IB European History: WWI

Militarism

a political, diplomatic and social emphasis on military matters. Examples: Military spending, development of technology, general support for goals and plans of the nation's military with military leaders having considerable political influence.

Deterrence

this idea motivated European nations to build the largest militaries in history and they kept making them bigger to stay ahead of others. (This leads to an arms race because countries keep building up their militaries because they don't know why the other countries are building up their militaries and they want to be prepared).

HMS Dreadnought

A British warship that was so advanced it made all other warships obsolete. This became the warship to beat and the standard for what all other navies should be using. (This ship resulted in an arms race between Britain and Germany…if you controlled the water, you owned the war).

Conscription

The draft. This existed in Europe in 1914. Different countries changed the conscription by expanding the age of men that could be drafted. France changed the length of mandatory service from 2 to 3 years.

Germany's Emergence

(1913) Germany's trade equaled Britain's and outsold them in America. We bought more stuff from Germany than from the British. Germany needed a large navy to protect trade, so they built more ships. Weltpolitik--After the Scramble for Africa, Kaiser Wilhelm II made this Germany's World Policy to assert Germany's influence around the globe.

Moroccan Crisis (1906, 1911)

(1906) Kaiser Wilhelm II boldly proclaims that France's claims upon the nation should be revisited.

(1911) Wilhelm sends gunboat "Panther" to Moroccan part of Agadir to again question France's claim, Great Britain sides with France. Germany feels isolated and victimized and thinks the other European countries are going to team up and take Germany down. Germany decides it needs to act first so they can have their place in the sun.

Triple Alliance

(Bad guys) Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy. Been a thing since 1879, Italy joined in 1882.

Triple Entente (Entente Cordiale)

(Good guys) France, Russia, Great Britain. 1904 for Entente Cordiale, Russia joins in 1907.

First Balkan War (causes/outcomes)

(Causes) Italy tried to take Tripoli. Slavs want their own state

(Outcomes) Opportunistic Balkan League was formed (Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece) went to war with Turkey. Push Turkey out of Europe. Won Albania and Macedonia, most of the territory went to Bulgaria

Second Balkan War (causes/outcomes)

(Causes) Serbia is angry Bulgaria got most of the land from first Balkan War.

(Outcomes) Serbia defeated Bulgaria and took Macedonia. AH steps in to stop take over of Albania-would've given Serbia access to the sea. Russia initially comes to the aid of Serbia but backs down in the face of AH resolve. Albania becomes an independent state. AH steps in to ensure it remains independent, so AH can have access to the Mediterranean Sea. Serbia is seething and still wants its Pan-Slavic state.

Dragutin Dimitrijevic (Apis)

The Serbian Colonel that organized the group Black Hand

Black Hand

(also known as unity or death)--a terrorist organization whose aim was to unite Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Made up of 2500 members all sworn to secrecy. They controlled the Northern Serbian border so agents could get into Bosnia undetected.

Gavrilo Princip

Young Bosnian (19) that led the assassination in Sarajevo. Snuck into Bosnia 4 weeks prior to the assassination to get arms ready

Assassination in Sarajevo

June 28th. Ferdinand and wife Sophie arrive at 9:30 am. Bombing attack is deflected, injures car behind Archduke FF. They drive to town hall and yell at the mayor. Leave town hall and get lost. Pulled into an alley to turn around and Princips ran into them by accident. FF was shot twice, Sophie-stomach-FF-neck, both died on their way to the hospital.

Order of the "countdown for war"

1. July 6: German Blank check

2. July 23: Austrian Ultimatum to Serbia

3. July 26 12:01 am Serbia agrees to all except military inspection

4.Serbia appeals to Russia for assistance

5. July 29: Russia orders mobilization, WIlly-Nicky Telegrams begin

6. July 31: Willy demands the Russian Mobilization end

7. August 1: French give support to Russia (French Blank Check) & Russia continues mobilization

8.. August 1: Germany declares war on Russia & August 2: Schlieffen Plan executed and brings Belgium and France into the war

9. August 3: Britain vows to aid Belgium (1839), demand end to German advance, 24 hours to comply

10. 12:00 a.m., August 4, Germany does not reply, Britain declares war

11. THE WAR ENSUES! BOOM!!!

Schlieffen Plan (concept)

Germany's plan in case it got into a conflict with France. (concept) A wheel attack. Germany gambled and wanted to get to France through the Belgium border. Germany's right flank was supposed to travel the farthest and take Paris (which is hard). Since they have to travel the farthest and must leave troops at every city/place they take along the way, the bulk of Germany's army should be with the right flank, but they put the bulk of their army in the center (MISTAKE). Right flank gets bogged down very quickly.

Plan 17

France's plan. Isn't enough to challenge German fortifications in Alsace-Lorraine. Wanted to punch at the heart of Germany's defenses (Alsace-Lorraine). France hits the German fortifications and gets bogged down everywhere, so they dig in. This begins Trench Warfare.

Battle of the Marne

Major turning point in the war..this is when people realized the soldiers would not be home for Christmas and this would be a long conflict. Despite setbacks across the Western Front, Paris was in sight by September. French and British Armies turn south to flank the Germans and save Paris. September 5 the French and Germans met on the fields near the Marne River. (OUTCOMES) German advance stopped. 250 taxis bring troops to the front from Paris. Germans pushed back to the River Aisne. Both sides dug in--Trench Warfare.

Tannenburg/Masurian Lakes Campaign

1914-1916. Led by German Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff (important later). Victory is swift for Germany, Russian commander Samsonov kills himself. Russia is crushed and lines of battle push east.

Invasion of Galicia

Russians take this place, which is the southern door to Germany. AH also bogged down in Serbia-250,000 casualties. AH is a hindrance on Germany because they keep asking Germany to bail them out of bad situations.

Japan's involvement

Joins the Allied Powers because it wants to take China. They attack German holdings in China and begin infrastructure for later Chinese campaigns.

US troops impact in 2nd Battle of the Marne

By July, 250,000 fresh dough boys were cramming the lines every month. On July 18 when Foch ordered the counter offensive, John J. Pershing and 85,000 US troops led the charge. The allies offensive continued until late October when the Germans were pushed all the way back to their own borders.

Germany's desire for "peace without victory" (6 things)

1. No sever treaties

2. Freedom of the seas

3. End of tariffs

4. Reduction of weapons

5. Self rule/determination, end of imperialism

6. Coup de grace: league of nations to end it all

Versailles Treaty, all its fun parts

300 pages long….

Set up the League of Nations

Clauses 1-26 set up the league

Referred to ever after as the "Covenant of the League"

The imposed peace

Germany to give land to five neighbors

Three given over to the league of nations

Danzig (Gdansk, Poland)

Kaiser Wilhelm Land

German East Africa

Separated by Polish Corridor

Land Germany took from Russia in Brest-Litovsk was set up as independent

Germany's army and navy cut back to nearly nothing…

100,000 in army

6 battleships

No subs, no airforce

Rhineland was DMZ

Germany forever forbidden to ally with Austria

Clause 231 laif the guilt of the war at the feet of the Germans

Thanks to guilt, time to pay up: reparations

Amount was to be set by a specially commissioned committee

Set in 1920 at 56 billion dollars

Diktat

Dictated Peace. If the Germans refused to sign, Allies threatened invasion of Germany and occupation. June 28 in Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, Clemenceau calls in the Germans and they tremblingly sign the treaty. Clemenceau retires to the rose garden outside the hall and is quoted by newspapers as immediately announcing, "what a beautiful day!"

League of Nations

Mutual aid and diplomacy in international relations

Geneva Conventions

Rules that apply in time of armed conflicts. They protect people.

Collective Security

All members pledge to help any member if threatened

Endorse economic sanctions

Territorial integrity of all nations would be supported

Great Britain

Launched the HMS Dreadnought. Its capacity for industrialization decreased immensely. Joins Triple Entente in 1907.

Germany

Its steel production increased by 329% between 1890 and 1913. They increased their trade so much so that in 1913 it was equal to Britain's; they needed a large Navy to protect their trade. In 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II takes over. He wants Germany to be the major power; he also feels they are under-represented in Africa. As a result, he issues "Weltpolitik" which is a world policy to assert Germany's influence around the globe. In 1911, he sends the gunboat "Panther" to the Moroccan port of Agadir to question France's claims on Morocco (again). Great Britain sides with France, which makes Germany feel isolated and victimized. In 1879, Germany joined the Triple Alliance.

Russia

Had 1.2 Million in military, but it was hard for the military to mobilize because of the lack of organization. By 1916, they were making 10 times as many artillery shells over the previous year. Russia wanted to expand its influence in the Balkans. In the first Balkan War, Russia helped Serbia, but then backed down because of the force of A-H resolve. Joins Triple Entente in 1907.

Austria-Hungary

Owned part of the Balkans (Ottoman Empire owned the other part(, but wanted to expand their influence. Joined Triple Alliance in 1879.

France

lagged behind significantly. They tried to remain a power, but they keep getting steamrolled. Incompetent when it comes to military affairs. Waning in power, lagging behind in production, look to form alliances to make up for their weakness

International Arms Race

Result of militarism and deterrence. Started because Britain launched the HMS Dreadnought and Germany got nervous. Both these nations' Navies grew by 197% between 1900 and 1914.

ANZAC's

Australian and New Zealander Army Corps (known as hard fighters); Australia was a dominion of Britain, so they automatically went to war with them

Westerners vs. Easterners

debate among the allies on how to break the stalemate. Westerners: need larger armies for forceful assaults, traditional view of warfare under such conditions and stalemates are broken by men. Easterners' wanted a new front in Turkey and led mostly by young politicians who wanted to break the Ottoman and help the Russians destroy the G/A-H efforts in the East.

Espionage Act, 1917

prohibited aid to the enemy, insubordination, disloyalty, and refusal of duty to armed service. Mail could be searched. Punishment was 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Sedition Act, 1918

suspended habeas corpus and expanded the penalties. Prohibited speaking out against liberty bonds, saying or writing anything that was "disloyal" to the American form of government, the Constitution, the Army or the Navy.

Gallipoli Campaign

Goals: (1) Capture Constantinople and knock Turkey out of the war. (2) Reopen supply routes to Russia. (3) If Turkey is defeated, get neutral countries (Greece and Bulgaria) to join the Allies, and they will invade AH. This is Churchill's plan, but it fails. Stage 1 (Feb 1915): French and Russia send their navies to attack the peninsula, but the fleet had to retreat when Turkish mines take out three battleships. Stage 2 (April 1915) Returned to take it by land from the sea (sometimes called the first D-Day). They gain a perimeter around the peninsula, but at a tragic cost. Turks lose 10,000 men and ANZACs lose 590. Bad planning on both sides again leads to a stalemate. Stage 3 (August Offensive) Designed to break the stalemate. The British commander landed 20,000 British troops at Suvla Bay in the north. The Turks counter attack and nothing is gained. The British commander could have advanced, but literally stopped to nap. Turks move their French line up and surround the Brits. December 1915--British give up and start a withdrawal. Gone by Jan. 1916 with nothing to show for it.

Poison Gas (3 Varieties)

Chlorine, Mustard, Phosphine

Machine guns

Could fire 600 rounds/minute

Tanks

Developed by the Brits in 1915, but can't make enough of them to make a difference

Uses of the Airplane

Used for recons, machine guns, grenades, and bombs

Battle of the Jutland

1916: Reinhard von Scheer wants to engage the Brits and free up the North Sea. Germans bait the Brits with small fleet to attack. It works, but the Brits know what's coming--they had broken the German naval code. Brits lose 6,000 men and 14 ships of 151 men. Germans lose 2,500 men and 15 ships of 99 men. Germans retreat. Brits left in command of North Sea. Germans forced to reconsider unrestricted sub warfare.

Tribal Glee: the Spirit of August

All the countries are excited. There are parades in almost every capital city.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

Germans were exercising this, US demanded and end to it and Germany agreed for the time being. A ferry boat between Britain and France (The Sussex)was sunk by German U-Boats in March of 1916 and US pledged to end diplomatic relations with Germany if they did not end the practice.The Sussex Pledge was then made and the Germans promised to end USWF as long as Britain allows food through blockade, but in January of 1917 they felt forced to break the pledge because of Jutland and the Somme and in February of 1917 they resumed USWF

Battle of Verdun

February to December of 1916: Germany's plan to break France's will to fight by striking. 40 million artillery shells exchanged; the outcome resulted in a French victory at a tremendous cost: 550,000 French lost. (longest and largest battle of WWI)

Battle of the Somme

July 1916 to February 1917: goal to draw Germans off Verdun and break the Northern line (hit the German lines with artillery until they are dead in the trenches); Result: German Army is broken- Allied Army set up for victory but can not find new troops to do so.

Russian Revolution

consisted of two revolutions in 1917: one to overthrow the imperial government under Tsar Nicholas II and one to place the Bolsheviks into power.

February Revolution

the first of the two revolutions in Russia during 1917: collapse of Tsar Nicholas II autocratic rule.

Alexander Kerensky

Prime Minister of Russia in July 1917

October Revolution

the second revolution in Russia of 1917: Bolshevik party gained power in Russia, led by Lenin, and inaugurated the Soviet regime.

Nivelle Offensive

(April 1917) 1.2 million French troops push to break the line, but fail when troops mutiny (socialist undercurrents). Socialists across Europe are divided on the war but soon are ll against it.

Philippe Petain

Becomes General in Chief in 1819. Stark furlows, rotates the German troops around French battlefields, increases rotations. Brings a restoration of order.

Lusitania

(May 7, 1915) British passenger ship torpedoed by German U-boat (because they believed it was carrying ammunition) on the way to Britain from New York; 1,100 people died (128 Americans) > caused U.S to become anti-German;