World War I and the Russian Revolutions

Why did the major countries want a war?

Militarism, Imperialism, Social Darwinism, Nationalism

Militarism (motivation for WWI)

Countries (Germany, France, Britain) that spent money on their militaries wanted to see a return on their investment

Imperialism (motivation for WWI)

Countries that had empires had advantages in industrialism; Germany especially felt cheated (nations that were formed later did not form empires)

Social Darwinism (motivation for WWI)

European countries wanted to prove that their country was more evolved + superior to all of the other ones

Nationalism (motivation for WWI)

Many groups in Europe felt that the war would give them an opportunity to create their identity

Germany’s alliance

Germany allied with Austria-Hungary; moved away from Russia and signed treaties with Italy

French alliance

Russia allied with France because of the Franco-Prussian War, Britain allied with France because of German naval buildup

German war plan

Schlieffen plan - mobilize faster than anyone (particularly Russia) and take Paris immediately

French war plan

Plan XVII - march toward Berlin

English war plan

Protect French ports/send small army to France

Russian war plan

March west, take Berlin

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand

The Austrian archduke was touring Sarajevo when the Black Hand organized his assassination to bring attention to Serbian nationalism. He and his wife were shot, allowing Austria an excuse to invade Serbia.

The Black Hand

Serbian terrorist group that organizad the assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Gavrilo Princip

Killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife

Effect of assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Austria was given an excuse to invade Serbia. They first asked Germany, because they knew that this would aggravate Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm II gave Austria the “black check”, so Austria gave Serbia a strict ultimatum with Germany’s backing.

The chain reaction (after Austrian invasion of Serbia)

1. Czar Nicholas II mobilized his troops and took them to the border to threaten Austria.

2. Kaiser Wilhelm II mobilized and moved into France through Belgium.

3. Britain declared war on Germany (without permission from France).

The 1st Battle of the Marne

Took place in 1914, German forces forced to pursue retreating forces to the Marne river, set up trenches, became the setting of the front for the next 4 years of war, impossible to get through No Man’s Land = war greatly prolonged

The Battle of Tannenberg

Took place in 1914, Russians defeated by Germans in East Prussia

significant because, if Russian forces would have won, they would have captured Berlin and the war would have been over

The Sinking of the Lusitania

Took place in 1915, Germans used submarines to sink the Lusitania in retaliation to British blockades; Germans forced not to attack any ships sailing neutral flags; American opinion turned against Germans

The Battle of Gallipoli

Took placee in 1915 and early 1916; Churchill wanted to knock Turkey out of the war and take resources to Russia; enlisted ANZACS, who got demolished; pulled out in 1916

The Battle of the Somme

Took place in 1916; first Love Battle; British offensive at a specific spot on the Somme; destroyed the environment and killed thousands; called a “love battle” because on had to have immense love for one’s country in order to throw themselves at the enemy line so carelessly

The Battle of Verdun

Took place in 1916; the second “Love Battle”; Germans attacked the city of Verdun, because it was historically significant to the French and they knew that the French would never surrender it; 1 million casualties from British and French forces alone, and serious damage on German army as well

The Battle of Jutland

Only major naval battle of WWI; German navy tried to outsmart British navy using cruisers to lure them to battleships, British found out about the plan and brought out their battle ships ahead of time; Germans still held their own, but never attacked the British navy again

German Two Year Plan (for 1917 and 18)

1917 - Get Russia out of the war

1918 - Blockade Britain and France to weaken them in preparation for a 1918 offensive attack (through unrestricted submarine warfare)

The Zimmerman Note

Germans sent a telegram to Mexico asking them to declare war on America in return for much of southern America; British intercepted the telegram (and knew the code); Mexico refused; British sent the note to Woodrow Wilson to get America to join the war

AEF

American army that USA spent one year building, sent to Europe in one unit in 1918

Russian Revolutions

Czar abdicated after he lost control of the army and the populace, who were starving and destitute; provisional government took over for 5 months, but failed to pull out of the war; Lenin + communists took over in October and pulled out, giving large amounts of territory to the Germans

1918 German offensive

Large break for German forces; found that British and French forces were not as starved as they had been led to believe; American forces slowed down German forces, allowing Brits and French to return; long term effect = severely dropped morale of German army

11:00, November 11, 1918

Fighting ended; Turkish, Austrian, and German forces surrendered

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Signed on March 3, 1918; Russia pulled out of war + gave up large amounts of territory to Britain

Total War

the economy of a country is entirely committed to winning the war

Most of the damage from WWI was in….

France :(

Rationing

Trying to get your people to use less of something so that it could be used for the war effort

The Treaty of Versailles

Took place on June 28, 1919; winning countries (Britain, France, USA, Italy, and Japan) placed reparations on losing countries (Germany), disarmament, and redrew map of Europe (Austria and Ottoman Empire dissolved)

Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Point Plan

Redraw map and create more independent countries open to international trade

League of Nations

Get ride of alliances

Total disarmament for all countries

League of Nations

An organization of countries where they could air out their grievances rather than fighting about them

Border placement based on…

Geographical features, ethnic groups

Map changes during Treaty of Versailles

Austria-Hungary split up based on ethnic groups; demilitarized Rhineland to provide buffer between Germany and France; Alsace-Lorraine returned to France; Poland and Balkan states

Results of the Treaty of Versailles

Germany mad because of reparations

Japan mad because they weren’t given any parts of China

Italy mad because they didn’t gain any territory

Russia mad because their land was made independent

Crimean war

Russia defeated by Turkey, France, and England because of their outdated army

Alexander II

Tried to force industrial revolution in Russia by freeing all serfs and forcing nobility to sell their land to peasants; unsuccessful because of bad land, unrealistic payments, and land always went back to nobles

Sergei Witt

Advisor to Czar; tried to bring in foreign entrepreneurs to create industrial revolution; horrible working conditions

Bloody Sunday

1905; Father Capone wrote a letter to the Czar about the peasants’ plight about horrid working conditions; marched to palace and people were murdered

Czar Nicholas II

Romanov leader of Russia during WWI; had a kid with hemophilia (Alexei); lost war with Japan + 1 million Russian casualties in WWI

Rasputin

Sole advisor to the Czar; “healed” Alexei’s hemophilia; assassinated

Russian Revolution #1

Nicholas II abdicated throne; Duma (legislature) took over; Duma stayed in WWI

Alexander Korinsky

Leader of Duma; tried to create democratic republic in Russia; 1 big mistake = staying in war

October 1917 - Revolution

Lenin wanted to create a Communist, Socialist Russia; peasants rose up against landowners and killed them; Romanovs killed

Russian civil war

Reds (Communists) vs. Whites (people who want the Czar back)

Romanovs killed because of fear that Nicholas would return and take control again

Reds win; everything sacrificed to make country strong

NEP

New Economic Policy; Lenin’s brief return to Capitalism to try to help the economy; Lenin died and Stalin took over, so nothing came of it