World War I and the Aftermath

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World War I and the Aftermath

• By Whitney R. McBeth
• Oak Grove High School
• Hattiesburg, MS 39402

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Setting the Stage

• At the end of the 1800s (19th Century) and
  beginning of the 1900s (20th Century), Europe was
  setting up for a major conflict.
• Many powers were involved and many factors were
  the cause.

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Causes

• Aggressive Nationalism
• France v. Germany
• Pan-Slavism in Eastern Europe
• Imperialism
• Militarism and the Arms Race
• Alliances
• Triple Alliance/Central Powers (Germany, Austria
  Italy)?
• Triple Entente/Allied Powers (France, Britain,
  Russia 1914-1917 and U.S. 1917-1918)?

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The Guns of August

• Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
  decided to visit Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia).
• Many Serbs and Slavs lived in Bosnia and didnt
  like that they were controlled by
  Austria-Hungary.
• Many people living in Bosnia and neighboring
  Slavic nations were unhappy with the visit.

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• The Serbian terrorist group carried out an
  assassination of the Archduke and his wife on
  their visit.
• Princip, a member of the Black Hand, was captured
  and imprisoned for the assassinations.
• The emperor of Austria-Hungary wanted Serbia to
  turn Princip over to him. They refused and the
  war was on!

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• Germany promised to support Austria-Hungary if
  they took action.
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
• Serbia received helped from its fellow-Slavic
  country, Russia.
• Germany declared war on Russia.
• France declared war on Germany and Germany, in
  turn, declared war on France.

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• Britain tried to stay out of the conflict but was
  not successful.
• Germany planned to fight France and Russia using
  the Schlieffen Plan.
• This means they would defeat France quickly and
  then turn their attention toward Russia.
• In order to fight France they would have to cross
  into neutral Belgium.
• Britain vowed to protect Belgiums neutrality and
  was eventually drawn into the conflict.

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The Course of the War

• When battle on the Western Front (French/German
  border) took longer than expected, both sides
  dug in to the countryside.
• This type of fighting was called Trench Warfare.
• Battles like Verdun and the Somme took months to
  fight with no true victor.

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• New technology aided both sides
• Machine guns-good for No Mans Land
• Poison gas
• Gas masks
• Tanks
• Planes
• U-Boats--German weapon of choice!
• Fighting also occurred in Eastern and Southern
  Europe, as well as in the Colonies.

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The Cost of War

• At the beginning of WWI, Europeans everywhere
  were excited about the conflict.
• However, they changed their minds as it became a
  total war.
• Total war is the channeling of a nations entire
  resources into a war effort.

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• European governments enacted the Draft.
• Governments raised taxes and rationed supplies to
  send to the war front.
• Above all, governments had to get the public
  involved in the war effort, so they waged a
  propaganda war.
• Propaganda-the spreading of ideas to promote a
  cause or to damage an opposing cause.

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Examples of Propaganda
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• Women joined the war effort by taking on many
  mens jobs while they were fighting.
• This kept Europes many economies going strong.
• Women also became nurses to help on the war
  front.
• Womens role in World War I helped them gain the
  right to vote in places like Britain and the
  United States.

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• In the meantime, Russia had to pull out of the
  war in 1917 because Communists were trying to
  take over there.
• However, the U.S. joined the Allies in 1917 for a
  couple of reasons
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
• Sinking of the Lusitania
• Sinking of the Sussex
• Violation of the Sussex Pledge
• Cultural Ties to the Allies
• Zimmermann Note-Germany plea to get Mexico to
  distract the U.S. for the duration of the War.

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• When the U.S. joined, morale was restored to the
  Allied Powers.
• Within a year, the Central Powers surrendered.
• President Woodrow Wilson of the United States
  took the lead in deciding the terms of peace.
• He issued his 14 Points, his post-war plan for
  the world
• Reduction of Arms
• Self-determination for Eastern Europe
• Peacekeeping organization for the world

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Making the Peace

• At the end of the war, millions had died in war
  related deaths.
• The physical, economic and social structure of
  European countries were destroyed.
• The Treaty of Versailles promised to solve the
  problems the war had created.
• The leaders of Britain, France and the U.S. took
  the lead in the Treaty. They were known as the
  Big Three.

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• The Treaty of Versailles made the following
  decisions
• Germany had to pay the Allies 30 billion in
  reparations, or war payments
• Limited the size of Germanys military
• Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France
• Germany was stripped of its overseas empire
• Territories around the world came under the
  control of western powers

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Self-Determination for Eastern Europe

• New countries were created
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Estonia
• Poland
• Czechoslovakia
• Austria
• Hungary
• Yugoslavia

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The League of Nations

• The League of Nations promised to be the
  peacekeeping organization for the world after
  WWI.
• While it was President Wilsons idea, Congress
  refused to allow the U.S. to join the
  organization.
• In time, it would prove to be a disaster.