World War I and World War II Concepts
World War I Causes (MANIA)
Militarism: The buildup of military forces in Germany, Britain, France, Russia, and Austria-Hungary.
Alliances:
Russia allied with France.
Germany allied with Austria-Hungary.
Italy initially allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary but later joined the British, French, and Russians.
Nationalism: Intense patriotism and national pride.
Imperialism: Competition for overseas colonies.
Assassination: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The Spark and Escalation
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered a chain of events due to the existing tensions and alliances. Russia's mobilization scared Germany, leading to a preemptive strike on France through neutral Belgium, drawing more countries into the war. Once the war started, it became unstoppable, leading to a tragic global conflict.
Initial Views of Soldiers
In 1914, young men enthusiastically joined the war, expecting a quick victory. However, by 1916, many had been killed, wounded, or captured, leading to disappointment and depression as the war dragged on and drafts became necessary to fill the ranks.
German Offensive of 1914: The Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan involved invading France through neutral Belgium to quickly defeat France in 40 days. However, the German advance was stopped at the First Battle of the Marne River, leading to a retreat and the establishment of trenches, resulting in a stalemated Western Front. The Eastern Front was more fluid but equally bloody.
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was a British offensive in 1916 aimed at relieving pressure on the French at Verdun. It resulted in minimal territorial gain (a few thousand yards) and was considered a failure due to heavy casualties.
The Machine Gun as a Defensive Weapon
In World War I, the machine gun was primarily a defensive weapon. It mowed down soldiers crossing open fields. Barbed wire was strategically placed to direct soldiers towards machine gun positions.
Total War in World War I
World War I was the first total war in world history.
Women worked in wartime factories, leading to voting rights in many countries after the war.
Massive conscription drafts were implemented, including recruiting troops from colonies to fight on multiple continents.
Societies participated through buying war bonds and engaging in propaganda.
World War II would be the second total war.
US Entry into World War I
The US entered the war due to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, attacking American merchant convoys. Germany aimed to defeat the British and French before the US could intervene. The US had been selling weapons to the British and French, which the British naval blockade prevented selling to the Germans.
Czar Nicholas II
Czar Nicholas II was the last Russian czar. After the unsuccessful Brusilov Offensive, he took command of the Russian military, which was poorly supplied. This led to a revolution, his overthrow, and the execution of his family. The provisional government that replaced him did not end the war, leading to the Russian Civil War and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which saw Russia exit the war under Lenin's leadership.
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian genocide was the first ethnic genocide of the 20th century.
The Turks, retreating from the Russians near the Black Sea, targeted Armenians (a different ethnic and religious group: Christian vs. Muslim Ottomans).
Armenians were rounded up and placed in concentration camps in the desert of Southwest Asia/Middle East.
Over a million Armenians died.
Turkey denies the genocide, despite evidence to the contrary.
Togoland
Togoland was a German colony in Africa taken by the British and French after the Treaty of Versailles. Germany lost all its colonies.
League of Nations
The League of Nations was a collective security organization established by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 to prevent future global conflicts. It ultimately failed, especially as the US did not join, and nations like Italy and Japan were eventually kicked out.
May Fourth Movement in China
The May Fourth Movement in China galvanized the Chinese against foreign interference, leading to increased nationalism in China and India after World War I.
Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)
Mustafa Kemal, also known as Atatürk, was a commander in the Turkish forces during World War I. He modernized Turkey along Western lines after obtaining power, founding the modern country of Turkey out of the collapsed Ottoman Empire. The country was still considered godly Muslim, yet followed Ataturk's lead in modernizing.
Nationalism Post World War I
The two largest areas of nationalism after World War I were in China and India, with decolonization efforts increasing after World War II.
Pablo Picasso and Cubism
Pablo Picasso was a famous Spanish artist and a major advocate of Cubism. His art reflected the death and destruction of war.
Results of the Stock Market Crash
The stock market crash led to the deepest, most widespread global depression in world history due to interconnected global trade, creating a domino effect.
National Responses to the Great Depression
Most nations responded to the Great Depression with economic nationalism by raising tariffs to protect local industries. The US raised tariffs to 32%, which shut down international trade, worsened the depression, and led to Japan seeking economic self-sufficiency through invasions in China and other parts of Asia.
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, recommended that governments expand the money supply by spending money on public works to provide jobs and stimulate the economy. Examples include Germany building the Autobahn and the US building national parks and roads. Keynes recommended this only during a depression.
Soviet Influence on the Chinese Communist Party
The Soviet Union helped found the Communist Party in China in the 1920s, aiming to create a worldwide communist revolution.
The Long March
During the communist revolution in China, Chiang Kai-shek attacked the communists, leading to the Long March. This retreat, though difficult, strengthened Mao Zedong's leadership as he won over the peasant population by paying for goods and food, contrasting with the exploitative Nationalist forces. After defeating the Japanese in World War II, Mao's communists expelled Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists to Taiwan in 1949.
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident was staged by Japan as a pretext to invade Northeastern China (Manchuria), setting up a puppet state called Manchukuo. In 1937, they invaded all of China.
United Front Against Japan
After Japan invaded China, the Nationalists (led by Chiang Kai-shek) and the Communists (led by Mao Zedong) united to fight the Japanese. After the Japanese were defeated in World War II, they resumed fighting each other.
German Seizure of Austria (1938)
Germany took steps to cause World War II in Europe:
Rearmed.
Put troops back into the Rhineland.
Seized Austria in 1938.
Seized the German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland.
Seized all of Czechoslovakia.
Invaded Poland
German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg (lightning war) involved:
Using the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) to bomb supply lines and communication lines.
Spearheading attacks with tanks in one area.
Infantry mopping up.
German Victories by 1940
By 1940, Germany had defeated Poland (1939), Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and France (summer 1940), driving the British out of France. By the end of 1940, it was essentially Britain versus the Nazis.
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle before Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many Okinawan civilians refused to surrender and committed suicide, influencing the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan. This battle also saw the use of Kamikaze pilots.
D-Day Invasion (June 6, 1944)
The British, Americans, and Canadians invaded France, beginning the Allied push to end the war in Europe.
German Policies Towards Jews Before World War II
Initially, Germany aimed to pressure Jews to immigrate by revoking their citizenship and attacking their businesses (Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, in 1938). However, many Jews did not escape Europe, leading to their capture and placement in concentration camps where 6,000,000 were mass-murdered. The Einsengruvan (mobile death squads) also massacred Jews in Eastern Europe. The final solution was decided upon in 1943 at the Wannsee Conference, where concentration camps like Birkenau, Auschwitz, and Majdanek were built with gas chambers.
World War II Atrocities
Besides the 6,000,000 Jews, the Nazis murdered approximately 12,000,000 others, including homosexuals, gypsies, Polish elites, the mentally and physically disabled, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Japan committed atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking and the use of comfort women, as well as testing and torture on Chinese civilians and POWs.
Reasons for Allied Victories in Europe and Asia
The Allies had greater industrial capacity and personnel reserves, allowing them to outproduce and outnumber the Germans, Italians, and Japanese. The United States was also protected by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Reasons for Japanese Surrender in 1945
The atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan to surrender. Without those bombs, they would not have surrendered when they did.
Religious Conflict in India
A religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India culminated in the creation of two separate countries in 1949: India and East and West Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Jinnah called for a separate country for Indian Muslims, which became East and West Pakistan, with East Pakistan eventually becoming Bangladesh.
The Cold War
The Cold War began after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States and Canada joined forces with democratic nations in Western Europe to form NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact with communist Eastern European countries.
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. The Soviets tried to put nuclear missiles in Cuba after the United States had put nuclear missiles in Turkey. Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba, and Kennedy secretly agreed to remove missiles from Turkey.
Non-Aligned Movement
Indonesia, India, and other countries formed a non-aligned movement, choosing to remain neutral rather than align with the Soviet Union or the United States. Nehru of India was one of the leaders of this movement. The Indonesian president was also a leader as well.
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leader of Egypt, played the Soviets and the United States to his advantage. He secured funding from both countries to build a hydroelectric dam on the Nile River.
Decolonization in Asia and Africa
Many areas of the world pushed for decolonization, particularly in Asia and Africa. In Vietnam, forces expelled the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, leading to the division of Vietnam and the Vietnam War.
Maoism
Maoism is a political ideology that held that peasants were the foundation for a successful communist revolution, differing from Karl Marx's focus on the industrial proletariat. In China, the farming peasants are the primary revolutionary class.
The Great Leap Forward
Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward in 1958 was a failed attempt to rapidly industrialize China, leading to a man-made famine that caused the death by starvation of an estimated 30 million people.
Chinese Cultural Revolution
Towards the end of Mao's life, he initiated the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1966, mobilizing the youth of China (Red Guards) to attack old ways, teachers, and leaders. Many people were killed.
Tiananmen Square Incident
The Chinese government ruthlessly crushed a pro-democracy protest in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, killing hundreds and arresting thousands.
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping, a leader of Communist China after Mao's death, implemented economic reforms that freed industries from state control and allowed some foreign investment, leading to China's economic growth in the late 20th century.