Causes of World
War One
Ms. Hobden
History 12
Imperialism

Imperialism is a policy of one nation acquiring,
controlling, or dominating another country or region
–

Powerful countries established colonies
–

When one country exerts its influence over another country
Countries that are ruled by another country through an
expanded sphere of influence
Industrialization forced the necessity of
expansion – new resources and markets
What were some European Empires?
Britain
“The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire”
France

In constant battle with
Germany for land and
resources on the
European continent

Had an extensive
empire in the Western
Hemisphere and
Central Africa
Russia

Promoted PanSlavism  the
unification of the
Slavic peoples of
the Balkans
The Balkans
Why might Russia want to unite the
Balkans?
Austria-Hungary

Saw PanSlavism as
a threat

Feared the
loss of
Slovenia
and Croatia
Germany


Came late to the colonizing “game”
Had some colonies in Africa
Alliances

An alliance is a union or agreement among groups
working toward a common goal
–
–

A close association of nations
Joint military protection
Countries hoped that forming alliances would reduce the
threat of war
–
Instead it ensured that if one country became involved its allies
would automatically have to fight as well
Alliances
There were two major alliance systems in 1914
Triple Alliance
Triple Entente
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
France, Britain, Russia
Militarism

Militarism is a nation’s policy of enlisting,
training, equipping, and maintaining armed
forces ready for war
–
–
The Two-Power Standard was a British policy
where their navy must be the size of the second
two largest navies combined
This lead to an arms race between Germany and
Britain to build the largest and most powerful navy
Nationalism

Nationalism is a devotion to and support of
one’s culture and nation, sometimes resulting
in the promotion of independence
–
–
Pride in language and culture
Ethnic nationalism calls for liberation
Where do you think nationalism was particularly strong?

The Black Hand was a terrorist group of
Bosnian Serbs that wanted a free Bosnia and
threatened violence to achieve their goals
Countdown to War
Countdown To War
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Germany offers Austria-Hungary a “Blank Cheque”
Austria-Hungary mobilizes for war with Serbia
Austria-Hungary issues Serbia an Ultimatum
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary
Germany declares war on Russia
France declares war on Germany
Germany declares war on France
Germany attacks France through Belgium – the Schlieffen Plan
Britain declares war on Germany
Schlieffen Plan
The End of the War
The Treaty of Versailles
US Entry into WW1

After Germany announced a policy of
unrestricted submarine warfare Americans
became quite concerned as now their ships
were targets

The US also learned in the Zimmerman
Telegram that Germany promised to support
Mexico if it attacked the United States
US Entry into WW1

Three main steps led to
US entry into the war
The US Enters WW1 – April 2, 1917
3 - The Zimmerman Telegram
2 - Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
1 - The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Eastern Front – Russia

In March 1917 Czar Nicholas was forced to
abdicate (give up authority)
–
–
–
The Provisional Government was formed
In October, Socialist Revolutionaries called the
Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government
and promised “Peace and Bread”
The Bolsheviks began negotiating with the Triple
Alliance to end the war
The Hundred Days

Russia – under the Bolsheviks – signed The
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk to end involvement in
the war
–
–
Now Germany was able to focus all its attention
on winning on the Western Front
By the summer of 1918 the front line was only 75
kilometers from Paris
The Hundred Days

The final Allied offensive
– August 8 to November
11, 1918 – was called
The Hundred Days

An armistice was signed
in a railway car in
France on November
11, 1918
The Paris Peace Conference

In 1919 the leaders of the Allies and other
countries that won the war met at the Paris
Peace Conferences to create a peace
agreement
–
–
–
–
–
Conference lasted six months
New borders were defined
More than thirty countries attended
Germany was not allowed to participate
Russia was not invited
The Paris Peace Conference

American President Woodrow Wilson
proposed a plan called the Fourteen Points
–
Points 1-5 discussed Internationalism

–
–
A vision of how countries should work together
Points 6-8 discussed German conquered lands
Points 9-14 discussed desires of Central and
Eastern European countries
The Playas
at the Paris Peace
Talks
J Marshall 2009
The Peace Process




Opened 12 January, 1919 – Wilson was
welcomed as a royal hero by the French
32 world leaders in total
5 main allies: UK, USA, FR, Italy (Japan)
Wilson and Clemenceau represented the two
poles of the Allied position
5 treaties; one per Central Power loser
(we usually focus on Versailles)
5 Different Peace Treaties
Versailles = Germany
St Germain = Aus/Hun
Trianon = Hungary
Neully = Bulgaria
Serves = Turkey
(All named after Paris suburbs)
President Woodrow Wilson
the idealist




14 Points = USA war
aims
Father of the League of
Nations
Nobel Peace Prize
Treaty defeated by his
own Congress =
USA
Isolationism
David Lloyd George
the pragmatist
 Public
Image:
Make ‘em pay!
 Privately: a weak
Germany may allow
Bolshevism to
spread
Georges Clemenceau
the realist




We must drive the
Boche to his knees!
They call me “Tiger”
Wilson is too
academic
If Germany can’t
pay, we’ll get to stay
in the Rhineland.
Vittorio Orlando
the indignant

Hey Guys, what
about me?…

Italy’s limited
military ability in
1919
Tainted image from
time in Triple
Alliance

The Treaty of Versailles

One of the main treaties was called The
Treaty of Versailles
–
It was the terms of peace between Germany and
the Allies


French leader Georges Clemenceau focused on realism
and wanted Germany dealt with strictly
Woodrow Wilson focused on idealism and was
concerned Germany might want revenge
The Treaty of Versailles

Reparations were a key component of the
Treaty of Versailles

The treaty focused on two other key issues:
War Guilt Clause
Self Determination
Germany would accept sole
responsibility for causing the war
Ethnic groups would vote on
which country to be governed by –
or if they wanted an independent
homeland
Mandate System




In 1919 Allies establish the League of
Nations to ensure stability.
Created a framework for Allies to control
defeated territories = Mandate System
Ended Turkish, German, and AustroHungarian imperialism.
Did not end all pre-war empires –
British/French retain and increase their
empires: their mandates became de facto
colonies.
Decisions, Shortcomings
and Effects
Major decisions and failures of the
Treaty of Versailles

Decisions







War Guilt Clause
Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
Polish Corridor created
Central Powers gave up colonies to Britain
German army limited to 100,000 men
German navy and air force restricted in size
Germany forced to surrender its entire Merchant Fleet
as compensation
Decisions continued

West Bank of Rhine to be demilitarized
–
15 year occupation by Allies
– Rhine remained part of Germany but no military action
was allowed (a buffer zone)



Germany and Austria not allowed to unify
League of Nations formed
Mandate System created
Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
–
Failures




The demilitarization of the Central Powers provided fuel
for future nationalism
Members of the League of Nations did not follow
through with military responsibilities, which limited the
effectiveness of the League to provide collective security
German pride hurt
Germany not prepared to accept humiliation
–

Hitler would use this to overthrow new German
government
Though some mandates soon became independent
states, many remained de facto colonies which would
lead to several conflicts before and after WWII
Effects of the War
–
International

10 million people dead in battle
–
20 million casualties
– plus dislocation deaths (ie. starvation)



200 billion dollars (today that would be well into the
trillions)
Ottoman Empire disintegrated
Austria-Hungary disintegrated
–
creation of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia; enlargement of
Romania, Bulgaria
Effects continued




Poland became independent from Russia/Germany
democratic rule replaced monarchy in Germany, AustriaHungary, and Turkey
Russia became communist
Germany forced to pay reparations and admit guilt
–

paid in full October 2010
refugees relocated
Changing Landscapes- Europe
and the Middle East




Drastic changes: Several independent states
created in central and eastern Europe.
Austria-Hungarian Empire = four
independent countries – Austria, Hungary,
Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia.
Poland regained independence.
In Middle East, Mandate system used
traditional borders to create small nationstates.
Other Treaties
The Treaties of Saint-Germain and
Trianon (1919 –1920)
Dealt with Austria and Hungary
 The Austro-Hungarian Empire ceased to
exist. Austria and Hungary became separate
and independent states. Much of their land
was given to the new nations of
Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia, as
well as to Romania and Italy
 Both countries had to reduce their
armaments and pay reparations
Treaty of Neuilly (1919)



Dealt with Bulgaria
Bulgarian land was given to Greece and
Yugoslavia
Bulgaria had to reduce armaments and pay
reparations
The Treaty of Sevres (1920)



Most of Turkeys land in Europe was given to
Greece and Turkish Straits were put under
League of Nations control
Turkey’s Arab lands became mandates of
the League of Nations and were put under
French and British rule
Allied armies were to occupy what was left of
Turkey – Asia Minor
Practice Questions
Practice Questions
1.
Which one of the following nations received
mandate territories under the League of
Nations Mandate system?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Britain
Turkey
Germany
Mesopotamia
Practice Questions
2. Which of the following words best reflects
the concept of nationalism?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Multiculturalism
Patriotism
Diversity
Logical
Practice Questions
3. Which of the following was not an ideal of
Wilson’s 14 Points?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Self-determination
World arms reduction
Large German reparations
A world made safe for democracy
Practice Questions
4. Which one of the following statements about
the Treaty of Versailles is true?
a.
b.
c.
d.
France reclaimed Alcase-Lorraine
The Rhineland remained militarized
Germany kept most of its Empire intact
Britain, France, and the US negotiated the treaty
with Germany