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Bismark and Alliances
-End of Franco-Prussian War
-His intentions were to restrain both Russia and Hungary
-Prevent conflict between them
-Isolate hostile France -
Three Emperor's League
-Linked monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia
-It was an alliance against radical movements -
Congress of Berlin
-Bismarck attempted to balance the Austrian and Russian interests in Balkans and balance the British and Russian interests in the Middle East
-Bismarck was the peacemaker
-The efforts that Bismarck made, made Russian nationalists angry
-Led Bismarck to conclude a defensive military alliance with Austria against Russia in 1879 -
Triple Alliance/Central Powers
-Italy, Germany and Austria
-Italy was motivated to join by tensions with France -
Russian-German Reinsurance Treaty
-Bismarck craftily set this treaty up because Russia declined to renew the Alliance of the Three Emperors because of new tensions in the Balkans
-Both states promised neutrality if other state was attacked. -
Emperor William II
-Refused to renew the Russian-German Reinsurance treaty even though Russia was willing
-Dismissed Bismarck because of his friendly policy toward Russia since the 1870s -
Bismarck's Resignation
-William II dismissed him -
Alexander III and Franco-Russian Alliance
-France and Russia military allies as long as Triple Alliance was still around -
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South African War
-Between British and the tiny Dutch republics of southern Africa
-Had a major impact of British policy
-Brought out into the open widespread anti-British feeling -
German Naval Policy
-Expand its battle fleet
-Posed challenge to Britain's long-standing naval supremacy
-Big gun battleships
-Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz saw a large navy as the legitimate mark of a great world power and as a source of pride and patriotic unity
-David Lloyd George saw it as a detestable military challenge -
Invention of the Air Conditioner
-Willis Carrier invents the first air conditioner -
Neon Light
George Claude invented the neon light -
The Balkans and Balkan nationalism
- War was inevitable because nationalism was destroying the Ottoman Empire in Europe and threatened to break up the Austro-Hungarian Empire. -Balkan nationalism was on the rise again
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Théophile Delcassé & the Anglo-French Entente
- (France’s skillful foreign minister)
- He wanted better relations with Britain and was willing to accept British rule in Egypt in return for British support of French plans to dominate Morocco.
- Anglo-French Entente settled all outstanding colonial disputes between Britain and France.
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Teabag invented
Thomas Sullivan invents the teabag -
Algeciras Conference
- Germany was frustrated that Britain joined with France, so the Germans insisted on an international conference in 1905.
- This forced Britain and France closer together and Germany left the Algeciras Conference empty-handed and isolated.
- Resulted in a diplomatic revolution.
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Theory of Relativity
Albert Einstein made famous E=mc2 -
Anglo-Prussian Agreement
- Russia agreed to settle its quarrels with Great Britain in Persia and Central Asia.
- Resulted in Germany’s paranoia increased, and so did Britain’s hostility.
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William Kellog
Cornflakes are invented -
Color Photography
Auguste and Louis Lumiere invented color photography -
David Lloyd George
- Saw a large navy as a detestable military challenge which forced Britain to spend the “People’s Budget” on battleships rather than social warfare.
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Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz
- Led German nationalists
- Saw a large navy as a mark of a great world power and as a source of pride and patriotic unity.
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Cellophane invented
Jacques E. Brandenberger invented cellophane -
Instant Coffee invented
G. Washington invents instant coffee -
First Balkan War
Serbia joined Greece and Bulgaria to attack the Ottoman Empire and fought with Bulgaria which led to the Second Balkan War. -
1913 Second Balkan War and the destruction of the Ottoman Empire
- Austria forced Serbia to give up Albania.
- After centuries, nationalism finally destroyed the Ottoman Empire in Europe
- This elated the Balkan nationalists and dismayed the leaders of multinational Austria-Hungary.
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War Raw Materials Board
• Walter Rathenau- Jewish Industrialist in Germany
• Purpose: ration and distribute raw materials
• Produced substitutes like synthetic rubber and nitrates
• Extensive Recycling-fruit peels, women’s hair, etc. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
-Heir to Austrian and Hungarian thrones
-Assassinated by Serbian revolutionaries living in Bosnia on June 28, 1914, during state visit to Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. -
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Military Strategy Takes Precedent 2
When Belgium refused, Germany threw political discretion out the window and rampaged through to France on August 3rd. Witnessing the bloody attack, Great Britain came out to make an alliance with France. -
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Military Strategy Takes Precedent 1
In Russia: Tsar NIcholas II wanted to only partially mobilize armies in Austria-Hungary on July 28th, but because elaborate military plans, it was impossible to not progress at both Germany and Austria-Hungary.
In Germany: The German general staff had planned for a two-front war and its first plan of action was quick aggression against France. In order to do this, Helmuth von Moltke insisted that Belgium (a neutral state) allowed German forces to cross through its land to reach France. -
"Blank Check"
An important factor in Austria's July 28th declaration of war on Serbia, Germany promised unconditional backing of whatever action Austria-Hungary would take in the tense situation.
With this alliance, the conflict in the Balkans gained the possibility of blowing up to a inter-continental scale as countries pledged alliances. -
Austria-Hungary's unconditional ultimatum
Serbian government had 48 hours to agree to demands that would amount to ceding control of the Serbian state. -
Full Mobilization of Russian Forces
Russia was seen as the protector of the southern Slavs and would join the conflict to assist the Serbs.
Tsar Nicholas II ordered full mobilization against Germany and Austria-Hungary on the 29th as he realizd it was an all or nothing effort. -
Triple Entente/Allied Powers
-Great Britain, France and Russia
-Allied against affresssive Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Great War -
Battle of Tannenberg & Masurian Lakes
• Russians were badly defeated by Germany in the eastern front
• The Battle of Tannenberg was fought near Allenstein
• Germany pushed the Russian army back across its’ original front
• Set back Russian’s battle plans into spring -
Total War
• Was needed to win the war- its was more than the will of patriotism
• Included: rationing, price & wage controls, restrictions on workers’ freedom of movement which was imposed by the government
• Planned economies led by the established political leadership -
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Hindenburg And Ludendorff
German officials who led led the Battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes.
These battles greatly damaged the Russian Army and deterred them from aggresion towards Germany. -
Race to the Sea
On the Western Front of the conflict, both sides were engaged in mobile warfare. Each was trying to advance farther around than the other to overtake them. This method was abandoned when trench warfare began. -
Battle of Marne
After a long summer, Germany was growing tired. On the 6th of September, French soldiers attacked a weak spot in the German line. After three days of desperate fighting, the French pushed the Germans back and Paris was safe. -
Trench Warfare
-A new tactic arose in the face of the Great War: trench warfare. Both sides of the conflict began to dig trenches to shield themselves from the bombardment of machine guns. Adapting to this defensive move, army lines would advance these trenches, continuously fighting. When they were close enough, they would fire 'over the top' of the trenches, directly at the enemies holed up inside.
-The casualties of this warfare was horrendous and the gains, miniscule. -
Submarine Warfare
• Germans used submarines to sink ~ 90 ships
• After sinking the Lusitania the Germans relaxed their warfare for 2 years -
Chlorine Gas
168 tons of Chlorine gas was deployed by German forces onto the French line north of Ypres, creating an 8,000 yard gap in the line. -
Lusitania
• 1 of 90 ships that was sank by the German submarines
• British passenger liner, carried arms and munitions
• 1000 passengers died, 139 were Americans
• Germany relaxed submarine warfare for two years -
Battle of Verdun
• Part of Trench warfare
• 700,000 dead
• Led to Chancellor Bethmann- Hollweg being driven from office
• Hindenburg & Ludendorff became the new rulers of Germany -
Battle of Somme
• Trench warfare
• British and French gained 125 square miles
• British and French lost 600,000 and Germans lost 500,000 -
Balfour Declaration
• A letter from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland -
German Revolution of 1918
• politically-driven
• resembled the Russian Revolution of March 1917
• liberals and modern socialists took control of the central government while workers’ and soldiers’ councils formed a counter-government
• a bourgeois political revolution without a communist second installment -
Second Marne
• 140,000 American soldiers + 2 million French soldiers
• Allied Victory
• German forces failed to the east of the Reims but were a little successful to the west
• French Ninth Army, commanded by De Mitry and supported by British, American and Italian troops, halted German advance on July 17, 1918 -
Armistice
• Held between the Allies and Germany to end World War 1
• Went in effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918
• Complete defeat for Germany but they did not surrender
• Germany followed Woodrow Wilson’s policy of his Fourteen Points
• French policy for Germany included:
o Cessation of hostilities
o Withdrawal of all German troops
o Preservation of info structure
o Exchange of prisoners
o Reparation disposition of German warships and submarines -
Georges Clemenceau
• Attended the Peace Conference of Paris
• Signed the Treaty of Versailles
• “the Tiger” -
League of Nations
• Purpose was to maintain world peace
• Settled international disputes through negotiation and arbitration
• Prevented wars through collective security and disarmament -
Peace Conference of Paris
• real powers in attendance= United States, Great Britain, and France (Germany not allowed to participate and Russia was in a civil war)
• President Wilson (USA) pushed for establishing the League of Nations
• Lloyd George (GB) wanted harsh punishment for Germany
• Georges Clemenceau (FR) agreed with GB, wanted old-fashioned revenge and lasting security for France through permanent demilitarization of Germany and vast war reparations-not accepted by USA and GB
• Compromise=no Rhineland land bar -
War Guily Clause
• “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.” -
Treaty of Versailles
• Signed June 28, 1919
• Signed between the Allies and Germany
• Germany was declared responsible for the war
• Alsace-Lorraine returned to France -
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"All Quiet on the Western Front"
The novel, by Erich Remarque, described trench warfare on the western front: extremely gruesome and futile.