World War I and Between the Wars

Reality of the Great War “the boys” would be “home for Christmas” Lasted 4 years 30 nations joined in the fighting Killed up to 10 million soldiers and 3 to 5

million civilians 28 to 30 million people wounded or

disabled Europe’s economies in ruins Map of Europe (and the world) redrawn

Effects of War

Four empires destroyed: German Reich, Russia’s czarist regime, Austria-Hungary’s Habsburg dynasty, and Ottoman Turkey

Spirit of optimism and faith replaced by fear and anxiety

Cultural and economic malaise

Social changes:Final decline of aristocracyRise of middle and lower classesGreater democratization of European

politicsComplete industrialization and

modernization of European economiesGranting of suffrage to women

FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN POWER GLOBALLY

Background and Beginning Long-term causes had been developing

M.A.I.N. Militarism: nature of German foreign policy. Under

Wilhelm II Germany became openly aggressive and forceful (brinkmanship)

Alliances: an unstable European alliance system had been developing (Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy;; the France, Britain, and Russia in the Triple Entente)

Imperialism: competition over empire Nationalism: transformed patriotic sentiment into

aggressive tendencies (jingoism)

                     

                                                                                                  

         

                                                                                                                                                                                 

           

                      

The Spark Crisis comes in the Balkans in Sarajevo, capital

of Bosnia: a Slavic province under Austrian authority

June 28, 1914, a Bosnian Serb student (Gavrilo Princip) assassinated the heir to Austria’s throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife

Causes outrage, esp. in Austria who blamed Serbia and used the murders to humble its problematic neighbor

Regional quarrel turns into continental conflict. Russia supported Serbia, Germany assured Austria of its support, France was pledged to help Russia in time of conflict

July 28, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia…alliance system went into operation

Germany’s plan for avoiding long war actually sped up the process

Major Combatants

Allied Powers (Triple Entente): Great Britain, France, Russia, Britain’s imperial domains (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) also took part, and Italy joined in the promise of Austrian land

Central Powers (Triple Alliance minus Italy): Germany and Austria, joined by Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire

The Schlieffen Plan Schlieffen Plan: Germany sent 75% of

army against France to take Paris through Belgium. The rest with Austria would defend against Russia.

Illegal invasion of Belgium stained Germany’s reputation badly

Failed: Belgium resisted and Russia mobilized more quickly than anticipated, French army made heroic stand at the Marne River

The Western Front The Western Front

Stalemate: both sides evenly matched and armed. Artillery, machine guns, and modern rifles made battlefields so deadly that traditional tactics weren’t working…military technology favored the defensive

Trench Warfare: by end of 1914, 500 miles of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire from English channel to the Swiss border

Trench Warfare

Fighting on Western Front was very bloody, but resulted in almost no movement

Verdun Offensive and Battle of the Somme resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths with no useful outcome

Mud, lice, rats, disease, and smell of dead bodies made trench warfare terrible

Not until 1917-18 did tactical changes and new weapons (tanks and airplanes) start to end the stalemate

Eastern Front

Front was much longer and less entrenched

Serbia fell to the Austrians Germans and Austrians moved quickly

and efficiently against the RussiansKilled, wounded, and captured millionsTook hundreds of thousands of sq. miles of

Russian territoryBulgaria and Ottoman Empire joined in and

cut Russia successfully off from its allies

Naval Warfare and Submarines

Britain’s Royal Navy imposed a blockade on Germany and Austria, causing starvation of thousands

Germany deployed the submarine (U-boat), doing economic damage to Britain

Diplomatically risky to use subs, ends up bringing U.S. into war in 1917

Global Dimensions of WWI Britain’s imperial dominions took part France and Britain mobilized troops in

coloniesAlmost 2.5 million Africans were involved in the

war in some wayBritain mobilized Indian sepoys, Sikhs, and

Nepalese Gurkhas Japan joined Allies and took over

Germany’s island colonies in the Pacific Australia seized German New Guinea

The Middle East

Armenian Genocide: Ottomans massacre 500,000 to 2 million Armenians

1915: British tried to knock Ottoman Turkey out of the war by landing at Gallipoli…disaster of 50% casualties

T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) persuaded Arab princes to rise up against Ottoman masters

Last Stages: 1917 - 1918

Frustrated by the stalemate, German navy turned to unrestricted submarine warfare, hoping to starve Britain out of the war

Economically, this worked…but it provoked the U.S. to enter the war in April 1917

Russia was collapsing: tsarist regime fell in March but new gov’t continued war effort unsuccessfully.

Communist Revolution pulls Russia out of the war

The Great Race Allies tried to get American troops over and

ready for combat before German’s transfer troops from Eastern Front to knock out weary French and British out of war

Germans launched massive offensive against Paris in spring of 1918, but halted at Marne

During summer, American, Canadian, British, and French troops pushed Germans back

Strikes and mutinies convince Austrian and Germans to surrender

WWI ends on November 11, 1918

THE HOME FRONT

On your own sheet of paper, indicate how the war affected the following:Government powerEconomies (incl. resources, employment, etc.)PatriotismGender roles

Twenty Years’ Crisis

The World During the Interwar Period

Political Extremism and Economic Depression in Europe

Fragile Peace and Crisis of DemocracyLeague of NationsTreaties outlawing warFewer democratic governmentsEconomic troubles in France and BritainModern welfare state emerges

Nationalism and Modernization in the Middle East The Birth of Modern Turkey

Young Turks and the Revolt of Middle Eastern possessions

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) Drove Greeks out, new treaty with Allies First president of new Turkish Republic

Modern, secular stateConstitution IndustrializationWestern dress and education encouragedChurch and state separated Islamic law (Sharia) replaced by European law

codeWomen

No longer had to wear a veil Right to vote in 1934 Encouraged to be educated and join workforce

Persian Independence and Modernization Two spheres of influence British presence increases Nationalist backlash Reza Khan mutinies against Qajar rulers and drives

out British Reza Shah Pahlavi est. new dynasty (Iran)

Westernizes Iran Boosted education Did away with veil for women

Egypt, North Africa, and Arabia

Arabian peninsula under Turkish control French and British mandates Arabs angered Balfour Declaration Jewish population rises Ibn Saud forms kingdom of Saudi Arabia

South and Southeast Asia

Remain under British and French colonial rule

Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia Nationalist efforts involved uneasy alliance

of Western-educated middle-class modernizers with intellectuals and students inspired by communist ideals of Marx and Lenin

India

Indian National Congress Mohandas K. Gandhi Amritsar Massacre, 1919 Government of India Act (1921) Non-violent resistance and satyagraha The Salt March Jawaharlal Nehru

Muslim League Muhammad Ali Jinnah Call for separate Muslim state called Pakistan Violence between Hindus and Muslims erupt

after independence in 1947 Bitter Indo-Pakistani rivalry still exists today

Communism in the Soviet Union

Lenin institutes his New Economic Policy (NEP) in the 1920’s

Stalin and his Five-Year Plans Collectivization of Agriculture Successfully industrializes the USSR

The Price of Modernization Great Famine Purges (peaked in 1936-38) Propaganda

Depression Aids Fascism

Expense of WWI and Rebuilding America lends Europeans money Stock Market Crash of 1929 sends Europe and

US into $ catastrophe US and Germany hit worst

1932 FDR wins landslide election In places where democracy had no roots, results in

triumph of political ideology of fascism

What is Fascism?

Destroy will of individual in favor of “the people”

Unified society, but unlike the communists, not at expense of private property or class distinctions

Rooted in extreme nationalism, usually reliant on racial identity

Comparing Fascism and CommunismPolitical Philosophy

Communism Fascism

Leader Dictator/authoritarian Dictator/authoritarian

Political Parties One-party rule; totalitarian

One-party rule; totalitarian

Rights of Citizens

Individual rights denied; use of secret police

Individual rights denied; use of secret police

Social classes Classless society Favored upper classes

Goals Unite all workers around the world

Promote national interest; extreme nationalism

Fascism in Italy

Benito Mussolini seizes power from King Emmanuel III by threatening to march on Rome

Completely took over Parliament in 1922 Outlawed all political parties, seized radio stations

and newspapers, set up secret police 1926: Italy transformed into totalitarian regime

focused on expansion (Ethiopia 1936)

GermanyWeimar Republic and ReichstagRise of the National Socialist Party (Nazis) in

the 20’sHitler

Preached ultra-nationalism and promised a greater Germany

1923 he was imprisoned and wrote Mein Kampf, outlining ideas of “master race” and lebensraum

1933 appointed chancellor through aggressive anti-communist propaganda

Gathering support Established himself as dictator: outlawed political

parties and SS (personal guard) eliminated all opposition

Gestapo: political police force Used schools, newspapers, radio, the arts,

churches to gather support Public rallies burned anti-Nazi books Openly attacked Jews, other minorities and

Communists

Hitler boldly announced would defy treaty, and nobody stopped him. WHY?

Coming of War

Appeasement 1936: When Germany reoccupied the Rhineland,

France and Britain did nothing because they feared war, hoping it would stop further aggression

1938: Marched into Austria and annexed it…again no one steps in

1938: Germany wanted Sudetenland. Munich Conference called and powers let him have it…he ended up taking ALL of Czechoslovakia

Japanese Aggression Japan wanted Manchuria’s iron ore and coal, seizing

it in 1931 League of Nations could do nothing 1937: Japanese soldiers sweep through much of

China, torturing and killing thousands

Italian Expansion 1935: Mussolini invaded Ethiopia League of Nations voted only for sanctions when

Emperor of Ethiopia asked for help Again…appeasement

Alliances During WWIIAxis Powers

1936: Italy and Germany pact against communism Japan and Germany pact against Soviet Union 1937: agreement of friendship and alliance

Allies 1939: When Germany attacked Poland, France and

Britain finally declare war 1940: France forced to surrender, British evacuated at

Dunkirk Britain, now alone and constantly bombed, relied on air

defense against invasion Germany and Italy attacked North Africa, Yugoslavia,

and Greece 1941: Germany attacked Soviet Union U.S. joins when Japanese attack Pearl Harbor