World War I 1914 1918 Battle of Verdun
World War I 1914 -1918
Battle of Verdun � Lasted 11 months! February – December 1916 � Surprise attack by Germans � French managed to hold them off: “they shall not pass”---- VERY SYMBOLIC for the French! � 300, 000+ soldiers died on both sides � http: //www. pbs. org/great war/maps_verdun. ht ml
Battle of Somme � 1916 in France � Planned by French & British to take pressure off Verdun � Lasted 5 months � 1 million+ soldiers died total � Single worst day for British casualties in history 20, 000 killed, 40, 000 wounded. � http: //www. pbs. org/great war/maps_somme. h tml
Third Battle of Ypres � June 1917 in Ypres, Belgium – right over French border � Led by the British, attacked the Germans � 500, 000+ soldiers died on both sides � No real territory was gained � Wettest fall in years – mud like quick sand � http: //www. pbs. org/great war/maps_ypres. ht ml
In the East �Russians were unprepared for battle (many had no rifles) �Major uprisings back home led to a bread riot in March 1917 �Russian czar & his family were overthrown �Bolshevik Revolution took place �Lenin came to power & removed Russian troops from the war in 1918 � Brest-Litovsk Treaty was signed with Germany
In the South �Italy signed a secret treaty with the Allies to gain Austrian lands where Italians lived �Major battle at Caporetto in 1917 � Central powers attacked Italians � Italians were unprepared to fight; many ran away � French & British saved the day
In the Far East �Japan allied with England � Took German colonies in China & other Pacific islands (after the war) � Led to many problems in the future �Tensions heightened between China and Japan �China sympathized with the Allies, but they hated Japan, so they hesitated to declare war and join up with the Allies �Germany was also courting China �Japan declared themselves the protectors of China, rather than the enemies �So China declared war and joined the Allies
The Ottoman Empire � Allied with the Central Powers � Turks closed off the Dardanelles Strait (Russia) � In 1915 massive allied forces (Britain, Australian, New Zealand, & Canada) were sent to open the strait � Battle of Gallipoli ensued � Lasted 10 months � 200, 000 casualties (mostly Allied forces) � Allies eventually withdrew � http: //www. pbs. org/greatwa r/maps_gallipoli. html
In the Middle East � Arab nations revolted against the Ottomans (saw weakness & opportunity) � The Allies aided the Arabs in their revolt � T. E. Lawrence (aka “Lawrence of Arabia”) led them in guerilla warfare against the Turks � Allies & Arabs won vast amounts of land, including Baghdad
In the United States � Germany sank British ship Lusitania in 1915, killing 1200 British and 124 Americans and outraging American public opinion � In 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted warfare (attacking ships with submarines) � Zimmerman telegram sent in 1917 � Germany offered Mexico territory from the US (after they win) if they would join Germany to help defeat the Allies � UK intercepted and decoded telegram, sent it to US � US declares war on Germany in April 1917 � Eventually 2+ million Americans went to war � Pres. Wilson: “The world must be made safe for democracy. ” � Wilson proposed the 14 Points
The War Shifts �Russian troops pull out of the war, Central powers focus on western front �Huge offensive led by Central powers in spring 1918 – push Allies 40 miles back towards Paris �With influx of American soldiers, Germany realizes they can’t win by September 1918 �Kaiser Wilhelm II flees in November 1918 �Armistice Day: 11/11/1918 at 11: 00 am
Paris Peace Conference �Major players (the “Big Four”) met in Paris, France � United States: President Woodrow Wilson � Great Britain: David Lloyd George � France: Georges Clemenceau (“the tiger”) � Italy: Vittorio Orlando �Germany not invited �Russia locked in civil war and did not attend
Goals of the Big Four �United States Wilson issues the Fourteen Points*, which includes the idea of creating a League of Nations �Great Britain and France punish Germany. �France buffer state between them and Germany to help protect them from future assault. �U. S. and Britain disagreed with this, but they had natural water barriers to protect them �France finally gave up the idea of a buffer state, as long as U. S. and Britain signed a defensive alliance with France.
*Pres. Wilson’s Fourteen Points �Issued in 1918, included: �Self-determination for all nations �Freedom of the seas �Free trade �Open diplomacy (no secret treaties) �Readjustment of colonial claims – giving colonized people more of a voice in their futures �League of Nations to protect member nations from aggression and prevent future wars
Treaty of Versailles – June 1919 � HUGE reparations placed on Germany – $30 billion � Limited size of German army to weaken them (100, 000 men only) � Germany loses land � Lorraine-Alsace was given back to France � German colonies were given France, Britain and Japan as League of Nation mandates � Other small territorial losses � German delegates were forced to sign the treaty and accept sole blame for the war.
Other defeated nations… �The Allied powers signed separate treaties with other defeated nations (Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, & Turkey) � Austro-Hungarian Empire lost most of their territory, which became the states of Czechoslovakia, Galicia, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Some Austrian territory also went to Italy. Austria and Hungary were now on their own. � The Ottoman Empire was broken up as well. France took Lebanon and Syria, Britain took Iraq and Palestine. Britain promised to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine ( Israel).
Costs of War � 10 million soldiers died (over 100, 000 Americans) � World-wide flu pandemic started in 1918: 20 million people died � HUGE debt for all involved � HUGE economic impact postwar economic boom leads to worldwide economic downturn (Great Depression) � Governments collapsed: Russia, Austria-Hungary, & the Ottoman Empire � Great deal of distrust & bitterness towards each other
Consequences of World War I � “Lost Generation” – coined by Ernest Hemingway to describe the generation that came to age during the war, disillusioned by ideals of democracy and freedom (which had not prevented this brutal war) � Led to the Russian Revolution � New nations formed in eastern Europe � League of Nations is created America never signs treaty as a result � Growth of nationalism in colonies � America becomes world power but returns to isolationism � Japan emerges as a world power (remember – they took German colonies in China) � Rise of fascism (Italy, Germany, etc) � WORLD WAR II
Post-War America � The United States didn’t want any alliances entangling them in European affairs. � Republican senators refused to ratify the treaty because they didn’t want to be part of the League of Nations, and Pres. Wilson refused to compromise. Wilson suffered a stroke in the middle of this debate and was unable to get the U. S. to commit. � The U. S. never ratified the Treaty of Versailles and did not join the League of Nations– it turned its back on Europe and its defensive alliance with Britain and France
Post-War Europe �Using America’s actions as an excuse, Britain also backed out of the defensive alliance, leaving France on its own �France, acting out of fear and anger over the war, took actions against Germany that would feed the fires of tension and resentment, eventually leading to World War II.
The Seeds of Wars to Come �The ideals of Wilson’s Fourteen Points may have been supported by Americans, but the British and French had no intention of applying self-determination and other freedoms to their own colonies in the non. European world. �This failure created a widespread cynicism and disillusionment about Western use of the words “freedom” and “democracy. ”
The Seeds of Wars to Come �This led to a series of popular protest movements across the Middle East and Asia and the rise of a new anti-colonialism and anti-Western nationalism. � Vietnam turned to communism under Ho Chi Minh � Russia turned to socialism and then communism under Lenin � Egypt accused Britain and America: “Your liberalness is only for yourselves. ” �Ironically, when colonial peoples demanded their independence, they would point back to the American Revolution – the first colonial struggle that produced an independent nation.
Wilson’s Impact on 20 th Century American International Relations �Wilson combined idealism and power politics to leave a particular legacy that would shape future foreign policy: � Appeal to democracy and open markets � America’s special mission to instruct the world in freedom � A willingness to use military intervention abroad to promote American interests and values
The End of Progressivism �The “war to make the world safe for democracy” had failed. �Warren G. Harding won the president election of 1920 with 60% of the popular vote, promising a “return to normalcy. ” He had no connection with the Republicans’ Progressive wing and rejected what he called “Wilsonism. ” � Reminder: Wilson passed laws that protected workers and their rights, regulated big business, and imposed a graduated income tax on richest 5% of Americans. �America was about to enter one of the most conservative decades in the nation’s history.
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