WWI - Incomplete

World War I

“The war to end all wars.” – Woodrow Wilson

I. Long Term Causes –

a. Alliances – people were ropes in

i. 1870 – The Germans (Prussia) – decisively defeats France à no more balance of power, so everybody starts scrambling for friends

ii. Bismarck fears French revenge and he fears Russia after the Balkans etc.

b. Dual Alliance – 1879 – Germany and Austria, Bismarck is worried about Russia expansion into the Balkans

i. 1881 – becomes the Triple Alliance – Italy joins

ii. Ironically, Germany will cut another treaty in 1887 with Russia à Russian – German Reinsurance Treaty (if one is attacked, the other will remain neutral)

c. Wilhelm II takes over Germany in 1890 and refuses to renew the treaty and edges Bismarck out. Because the treaty is dissolved, Germany gets closer to Austria and France will get closer to Russia

d. Great Britain – 1891- GB is the only non-allying country in Europe “Splendid Isolation”

e. Anglo-Japanese Treaty – 1902 – benevolent neutrality (ends German isolation)

f. Entente Cordial – 1904 – GB and France settle all their colonial disputes

g. Triple Entente – diplomatic understanding – 1907 – GB, France, Russia – combating the triple alliance

h. Adding fuel to the fire…a lot of fuel… Anglo-German Arms Race – in the 1890’s Germany will overtake GB as the main industrial power in Europe, they turned their attentions to weapon, building up their Navies

i. Bertha von Suttner – Austrian – Lay Down Your Arms (“it didn’t work very well. I think they should take it”)

i. GB’s official policy was for their navy to be bigger than the next two combined.

ii. Wilhelm II therefore appoints an Admiral von Tirpitz to expand the German Navy

j. Haldane Mission – GB sent envoy to Germany to attempt to end the Arms Race, they refused, cue WWI

i. By WWII both had Dreadnaughts (super battleships)

k. Imperialism – Kruger Telegram (1902) – diplomatic screw up

l. Algeciras Conference – Germany didn’t like France controlling Algeria, they wanted it to be an independent nation, GB and Italy supported France

i. France gets to keep Morocco à Germany fears “encirclement” – it thought that everyone was trying to stop it becoming a world power

m. 2^nd Moroccan Crisis – (1911) – German are protesting the French taking the city of Fez and send in a Gun Boat

n. Balkans lead to the War – Ottoman Empire pulls out of the Balkans, it is having trouble containing them – Pan-Slavism is spreading in the Balkans

i. 1^st Balkan Crisis – “Bosnian Crisis” – change in control of the Parliament government of the Ottoman Empire – taken over by the “Young Turks” - Ataturk – they are progressive in trying to modernize, but they can’t do it fast enough, they aren’t strong enough – Italy will take over Libya (1912)

ii. Earlier in 1908 Austria had annexed Bosnia – Herzegovina

iii. Russia threatens war, but doesn’t end up getting involved in defending the ottoman Empire

iv. 1^st Balkan War of 1912 – three Balkan groups will band together to drive the Turks (Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria)àpower vacuum. Who gets what?

1. Serbia wants a port, Austria will stop them getting one by creating Albania

v. 1913 – 2^nd Balkan War- Bulgaria is pissed – all the left over territory has been divided up by Serbia and Greece (now Macedonia) – Bulgaria fights Serbia and Serbia, with Russian help, defeats Bulgaria. Serbia also tries to take Albania because Austria prevents them with the help of Germany

o. Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

II. Immediate causes

a. Assassination of Franz Ferdinand – heir to the Austrian throne – by Princip – member of the Black Hand (Serbian nationalist group)

i. This sets off a huge problem because he is killed in Bosnia Herzegovina, not in Austria

ii. Kaiser Wilhelm II gives Austria his full support in WHATEVER they decide to do

iii. Austria makes huge demands on Serbia to avoid war – they are supposed to suppress ALL anti-Austrian activity, not even criticize them in the press, they have to prosecute people accused in the International Tribunal in The Hague à they didn’t trust Serbia

iv. Serbia didn’t agree, Austria declare war and start bombarding Belgrade the next day

b. In response, Russia mobilizes its army against Austria and Germany

c. France mobilizes their army on Germany’s other side to contain Germany “the enemy of my enemy is my Friend”

d. Germany decides not to wait, so they declare war on France through Belgium

e. Wilhelm II took a little localized war in the Balkans and turned it into WWI. If the Germans hadn’t attacked France, Britain would never have gotten involved and the powers would never have fought a war to protect Serbia

f. Central Powers [Triple Alliance Germany, Austria, Ottoman Empire]and the Allies [UK, France, Russia, later Italy, Japan, and USA

III. F

IV. F

V. F

VI. F

VII. F

VIII. D

a. Impact of WWI – millions died, Influenza (10 million soldiers and 10 millions civilians killed)

i. Greater social equality – class changes, nobility much less prestigious

ii. Emancipation of women - equal rights in Russia, get the vote Germany, USA, UK

iii. Dissent – started before the end of the war. Social disturbances in protest against the war during the war (Russian Revolution, UK – Easter rebellion in 1916, they have to put down an insurrection in Ireland in the middle of WWI when the troupes were needed elsewhere, Germany – Rosa Luxembourg + Clara Zetkin – militant socialists who were urging people not to support the war effort)

iv. Major women’s demonstration all over low wages and high prices

v. Censorship undermined people’s confidence in their government

vi. End of Dynasties – 4 major dynasties Hapsburgs, Romanovs, Hohenzollerns, Ottoman Empire, all gone

vii. 8 new countries created and one given back its sovereignty (Albania) and new: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Yugoslavia, Germany split in two by Poland

viii. 1^st communist country

ix. Increase in German nationalism, Treaty of Versailles pisses a lot of people off.

x. Major shift in financial power, after the war America takes over as the leading financial power

xi. John Maynar Keynes – 1919 The economic consequences of Peace – predicted that the treaty would harm Germany’s economy, that would hurt the economy of the rest of Europe and lead to future political unrest and ultimately cause WWII