Poison gas (mustard gas)
– Hand grenades
– Flame throwers
– Tanks
– Airplanes
– Subs
The changes of war
• Airplanes
– Dog fights in the air
– Bombing inaccurate
– Romanticized the
battlefields
– Paris and London
bombed
– Pilots fired pistols and
threw hand grenades
The Eastern Front
• Russian army moved into
Eastern Germany on
August 30, 1914
– Defeated
• The Austrians kicked out
of Serbia
• Italians attacked Austria
in 1915
• G. came to Austrian aid
and pushed Russians
back 300 miles into own
territory
The Eastern Front
• Much more mobile
more than the West
– But loss of life still very
high
– 1915: 2.5 million
Russians killed,
captured, or wounded
The Eastern Front
• Germany and Austria
Hungary joined by
Bulgaria in Sept. 1915
– Attacked and
eliminated Serbia from
war
The Home Front
• Women took war
factory jobs
• Support by females
back home vital to the
war effort (supplies,
medicine, ammo)
• Received lower
wages than males
• Food shortages made
running a household
difficult
The Home Front
• Censorship
– Not told about high
death toll
– Romanticized the
battlefields
“soldiers have died a
beautiful death, in
noble battle, we shall
rediscover
poetry…epic and
chivalrous”
The Home Front
• Censorship
“Newspapers described
troops as itching to go
over the top.”
“Government reported to
the press that life in the
trenches promoted good
health and clear air”
The Home Front
• “On Leave”
Troops would stay
together so they
could sympathize
with each other
The Home Front
• Impossible to
hide death
– Women in
mourning
– Badly wounded
soldiers returned
home
– Opposition began
to emerge
The war winds down…
• U.S. joins the war on the Allied side
1915 - Sinking of Lusitania
1915 - Unrestrained sub-warfare by Germany
1917 – Zimmerman Note (next last slide)
U.S. wouldn’t get paid back if France/Britain lose
• 1917 – Russia surrenders (a separate peace)
– Russia was experiencing the Russian Revolution (Bolshevik
Revolution)
– Ultimately leads to a civil war (1918-1923) between Bolsheviks
(“Red Army”) and those opposing the revolution (“White Army”
mostly Monarchists).
– In 1922, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed
(USSR); Also called The Soviet Union
•
We intend to begin on the first of February
unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor
in spite of this to keep the United States of America
neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we
make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following
basis: make war together, make peace together,
generous financial support and an understanding on
our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory
in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement
in detail is left to you. You will inform the President
of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak
of war with the United States of America is certain
and add the suggestion that he should, on his own
initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and
at the same time mediate between Japan and
ourselves. Please call the President's attention to
the fact that the ruthless employment of our
submarines now offers the prospect of compelling
England in a few months to make peace."
Signed, ZIMMERMANN
The war ends
• 1917 – Russia
surrenders (a
separate peace)
• U.S. joins the war
on the Allied side
• Nov. 11, 1918
Armistice Day!!!
• Treaty of
Versailles: Treaty
that ended WWI
Treaty of Versailles
Germany must accept responsibility and
forced to pay large amounts of money
Weakened Germany
–
–
–
–
Military size limited
Returned conquered land to France
Formation of Poland
Global colonies given up to the Allies
Germany’s Reaction
– Outraged, but forced to sign the treaty
– Economy was destroyed
– Bitterness would affect politics for the next several
years
The Aftermath
 League of Nations
–
–
–
–
–
Organization of world governments proposed by Wilson
Established by the Treaty of Versailles
Main goal was to encourage cooperation and keep peace
Germany was excluded
United States did not join
 Ultimately weakened the League of Nations.
 Changes in Europe
– Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire lands were broken up
– Independent nations were created
 Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Turkey
 Other treaties signed with the defeated Central Powers
Death Toll of War
The most accepted figure for deaths caused by the war = 20,000,000
(20 million)
Allied Powers
Central Powers
42 million served
23 million served
22 million casualties
(includes injured, civilian &
military)
15 million casualties
(includes injured, civilian &
military)
Around 55 die/hour for 50 months
20,000 Dead at Battle of Somme in 1 day
Social Impact
•
•
•
•
•
Men lost limbs and were mutilated
Birthrate fell markedly
Injured unable to work
Ethnic hostility
Influenza epidemic (killed around 50million)
– Dropped the U.S. life expectancy by 12 years (in 1 year)
– Effected young adults (usually great immune system)
• Poverty and massive rebuilding needed
throughout Europe (helps the States!)
Psychological impact
• “Never such innocence again”
• Bitterness towards aristocratic officers
whose lives were never in danger
• Existentialist movement: Life’s meaning?
• Extraordinary melancholy throughout much
of Europe (France, Russia, Armenia)
Internationalism: We can solve our disputes
through international groups, not war.
• Woodrow Wilson attempts to start the
League of Nations (international body to
prevent war)
• Anti-colonialism: Colonizing foreign lands
and stripping natives of autonomy is a
mistake
• Treaty of Versailles: Treaty that vastly favors
Allied powers and places extraordinary debt
on Germany [some claim this is what leads
to Hitler’s rise to power].