World War 1

World War I (1914-1918)

Context:

• Resentment between France and Germany had been growing: Franco-Prussian War (French loss of Alsace and Lorraine); Moroccan Crises

• Tensions in the Balkans: Bosnian Annexation by A-H; Balkan Wars

• 4 MAIN causes throughout Europe:

1. Militarism- rapid buildup of arms and technology and aggressive military policies (e.g. Wilhelm’s naval buildup_- defense expenditures doubled between 1890-1910

2. Alliances- German attempts to isolate France (failed) and French reactions to it led to the creation of the Triple Alliance (Germany,A-H, and Italy) and Triple Entente (France, GB, Russia)

3. Imperialism- Competing amins for geostrategic colonies in Africa and Asia

4. Nationalism- Development throughout the 19th century as liberal, then conservative movement (German & Italian unification; Pan-Slavism)

Origins of the War:

• WWI began after the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdiand by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip (member of the Pan-Slavic terrorist group The Black Hand) on June 28, 1914

• Austria declared war on Serbia in July

• Germany declared war on France and Russia on August 1

• Germany’s invasion of Belgium (to attack France) on August 4 brought Britain into the war

• Eventually, 32 countries fought in the war and became known as the Central Powers (Germany, A-H, Ottomans, and Bulgaria) and the Allied Powers (France, Britain, Russia, and later Italy)

The Western Front:

• Germany made rapid gains through Belgium into France, but the offensive slowed into a stalemate through Trench Warfare

• Trench Warfare- soldiers dug a series of parallel protective trenches that stretched for 400 miles. The space between the trenches became known as “No Man’s Land,” since it had no cover and many died

• Conditions- Cold, wet, and unsanitary

  • Trench Foot

  • Disease (dysentery, trench fever, jaundice, cholera, etc.)

  • Unsanitary (rats and lice) 

• Major Battles- Marne, Verdun, Ypres, the Somme

• End of the stalemate- increased numbers from American entry into the war (along with better coordinated tactics in weapons) led to a costly Allied victory 

The Eastern Front:

• Began when Russia invaded Germany on august 17,1914

• A-H joined Germany and invaded Poland (part of the Russian Empire). Russia defended against A-H, but Germany made strong advances

• By 1915, Germany and A-H had taken the Russian lands of Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, but the German offensive stalled as it ouran its supply lines

• By mid 1916, Russia regained most of its territory, but at the cost of about 1 million Russian soldiers (killed, taken prisoner, or deserted)

• Hardship in the east (along with prior issues, like the Russian Revolution of 1905) led to the Russian Revolution and Russia’s withdrawal from the war

Technology of the First World War:

• New forms of technology (or updated versions of old technology) dominated World War, leading to massive troops losses as commanders had to adapt to far more destructive weapons:

  • Artillery

  • Machine Guns

  • Poison Gas (Chlorine, Phosgene, & Mustard)

  • Flamethrowers 

  • Tanks

  • Airplanes (Early for reconnaissance, later dropped bombs)

  • Submarines ( German U- Boats “unrestricted submarine warfare”)

Protest & Mutiny:

• Many troops felt demoralized by the stalemate on the Western Front

• Soldiers on both sides began to disobey orders in a variety of ways

1. Open Mutiny- Many in France refused to go “over the top” in 1917 at the Second Battle of Aisne. Thousands deserted and about 40,000 men mutinied in some way. General Henri Petain executed 26 men, but let the rest return to their post

2. “Live and Let Live”- soldiers in slow sectors of the front wouldn’t fire at one another, conduct truces (e.g. Christmas Truce), or simply “go through the motions” in their shooting and intentionally miss their targets

• Easter Rebellion in Ireland

• Russian Revolution