WWI Notes & Timeline

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict fought between 1914 and 1918.

2. Causes:

   • Militarism: Buildup of large armies in Europe created an environment ripe for war. This included not only the growth in size of armies but also the increase in military spending and the development of new weapons technologies.

   • Alliances: A complex web of alliances obligated countries to defend each other. The Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia) were the primary opposing alliances.

   • Imperialism: Competition for colonies created tension between major European powers. This competition led to several crises, such as the Moroccan Crisis and the Bosnian Crisis, which heightened tensions.

   • Nationalism: Strong sense of national pride and unity, sometimes leading to the desire for independence or dominance. This was particularly strong in the Balkans, where various ethnic groups sought independence from the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires.

   • Assassination: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian nationalist, was the immediate trigger. Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, committed the assassination.

3. Key Players:

   • Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia (until 1917), Italy (from 1915), and the United States (from 1917). Other notable allies included Belgium, Serbia, and Greece.

   • Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The Central Powers lacked the industrial and colonial resources of the Allied Powers, which contributed to their defeat.

4. Major Events:

   • 1914:

   • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 28).

   • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia (July 28).

   • Germany invades Belgium (August 4).

   • First Battle of the Marne (September): Halted the German advance on Paris.

   • 1915:

   • Germany initiates unrestricted submarine warfare.

   • The sinking of the Lusitania (May): A British passenger liner sunk by a German U-boat, killing over 1,000 civilians, including 128 Americans.

   • Italy joins the Allied Powers.

   • 1916:

   • Battle of Verdun (February-December): One of the longest and costliest battles in human history, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties.

   • Battle of the Somme (July-November): Characterized by massive casualties and little territorial gain.

   • 1917:

   • The United States declares war on Germany (April): The U.S. entry into the war provided a significant boost to the Allied forces.

   • Russia withdraws from the war after the Bolshevik Revolution: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) formalized Russia’s exit.

   • 1918:

   • Spring Offensive by Germany: A series of German attacks aimed at breaking through the Allied lines before American reinforcements could arrive.

   • Allied counteroffensives: Successfully pushed back the German forces.

   • Armistice signed on November 11: Ended the fighting at 11 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

5. New Technologies:

   • Machine guns: Increased the rate of fire and defensive capabilities. Made it difficult for troops to advance.

   • Poison gas: Used to demoralize and incapacitate troops. Caused blindness, burns, and respiratory failure.

   • Tanks: Allowed for movement across difficult terrain and breaking through enemy lines. Early tanks were unreliable but improved over time.

   • Airplanes: Used for reconnaissance, bombing, and aerial combat. Led to the development of specialized fighter aircraft.

   • Submarines: Used by Germany to disrupt Allied shipping. German U-boats were particularly effective in sinking merchant ships.

6. Impact:

   • Political:

   • Collapse of Empires: The war led to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires, leading to the creation of new nation-states.

   • Rise of Fascism and Communism: The social and economic disruption led to the rise of extremist ideologies.

   • League of Nations: Established to prevent future wars, though ultimately ineffective.

   • Changed Political Boundaries: The Treaty of Versailles redrew the map of Europe, leading to new countries and altered borders.

   • Economic:

   • Economic Devastation: Europe suffered immense economic losses due to destroyed infrastructure and loss of human capital.

   • The Great Depression: The war's economic repercussions contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

   • Debt and Inflation: Many countries were burdened with heavy debts and experienced high inflation.

   • Social:

   • Loss of Life: Millions of soldiers and civilians died, leaving a generation scarred by loss.

   • Social Change: Women entered the workforce in large numbers, accelerating the women's suffrage movement.

   • Technological Advances: The war spurred significant advances in military and medical technology.

   • Psychological Impact: Widespread psychological trauma, including shell shock (now known as PTSD), affected many soldiers.

7. Aftermath:

   • Treaty of Versailles: Imposed harsh terms on Germany, including territorial losses, demilitarization, and economic reparations.

   • Wilson’s Fourteen Points:

     • Vision for Peace: A set of principles for peace negotiations to end World War I, proposed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1918.

     • Key Ideas:

     • Open Diplomacy: Advocated for open agreements of peace, openly arrived at, rather than secret treaties.

     • Freedom of the Seas: Called for freedom of navigation upon the seas in both peace and war.
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