Use different colors or patterns to identify the countries belonging to the Allies, Central Powers, and neutral nations.
Label the key.
Answer the following questions:
What nations remained neutral during World War I?
What European nations joined the Allies?
What European nations joined the Central Powers?
What disadvantage did Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria face due to their location?
Europe During World War One
Key to Alliances in 1917:
Central Powers
Allied Powers
Neutral Nations
Causes of WWI
World War I (1914-1918)
Caused by competition among industrial nations and failure of diplomacy.
Transformed Europe and American life.
Wrecked the economies of Europe.
Planted the seeds for a second world war.
The M.A.N.I.A that Caused World War One
M.A.N.I.A.
Militarism
Alliances
Nationalism
Imperialism
Assassination
Causes and Background
Militarism: Policy of building up strong military forces to prepare for war.
Alliances: Agreements between nations to aid and protect one another.
Triple Entente: United Kingdom, France, Russia.
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.
Nationalism: Pride in or devotion to one’s country.
Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to be part of Serbia instead of Austria-Hungary.
Imperialism: When one country takes over another country economically and politically.
Significant Individual:
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Built up German army and navy.
Aggressive foreign policy.
Determined to make Germany a top nation.
Immediate Cause: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
June 1914, a Serbian Nationalist terrorist group called the Black Hand sent groups to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
The first attempt failed when the Archduke’s driver avoided a grenade thrown at their car.
Later that day, Serbian Nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated him and his wife in Sarajevo, Bosnia, which was part of Austria-Hungary.
The assassination was in protest against Austria-Hungary controlling this region.
The Point of No Return…
The Assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
This declaration of war quickly brought Russia, Germany, and many other nations into the war due to mutual defense alliances.
WWI Allied Powers:
United Kingdom
France
Russia
Italy (broke from Triple Alliance/Central Powers to join Allied powers)
USA (joined 1917 on the side of Allies)
WWI Central Powers:
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Ottoman Empire
The Point of No Return: The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia.
Germany pledged their support for Austria-Hungary: example of Pan-German nationalism.
Russia pledged their support for Serbia: example of Pan-Slavic nationalism.
The Point of No Return:
Germany declares war on Russia.
France pledges their support for Russia.
Germany declares war on France.
Germany invades Belgium on the way to France.
Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany.
War Technology
Video: Tech Developments of World War I Discussion Questions
What was warfare like at the beginning of WWI?
What prevents soldiers from crossing the deadly zone between the two lines (no man’s land)? Why?
How was WWI the first industrial and scientific war?
What is Chlorine Gas?
Trench Warfare
World War I Technology
Technology
Tanks
Year Invented: 1915
The Problem: The war of trenches seemed “unwinnable” due to machine guns & artillery that mowed down attackers before they got to the other side of no-man’s land.
The Solution: Tanks were heavily-armored vehicles that could advance even with overwhelming machine gun fire.
Tanks had their own guns and were able to travel with armored treads to handle rough terrain.
The British Mark I was the first tank to see combat at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
The Germans were not able to achieve large-scale Tank production in WWI.
Events of WWI
RECAP: THE M.A.N.I.A. CAUSING WWI
THE ASSASSINATION OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND
Fighting World War I
Western Front: Located along Belgium, France, & Germany.
Deadlocked with Trench warfare.
Eastern Front: Located along Russia, Germany, Austria Hungary, & Ottoman Empire.
Russia Leaves the war in 1917 due to their Revolution.
German troops are now free to focus on the Western Front against France & Great Britain.
The United States enters WWI in 1917 and revitalizes allied efforts on the Western Front.
Major Events of World War I
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28, 1914)
Involved: Archduke of Austro-Hungarian Throne, Franz Ferdinand; Serbian Nationalist Gavrilo Princip.
Princip and the rebel group known as the Black Hand wanted independence for Bosnia (under Austro-Hungarian rule).
The Black Hand got weapons from Serbia to assassinate Franz Ferdinand when he was in Sarajevo.
This event starts World War I because Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
Russia comes to Serbia’s defense and declares war on Austria-Hungary.
Germany joins in, triggering a domino effect.
Battle of Tannenberg (August, 1914)
The First Battle of the Marne (Sept-Dec. 1914)
The Battle of Gallipoli (Feb. 1915 - Jan. 1916)
The Second Battle of Ypres (April 22, 1915)
The Battle of Verdun (Feb-Dec, 1916)
The Battle of Somme (July-Nov. 1916)
The Second Battle of the Marne (Jul-Aug, 1918)
Armistice Day (11/11/1918)
Russia Withdraws
The US Enters
The Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s plan to win the war was to wage war against the allied powers on two fronts:
Western Front - First Germany wanted to quickly win the Western Front by invading France through Belgium.
Eastern Front - After the Western Front would be defeated Germany then would rush to the Eastern Front to confront Russia and defeat them too.
The Schlieffen Plan failed because Russia attacked Germany as they were invading France AND Germany did not expect the drawn out fighting and stalemate on the Western Front.
Fighting World War I
Western Front: Located along Belgium, France, & Germany.
Deadlocked with Trench warfare due to use of new military technology
Extended from the North Sea to Switzerland.
Eastern Front: Located along Russia, Germany, Austria Hungary, & Ottoman Empire.
Stretched from the Baltic Sea in the North to the Black Sea in the South.
Russia Withdraws from WWI, 1917
From 1914 to 1916, Russia mounted offensives on the Eastern Front with no success against Germany. Russia suffered much defeat against Germany.
Within Russia, there was Economic instability, lack of food, and a landless peasantry which led to major discontent among Russia’s population.
Many blamed it on the incompetence of Czar Nicholas II.
This instability led to a revolution against the Czar Nicholas II of Russia.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Russia reached an armistice with the Central Powers in December 1917 to withdraw from WWI.
The United States Enters the War, 1917
At the outbreak of war in 1914, the United States remained neutral under President Woodrow Wilson.
The United States will eventually enter WWI on the side of the Allied Powers in 1917 for several reasons.
So…Why did the United States Enter World War I?
Source 1: U.S. - European Trade Graph
Source 2: Map of German Blockade Zone, 1915
Source 3: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Source 4: Zimmerman Telegram
THE US ENTERS WWI!
Economic / Trade Relationship with Great Britain & France
German Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Impacting Free Trade
Sinking of the Lusitania
Zimmerman Telegram
Outcomes of WWI
Outcomes & Effects of WWI
The infusion of American troops and resources into the Western Front finally tipped the scale in the Allie’s favor.
Germany signed an armistice agreement on November 11, 1918.
The allie’s victory brought an end to the Ottoman, German, & Austria-Hungary Empires.
Imperial Russia lost territories of Poland and Finland in the West.
British Colonial involvement (Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, & India) helped to defeat the Ottoman Empire.
These colonies now increased their demands for independence.
Outcomes & Effects of WWI
Enormous cost of the war in lives, property, and social disruption.
Approximately 10 million people killed.
European towns, villages, and forests devastated, especially in France.
Rebuilding efforts took time and money, jobs were lost, leading to economic depression.
WWI was known as “The War to end all wars”, but it clearly did not…
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points
During the war, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson never lost sight of his ambition to shape the peace settlement when the war ended.
In January 1917 he had said that the United States would insist on “peace without victory”.
A year later he presented to Congress a detailed list of war aims, known as the Fourteen Points, designed to address the causes of World War I and prevent another world war.
The Big Four
In January 1919, the peace conference following the armistice took place in the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.
Every nation that fought on the Allied side in the war was represented.
No U.S. president had ever traveled abroad to attend a diplomatic conference, but President Wilson decided that his personal participation at Versaille was vital to defending his Fourteen Points.
Other heads of state at Versailles made it clear that their nations wanted both revenge against Germany and compensation in the form of reparations and territory.
They DID NOT share Wilson’s idealism which called for a “peace without victory”.
After months of argument, the President Wilson reluctantly agreed to compromise on most of his Fourteen Points
The Big Four
David Lloyd George of Great Britain
Georges Clemenceau of France
Vittorio Orlando of Italy
Woodrow Wilson of United States
The Treaty of Versailles
When the peace conference adjourned in June 1919, The Treaty of Versailles included the following terms:
Germany was disarmed and stripped of its colonies in Asia and Africa.
It was also forced to admit guilt for the war, accept French occupation of the Rhineland for 15 years, and pay a huge sum of money in reparation to Great Britain and France.
Applying the principle of self-determination, territories once controlled by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire were taken by the allies; independence was granted to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland; and the new nations of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were established.
Signers of the treaty would join an international peacekeeping organization, the League of Nations.
Article X of the charter of the League called on each member nation to stand ready to protect the independence and territorial integrity of other nations.
The League of Nations
The League of Nations is an International cooperation organization
It was established to prevent future wars (this failed)
The United States was not a member which weakened the legitimacy of the league
The league failed because it did not have power to enforce its decisions
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
WILSONS 14 POINTS
What Wilson Wanted
January 8, 1918
No secret treaties
International seas shall be free to navigate during peace and war.
Removal of economic barriers related to trade
Worldwide reduction of armies
Independence for colonies
The removal of armed forces from Russia
The removal of armed forces from Belgium
French territory should be freed & restored, including Alsace-Lorraine
The borders of Italy will be established; all Italians will be within the country of Italy.
Austria-Hungary will continue to be independent
Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania will become independent
Creation of an Independent Turkey
Poland will become independent
A League of Nations will be formed
What the World Got
June 28,1919
Germany must admit the war was their fault (war guilt clause)
Germany must disarm to an army less than 100,000 men
Germany to hand over colonies
Germany must pay 30 billion in damages and reparations
Germany's navy reduced to 6 battleships with no submarines
Germany forbidden from having an air force
Formation of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia
League of Nations is established to keep peace
Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations
American Congress did not approve the Treaty and did not join the League of Nations