World War I and Effects

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• Allied powers:

  • Great Britain, France, Russia, Serbia, Italy, Greece, Czekoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Japan, US, Romania

    • Italy joined for the A-H territory

    • US joins after Russia leaves

• Central Powers:

  • Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria

• The Fronts:

  • Western: France/GB/US vs. Germany

  • Eastern: Russia/Serbia/Romania vs. Germany/A-H/Bulgaria

  • Middle East: GB vs. Ottoman Empire

  • Southern: Italy vs. A-H

Early Battles (1914-1915)

• Western:

  • The Marne: GB/F stop Germany’s advance to Paris.

    • Germany fails at preventing a two front war, leading to 500k casualties

  • Ypres: Germay began chemical warfare. Results in 1,000,000 casualties.

• Eastern:

  • Tannenberg: Germany stops Russia’s advance, leading to 150k deaths.

  • Masurian Lakes: Germany advances East, crushes 250k Russians.

• South:

  • Serbian Campaign: A-H/Bulg decimate Serbia with 300k casualties.

  • Asiago: Ita/A-H stalemate, 250k casualties

  • Gallipoli (OE): France/GB fail at capturing Istanbul from OE, 500k casualties

Bloody Year of 1916

West:

• Verdun: France wins 11 month definite battle versus Germany, 300k dead.

• Jutland: Largest naval fight ever, 150 GB ships vs 100 G ships

• Somme: 150k killed on each side. GB lost 20k soldiers in one hour.

  • GB’s worst lost in military history. First time tanks are used.

East:

• Brusilov offesnive: Russia decimates 700,000 A-H, but with the cost of 1.4 million Russian calsulaties.

Ottoman Empire:

• Armenian Genocide: 1.5 Christians systematically killed

  • Ottoman Empire never punished

• Palestine Campaign: OE tried to get Suez Canal, fails, and GB retaliates and eventually controls all of ME, killing 700k inhabitants.

Bolshevik Revolution

• After 1.7 million casualties, the Russians revolt. → Tsar Nicholas II and all family are executed.

• Red October 1917: Soviet Union born under Vladimir Lenin.

• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Russia ended participation in WWI & gave lang/money to central powers.

  • Russia’s Civil War (1917-1923): Communist Reds under Trotsky vs White Tsarists, independence movements, foreign intervention.

  • Reds win but there are 3,000,000 casualties.

USA Factors

• Between 1914-1917, the US was isolationist but:

  • Loaned GB/F $500 million each

  • In 1915, RMS Lusitania sunk by Germany’s U-Boat, killing 1.2k (140 from USA)

    • Riled up people about joining the war.

• Naval Blockade on Germany by GB had G desperate due to food scarcity.

  • Only port blocked

    • Malnutrition deaths.

• → Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare. 100 submarines destroyed 120+ US GB boundships per month bringing allies food/arms.

  • Pissed off the US.

• Zimmerman Telegram: Message to Mexican Ambassador from G trading SW USA for Germany’s allegiance

  • GB spies intercepted and showed USA

US joins

• Germany knew she had to strike quickly because US was sending 10k men per day.

  • Caporetto: Germany used chemical warfare, captured 250k Italians.

  • German spring offensive (1918): 50 new divisions free from eastern front, Germany’s last attempt to break wastern front.

    • Shelled Paris with railway guns.

    • Sent army to get France before US joins.

• In 1914, there were 200k US soldiers. By 1918, there were 2 million soldiers in Europe.

  • 100 day offensive: Germany could not sustain spring offesnive gains.

  • US joins war, Germany taken aback.

  • August 1918, Allies countered & met western front with:

    • 400+ tanks

    • 120k troops

    • Took 100k Germans prisoners

Final Days

09/26: Allies break Germany’s line

09/28: Germany’s own generals recommend that KWII surrendor

10/6: Yugoslavia declares independence from A-H

10/7: Poland declares independence from Germany

10/23: Italy captures 300k A-Hs, counters A-H

10/28: Czekoslovakia declares independence from G/A-H

10/30: Ottoman Empire agrees armistice.

11/1: Hungary declares independence from A-H

11/3: A-H agrees to armstice

11/9: KWII abdicates

11/11: 11/11 at 11:00 Germany signs armstice

Beginning of WWI

End of WWI

Effects of WWI:

Wilson’s 14 Points:

• Wilson proposed change to the purpose of the war from vengeful disputes to moral aims. Notable points:

  • Reduce Arms

  • fix Belgium

  • Alsace-Lorraine to France

  • Sovereignty in Balkans

  • Existence of Poland

  • League of Nations

• Non-US allies were skeptical of applicability

Political Results of the War:

• Collapsed Empires:

  • Russia

  • Germany

  • Austria-Hungary

  • Ottoman Empire

• 11 new countries:

  • Austria

  • Hungary

  • Poland

  • Yugoslavia

  • Finland

  • Turkey

  • USSR

  • Lithuania

  • Estonia

  • Czechoslovakia

  • Latvia

Consequences

• Balance of power gone. New states have ethnic rivalries within.

• Republicanism is on the rise. Faith in monarchy is gone.

• League of Nations set up in Geneva, Switzerland (1920) to resolve disputes but:

  • Nationalism is sitll radicalizing

  • France & GB kept their colonies

Economic Results

Allies’ Total Cost in Billions:

• USA: 22

• GB: 35

• France: 24

• Russia: 22

• Italy: 12

Central Powers’ Total Cost in Billions:

• Germany: 37

• A-H: 20

• OE: 1.5

• All powers took out loans, especially from the US. This dept repayment creates tension in 1920s, especially for Germany.

• Large amounts of land/indusry were destroyed where war was fought. Decline of Europe, rise of America.

Social Results:

• Lost Generation:

  • 10 milllion soldiers dead

  • 7 million civilians dead

  • 50-100 million killed by Spanish Flu

• Consequences:

  • Dependents needed the gov’t. Scoial democracy born.

  • Improved waves, insurance, and conditions for workers.

  • Avoided strikes because gov’t dependent on industry for military.

  • Women operated male-dominated jobs.

    • 19th amendment 1920.

    • More opportunity for women

Expectations of Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles: 01/1919: 27 nations met in france for settlement.

Expectations of Allies:

• GB (Lloyd George):

  • Blame Germany, want KWII dead

  • Destroy G navy

  • Have G pay debts back

  • Divide G’s colonies amongst winners

• France (Clemenceau):

  • Want revenge & balme Germany

  • Reclame Alsace-Lorraine

  • Divide Germany’s colonies amongst winners

  • Reparations to rebuilt France.

• USA (Wilson):

  • Don’t blame G

  • Minimal reparations for G so that G didn’t seek revenge.

  • League of Nations

  • Dismantle all armies.

Reality of Treaty of Versailles

1. German colonial empire shared by allies

2. Alsace-Lorraine & Saar to France

3. Germany split

4. Germany has $33B debt

5. Navy/Air Force dismantled

6. Austria can’t unite with Germany

7. Rhineland dismantled

8. Germany blamed for war

9. League of Nations created to solve disputes

Results: Strengths and Weaknesses

→ Peace in European Union (League of Naitons as international court)

→ More sovereignty (less empires)

→ No immediate threat from Germany

Strengths:

1. Arguably just: Instead of giving France Rhineland, it was demilitarized.

2. Not as harsh as the ToB-L

3. First time something like League of Nations was attempted

Weaknesses:

1. LON had no army, therefore no authority for its decisions.

2. Ita & Japan resented ToV because expectations were unmet for joining allies.

3. US did not ratify because it preferred isolationism.

4. Germany too exposed, too helpless, would react badly

5. Allies thought Germany would abide the ToV

6. No one got their way, all left angrier