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Alliances
One of the alliances, formed by Otto von Bismarck was called the Triple Alliance. It included Austria-Hungary, Italy, and a treaty with Russia. However, when Wilhelm II became emperor of Germany, he did not like the idea of sharing power and he forced Bismarck out and followed his own policy. The second alliance that was made was called the Triple Entente. They included France, and Russia. The sic Great Powers had now formed two camps: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy against the British, Franc -
Events Leading to War
One factor that led to the war was nationalism, or the deep feeling of attachment to one’s own nation. This forced helped unify the people to their country. Imperialism was another force that contributed to the start of the war. France and Germany, each seeking control in parts of Africa, almost came into war twice in the 1900’s. The third factor was a growing arms race. Each country in Europe, except Great Britain, built a large army. -
Murder of Archduke
This is when the Royal pair of Archduke Franz Ferdinand were shot at point-blank range as they rode on an open car. At the time they were visiting Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia. The killer was Gavrioo Princip. He was a member of the Black
Hand. The Black Hand a secret society committed to getting rid of the Bosnia/Austrian rule. This event triggered the beginning of WWI. -
Great War Begins
Expecting Germany to join forces with Austria, Russia mobilized along the german border. In response to this, The Germans declared war on the Russians. The Rusians looked to their ally, France, for aid in their situation, but before any aid was given, the Germans declared war on France. Soon after, Great Britian declared war on Germany and the battle lines/alliances were final. -
The Schlieffen Plan fails at the Battle of Marne
The Germans had developed a war strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. In this, thy would attack France at full force and then turn around and immediately invade Russia. Determined that it would work, Germany invaded France and it looked like they would win. Out of no where, the Allies regrouped and defeated Germany. This defeat left the Schlieffen plan in ruins, as the Russians began invading Germany from the west at the same time. -
Fighting on the Eastern Front
The eastern front was an area along the German and Russian border. At the beginning, Russian forces had invaded Germany and Austria. Germany counterattacked near Tannenberg. Germany crushed the Russian army and drove them to retreat. 30,000 or more Russian soldiers were killed. Russia defeated Austrians twice, but the Austrians defeated the Russians after this, pushing them out of the country. -
New Military Strategies
Many new military strategies arose during WWI. These included trench warfare, machine guns, oison gas, armored tanks, and larger artillary. Trench warfare was when soldiers fought eahcother from the protection of trenches. Large losses of soliers were traded for land gains. Living in the treches was misery for the soldiers. They had to deal with the mud, rats, low food supply, and no possibilities of sleep. Inbetween trenches was an area caled "no-man's land", as no one ocupied this area. -
The Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign was a promising strategy for the Allies. The Allies are an alliance between Grat britain, France, and Russia. They were going to use this campaign to attack a region in the Ottoman Empire called Dardanelles, which was a gateway to the Ottoman capital, defeat the Turks, and create a supply line to Russia. The Campaign failed in December with brutal fighting and trench warfare. -
America joins WWI
The Germans had tried to use the policy unrestricted submarine warefare before they had formally announced it. On May 7, 1915, the Germans used a submarine to sink a British ship. Along with the many deaths, 128 US citizens died. The Americans were outraged. In 1917, a telegram from Germany to Mexico was intercepted, and was interpeted as saying that the Germans would help Mexico reclaim land in US. President Wilson declared war on Germany and the US became part of the Allies. -
Total War
WWI soon became a total war. This meant that countries devoted all their resources to the war. In Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia, and France, the entire force of government was dedicated to winning the conflict. In each country, the war time government took control of the economy. Governments told factories what and how much of things to produce. -
Women in the war
Total war meant government turned to help from women as never before. Thousands of women faced men in factories, offices, and shops. Women bulit tanks and ammunitions, plowed fields, paved streets, and ran hospitals. They also kept troops supplied with food, supplies, and weapons. Although most women left the work force when the war ended, they changed many people's views of what women were capable of. -
German's Final Attack
Germany then attempted one final attack. The Germans were trying to make their way towards Paris to conquer more land, but they utterly failed. It did not end well because their soldiers became tired and supplied became scarce. Their allies, which had strong American troops, drove the Germans back and out of Paris. -
Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire Surrender
Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire then soon surrendered. In October, a revolution toppled the emperor of Austria- Hungary. Then in November, Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to step down in Germany. The new government agreed to stop fighting the battle and only about a week later, most of Europe was finally at peace. -
Treaty at Versailles
Both Britain and France had very different views. Both countries had suffered tremendously in the war and they wanted a way to punish Germany. After long debates, the leaders finally agreed on a peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty would include 32 nations that included the United States, Britain, France, japan, and Italy who were the leaders. The treaty took away German land in Europe and took away its colonies. Germany also had complete blame for the war. -
German Colonies Given Allies
Germany’s former colonies were then given to the Allies to govern until they decided which were ready for independence. Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia were all declared independent. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, that were all once part of Russia, were made independent nations as well. The Ottoman Empire was then broken up. The Ottomans were only left to take control of Turkey.
