There were four main causes of WWI: militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Militarism was largely caused by an arms race between Britain and Germany in the early twentieth century. The Germans were hoping to rival the great naval power of Britain, but rifles, artillery, and bombs were stockpiled as well.
The Alliance system in Europe was largely due to Bismarck, who wanted to keep peace in Eastern Europe. The Dual Alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary lasted from 1879 to 1918. Russia was an ally to a period of time, but eventually left the bloc. Italy joined the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1882, but would change sides in 1915. Along with the Ottomans, these nations were the "central powers." On the other side, an alliance was forming between Britain, France, Japan and the U.S. The Russians formed an alliance with Britain in 1907, and the Triple Entente would emerge in 1914, consisting of Britain, France and Russia. The U.S. would join these "allied powers" later in the war.
Imperialism was a source of conflict between European nations. The Moroccan Crisis of 1911 was especially important as it created tension between Germany and France as well as Britain, which supported France in her occupation of Morocco.
Nationalism was a cause for militarism and imperialism, which served to strengthen nations such as Britain and Germany. However, in other areas, particularly the Balkans, it was a force that was tearing centuries-old empires apart. The First Balkan Crisis (1874-1878) occurred when Bosnia and Herzegovina rebelled against Ottoman rule, with Serbia joining them. Turkey eventually sought peace, but the Second Balkan Crisis (1885) occurred not long after between Bulgaria and Serbia over land, with Austria-Hungary supporting Bulgaria and Russia backing Serbia. The same rivalry came up again in the Second Balkan War (1913). Serbs were angry at Austria-Hungary for their support of Bulgaria as well as their occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
These conflicts came to a climax when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914 along with his wife while visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. His murderer was Gavrilo Princip, a young member of a Serbian terrorist group.A month later, Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia began to mobilize in defense of Serbia, leading Germany to declare war on Russia. Believing it would take time for the Russians to mobilize and not wanting to fight a two-front war, Germany initiated the Schlieffen Plan to gain a quick victory over France, Russia's ally. To do so, the Germans would invade through neutral Belgium. However, unexpected resistance from the Belgians, quick mobilization of the Russians along the Eastern Front, and a counterattack by the French in the Battle of the Marne River all contributed to the plan's failure. The British not long after declared war on Germany. The Germans had lost their chance for a quick victory.
In the battle at sea, Britain's superior navy kept the Central Powers cut off from overseas trade. In retaliation, the Germans began the use of unrestricted submarine warfare to cut off the British from their own trade. Loss of American life in several sinkings, such as the passenger liner Lusitania, helped to bring the U.S. into the war.
The Western Front broke down into a bloody stalemate using trench warfare, in which both sides would dig long lines of trenches and would wait for an attack, which typically gained little territory. Meanwhile, machine guns, poison gas, artillery, tanks and bombing aircraft caused millions of casualties. In the east, Germany pushed far into Russia before the Bolsheviks seized power and got Russia out of the war. The U.S. joining the war helped make up for losing Russia as an allied power, and they helped halt the last major German offensive in 1918.By the fall of 1918, the Ottomans wanted peace, Austria-Hungary was collapsing and Germany was in revolution, with the Kaiser abdicating to a provisional German government.
Unit Objective
To look at the causes of WWI and to see what effects its settlement would have on history.
Essential Question:
Q: What did the peace settlement look like, and how did it set up future conflicts?
The treaty placed all the blame on Germany in the "War Guilt Clause," Article 231. It placed heavy restrictions on their military and forced them to pay heavy reparations for the damage of the war, which the Germans complained would starve their children. Germany lost its overseas colonies to the newly formed League of Nations, which Germany was not allowed to be a part of, as well as some principle regions to France. The Germans were greatly embittered by the treaty that they called "diktat"-- a dictated peace they were forced to sign onto.
Other countries felt cheated as well. Italy and Japan had hoped to gain territory from the war, but did not get what they felt they deserved. Colonies around the world were also unhappy. Many had hoped to achieve freedom, especially after contributing to the allied cause. They were disappointed as the new "mandate" system of the League of Nations appeared only to be European Imperialism in disguise.
One example is Iraq, which became a British mandate after people of the Middle East had aided Britain in the war effort against the Ottomans. Iraq put three groups-- Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds-- into one territory, though they were at odds with one another. The country still remains an unstable place in the world. Another colony that was unsatisfied by the end of the war was Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese revolutionary, visited the conference at Versailles hoping for independence, but was turned away. He went on to lead a great struggle in that country that would result in a Communist north and a Western-supported south and eventually, U.S. involvement.The Treaty of Versailles was in many ways built on quicksand. The United States, now a major world leader, would not even sign the treaty, and instead reverted back to its history of isolationism. The League of Nations, without the U.S. and other important nations, did not have a position to settle the conflicts it was meant to do. That, along with a legacy of bitterness in the mind's of the German people, put the world on course for another major war.
Three Important People:
Lawrence of Arabia
T. E. Lawrence was a British Scholar who had gone to Oxford and had learned Arabic on an archeological expedition.In WWI, he came up with the idea of spurring an Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire to weaken the Central Powers. He began leading Arabs in a guerrilla campaign behind the lines, tying up many Ottoman troops. They had a major victory in capturing the port town of Al-'Aqabah. His forced had reached Damascus by the end of the war. Despite their victory, the Arabs were not able to form a unified nation as the Middle East was divided up between Britain and France.
Lawrence is remembered for his service in weakening the Ottoman Empire and aiding Allied victory in WWI. After the war, Lawrence joined the Royal Air Force. He was killed in 1935 in a motorcycle accident.
Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger
On April 30, 1915, as the passenger liner Lusitania was being loaded in New York harbor with supplies for her voyage, including secret munitions for Britain, Kapitänleutnant Walter Schwieger was ordered to take his U-boat-20 German submarine to the northern tip of Great Britain. He was then to go back down south on the Atlantic side and then east to the Irish Channel to destroy ships going to and from Liverpool, England.Schwieger was known for attacking ships without warning, including any neutral ships he susspected of aiding the British.
On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania departed for its 202nd crossing of the Atlantic. Despite German warnings of submarine activity, many passengers felt it was a routine voyage. Meanwhile, Schweiger had already taken out three ships right in the area the Lusitania was going to be sailing
On May 7, the Lusitania entered the Irish Channel, and slowed its pace due to heavy fog. Captain Turner also did not have the ship zigzagging as was customary to avoid submarine fire, as he thought it was a waste of time and fuel. However, this presented a perfect opportunity fot Schwieger: "Starboard ahead four funnels and two masts of a steamer with course at right angles to us..." They submerged, approached the ship slowly and fired a single torpedo.
The rest of the story can be found in Schwieger's war diary:
This deed outraged the British, who put Schwieger on a list of possible war criminals. The U.S. lost over 100 citizens, and this would be a motivator for them to join the Allied Powers in the war effort.
Schwieger himself did not survive the war. While serving on board U-88 off the French coast, it is believed they hit a mine, killing everyone on board. He had sunk 49 ships in his career.
Sir Arthur William Currie
Sir Arthur William Currie was the commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI.Before the war, he served as a militia officer in British Columbia. After being sent to Europe, he proved to be a very capable and successful leader, eventually attaining the rank of general. Notable victories occurred at the Second and Third Battles of Ypres. The Canadian force he led was particularly important during the last hundred days of the war, were they were consistently at the head of the British's efforts. He was largely fresponsible for the planning and success in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in which the Canadians swept away entrenched German defenders.
Currie had a reputation as a foul-mouthed, overbearing officer. Nonetheless, he was knighted in 1917 by King George V.
Three Works of Art
This paining shows a war scene with soldiers heading off to battle while some of their comrades lie on the ground. Smoke in the distance shows the destruction that the war caused on the countryside.
The soldier in the middle is standing still with his head bent towards the ground, as his taking a moment to grieve for the fallen. The soldier in the foreground appears to be taking note of a fallen soldier as he continues on his way. This painting shows in a subtle way the great losses caused by the war and the grief and disillusionment that soldiers felt as they came out of it. The soldiers appearing in the distance show the great scale of the battles and suggests that images like the one above were a normal experience for soldiers serving along the fronts.
This painting shows the great amount of destruction that was caused by WWI. Forests were blown apart by artillery. The painting shows machine guns, a main weapon used during the war that were responsible for countless deaths and stalemate along the trench lines.
Forbes captures in his painting both the horrors of war as well as the great determination that was displayed in holding the lines against invading armies at all costs.
The image of a policeman outside the window is a reminder to Canadians that hoarding food is against the law. The poster is supposed to make any Canadian hoarders feel guilty for their deeds and possibly fearful of the consequences if they continue the practice.
The statement made at the bottom makes it an obligation for Canadians to give up their food for their country and not try and keep it for themselves.
This poster shows the strict measures that countries were forced to adopt as they engaged in "total war," having to get every citizen behind the war effort in some way or another.
Spotlight on Liechtenstein
The country was blocked off economically by the allied powers, and the country suffered greatly. Though they were not allowed to export anything to Switzerland (which hurt the hand-embroidery industry), their neighbor to the west did step in and give them supplies as they began to face starvation. Meanwhile, in France and Britain, Liechtensteiners were placed in camps as enemy aliens.
After the war, Austria lay in shambles, and there was a move in Liechtenstein to join Switzerland. However, Switzerland ultimately rejected this measure, and the allies incorporated the country into the new Austrian Republic.
Prince Eduard Liechtenstein was the driving force in the movement to gradually separate Liechtenstein from Austria. Dr. Emil Beck was the Charge d'Affaires of the Principality in Berne. He prepared the way for closer relations between Liechtenstein and Switzerland as well as representing the Vaduz Government at the League of Nations. The country needed to explain to world powers what its situation really was and what its viewpoints were.
After the European maps were redrawn, Liechtenstein became a doubly-landlocked country, a title it currently only shares with Uzbekistan. That means they have to cross over two national borders just to get some water access. However, Bolivia seems to show much more anger over being landlocked than Liechtenstein does over being doubly-so, proving that they are indeed a well-tempered people.
Two U.S. Events:
1916: Invention of the Toggle Light Switch
This nifty invention was patented in 1916 by William J. Newton and Morris Goldberg. These two men were from Brooklyn. The switch was invented to prevent frequent electrical shocks caused by twisting two wire together to turn on the light. The switch handle does not control the contacts directly, but through an intermediate arrangement of springs and levers that produce a snapping sound. The mechanism is safe, reliable and durable. It is still widely used in homes today.
America was not the only place where safety devices were being developed. In Russia in 1915, Nikolay Dimitrievich Zelinsky invented the first effective filtering activated charcoal gas mask in the world.
1918: The Malbone Street Wreck
The worst disaster in New York City Transit History occurred on November 1, 1918. The subway Motorman responsible, Edward Luciano, was inexperienced, with his career beginning earlier that day. He was actually only a dispatcher who had been pressed into the job by Brooklyn Rapid Transit while other motormen were out striking. Luciano had suffered from influenza not long before and was still grieving the loss of one of his children to the dreaded flu. It wasn't a very good week for him.The posted speed for the tunnel just north of today's Prospect Park Station, a sharp tunnel that was known as Dead Man's Curve" even before the accident, was just six miles per hour. Luciano had entered it during the evening rush hour going over thirty. The first car derailed upon entering the tunnel. The second slammed into a concrete abutment, the third was smashed apart, but the fourth was spared from such a horrible fate and survived mostly intact.
Many passengers died immediately from impalement or decapitation. Rescuers rushed to the area to save who they could, followed by worried friends and relatives looking for loved ones. All in all, almost 100 people were killed and 250 were wounded.
Train crashes were not uncommon accidents. In Europe the year before, a troop train derailed near the opening of the Mt. Cenis tunnel in Modane, France, killing close to 550 men in a single accident.
Connection Across Time:
The results of WWI contributed to some of the problems in the Middle East today. After helping the British defeat the Ottomans, the Arabs did not receive their own free state but were instead divided into mandates between the British and French. These mandates, such as the one for Iraq, did not take the desires of the people into account. Iraq, for example, put together the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, three groups that don't often get along.
Colonial unrest, in places such as Vietnam, was also a result of the Treaty of Versailles, which supported European Imperialism with its new mandate system.
The problems created by people's interests being ignored for the benefit of larger powers is an important lesson. If people are denied what they want, they can cause more problems later on.
