wwi

  • 1914 - 1918/19
  • timeline
    • 1815: end of the Napoleonic Wars
    • After that the “world order” shifts. Different countries take charge and manage world affairs.
    • Post-Napoleon, the world order was defined by the "balance of power.” The French Empire was dwindling out. The Balance of Power was a commitment by all countries that they would all share the power. The belief was that if they didn’t have one giant nation that could take over Europe, there would be no more wars.
      • It worked for about a century. There were small wars between countries but nothing as large. But it didn’t last forever, look at the name of these damn notes.
    • This leads to countries creating large militaries to keep other nations in check. This leads to pent-up tension between nations that leads to WWI.
    • War on Two Fronts: the central powers had to deal with defending their nations from multiple sides, including Russia and France.
    • 1871: Germany was officially unified and became Germany.
    • June 28, 1914 - Assassination of Archduke Franz-Ferdinand
    • Within days:
    • Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
    • Serbia asks Russia for help (because of the ethnic connection)
    • August 3, 1914: Germany declared war on Russia and France and invaded Belgium on the way to France
    • August 4, 1914: Great Britain declared war on Germany.
    • August 6, 1914: Russia and AH are fighting.
    • Later 1914: Ottoman Empire enters the war. (Turkey, Middle East)
  • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
    • A defensive agreement that if one country was invaded, the others would help. It creates a shift in the balance of power.
    • Their geographical location made them known as the central powers.
    • Italy decided to stay neutral before turning against AH.
  • Triple Entente: Russia, Great Britain, and France
    • A looser agreement that felt more like “I still hate you, but if you’re in trouble I’ll consider helping.” It didn’t guarantee support, but it gave it a possibility.
    • The leaders of all three nations are cousins, descended from Queen Victoria. King George V in Britain, Czar Nicholas in Russia, and Wilhelm in Germany. Germany is a newer nation, so they’re considered second-class. The anger of Wilhelm lead to a stronger German military, so everyone followed suit under the balance of power.
  • The start of the war was because Germany’s navy was the second strongest in the world, the first being Great Britain. Germans had submarines.
  • There was a huge rivalry between Germany, Great Britain, and France.
    • Especially between France and Germany, because of the effects of Napoleon. The French treated the Germans horribly under Napoleon’s rule.
    • The collapse of the Holy Roman Empire (which is COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the Ancient Roman Empire) also contributes.
    • So does the Franco-Prussian war. In 1871, Wilhelm crowns himself King in the French palace of Versailles. The palace is a sign of the French dynasty and wealth. It felt like a massive insult to the French. Alsace Lorraine is a French Territory that was taken over by Germany, so there were French people living in new Germany that hated it.
  • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Prince of Austria)
    • This is known as the kickstart to WWI.
  • The city was Sarajevo, and the territory was Bosnia Herzegovina. The people living in that territory considered themselves a part of Serbia. People were afraid that Russia would expand to new countries and cause problems if they were not isolated. The Serbians were being controlled by the Austrians.
  • Sarajevo was where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.
  • On June 28th, 1914, Ferdinand went to Sarajevo to show the people they were protected under Austrian rule. He’s there because he knows they don’t like him. It’s the same day they lost their independence a few years prior.
    • On his way to a speech, two bombs were thrown at the car. These didn’t kill him, he delivered the speech fine. He got in the car to meet with the military and was shot and killed. He also shot his pregnant wife in the stomach. They both died instantly.
    • Gavrilo Princip was the assassin but he wasn’t killed after. He died in prison within a few years. He was a loser.
    • He was a part of Black Hand- an organization that brainwashed people into thinking the assassination was the correct move for the nation.
  • There was suspicion that Serbia was behind the assassination because the group was behind Serbian Independence.
  • In a few months, everyone was at war pretty much
    • Austria-Hungary vs Serbia and Russia
    • Germany vs Russia and France and Belgium
    • Great Britain vs Germany
  • Italy stayed neutral for the time being.
  • Within a few months, virtually the entire European continent and part of Asia are involved in a major war. Doesn’t sound like a good time. This doesn’t party rock.
  • Why did the war start?
    • Thoughts of invincibility “Militarism”
    • Complicated “Alliances”
    • Problems from “Imperialism” and “Industrialization”
    • Fierce “Nationalism”
  • This war was called the “Great War” because when it was happening they didn’t think there would be another one. Then, of course, WWII happened.
  • President Wilson issued a proclamation of neutrality when the war started
    • He asked Americans to remain “impartial in thought as well as action.”
  • They wanted to stay impartial because
    • Wilson was confused about British and French goals. Suspicious of what they wanted to get out of the war.
    • Washington told the nation to stay out of national affairs during his presidency, and until WWI, that was the case.
  • “Peace Without Victory” is what Wilson was saying. He wanted to lead from behind, without sending actual troops to war. Teddy Roosevelt leads from the front. He told people what to do and how to think.
    • The US was supplying food, weapons, and other things to our allies.
  • Trench Warfare continued, the war didn’t move because the defense is favored.
  • The Zimmerman Telegram
    • January of 1917. Germans announce unrestricted submarine warfare and do this.
    • German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to the Mexican government that proposed German-Mexican alliance if the US entered the war. It offered Mexico money to attack the US and take back New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
    • They wanted to distract the US.
    • The US had already fought with Mexico and wasn’t interested in fighting with them again. It failed.
  • The US had no choice but to enter into the war.
  • The Russian “Bolshevik” Revolution (Red October)
    • The overthrow of the monarchy.
    • The Romanov family was overthrown, including Nicholas II, the cousin of the guys that lead the other two countries.
    • This happened in March of 1917, and there was a temporary government in between that was funded by the allies. They wanted to keep Russia in the war.
  • Vladimir Lenin came into power leading to a Communist takeover in Russia.
  • Bolsheviks were the communist party in Russia
  • The communists promised “Peace, Land, and Bread”
    • People voted them into power because they were desperate.
  • When the Romanovs got out of the war, the US felt like they could join to fight for democracy. Wilson felt like it was justified.
  • Declaration Of War Against Germany
    • “the world must be safe for democracy”
    • “the war to end all wars”
    • Quotes from a speech delivered by Wilson on April 2nd, 1917
    • It was one of the most famous speeches in US History
    • Jeanette Rankin voted against entering the war in both WWI and WWII
    • Wilson was reticent to go to war - reluctant, not fully committed
    • After the speech, Wilson was applauded. He later said “My message today was one of death for our young men. How strange it seems to applaud that” before crying.
  • Selective Service System (SSS)
    • The Draft
    • People 18-45
    • 3 million were brought into the military right away
    • First time for women to join in non-combative roles
    • African Americans were segregated but they were present
  • Committee of Public Information (CPI)
    • Agency to convince the public to join the war.
    • Germans were targeted in the US after this.
    • Anything German was eliminated from the US vernacular
    • Ran by George Creel
    • Hired 4-Minute men
    • They hired people to give quick speeches about why they should join the war.
    • Propaganda
    • The propaganda for WWI was to generate support for the war and to fight and spend their money on it.
    • WWII is to maintain support in the war
  • People gave the government money by bonds. The government was expected to give you that money and more after a period of time.
  • Treaty of Brest Litovsk - the Russians gave up a good chunk of their country.
    • When Russia leaves the war, the Germans move all of their attention to the western war. This causes our side to be outnumbered. The Germans almost won the war.
  • US arrived to the war on June 26th, 1917.
    • They had a big arrival with a lot of troops. They said “Lafayette, nous voila.”
    • Nod to Lafayette from the Revolutionary War.
  • July 1918, Chateau Thierry
    • First time the US participated in a European war.
    • Stopped the Germans from getting into Paris.
    • 50,000 troops a month are arriving in Europe.
    • They were young, poorly trained, ill equipped
  • Meuse-Argonne defensive
  • Fourteen Points (Wilson’s plan)
  • two turning point battles - Chateau Thierry and Meuse-Argonne
  • Meuse-Argonne defensive
    • the germans are pushed back
    • more ammunition was used here than in the entire civil war
    • 26,000 Americans died in battle
  • Armistice Day (11/11/1918)
    • the war wasn't over it was just an agreement to stop fighting
    • celebrated across the globe
    • what causes this
    • Bulgaria surrenders in September
    • Ottomans surrendered in October
    • Austria-Hungary surrendered in November
    • 11/9/18 - Wilhelm II abdicates and goes to the Netherlands
  • The toll of the war
    • 1,563 days of fighting
    • the US was there for about 18 months
    • it cost the US 112,432 deaths
    • 50% are from Spanish flu
    • 2 million germans, 1.7 million Russians, 200,000 British
    • 26 billion dollars for the US, 112 billion for the whole war
    • US contributes
    • Food
    • Money
    • Men
  • Fourteen points (Wilson’s Plan)

  1. International Conduct (5) and World Peace

    1. No alliances
    2. Freedom of the seas

  2. Territories (8) self-determination

    1. People can determine what government they want to be under
    2. No more imperialism, no more colonies.
    3. This was hypocritical.

  3. League of Nations (1) Partnership of Democratic nations

    1. Collective Security - replaces “balance of power” maintains peace together

      1. Article X discusses collective security. Every member country contributes military to maintain peace.
  • Wilson’s Idealism
    • His ideas were a bit utopian
  • Treaty of Versailles
    • the leaders disliked Wilson, but the public loved him
    • council of ten - two reps from five countries
    • Japan
    • British
    • France
    • Italy
    • America
    • The big four
    • George
      • British
    • Orlando
      • Italy
    • Clemenceau
      • French
    • Wilson
      • American
    • They dealt with Europe.
  • Treaty of Versailles
    • The negotiations were held in secret
    • Violation of the first point of the fourteen.
    • No Germany, Russia, or Japan.
    • Not inviting Germany was the worst choice
  • Map changes
    • Estonia, Lavita, Lithuania are new countries formed from Russia’s Territory.
    • Russia is called the Soviet Union because the monarch was overthrown and the government turned communist. This is the U.S.S.R. like the Beatles song.
    • Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
    • Turkey gets their named changed - it was the Ottoman Empire.
    • Austria-Hungary gets a divorce and turns into Austria, and Hungary.
    • People were living in countries they didn’t want to be in, which caused the same problems that started the war in the first place.
  • Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
    • Germany was given a bill of 33 billion dollars for reparations
    • The German military was stripped to 100k people.
    • Rhineland was demilitarized
    • The area around the Rhine river, Mississippi for the Germans.
    • This becomes important in WWII.
    • “War Guilt” Clause
    • Germany had to admit that the war was their fault and they caused the entire conflict. The war wasn’t entirely Germany’s fault. They made it worse.
    • They made Germany sign it or they would go back to fighting and Germany would be dismantled as a country.
    • Mandates
    • No colonies
    • League of Nations
      • The German colonies weren’t free countries, they changed to being managed by the League of Nations.
    • This leads to many issues later on.
    • League of Nations - Geneva, Switzerland.
    • Mentioned in the 14 points.
    • This was the main reason most countries signed the treaty.
  • Battle for Ratification
    • Irreconcilables - people who would not accept the League no matter what.
    • Didn’t want to be involved in Foreign Affairs.
    • Main issue was Article X
      • Established concept of collective security.
      • Replaced the balance of power.
    • Reservationists - accept the League if reservations or amendments were added
  • Teddy Roosevelt’s Funeral - 1919
    • “Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”
  • Wilson’s Speaking Tour
    • When he reached Colorado he had debilitating headaches
    • They sent him back to DC and he had a stroke.
  • Cont
    • This was an issue because Wilson was a democrat speaking to representatives that were mostly republican. This could lead to civil unrest.
    • After his stroke, his wife took him out of public view.
  • The senate didn’t ratify the treaty of Versailles, meaning the US didn’t enter the league
    • “They have shamed us in the eyes of the world” - Wilson about the US deciding to not join the league after the US President came up with it.
  • In 1921, the US signs a separate treaty with Germany in New Jersey. Harding (the next president) was playing golf and he stopped, signed the treaty, and then played more.
  • On June 28th, 1919, the treaty of Versailles was signed.
    • George F Kennan said that Wilson was selfish and idealistic and didn’t consider real European history while creating his ideas. He said this in fancier words.
  • Post War Problems (3 Rs)
    • “with luck, you can help them, but they have to save themselves”
    • Red Scare
    • Fear of communism in the US.
    • A Mitchell Palmer was sent a bomb to his house and his house exploded in DC. It was attached to what the administration thought were communists looking to overthrow the government.
    • This caused the Palmer raids. The government went around and arrested anyone who they thought was communist. They received little trials. 500 Russians were deported to Russia during this. Immigrants from Russia were denied into the US.
    • The Russians were mostly just single young dudes to make money and go home.
    • Red Summer (1919)
    • Longview Texas
      • Over rumors of interracial dating.
    • Washington DC
      • Over rumors of interracial dating.
    • Chicago
      • There was a 17-year-old boy named Eugene Williams that was drowned because he swam to the wrong side of the lake. This caused a massive racial riot in Chicago.
    • Elaine Arkansas
      • African American farmers created a labor union and the white farmers didn’t like that and it led to a riot. They burned down their village. Shitty.
    • A lot of the causes of this were that the towns looked different and people were losing their girlfriends and jobs.
    • Another cause was the first great migration. This was the first time that a large number of African Americans moved away from the South and into the North.
    • Economic Recession
    • There was unemployment because jobs were filled by African Americans and Women. It got over quickly.
  • Wilson’s ending
    • He ultimately failed to create a “new world order,” however, the United Nations was created after WWII. NATO was created as well, which was a collective security agreement.
    • He lived quietly in DC until he died on February 3rd, 1924
    • The US somewhat turned back to its isolationist roots in the next decade.