WW I Why Did it Start

Militarism

Before the war, many countries. Want mire COLONIES!

Germany & France

Built huge armies

European countries were small; needed resources from other places…

like China & Africa. There was a feeling of nationalism “my country is better than your country”

Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand

Future king of Austria-Hungary…. he was assassinated by Serbians who hated their Austrian Rulers. This is the “spark” that start the war

Trench Warfare

Trenches “protected” soldiers from shells/bombs… but disease, rats, wet conditions killed thousands of soldiers… until they charged across “no man’s land” to attack enemy trenches

4-6 day shifts

random shelling killed soldiers

“The Flu” killed more soldiers than weapons

Colonies

Germany lost colonies in the Pacific Ocean to Japan and Australia (British), Germany also lost colonies in Africa (weakened Germany’s supplies). British block food from entering Germany from the north.

Ottomans:

Islamic / Turkish Empire: failed in invasion of Russia, Failed to take Oilfields from British in Iran, Failed t take the Suez Canal from British (in Egypt)…

Ottomans

Murdered 1.5 million Armenians in a Genocide!!!

Rules:

No Killing Civilians…No Chemical Weapons…

No sinking passenger ships without warning…

All sides used Chemical weapons (Germans first)

All killed Civilians

Germans sank passenger ships with

Submarines/U-Boats (this starts to turn

American opinion against the Germans!!!)

Russians:

In 1917, Russia had a Communist/Bolshevik

Revolution!!! A Revolution of Labor Activists /Socialists…

They execute the Czar of Russian (King) and their family

Russia dropped out of the war!!! This leads to fears in the US that a Socialist or Communist Revolution would happen here: “THE First “Red Scare”…The Soviet Union

Is born! 1922-1991

Weapons:

Zeppelins, machine guns, submarines, chlorine / mustard gas, tanks, mortar shells, airplanes were used mainly for reconnaissance/ spying from air... but some bombing/fighting also

US Role: Surrender - The End

Armistice Day-1918

Cease Fire that ended WW 1.

11-11-11:

November 11^th, at 11 o’clock, all fighting stopped as Germany surrendered!

 

President Wilson demanded the abdication (stepping down) of the Kaiser Wilhelm (King of Germany), who had built up Germany’s military and imperialism.

Imperial Germany ends; a new Germany had been born: the Weimar Republic

Flu Epidemic of 1918

Flu Epidemic kills 30-50 million worldwide:

1% of the WORLD population!

Known as the “Spanish flu” because only Spain was telling the truth about it.

The Treaty of Versailles - 1919

The Treaty blamed & punished Germany

Loss of territory

Massive reparations payments further weaking the world economy

Demilitarization (limited the size of the Military)

Humiliated Germany

It did not solve the problems that started the war

Germany is in DEBT!

Adolf Hitler blamed “unpatriotic” German leaders who signed the Treaty of Versailles and Communists and Jews.

Failure of the 14 Points

The US did not join the League of Nations, AND (did NOT ratify the Treaty of Versailles). The Treaty would have reduced the size of the US military!!!

 

Europe and the Middle East have new countries and borders. British and French refuse to give up their colonies!!!

3 Reasons why the Treaty of Versailles failed:

The Treaty of Versailles punished/blamed Germany for the aggressive destruction in WW 1. This weakened Germany’s military and territory.

·         In two decades, Adolf Hitler started WW 2

·         It did not account the wrongdoings of other countries involved in the war

·         Reparation payments weakened the world economy, which was a precursor for the Great Depression