WORLD WAR 1

IMPORTANT ONLY

TIMELINE

1914-1918

World War I

symbolizes the tragic irrationality of war. It fascinates scholars of IR because it was a catastrophic war that seems unnecessary and perhaps even accidental

COUNTRIES INVOLVED

Central Powers

• Germany

• Austria-Hungary

• Ottoman Empire

• Bulgaria

Allied Powers

• France

• United Kingdom (and its dominions: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa)

• Russia (until 1917)

• Italy (joined Allies in 1915)

• United States (joined 1917)

• Japan

1. TRIPLE ALLIANCES

2. TRIPLE ENTETE

1. TRIPLE ALLIANCE

• Germany

• Austria-Hungary

• Italy (switched sides in 1915)

2. TRIPLE ENTETE

   • France

   • Russia

   • United Kingdom (Britain)

Debunked Beliefs of WW1

There was even a popular feeling that Europe would be uplifted and reinvigorated by a war—that young men could once again prove their manhood on the battle field in a glorious adventure.

The previous major war

Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871

• When Germany executed a swift offensive using railroads to rush forces to the front. That war had ended quickly, decisively, and with a clear winner (Germany).

FUELS OF WAR

People expected that a new war would follow the same pattern. Happened in Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871

THAT’S WHY:

THAT’S WHY:

• All the great powers made plans for a quick rail road-borne offensive and rapid victory—what has been called the CULT OF THE OFFENSIVE.

• They believed that the one to strike first would win. Under these doctrines, one country’s mobilization for war virtually forced its enemies to mobilize as well.

FUELS OF WAR

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in 1914

• When a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in 1914 in Sarajevo, a minor crisis escalated and the mobilization plans pushed Europe to all-out war.

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro Hungarian throne, and her wife Sophie, were assassinated by a 19-year old Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip.

• A group of assassins, including Princip had plotted to kill the archduke, helped by a nationalist group called the Black Hand.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

Contrary to expectations

the war was neither short nor decisive, and certainly not glorious.

Example:

• Trench Warfare - In France

• Battle of Passchendaele (Belgium) - the British in three months fired five tons of artillery shells per yard of front line, over an 11-mile-wide front, and then lost 400,000 men in a failed ground attack. The horrific conditions were worsened by chemical weapons and by the attempts of Britain and Germany to starve each other’s population into surrender.

US, RUSSIA and PEAK OF WAR

• Russia was the first state to crumble and leave the war

• US Entry

• Treaty of Versailes

• Revolution at home removed Russia from the war in 1917 (and led to the founding of the SOVIET UNION).

• But the entry of the UNITED STATES into the war on the anti-German side that year quickly turned the tide.

• In the of 1919, TREATY OF VERSAILES Germany was forced to give up territory, pay reparations, limit its future armaments, and admit guilt for the war.

MAJOR BATTLES

MAJOR BATTLES

1. GERMANY’S SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

2. BRITAIN’S ENTRY

1. Germany declared war on France. To avoid the French fortifications along the French-German border, the troops had to cross Belgium and attack the French Army by the north

2. Britain, which was bound to guard the neutrality of Belgium, entered the war. Belgium’s small Army could not defeat the invaders, but they did manage to slow them down. Despite their resistance and the British Army's help, the German troops soon invaded the country, which remained in their hands

FIRST BATTLE OF MARNE

• The battle developed after Germany weakened its northern forces by moving divisions to Belgium and East Prussia

OUTCOMES

• The battle was a strategic victory for the Allies as Paris was saved and the Schlieffen Plan failed.

• Germany lost its chance for a quick victory but continued to control much of northeastern France, including industrial regions.

• The First Battle of the Marne marked the beginning of stalemate and trench warfare that dominated the Western Front

TRENCH WARFARE & DEADLOCK

The Western Front became a deadlock, with both armies entrenched in defensive positions that stretched around 475 miles from the North Sea to Switzerland.

Trench warfare emerged as both a necessity and a strategy, giving soldiers protection from artillery, rifles, and machine guns, but also locking the war into stalemate.

A typical British trench was about 6 feet deep and 3.5 feet wide, often built in a zigzag pattern to limit enemy fire and blast effects

GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

• Where: Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey

• Who: Allies (Britain, France, ANZAC) vs. Ottoman Empire (with German advisers)

• Goal: Capture Dardanelles Strait to open a supply route to Russia and force Ottomans out of WWI

• What happened: Naval attacks failed → Allied troops landed but faced strong Ottoman defense under Mustafa Kemal → stalemate in harsh conditions

• Result: Heavy casualties (~500,000 total), no strategic gain, Allies evacuated → major Ottoman victory and Allied failure

Battle of Verdun (Feb–Dec 1916)

• Where: Northeastern France (Western Front)

• Who: Germany vs. France

• Goal: Germany aimed to exhaust France (“bleed France white”)

• Result: French victory after 10 months; ~700,000 casualties; symbol of French resistance and a brutal war of attrition.

Battle of Somme

• Where: Along the Somme River, Northern France (Western Front)

• Who: Britain and France vs. Germany

• Goal:

  • Break through German trench lines.

  • Relieve pressure on French forces at Verdun.

• What happened:

  • Began with week-long artillery bombardment (over 1.5 million shells).

  • First day casualties: ~57,000 British soldiers (worst day in British military history).

  • First use of tanks in battle (by the British), though limited in impact.

  • Fighting dragged on for over four months in brutal trench conditions.

• Result:

  • Allies advanced only about 6 miles.

  • Casualties: Over 1 million combined (killed, wounded, missing).

  • Became a symbol of the futility of frontal assaults in trench warfare and the huge human cost for minimal gains.

OTHER FRONTS

• Italian Front

• Eastern Front

• Asian & Pacific Front

• African Front

TREATY OF VERSAILLES

The treaty was negotiated mainly by the “Big Four”

• Woodrow Wilson (U.S.),

• David Lloyd George (U.K.),

• Georges Clemenceau (France),

• Vittorio Orlando (Italy)