The Great War World War I The Slaughter

The Great War: World War I: The Slaughter of the Finest Ms. Soto Define the following terms: 1. Imperialism 2. Militarism 3. Nationalism 4. Alliances

General Information… • Called the “Great War” or “The War to end all Wars” • Started on July 28, 1914 • Ended on November 11, 1918 • Almost 8, 000 dead. *** Russia the most = 1. 7 million • Almost 22, 000 wounded…. . • Map of Europe greatly changed.

Reasons for start of war… “main causes of World war I” • Militarism • Building up armed forces to prepare for war. • • Building up armies, navies, and other armed forces. It also meant using them as a tool for negotiation with other countries. • • • Alliance System • Some countries in Europe had made treaties promising to defend each other. • Two Main Groups • Empires were expensive to build and defend. The growth of nationalism and imperialism led to increase military spending. Allies-France, Great Britain, and Russia (later joined by the U. S. ) and Italy, Serbia • Germany built a strong navy to rival Britain’s Germany enlarged, bought latest weapons. Britain, France, and Russia began to prepare, too. Central Powers. Germany, Austria. Hungary, and Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria • PROBLEM? One event could drag all countries involved into a conflict.

Reasons for start of war… “main causes of World war I” • Imperialism • The policy in which stronger nations take over weaker ones. • Countries tried to increase the power and influence around the world. This led to conflicts among them. • Late 1800 s: Britain and France already had large empires. • German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, wanted colonies for Germany. • Nationalism • A devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation • This led to competition and rivalries among nations. • Various ethnic groups resented domination by others and longed for their nations to become independent. • Many ethnic groups looked to larger nations for protection.

The Great War WW I Long-Term Causes • Nationalism spurs competition among European nations. • Imperialism deepens national rivalries. • Militarism leads to large standing armies. • The alliance system divides Europe into two rival camps. Immediate Causes • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914 prompts Austria to declare war on Serbia. • The alliance system requires nations to support their allies. European countries declare war on one another. WORLD WAR I

How did Americans feel? • Public opinion about the war was strong but divided. • Socialists saw the war as a imperialist struggle. • Pacifists believed that all wars were bad and urged U. S. to set an example for peace. • Many naturalized U. S. citizens still had ties to the countries they came from and would sympathized with them.

The United States Stays Neutral • Americans thought of World War I as a European conflict with little effect on their country. • Just after the war broke out, President Wilson declared that the U. S. would stay neutral. • Wilson’s decision reflected the U. S. ’s longstanding policy of isolationism, or not being involved in foreign affairs. • Privately, Wilson favored the Allied cause because Germany's tactics and invasion of Belgium was worrisome. – The U. S. also had greater political, cultural, and commercial ties to Great Britain and France than to Germany. • Financially, the U. S. did more business with the Allies. – The British fleet blockaded German ports and transportation routes, and few American businesses could sell goods to German forces. – Doing business with the Allies was easier, and by 1917 Britain purchased nearly $75 million worth of war goods each week.

The War Hits Home How did the war affect Americans? The British Blockade • The War affected American shipping • Great Britain set up a blockage along the German coast to keep goods from getting through. American ships would not challenge. • The German plan for unrestricted submarine warfare angered Americans, and Wilson believed it violated the laws of neutrality. • Wilson held Germany accountable for American losses. German U-Boat Response • Germany suffered because of the British blockade, so it developed small submarines called U-boats to strike back at the British. • U-boats are named after the German for “undersea boat. ” • In February 1915 the German government declared the waters around Great Britain a war zone, threatening to destroy all enemy ships. • Germany warned the U. S. that neutral ships might be attacked. America’s Involvement • In 1915, Germany sank a luxury passenger ship to Great Britain called the Lusitania, killing many, including 128 Americans • Americans were outraged, and Wilson demanded an end to unrestricted submarine warfare. • The Germans agreed to attack only supply ships but later sank the French passenger ship Sussex, killing 80 people including Americans.

Treaty of Versailles • Germany forced to take all responsibility for the war. • Germany stripped of its colonies. • Germany must pay huge reparations. • Alsace and Lorraine to France. • Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland carved out of Russian territory. • Czechoslovakia, Austria and Hungary carved out of German territory. • Yugoslavia created in the Balkans. It incorporates Serbia, which disappears.

The Great War WORLD WAR I Immediate Effects • A generation of Europeans are killed or wounded. • Dynasties fall in Germany, Austria. Hungary, and Russia. • New countries are created. • The League of Nations is Long-Term Effects • Many nations feel bitter and betrayed by the peace settlements. • Problems that helped cause the war— nationalism, competition—remain.

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