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Unit 4: World War I and Its Aftermath (1914-1920)

This unit emphasizes the events leading up to World War I.

Unit Focus

European rivalries and entangling alliances

chain of events that led to World War I

underlying causes of World War I

key battles of World War I role of United States in World War I

new technology that changed the nature of warfare

long-term and short-term effects of the Versailles Treaty

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Unit4Timeline

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107Unit 4: World War I and Its Aftermath (1914-1920)

Vocabulary

Use the vocabulary words and definitions below as a reference for this unit.

abdicate ........................................... to give up power

alliance ............................................ an agreement between countries,groups, or people to work together indoing something

ammunition ................................... bullets, shells, grenades, bombs, and

other materials that can be fired fromguns or exploded in some way

armistice ......................................... a temporary agreement to stop fighting;a truce before a formal peace treaty

arms race ......................................... a rivalry among nations to gain thegreatest military power

artillery ........................................... large, heavy firearms

assassinate ...................................... to murder, usually for political reasons

assault.............................................. a sudden, violent attack

desertion ......................................... the act of leaving a military forcewithout permission

diplomat ......................................... a person who represents his or hergovernment in relations with othergovernments

draft ................................................. a governments selection of men forrequired military service

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Unit 4: World War I and Its Aftermath (1914-1920)108

exaggerate ....................................... to make something seem larger orgreater than it is

flank ................................................ the right or left side of a military force

front ................................................. a place where fighting is going onbetween two or more countries

heir ................................................... the person who is next in line for thethrone of a country

militarism ....................................... the glorification of armed strength

minority .......................................... the smaller part of a group

mobilize .......................................... to organize resources for combat

neutral ............................................. belonging to neither side in a war

offensive ......................................... a course of attack

reparations ..................................... payment for war damages

statesmen ........................................ persons skilled in carrying out public ornational affairs

trenches ........................................... long ditches dug in the ground toprotect soldiers in battle

ultimatum ....................................... final set of demands

victors .............................................. those who are successful in battle

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World War I (1914-1920)

World War I: The War to End All Wars

World War I, once called the war to end all wars, broke out in Europe inAugust 1914. By the time it was over in November 1918, 8.5 millionsoldiers had been killed. Twenty-one million soldiers had been wounded.More soldiers died in World War I than had died in all the wars since theyear A.D. 1100. Millions of civilians were left without homes. Cities and thecountryside were destroyed. The war cost over 338 billion dollars. Eventhe winners paid a huge price. Those who won the war lost almost asmuch as those who had been defeated.

By the wars end, political systems throughoutEurope had been changed. The Austria-Hungary Empire and the Ottoman Empire hadbeen completely destroyed. Germany was nolonger ruled by a kaiser (king), and Russia wasno longer ruled by a czar. In place of thosemonarchies, Germany developed a democracy,and Russia became a Communist country.

Europe had entered the 20th century as theeconomic and military power of the world.Great Britain and Germany had developed assuccessful, industrialized nations. Both hadpowerful navies. France had recoveredremarkably from its economic and militarydefeats in the 19th century. But as Europeannations grew stronger,

they developed many disagreements andconflicts. In the latter half of the 19th century andbeginning of the 20th century, European leaderswere unable to find a peaceful way of solving

their problems.

Eventually, Europe became a hot spot ready to explode.One small battle or war could quickly set off a chain ofevents leading to the Great War: World War I. WhatEurope thought would be a short war (like those of the 19th

century) turned into a bitter, four-year struggle. When itwas over, there were victors, but there were no winners.

Germany was no longer ruledby a kaiser (king), and Russiawas no longer ruled by a czar

following World War I.

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Origins of World War I

As you read in Unit 3, the Industrial Revolutionencouraged policies ofimperialism inindustrializednations. As these nations sought to gain coloniesand overseas markets, they often developedconflicts with one another. Nationalism fueled theirdesire to show their power and strength byexpanding their control of territories andcountries. Nationalism often caused nations tocompete for valuable land and countries.Nationalism also increased militarism, or theindustrial nations glorification of military strength. This then led to

different alliances, or agreements, between countries. As you can see, eachcause led to many effects. The Industrial Revolution led to imperialism,which led to nationalism, which led to militarism, which led to alliances.And all of these effects eventually led to World War I. One way toremember this is to use the mnemonic MAIN, which stands for thefollowing.

Militarism

Alliances

Imperialism

Nationalism

Conflicts Leading to World War I

Changes in the Balance of Power

During the 19th century, the shape of Germany and Italy had changed.Germany had been composed of a group of states, each state often havingdifferent interests. Under Bismarck, Germany unified into a powerfulcountry. Although far less powerful, Italy had also gone from being acollection of small, weak states to a unified nation. These changes created

a change in Europes balance of power. France and Great Britain grewconcerned about the strength of Germany. However, having just beendefeated by Germany, France was in no condition to stop Germanindustrial and military growth. And France and Austria-Hungary had lostcontrol over Italy after its unification.

In the period before World War I, Great Britain and Germany were thestrongest countries. France was next; Russia and Austria-Hungary were

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third. Each of these countries had certain goals. Often, the goals of onecountry were in conflict with the goals of another country. The conflictsdiscussed below were some of the major causes of World War I.

Austria-Hungary wanted to stop nationalist movementswithin their multi-national empire, especially in theBalkans (Southeast Europe). The Austria-HungaryEmpire included millions of Croats, Bohemians, andother Slavic peoples, many of whom wanted politicalfreedom and self-rule. Austria-Hungary, however,wanted to maintain rule over its minority populations inEastern Europe.

Working against the political interests of Austria-

Hungary was Russia. Russia wanted to gain influence inthe Balkans to secure a warm-water port that would beopen all year. Russian ships could not operate during thewinter because Russian ports in the north were frozenfor several months. Russia hoped to gain access to theseaports of the Mediterranean Sea. Russia believed thattheir aims could only be achieved through war withAustria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empires.

Germany in the early 20th century began a policy ofmilitarism. Germany wanted to be the dominant militarypower in Europe. Between 1890 and 1914, the Germanarmy and navy had expanded. Germanys chief rivals,France and Russia, had developed a military alliance.Germany also wanted to expand its influence in Africaand Asia.

France wanted a chance to get back the territories ofAlsace and Lorrainelands lost to Germany in theFranco-Prussian War. To this end, France hadstrengthened its military ties to Russia and built a larger

army to keep up with Germanys growing strength. Great Britain did not want Germany to become a threat

to its overseas empires in Africa and Asia. Britain wantedto remain the strongest colonial empire in the world. TheBritish were concerned about Germanys growinginterest in building a railroad through the Balkans,which might endanger Britains access to India. Great

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Britain continued to devote more and more of itsresources to expanding their already powerful navy. Thiscaused strained relations between Germany and GreatBritain.

In the Russo-Turkish War (18771878), Russia went towar with Turkey on behalf of the Slavic people in theBalkans. Russias imperialist ambitions were to use theconflict between the Slavic people and the Turks as anexcuse to expand into Balkan territory. Russia forcedupon Turkey a peace treaty that gave Russia the mostinfluence in the Balkans. The Treaty of San Stefano (1878)created a large Russian-controlled Bulgarian state. Great

Britain, Germany, and Austria-Hungary were afraid ofRussian influence in the Balkan area. In 1878 GreatBritain and Germany forced Russia to give up most ofthe territory it won in the Russo-Turkish War the yearbefore. At the Congress of Berlin in 1878, the Europeanpowers divided Bulgaria into three parts. One partremained under Turkish rule. Serbia, Montenegro, andRomania won independence. Britain gained control ofCyprus, and Austria-Hungary won the provinces ofBosnia and Herzegovina. Russia lost its war gains. TheOttoman empire lost European territory.

Entangling Alliances

The shift in the balance of power caused all of the European countries tomake alliances with each other. Once two countries joined in an alliance,they became a threat to other countries. So other countries joined analliance to protect themselves. Quite quickly, Europe split into two sides.

Germany and Austria-Hungary joined in the first important military andpolitical alliance. This alliance, or agreement, stated that Germany andAustria-Hungary would come to each others aid if Russia attacked one ofthem. Germany then formed a similar alliance with Italy to oppose Francein case of attack. Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary were now part ofthe Triple Alliance.

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CYPRUS

Mediterranean Sea

AtlanticOcean

NorthSea

Black

Sea

BalticSea

GERMANY

DENMARK

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

OTTOMAN

EMPIRE

GREECE

SPAINPORTUGAL

Triple Entente(Great Britain, France, and Russia)

SERBIA

Triple Alliance(Germany, Austria-Hungry, and Italy)

NETHERLANDS

ITALY

SWEDEN

NORWAY

CORSICA

SARDINIA

AFRICA

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

SICILY

ALBANIA

BALEARICISLANDS

SPANISHMOROCCO

MONTENEGRO

N

S

EW

RUSSIA

GREATBRITAIN

IRELAND

BELGIUM

LUXEMBOURG

FRANCE

SWITZERLAND

Similar agreements were made between France, Russia, and Great Britain.

They agreed to protect each other in case Germany, Italy, or Austria-Hungary attacked them. The agreement or treaty between France, Russia,and Great Britain was called the Triple Entente, or friendly understanding.

The period from 1870 to 1914 was a time when European countries formedentangling alliances. These entangling alliances were made so that if onecountry attacked another, all countries would be forced to declare war oneach other. Obviously, this system of alliances caused great tensionthroughout Europe. A dispute between any two powers could draw theentire continent into war. This period from 1870 to 1914 was a time of toomany diplomats representing their governments and not enough

statesmen skilled in carrying out public and national affairs. In otherwords, too many deals were made, and there were not enough strong andskillful leaders.

Arms Race

General feelings of unrest throughout Europe encouraged the desire forartillery,or large, heavy firearms. The Industrial Revolution provided

Europe on the Eve of the War, 1914

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European countries with the technology to build more powerful weaponsat a fast pace. Industries developed to produce guns, cannons, and othermodern weapons. Each country tried to produce more weapons thananother. Along with this arms race, nations increased the size of theirreserve armies. More men were drafted for longer periods of time. In caseof an assault, or attack, these reserves would be mobilized, or called toactive duty, to serve in the army. These events did not give Europeans asense of security; instead it appeared that European countries wereheaded for war.

Imperialism and Economics

During the period before World War I, imperialism

played an important role in causing competition andconflicts among nations. Nations competed with eachother as never before. Competition grew as Europeannations sought new colonies and spheres of influencefor trade. France and Great Britain were very worriedabout the rapid growth of Germany. They did notwant Germany to claim too many colonies overseas.

Newspapers Spread Fear and Encourage Nationalism

Newspapers exaggerated the problems betweennations. For example, British newspapers printedstories saying that the Germans were out to destroythe British Empire. German newspapers printedstories which accused France and Great Britain ofbeing hungry for more land. Newspapers helped fuel nationalism and fearamong their readers.

Crises in Morocco and the Balkans Strengthen Alliancesbetween Nations

The Moroccan Crises of 1905 and 1911

In 1905, Germany challenged Frances influence in Morocco. The GermanKaiser, visited Morocco and pledged his support for that countrysindependence. Not ready for war, France agreed to settle the crisis of

Newspapers helped fuelnationalism and fearamong its readers.

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Morocco at an international conference. At the conference in 1905, thenations decided that Moroccos independence was secure and thatFrances special interests in that country would continue.

Hostilities concerning control of Morocco intensified again in 1911between Triple Entente and Triple Alliance powers. Germany and Franceaverted,or avoided, war when both nations agreed to a compromise.Germany withdrew its objections in exchange for a small area of theFrench Congo. The Moroccan crises of 1905 and 1911 were setbacks forGermany and brought France and Great Britain into closer alliance.

The Balkan Crisis of 19121913

The second major crisis took place in the Balkans. Russia wanted tocontrol a waterway to the Mediterranean. With Russian approval, fourBalkan nations, known as the Balkan LeagueSerbia, Montenegro,Bulgaria, and Greecewarred against, defeated, and seized territory fromthe Ottoman Empire. As a result of the war, the Ottomans lost all of theirEuropean territory with the exception of Istanbul. Soon after the war, theBalkan states began to fight among themselves over lands they hadgained in the war with the Ottomans. The fighting finally ended in 1913with the Treaty of Bucharest. The disputed land was redistributed. TheEuropean powers tried to preserve the existing balance of power toprevent Russia and Austria-Hungary from gaining more influence in theBalkans.

Austria was opposed to Russian influence in the Balkans. Austria fearedthat a powerful Serbia would cause unrest among Serbians and otherSlavic peoples in the Austria-Hungary Empire. Germany supportedAustrian ambitions to control the Balkans. The Balkan crisis of 19121913brought Russia and Serbia closer together and intensified Russian andSerbian hatred for Austria-Hungary.

At the beginning of 1914, Europe was on the brink of war. Allies grewcloser than ever as tension throughout Europe mounted.

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Practice

Match each definition with the correct term. Write the letter on the line provided.

______ 1. the glorification of armedstrength

______ 2. the smaller part of a group

______ 3. an agreement betweencountries, groups, or people towork together in doingsomething

______ 4. persons skilled in carrying outpublic or national affairs

______ 5. large, heavy firearms

______ 6. a rivalry among nations togain the greatest militarypower

______ 7. a governments selection of

men for required militaryservice

______ 8. a sudden, violent attack

______ 9. to organize resources forcombat

______ 10. to make something seemlarger or greater than it is

______ 11. those who are successful inbattle

A. alliance

B. arms race

C. artillery

D. assault

E. draft

F. exaggerate

G. militarism

H. minority

I. mobilize

J. statesmen

K. victors

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Practice

Complete the following outline using pages 109-115.

I. General information

A. World War I started in (place) in

(date)

B. Ended in (date)

C. Losses

1. Number of soldiers killed:

2. Number of soldiers wounded:

3. Cost over dollars

4. Two empires destroyed

a.

b.

5. Systems of government entirely changed

a. became a democracy

b. Russia became

II. Origins of World War I

A. Conflicts between nations were caused by

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

4. ______________________________________

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B. General causes

1. Changes in the of

2. ______________________________________ alliances

3.

4. and economics

5. spread fear

C. Specific causes

1. The Moroccan crisis of 1905

a. Germany challenged influence in

b. pledged

his support for Moroccan independence

c. A crisis in Morocco was avoided because

and it was decided that

(1)

(2)

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2. The Moroccan crisis of 1911

a. Hostilities intensified again between

and

powers

b. and

competed for control of Morocco

c. As a compromise, France gave part of

to Germany

3. The crisis of 19121913

a. Russia wanted

b. Russia supported

c. Austria was opposed to

d. The results of the Balkan crisis were

4. In 1914 Europe was at the brink of

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The Final Straw: War Begins

Taken all together, the situation in Europe from 1870 to 1914 was veryunstable. Europe was ready to explode. All it needed was a spark to set itoff.

The rival alliancesthe Triple Alliance and the Triple Ententehad facedeach other in a series of diplomatic clashes between 1905 and 1914. OneSerbian nationalist finally committed the act that set off the Great War.

The government of Austria-Hungary knew that Serbian nationalists inSerbia and in Austria were plotting the breakup of the AustriaHungaryEmpire. Austria-Hungary suggested a new plan of government to satisfythe Serbs. The Dual Monarchy would become the Triple Monarchy.Austria-Hungary hoped that giving more self-determination to thenational minorities within the empire would keep the minorities fromrebelling. This plan, however, was never put into action.

On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke FrancisFerdinand, and his wife Sophie were visiting Sarajevo, the capital ofBosnia, in the Balkans. Sarajevo was a Serbian-populated region in theAustrian Empire. Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who wanted allSerbians to unite in one nation, assassinated both Archduke FrancisFerdinand and his wife Sophie as they drove through the streets of

Sarajevo.At first, European diplomats thought they could solve this crisis throughdiplomacy. After all, the other crises had been solved through diplomacy.What the diplomats did not realize was that this crisis was much moreserious than the others.

Chain of Events

June 28, 1914 A Serbian nationalist assassinatesAustrias Archduke Francis Ferdinandand his wife.

July 23, 1914 Austria-Hungary gives Serbia anultimatum, a set of final demands thatmust be accepted to avoid severeconsequences.

July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbiaand attacks.

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July 30, 1914 Russia begins to mobilize its army forwar against Austria.

July 31, 1914 Germany issues Russia an ultimatum tocancel its mobilization order or face war.Germany also issues an ultimatum toFrance.Germany demands that Russia stop itswar preparation.Germany asks France what it will do ifGermany goes to war with Russia. Francesays that it will act according to its owninterests.

August 1, 1914 France prepares for war.Germany declares war on Russia.

August 2, 1914 Germany demands the right to marchthrough neutralBelgium. France saysno.

August 3, 1914 Germany declares war on France.Great Britain promises to help France.

August 4, 1914 Germany invades Belgium, a neutralcountry.Great Britain declares war on Germany.

August 6, 1914 Austria declares war on Russia.

Diplomacy fails; all of Europe is drawn into war.

Responsibility for the War

Much has been written about which country was responsible for causing

World War I. The paragraphs which follow will provide you with someclues. You decide.

Serbia

Serbia wanted to create a large Slavic state that would include landcontrolled by the Ottoman and Austria-Hungary empires. The Serbian

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government encouraged the nationalistic movements within theAustria-Hungary Empire and was aware that Archduke FrancisFerdinands life was in danger. However, the Serbian government couldnot have acted so openly and boldly without the knowledge that Russiaand France would defend Serbia in case of war.

Austria-Hungary

The Austria-Hungary Empire was falling apart. The government wasunable to stop the many nationalistic movements within its empire. Whenthe heir to the Austrian throne was killed, Austria-Hungary wanted topunish Serbia. Austria-Hungary, however, could not have acted so boldlywithout knowledge that Germany would back its demands. The Austrian

government believed that this crisis would stay in the Balkans and that theBalkan war would not spread.

Germany

The German government wanted more territory in Europe and a largerempire around the world. Germany encouraged the Austria-Hungarygovernment to put down nationalistic movements. Germany would havemore influence in the Balkans if Austria-Hungary maintained its empire.The German Kaiser William (German: Wilhelm) II, was a cousin of both

the Russian Czar Nicholas II and the British King George V. Therefore,William II did not fear Great Britain or Russia. He never expected that hiscousin, George V, would go to war againstGermany. He also thought that Russia andFrance would be too weak to fight.

Russia

The Russian government encouraged Serbia torefuse many of the demands made by theAustrian government. When Russia mobilizedits army for war, it forced Germany and Austriato do the same. Russia still wanted a waterroute to the Mediterranean. The Russiangovernment felt that if the Austria-HungaryEmpire was divided, Russia would get itswater route and gain control over the Balkancountries.

When Russia mobilized itsarmy for war, it forcedGermany and Austria to dothe same.

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France

The French government, angry at the Germans and Austrians, did nothingto stop the Russians. France wanted Alsace-Lorraine back, a territory ithad lost from Germany in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Francealso wanted to prevent Germany from gaining more territory overseas.

Great Britain

Great Britain feared German control of Belgiumwith its location acrossthe channel from the British Islesas a threat to its security. Britain madeit clear that it would fight to protect Belgium. Great Britain was alsoworried about Germanys growing economic and military strength.

The Responsible Party?

Which of the countries actions described above caused World War I?Some of the countries and empires were more aggressive than others. Butit is hard to point to any single country or empire as responsible for WorldWar I.

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