wwi

Central Powers

• Germany,

• AH,

• Ottoman Empire,

• Bulgaria

Allies

• United Kingdom

• France

• Russia (until 1917, when it withdrew due to the Russian Revolution)

• Italy (joined the Allies in 1915 after initially being neutral)

• United States (joined in 1917)

• Portugal

• Greece

• Serbia

• Romania

14 Points

• principles for peace proposed by Woodrow Wilson on January 8, 1918

• 1-5 Open treaties, Freedom of the Seas, Free Trade, Arms reduction, Fair settlement of Colonial Claims.

• 6-13 National Self-Determination, Redrawing of National Borders.

• 14 Creation of international organization to settle disputes & prevent wars > League of Nations

Sussex Pledge

• promise made between Germany & U.S.

• halt attacks on passenger ships

• To only attack merchant ships if they were carrying contraband (war-related materials)

• To provide warnings and ensure the safety of passengers and crew before sinking a ship

Zimmerman Note

• communication sent in January 1917 from Germany’s Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to Mexico.

• promised American Southwest to MX if it declared war on US

Treaty of Versailles

• peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919, officially ending World War I

• France regained Alsace-Lorraine & mining rights in French-German border

• Allies received rights to occupy the Rhineland for 15 years

• French & British receive reparations

• New Nations formed 

• Wilson receives the covenant

• imposed harsh penalties on Germany, including significant territorial losses, military restrictions, and reparations

• Article 231 (“War Guilt Clause”) placed full blame for the war on Germany

Liberty Bonds

war bonds sold by the U.S. government to American citizens to raise money to fund the Allied war effort

Lusitania

• British ocean liner sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, off the coast of Ireland

• killed 128 Americans.

Victory Gardens

private or community gardens cultivated by American citizens to supplement the food supply and support the war effort

reparations

payments for war damages

mobilization

preparing and organizing a nation’s military forces for war

Selective Service & Training Act (1917)

law passed by U.S. Congress that authorized the federal government to draft men into military service for WWI

American Expeditionary Force

• led by General John J. Pershing

• American army that fought in Europe during World War I.

• Arrived in 1917,

self-determination

nations and peoples have the right to choose their own sovereignty and political status without external interference

U-boat

• Unterseeboot

• German submarines

price controls

• prevent inflation and stabilize the cost of essential goods and services

• set maximum prices on items like food and fuel

• ensure that all citizens could afford basic necessities during wartime scarcity.

armistice

formal agreement between warring parties to stop fighting.

genocide

deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular ethnic, racial, or cultural group

sedition

speech, writing, or action that encourages people to rebel against the authority of the state

autocrat

leader with absolute power and authority over a state or people

unrestricted submarine warfare

naval warfare tactic in which submarines attack any ship, military or civilian, without warning

Woodrow Wilson

• initially kept the United States neutral but eventually led the country into World War I in 1917 after repeated German provocations

• Fourteen Points, establishment of League of Nations

Georges Clemenceau

• Prime Minister of France

• prioritized reparations, military restrictions on Germany, and measures to prevent any future German aggression

David Lloyd George

• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

• supported reparations but recognized that overly harsh terms could destabilize Europe

Vittorio Orlando

• Prime Minister of Italy

• demands for territory along the Adriatic Sea conflicted with the principles of self-determination

• left the conference frustrated when Italy did not receive the land it sought

Kaiser Wilhelm II

• autocratic leader of Germany

• abdicated in 1918, marking the end of the German Empire and his rule

Tsar Nicolas II

• Emperor of Russia

• Russian army suffered massive casualties

• public discontent grew over food shortages and poor conditions.

• inability to address domestic issues led to the Russian Revolution of 1917

King George V

• King of the United Kingdom

• cousin to both Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II

• served as a symbol of British unity and resolve during the war

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

• Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne

• assassination of him and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 provided Austria-Hungary with a pretext to confront Serbia

Gavrilo Princip

• assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

• member of the Black Hand

Black Hand

• nationalist secret society that sought to achieve Serbian dominance in the Balkans

• supported the unification of Slavic peoples

General Ferdinand Foch

• became the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in 1918

• armistice is signed in his train car

General John J. Pershing

• “Blackjack”

• Commander of the American Expeditionary Force

• insisted on American troops fighting as independent units

Arthur Zimmermann

• German Foreign Minister

• best known for authoring the Zimmermann Telegram in 1917

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik Party and Russian Revolution

First Battle of the Marne (September 6–12, 1914)

• German forces, advancing through Belgium and into France, were halted by the French and British armies near the Marne River (Schliefen Plan)

• resulted in trench warfare along the Western Front.

Second Battle of the Marne (July 15–August 6, 1918)

• last major German offensive

• Allied forces successfully repelled the Germans and launched a counteroffensive that pushed the Germans back, eventually leading to their surrender.

Battle of Verdun (February – December 1916)

• Fought between Germany and France

• resulted in approximately 700,000 casualties combined, with little territorial gain

Battle of the Somme (July 1 – November 18, 1916)

• joint British-French offensive aimed to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun

• 1st day was bloodiest day in British military history with over 57,000 casualties.

Battle of Jutland (May 31 – June 1, 1916)

• largest naval battle of WWI,

• fought between the British Royal Navy and the German Imperial Navy in the North Sea

• British maintained naval dominance and continued their blockade of Germany

Gallipoli Campaign (April 25, 1915 – January 9, 1916)

failed Allied operation aimed at securing a sea route to Russia by capturing the Ottoman-controlled Dardanelles.

Causes of World War I (MAIN)

• Militarism: major powers were engaged in an arms & military race

• Alliances require major powers to take sides in small regional conflicts

  • Triple Entente (France, Russia, and Britain)

  • Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy).

• Imperialism: Competition among European nations for colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific

• Nationalists seek independence or expansion for their homelands

November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am

• marked the armistice that ended fighting on the Western Front in World War I.

• Signed between the Allies and Germany,

No Man’s Land

• territory between opposing trenches on the Western Front.

• barren, riddled with barbed wire, landmines, and corpses.

New Weapons of World War I

• Machine Guns: Capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute, made crossing open ground extremely deadly.

• Flamethrowers: Used mainly by German forces, flamethrowers were effective in close combat and against trenches

• Artillery: Artillery fire was used to "soften up" enemy lines before infantry attacks, resulting in devastating loss of life.

• Poison Gas: Introduced by Germany in 1915

  • Chlorine Gas: Caused choking and severe respiratory damage, often leading to a painful death.

  • Phosgene Gas: caused delayed respiratory failure

  • Mustard Gas: Caused severe blisters on the skin and internal organs; lethal even in low concentrations

• Airplanes: Originally used for reconnaissance, soon adapted for dogfights and bombings

• Submarines (U-boats): U-boats targeted Allied shipping, disrupting supplies and enforcing blockades.

Paris Peace Conference (1919)

TOV contributed to economic instability and resentment in Germany, setting the stage for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World War II.

League of Nations

• international organization proposed by President Woodrow Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points

• U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, largely due to concerns over entanglement in European affairs

• Without the U.S., the League struggled to enforce its decisions and failed to prevent aggression