World War I

Nationalism prior to 18th century

• little national loyalty

• "Divine Right of Kings”

  • authority is sanctioned and derived from God

• Church told people to accept their lot in life and not complain

Where did loyalties exist?

• King

  • distant, untouchable figure

  • loyalty unquestioned

• Church

  • local clergy

  • powerful figure in communities

• Family/Community

  • mutual dependence from harsh living conditions

  • focus on survival means no time to consider ideology or identity

  • no real sense of nation

    • eventual rise of middle class

      • time to think because not always trying to survive

Nationalism

• loyalty, love, and pride for one’s country, nation, or cultural heritage

• comes from commonalities

  • history

  • language

  • racial/ethnic background

  • cultural practices

• can be twisted into negative and desctructive force

Nationalism continuum

• nationalism of patriotism

  • mild and healthy

• nationalism of superiority

  • egocentric

  • thinks they are the best nation

• nationalism of exclusion

  • radical, racist, and violent

Examples of Nationalism

• Austro-Hungrian Empire

  • controlled most of Central Europe and Balkans

  • people wanted to be own individual nation and free of Austria

• Ottoman Empire

  • controlled Balkans that Austro-Hungary did not

Imperialism

• quest by nations to expand territory and secure colonies around the globe

• currently thought of negatively, used to be thought of as praise

• major countries:

  • Britain

  • France

  • Austro-Hungary

  • Russia

1901 four great empires

• Britain

• Austro-Hungarian

• French

• Russian

• has already acquired all possible territory in Europe

  • expand to foreign land

• scramble for colonies over glove by mid-1850s

  • Africa

  • Asia

  • South America

God, Gold, and Glory

• power, prestige, glory

  • more colonies = more resources and power

• strategic security

  • protect trade routes

• need for resources

  • raw materials for inductry

  • mercantilism

    • colonies are markets for finish products that come from the raw materials

• missionary motive

  • Christian churches felt duty to bring “civilizing” influence of God to “little brown brothers”

• colonies forced to live under foreign laws, language, and customs

  • many colonies rose up and rebelled in 20th century

Militarism

• using military force to defend/promote a country’s interest

  • protect colonies from rival empires

• eg. Britain vs. Germany Arms Race

Alliances in 19th century

• creating and breaking alliances for best interest

• peace and stability

  • alliances between 1839 and 1910 succeeded

  • between 1815 - 1914 there were no major European wars

• despite lack of large-scale conflict, nationalism was very prevalent

  • great powers (Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia)

  • among all people ruled by Great Powers

• divided Europe into two power blocs

Belgian neutrality

• 1839

• declared indepedence from Netherlands

• European powers sign agreeing to honor this

Austro-Prussian War

• 1866

• Seven Weeks War

• Otto von Bismarck and the unification of Germany under Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty

• Did not take territory

• End rivalry with Austria and start being allies

  • precuation against France

Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary

• 1867

• Austrian Habsburg Royal family

• Strengthen control over Slavic nations in Austrian borders

Franco-Prussian war

• 1871

• Alsace and Lorraine taken from France

  • coal territories

• France seeks alliances against Germany

Dreikaiserbund (League of Three Emperors)

• Bismarck attempts to isolate France

  • Russia and Austria-Hungary

• Breaks up because Austria-Hungary and Russia can’t agree over Balkan control

Dual Alliance

• 1879

• Germany and Austro-Hungary agree to be main ally and supporter

• becomes Triple Alliance in 1882

Reinsurance Treaty

• 1887

• Alliance with Russia

  • isolates France as England was not a French ally at the time

• Prevent two-front war

• Policy changed by Wilhem II

• Wilhem II fire Bismarck

• 1890

• Refuses to renew Reinsurance Treaty

• Russia suspicious of Germany who is focusing on an alliance with Russia’s enemy, Austria-Hungary

Franco-Russian Alliance

• France and Russia form secret treaty

• Not public until 1897

• Military treaty

Anglo-Japanese Alliance

• 1902

• England used to be in ‘splendid isolation’

• England signs alliance with Japan to stop Russia from moving into Eastern colonies

Entente Cordiale

• 1904

• France and England settle disputes regarding African colonies

• Not a military treaty

Anglo-Russian Entente

• 1907

• England and Russia settle disputes over the middle east

  • not a military treaty

• French joins forming Triple Entente

• Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary form Triple Alliance

• Two major power blocs in Europe

The Cousin’s War

• King George V of England

• Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

• Kaiser Wilhem II of Germany

Balkans

• The powerkeg of Europe

• Great powers of Europe want to maintain balance of power

The Black Hand

• 1911

• Nationalist terrorist organization

• Wanted to reunite Serbia with Herzegovina

• Lead by General Dragutin Dimitryevich

• Plan to kill heir to Austrian throne

• Serbia PM, Pasic, knows about the Black Hand but doesn’t officially support it

Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

• Pasic’s spy infiltrates Black Hand meeting

  • discovers plan to assassinate heir

  • Pasic tries to warn Austrian not to come, but warning was not received

• Franz Ferdinand was visiting Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, with his wife Sophia

  • the car behind them is bombed, but tour continues

  • the driver takes wrong turn and the archduke is shot at point blank range by Gavrilo Princip

• Anti-Serbia hate was at all time high in Austro-Hungary

  • Franz Josef (Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary) needs German support for war

  • Wilhem II is reluctant to go to war because they know Russia will support Austria-Hungary

    • Von Molthe and Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg convince Wilhem to support Austria

Blank Cheque

• Gerrmany promises to provide Austria with anything she needs

Austrian ultimatum to Serbia

• Austrian-Hungary Foreign Minister Berchtoldt gives Austria 48 hours to respond

• Serbia agrees to everything except for allowing Austria to take over their government until assassinator is found

• Austrian ambassador does not give reply to Franz Joseff

  • Instead gives it to Moltke and Bethmann, who agree not to tell Kaiser Wilhelm

• Berchtoldt lies and said Serbia never replied and that they are attacking the border

  • Austria declares war on July 28th 1914

  • Von Moltke and Bethmann tell the Kaiser only after war declaration

• British Foreign Minister, Lord Grey tells German ambassador to ask Kaiser Wilhelm to retract blank check

  • Ambassador goes to Bethmann instead, who also tells Berchtoldt not to listen

Russia

• Tsar Nicholas II orders partial mobilization

  • General Samsonov convinces full mobilization

• Wilhem tells Nicholas to back down

  • Russia says no

  • Germany orders full mobilization

German ultimatum

• Russia stands down immediately, or war

• France needs to stay neutral and away from borders if Russia and Germany fight

• Belgium needs to let Germany march through the country

• English declares war when Germany violates Belgian neutrality

  • WWI begins

Canada

• Automatically joins war as Dominion of Britain

• PM Borden offers 25 000 troops, 30 000 volunteer in first month

• Indigenous people not welcome

  • officially banned, but often ignored

• African and Japanese Canadians not encouraged to fight

  • “white man’s war”

• French and English Canadians fight in separate units

• Sam Hughes

  • Minister of Militia

  • Made money by producing worser quality goods and giving large contracts in his circle

    • dismissed in 1916, but after being knighted by George V

• Valcartier, Quebec

  • training center

  • develop sense of togetherness and national identity

• Canadian Expeditionary Force

  • most expected for them to fight along side BEF

War Measures Act

• Prime Minister had authority to do anything necessary “for the security, defence, peace, order, & welfare of Canada.”

  • intervene in economy, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, etc.

• Strip citizens of civil rights

  • mail can be censored

  • habeas corupus suspended

    • people can be detained without charges laid

• anyone considered an “enemy alien” can be imprisoned or detained

  • German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ukrainians treated harshly

    • had to carry special identity cards and report to officers

Schlieffen Plan

• Invade Belgium, France, capture Paris

  • Then turn attention towards Russia

• Belgium fought back

  • expected to not fight back

• Russia mobilizes faster than expected

• Von Moltke changes plan

  • reduced size of right wing

• Germany comes in 35 km of Paris

  • British & French fight Germans in northern France

  • trenches

  • stalemate for 4 years

Trench warfare

• Mud

  • 4 years of rain

  • affects movement of troops and weapons

  • breed pests like lice

• Rats

• Poor food

  • hard tack, tea (no fresh water), canned beef

  • rations steadily decrease as war goes on

  • vitamin deficiency

• Sickness

  • cholera

  • dysentery

• Injuries

  • septicemia/infected wound

• Emotional torment

  • watching friends die

  • constant fear

Canadian battles

• Ypres

  • April 1915

  • 6000 Canadians killed

  • but hold the line against gas, unlike the French

    • first time used in warfare

    • chemical weapons banned before war

• Battle of the Somme

  • July 1916

  • Douglas Haig

  • German hides in bunkers

    • little damage done

  • Haig insists on using cavalry methods

    • ordered soldiers to walk into machine gun fire

    • 85% of Newfoundland regiment killed/wounded in 30 minutes

    • he himself never visited front lines

    • lasted 6 months

• Vimy Ridge

  • April 1917

  • Canadian capture high point in 3 days

    • previously trained on similar terrain

  • both French and British previously fail

  • acknowledged as "Canadian victory” by US newspaper

• Passchendaele

  • July 1917

  • Arthur Currie

    • first Canadian to command Canadian Corps

  • unwilling to risk Canadian soldiers after scouting Passchendaele

    • Haig and higher up British officials refuse to change plan

    • 15000 Canadian deaths

War at home

• Paying for war

  • expensive despite rise in production

  • payed through bonds, taxes, and loans

  • Victory bonds

    • citizens could buy them in the name of patriotism then be repaid with interest after the war

  • Income & corporate tax

    • well-off individuals must pay 3% of income

    • businesses must pay 4% of profits

      • criticized as being too low

  • Loans

    • former two unable to cover all costs

    • indebted to countries, especially the US

• Women

  • contribute to labor force in new ways

    • previously in low paying, low skill food and clothing industry work and domestic work

    • during war, eg. operating fishing boats and running prairie farms

  • strengthened suffrage movement

    • Manitoba women gained suffrage in 1916

    • All Canadian women in 1918

• Propaganda

  • persuaded support for war effort

  • encouraged people to join the army, eat less meat, use less fuel

  • distorted the truth about reality of Western Front

  • portrayed Germans in a negative way

    • German immigrants faced criticism

Conscription

• Borden initially promised no conscription

  • but after seeing manpower needed to win Vimy Ridge, decided it was neccesary

• Very divisive

  • French Canadians did not want to fight because they did not feel patriotic towards Britain or France

  • farmers needed their sons and workers to work in the Prairies

  • industrial workers already felt they were contributing to war effort

  • coal miners in Vancouver Island protested because of low wages

    • conscription would decrease their ability to provide for their families even more

• Election of 1917

  • pro-conscription Borden’s Union Party vs anti-conscription Laurier’s Liberal Party

  • Borden introduces two laws to ensure his victory

    • Wartimes Elections Act

      • women related to men serving can vote

    • Military Voters Act

      • men and women serving overseas can vote

• Conscription passes

  • 404 000 called to enlist

  • 130 000 enlisted

    • but only 25 000 made it to France before end of the war

War in the air and sea

• airplanes were new inventions

  • biplanes

  • used for reconnaissance

  • dangerous

  • pilots died in training

• dogfights

  • pilots shoot at each other from planes and use spins and rolls to avoid attack

• when a pilot has shot down 5 enemy planes, they are considered an ace

  • William Avery “Billy” Bishop

    • shot down 72 planes

    • second highest kills

      • Red Baron from Germany had 80

    • reflected guilt in his letter towards glorifying kills

• Canada’s merchant marines brought food and supplies across the Atlantic

• German U-boats (submarines) used torpedos to attack Allied ships

  • convoys used to protect ships

• German U-boat sank Lusitania in 1915

  • 1200 passengers including Americans

• Unrestricted submarine warfare

  • February 1917

  • Germany announced they will sink all ships in waters around Britain, even non-Allied ships

  • Encouraged US to join war

Halifax explosion

• Dec. 6th 1917

• French vessel Mont Blanc carrying 2500 tons of dynamite hits another ship

  • People didn’t realize it was going to explode at first

• killed 2000-3000 people, injured 10 000

• devastated harbor and town

Europe 1917

• Tsar Nicholas II abdicates in March

  • provisional government formed

  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

    • withdrew from war

    • German soldiers can focus on Western Front

• US joins war

  • April 2nd

  • due to sinking of Lusitania, Zimmermann’s telegraph, unrestricted submarine warfare

• Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government

  • October

  • led by Vladimir Lenin

Europe 1918

• Operation Michael

  • Germany’s last attempt to win the war before US troops arrive

  • Retake Ypres, Somme, and Passchendaele

    • but not Vimy

  • Front lines 75 km from Paris by summer

Hundred Days

• last months of the war

• Germany out of reserves

• Canadian troops successful

  • Arthur Currie wins key battles

    • Arras

    • Cambrai

    • Valenciennes

Armistice

• November 11th 1918 at 11 am

• Fighting stops

  • no treaty yet

Canada & Treaty of Versaille

• Borden advocates for Canada to have own seat at Paris Peace Conference

• Borden included as one of the leaders who sign

Treaty of Versailles

• Guilt: find someone to blame

• Armed forces to be dealt with

• Reparations: who has to pay

• German territories: what to do

• League of Nations

Weinar Republic

• German government after Kaiser abdicates

Article 231

• War guilt clause

• Germany must assume all responsibility for starting the war

  • Must pay $30 billion in reparations for damages

  • Must give part of territory so Poland has access to the sea

  • Restricted army of 100 000 men, no submarines, and no airforce

Woodrow Wilson

• proposed 14 point plan for running post-war world

• No secret alliances

• Free global trade

• Freedom of seas

• Evacuation of Russia and Belgium

• All countries reduce arms

• Formation of League of Nations

  • Borden advocated for Canada to be included

  • Britain and France opposed it because they wanted freedom to pursue imperialism

    • but was good publicity and propaganda value

  • global cooperation was hard to achieve

  • weaknesses include that no country had the jurisdiction to keep other countries in check with military force

    • only economic sanctions

  • US themselves never joined

Spanish Flu

• Influenza virus that killed millions in Europe

• Brought back to Canada by returning soldiers

• Killed 20-22 million worldwide

• 50 000 Canadians died from the flu between 1918 and 1920