th4 ch1 from a European to world conflict

Why did the first world war have a profound impact on world history?

The great war was a conflict that was fought on land, sea, and air, and it redefined warfare itself proving to be a catalyst for radical political, social and economic change across europe. It was the first 'total war' of teh 20th century

Who was the ruler of the united kingdom at the begining of the first world war?

King George the 5th

Who was the leader of Germany at the start of the first world war?

Wilhelm the 2nd

Who was an important figure that opposed himself against the 'great war'?

Jean Jaurès, a french french member of the working class

Who was the emperor of Austrian Hungary at the begining of the first world war?

Franz Joseph I

Who was the prime minister of the united kingdom at the begining of the first world war?

Herbert Asquith

Why were there nationalist tensions in Serbia? Who were they directed towards?

Bosnia, which had once been a part of Serbia was annexed by Austrian Hungary. This was obviously opposed by the Serbians who grew to resent Austrian Hungary. Also the Balkans crisis

Who was the leader of France at the begining of the first world war?

Raymond Poincaré, the president

What event finally leads to the explosion of tensions between Austrian Hungary and serbia?

Franz Joseph I learns that his nephew France Ferdinand and wife have been assassinated in Serayevo Bosnia on June 28th by a Bosnian nnationalist who had been encouraged by Serbian conspirators. His nephew was his heir. On July 23rd after a refused ultimatum Austrian Hungary declares war on Serbia

How did the first couple declarations of war go?

Austrian Hungary was the first to declare war on Serbia. Next Russia declared war non Austrian Hungary because it was allies with Serbia, and then it declared war on Germany

What are the primary reasons for the begining of the first world war?

Amongst other crises that increased the tensions

• Militarism

• Alliances

• Imperialism

• Nationalism

Militarism

it means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government

What were the primary countries involved in militarism?

The growing euro décide had led to an arms race between the main countries. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914 and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas.

The competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas

The britihad introduced Dreadnought, an effective battleship in 1906. The Germans soon followed introducing their own battleships

The Schlieffen plan

The Germans Von Schlieffen drew up a plan of action that involved attacking France through Belgium if Russia made an attack on Germany. When this plan was carried out Belgium responded with a declaration of war on Germany, and since the UK had been so involved in trying to use it as a buffer state it to declared war on Germany

Alliance

An agreement made between two or more countries to give eachother help if it is needed

Why did alliances play a big part in the begining of world war one?

A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because it meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies declared war first

Imperialism

When a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule

Why did imperialism lead to increased tensions between countries?

By 1900 the British empire had extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of africa. With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets. The amount of land 'owned' by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to aquire colonies late and only had small areas of africa

Nationalism

Means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of ones country.

What two events later led to increased nationalism?

• The congress of Vienna 1815

• The settlement at the end of the Franco Prussian war

How was the congress of Vienna involved in nationalism?

Held after Napoleon's exile to Elba, it aimed to sort out problems in Europe. Delegates from Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia (the winning alls) decided upon a new Europe that left Germany and Italy as devided states. Strong nationalist elements led to the re-unification of Italy in 1861 and Germany in 1871

How did the settlement at the end of the franco Prussian war increase nationalism?

it left France angry at the loss of Alsace Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory

Why was there nationalism In Austria-Hungary and Serbia?

They were both home to differing nationalist groups, all of whom wanted freedom from the states in which they lived, or wanted to reclaim old territories

What were crises that increased the tensions between countries in the years leading gup to world war one?

• The moroccan crisis

• The balkan crisis

Moroccan crisis

In 1904 Morocco had been given to France by Britain, but the Moroccans wanted their independance. In 1905, Germany announced her support of that independance. War was narrowly avoided by a conference which allowed France to retain possession of Morocco. Britain supported France and Germany was persuaded to back down for part of French Congo

The balkanThe Balkans crisis

In 1908, Austria-Hungary took over the former Turkish province of Bosna. This angered the Serbians who felt that the province should be theirs. Serbia threatened Austria Hungary with war, Russia allied to Serbia, mobilized it's forces. Germany, allied to A-H mobilized it's forces and prepared to threaten Russia. War was avoided when Russia backed down. There was, however, war in the Balkans between 1911 and 1912 when the Balkan states drove Turkey out of the area. The states then fought each other over which area should belong to which state. A-H then intervened and forced Serbia to give up some of it's acquisitions

What was Japans role in the first world war?

It participated from 1914 to 1918 in an alliance with the entente powers and played an important role in securing the sea lanes in the west pacific and indian Oceans against the Imperial German navy as a member of the allies. Politically, the japanes empire seized the opportunity to expand it'd sphere of influence In China anf to gain recognition as a great power in postwar geopolitics

What was China's role in WW1?

it participated from 1917 to 1918 in an alliance with the Entente powers. Although China never sent troops overseas 140 000 Chinese labourers (as part of the British army, the Chinese labour corps) served for both British and french forces before the end of the war.

Who spearheaded china's involvment in WW1?

While neutral since 1914, Duane Qirui, Premier of the republic of China wanted to integrate china with Europe and the United states declaring on the side of the allies against the central powers. On 14 of august 1917, China ended it'd neutrality declaring war on the German empire and Austro-Hungarian empire

Which side was the ottoman empire on during world war 1?

The Austria-Hungary and Germany

Who dominated the middle east before the first world war?

Before WW1 the area was mostly ruled by the ottoman empire. This was a Turkish dominated empire facing a decline, and was nicknamed the 'sick man of europe'

What did the British do in the middle east during the first world war?

It sought assistance from various groups during this period of change. Three key pledges were made

• The McMahon Hussein agreement of October 1915

• The Secret Sykes Picot agreement in1916

• On Nov 2 1917 the Balfour declaration

Thr Mchamon Hussein agreement of October 1915

It was accepted by the Palestinians as a promise by the British that after world war one, land previously held by the Turks would be returned to the arab nationals who lived in that land

What led to the McMahon Hussein agreement?

The britisThe British played the card of arab nationalism against the Turks. In 1914 Lord Kitchener wrote a letter to the ruler of Mecca, Sheriff Hussein, offering British help. T.E Lawrence, a british officer was sent to help the Arabs in sabotage work against the Turks. He became known as Lawrence of arabia. In 1915 some British officials promised Hussein he would rule over an arab ststate including Palestine if he held a revokt against the ottoman ruler, which he did. The same year Mchahon promised the arab leadership post war indépendance for former ottoman arab provinces

The Secret Sykes-Picot agreement

It was between the war victors : Britain and France, and devided the region under their joint control

The Balfour declaration

It stated that 'his majesty's' government viewed with favour the estanlishemet of a national home for Jewish people in Palestine. It was the first significant declaration by a world power in favour of a 'jewish national home' in what was known as Palestine

Who was McMahon

Sir Henry Mchahon, the British commissionner in Egypt

At the end of the war what had happened as a result of the three key pledges the British had made?

Two distinct schools of throught had developed regarding Palestine

• That the British had promised Palestine to the Arabs after the war had ended in return for their support to the Allies in the war

• That the British had agreed to give their support to the Jews for a homeland in Palestine

What ended up happening with the territory of Palestine after the war?

The League of Nations gave Palestine to the British to govern as a mandate, leaving many Palestinians feeling betrayed by the British government . At the same time many Jews started to enter Palestine as a result of what they believed the Balfour declaration had offered them; the British were left to ensure law and order was guaranteed in Palestine, something they found increasingly difficult to do

What is Zionism?

The jewish project to create an indépendant state

Puppet state

Officially fully indépendant, but they are actually being controlled by another state

What did the Allies create in an effort to cooperate?

The League of Nations, based in Geneva. The USA never joined and it was dismantled after WW2

Why did the USA join world war I?

The sinking of the Lusitania, a civilian ship, by a German submarine. Nationalism. To defend it's principle such as democracy

How did WWI become more global?

• European powers mobilized colonial troops (some opposed this so the powers promised colonial powers improved living conditions)

• Japan joining the Entente

• The United states in April of 1917

• Some latin aamerican states such as Brazil

• The war was also in the ottoman empire

• Also in africa (Cameroon, east africa, south Africa)

• Also at sea

• British emerging victorious in the Falkland islands against Germany

Why would 1917 end up becoming a watershed in WWI?

• The USA joined the war in April

• The Russian revolutions

The full duration of the Russian civil war

1917 - 1923 the victory of the red army and the official formation of the USSR

Why 1917 a key moment in Russian history?

Two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting into motion social and political changed that would lead to the formation of the soviet union. This took place in a few short months, but social unrest in Russia had been simmering for decades

The context and origins of the first revolution in Russia

When Russia industrialisés much later than Western Europe an the united States, around the turn of the 20th century it brought with it immense social and political changes. Between 1890 and 1910, for example, the population of major Russian cities such as st petersbrug and Moscow nearly doubled, resulting in overcrowding and destitute living conditions for a new class of Russian industrial workers. It was one of the most impovrished countries in Europe

Bloody Sunday massacre

1905, large protest by Russian workers against the monarchy led to it. Hundreds of unarmed protesters were killed or wounded by the Czar's troops

What happened after the bloodshed of 1905?

Czar Nicholas II promised the formation of a series of representative assemblies = dumas, to work toward reform

Short tiers causes of the revolution in russia

• Russia joining the war

• Loss of faith in the czar

Why was Russia joining WWI in August 1914 in support of the Serbs and their french and British allies disastrous for it's empire?

Militarly it was no match for industrialized Germany, and there were casualties that sustained than any nation in any previous war. Food and fuel shortages plagued Russia as inflation mounted. The economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war effort

Why did people loose faith in Czar Nicholas during WWI?

he left theh Russian capital in 1915 to take command of the Russian army front. Most Russians had lost faith in him because government corruption was rampant, the economy remained backwards, and he repeatedly dissolved the Duma

The February revolution

Began on March 8th 1917. Demonstrators clamouring for bread took to the streets of Petrograd. Supported by huge crowds of striking industrial workers, the protesters crashed with the police but refused to leave the streets. On march 11 the troops of the Petrograd army garrison were called out to quell the uprising

What happened after the February revolution in Russia?

The Duma formed a provisional government on March 12. Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne a few days later. The leaders of the provisional government established a liberal programme of rights such as freedom of speech, equality before the law and the right of unions ot organize and strike. They opposed violent social revolution

The bolchevic revolution

On November 6 and 7 leftist révolutionnaires led by Vladimir Lenin launched a nearly bloodless coup d'etat against the Duma's provisional government

What did Lenin, leader of the bolchevik party, do after his successful coup d'etat?

Teh provisional government had been assembled by a group of leaders from Russia's bourgeois capitalist class. Lenin instead called for a soviet government that would be ruled directly by councils of soldiers, peasants and workers. A new government formed with Lenin at it's head

What happened in Russia shortly after the bolchevik revolution?

Civil war broke out in late 1917. The warring factions :

• The red army fought for the Lenin bolchevik government

• The white army which was supported by capitalist countries represented a large group of loosely allied forces including monarchists, capitalists, and supporter of democratic socialism

How did the Russian civil war end?

It ended in 1923 with Lenin's red army claiming victory and establishing the soviet union

Why were the Russian revolution key historical movements not only in Russian history but in world history in the long term?

They paved the way for the rise of communism as an influential political beliefs system around the world. It set the stage for the rise of the soviet union as a world power that would fo head-to-head with the united states during the cold war 1947-1991

How did the Russian revolutions change the balance of power in Europe? Who else did the same?

Germany had one less front, so they were closer to winning. The USA also shifted the balance by sending aid to the Allies