Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy alliance formed to protect against France in 1880s
Contributors to Start of WWI
Feuds between European countries, industrialism, rise in nationalism, military build-up and powerful weapons, power-grabbing alliances
France-Russian Alliance
formed to keep Germany in check
Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s planned attack on France through Belgium (neutral country)
Triple Entente
Britain, France, Russia - later joined by Japan (and Italy when they switched sides in 1915)
Event that started WWI
Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip - Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia led to all allied groups getting involved
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke of Austria-Hungary
Central Powers Alliance
Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary
How many countries joined the WWI?
over 40 - most due to colonial ties and alliances
Why did US join WWI?
Germany sinking British civilian boat Lusitania in 1915
Zimmermann telegram
Previously had an isolationism policy
Zimmermann telegram
Secret telegram between German diplomats saying Mexico could regain territory taken by US if they joined forces
Isolationism
neutrality, focusing on internal affairs instead
WWI End
Germany and Central Powers gave up in November 1918
WWI Effects
8.5 million soldiers were killed
20 million civilians died
Treaty of Versailles
signed in 1919 - official end to WWI
Treaty of Versailles Main Points
Germany was to pay war reparations, release territory, downsize military to prevent them from rising to power again
Austria-Hungary divided into other nations like Czechoslovakia
Britain and France put strict punishments on Germany - US wanted to focus on President Wilson’s Fourteen Points
President Wilson’s Fourteen Points
more focused on future peace and workable balance of power - but was disapproved of by Britain and France
League of Nations
President Wilson called for formation of council to preserve peace and establish humanitarian goals, but was not widely accepted (even by US)
Czar Nicholas II
Russian czar who was forced to resign in 1917 over growing resentment among working class
Alexander Kerensky
established a provisional government in Russia after czar Nicholas II - ineffective because it disagreed with the local councils, soviets, who represented workers, peasants, and soldiers
Bolsheviks
Led by Marxist leader Vladimir Lenin - Socialist party that was backed by the Russian working class
April Theses
issues by Vladimir Lenin - demanded peace, land for peasants, power to soviets
within 6 months took power of government - soon to be called Soviet Union
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
1918 - armistice with Germany - ceded part of western Russia to Germany so they dropped out of WWI
Red Army
Bolshevik military force under Leon Trotsky to defeat counterrevolutions against Russian leadership
What happened when Ottoman Empire joined Central Powers in WWI?
A movement to reclaim Turkish culture occurred and spawned a genocide of Armenian minority and a shift to Turkish nationalism
resulted in loss of most of remaining land in peace negotiations
Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)
Led successful military against invading Greece and overthrew Ottoman Empire to become first president of Turkey
What did the Soviets do when they dropped out of WWI?
Focused on their own domestic problems - Lenin instituted the New Economic Policy