World War 1 Causes

• The major areas that will be covered in the test are, Causes of World War One (MANIA), the Assassination and Trench Life
• Test is out of 60 marks

Causes of World War One (MANIA)

• The four indirect causes of WWI were Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, and Imperialism

Militarism

• A common attitude among European powers before 1914 was solving problems through war
• Germany started this attitude
• Germany became extremely large and powerful after winning three wars
• The consqeuences were billions of dollars were spent on building massive armies and weapons
• In 1914 Germany's army had 8 million men, France had 6 million, and Russia had 10 million

Alliances

• In 1871, 32 small nations of Germany formed together to become the most powerful nation in the world
• The Franco-Prussian War made the new Germany was careful not to start problems
• Kaiser Wilhelm II came into power and made Germany aggressive and interfered in the business of other nations
• Germany built a powerful navy and pushed for colonies around the world
• Germany's aggression soon provoked France and Russia to form an alliance (Dual Entente)
• Germany's new navy scared Britain into join France and Russia to form an alliance (Triple Entente)
• Germany then formed an alliance with Austria/Hungary, and Italy (Triple Alliance)
• The consequences of alliances were an attack on one was an attack on all
• This meant there would be no little conflicts, and if something starts, everyone will eventually fight

Nationalism

• Is when people of similar cultures believe they should be united
• Extreme pride and willingness to sacrifice for your country
• All of Europe was very Nationalistic in 1914
• This led to bad relations between countries
• Russia thought it had the right to protect the Balkans because they shared a similar culture

Imperialism

• European countries tried to build "Empires" by conquering other nations, for example Africa and Asia
• England and France became very rich because of their colonies
• Germany wanted colonies and threatened the British and French
• Austria expanded its Empire by conquering much of the Balkans (Southern Europe)
• This lead to conflict between Britain and France vs Germany, and Russia and Austria over the Balkans

Assassination

• On June 28, 1914, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophia were assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrillo Princip
• Gavrillo Princip was a member of the Serbian nationalist group Black Hand
• The Australian government wasn't certain that the Serbian government was directly involved
• The Australian government wanted revenge and a war to destroy the Serbian kingdom
• Austria then gave demands to Serbia that were so extreme that Serbia had to reject them
• Austria then declared war on Serbia on July 23
• The alliance system and increased production created tension

Trench Life

• The Western Front became an elaborate system of breatworks and interconnected trenches, protected by barbed wire, machine gun nests, and artillery batteries
• Opposing sides would shoot at each other from their own trenches and this often resulting in extremely long stalemates
• The area in between the trenches became known as "no man's land"
• For men in the trenches it was a life of long days of boredom followed by days of pure terror and living hell
• During combat the men in the trenches lived with constant bombardment, the threat or reality of mustard gas, the corpses of the fallen and the rats that fed on them
• The only relief from the mud and the terror of the trench was the suicide that came with the order to "fix bayonets"
• As soldier on both sides realized that no one could gain an advantage in trench warfare daily life for soldiers became increasingly squalid, regimented, and miserable in the filthy, rat-infested, and lice-ridden trenches
• Some of the physical and psychological hardships faced by the soldiers were the conditions of the trenches, shellshock/ptsd and trench warfare
• Some other hardships the soldiers faced were injuries and diseases, starvation/poor nutrition, fatigue/mental health struggles, isolation/loneliness and dehumanization/desensitization

Fighting of WWI

• The German plan for success relied on speed and mobility
• Hundreds of thousands of troops crossed the Belgian border and in four weeks reached the Marne River out side of Paris

The Schlieffen Plan

• In 1905, the General Alfed Von Schelieffen was asked to plan a way of preventing Germany from fighting a war on two fronts
• Schelieffen believed that it was a priority to defeat France quickly, forcing them to surrender before Russia had a chance to mobilize her armed forces
• The plan was based on the assumptions that Russia would take at least 6 weeks to mobilize their troops and France would be easily defeated in six weeks
• Other assumptions were that belgium would not resist any german attack, and Britain would remain neutral Canada's four major battles in order.

First Battle of Ypres

• Canada's first major battle, where they faced poison gas and showed bravery
• The Battle of the Somme was large and a costly battle, where Canadians proved their fighting ability despite heavy losses.
• Passchendaele was the battle where Canadians captured the village amid horrific conditions, showing determination.
• Vimy Ridge was a major Canadian victory, marking national pride and the country's growing identity.
• Vimy Ridge was a great success because the Canadian Corps captured a key German position in 1917 through careful planning and coordination

War on the Home Front

• Canada was not ready for war
• Canada didn't have a big enough army or equipment, which led to conscription and many soldiers being sent to Europe
• Women now beginning to work independently as many men were gone

The Role of Women During WWI

• The Canadian government would give each military family $20 called a "separation allowance" which later became $25 yet was not enough money to pay for food, shelter, and clothing
• As a result of men leaving, many women took over male jobs in war factories
• Over 20,000 women were working making guns, shells, and aircraft, these were skilled jobs
• Woman also became steercar drivers, secretaries and office managers
• Woman also worked on farms to help plant and harvest crops
• Women who didn't have jobs knitted socks for soldiers, sent them letters and care packages, and visited families of men who had been killed

Women at the Front Line

• Over 3000 women became army nurses and ambulance drivers
• They were called "bluebirds" because they blue uniforms
• Woman lost their lives at the front lines because they would get by bombs and torpedoes
• Rationing means "You're going to recycle, steal clothing food to send it overseas or for instance, instead of eating 10%, you'll eat five and the rest will be sent overseas for the soldiers"
• Propaganda were posters, used as a form of communication. This got people interested in joining the war and was also a way to show women why they should put their husbands to war at the time

The War Measures Act

• The war measures act called all fit males from 18-45 to register
• Expectations were those for whom service would cause great family hardship, those who were performing vital wartime functions in Canada and conscientious objectors
• The government created a third piece of legislation that addressed conscription
• Those exempted includes farmers and farm labourers, who were needed to continue providing food in a time of shortage

Conscription

• Meaning a law that would force all males between 18-46 years of the age to go to war
• A recruiting system that ranks the population (as a rule, men only) by age.
• Some categories were then eliminated and people who would normally be exempt from duty were forced into service
• In canada, conscription was established by vote in the House of Commons
• Almost all French-Canadians opposed conscription since they felt that they had no particular loyalty to either Britain or France
• Wilfred Laurier had opposed conscription from the beginning of the war, arguing that an intense campaign for volunteers would produce enough troops

1917

• With all advances halted, both sides built trenches to defend their positions
• This is where most of the fighting took place on the Western Front United States's entering the war due to violations of the freedoms of seas
• In April, 1917, the United States entered the war on the side of Britain and France (and Canada of course) Freedom of the Seas The sinking of the Lusitania On May 7,1915, a German U-Boat torpedoed and sank the British passenger ship the Lusitania

The War Ends

• The Allies and Germany signed an armistice on November 11, 1918 at 11 o'clock, to stop the fighting
• Germany had to retreat it's troops, exchange prisoners, and disposition submarines and ships
• • The Treaty of Versailles was the official end to the war, 6 months later
• Germany had to take responsibility in starting the war, disarm and pay countries that needed to repair

Treaty of Versailles

• Germany was to blame, demilitarized, and forced to pay reparations without german representation
• Anschluss (Combining of Germany and Austria) forbidden forever
• League of Nations created but Germany not admitted
• Poland created out of Germany and Russia
• France given back the Alsace Lorraine province
• Czechoslovakia created out of Germany and Austria-hungary
• Yugoslavia created by combining Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and other small territories
• Austria-Hungary broke up
• England received mandates territorial holdings in the Middle East from the Ottoman Empire
• The German army was to be reduced to 100,000 men. It was not allowed to have tanks
• Germany was not allowed an air force
• The area known as the Rhineland was to be demilitarized
• The Allies were to occupy the west bank of the Rhine for fifteen years
• Remember "The Big Four" British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French premier George Clemenceau, Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando and U.S President Woodrow Wilson Rival Alliances: Triple Alliances vs. Triple Entente The division of Europe's great powers into two loose alliances (Germany, Austria and Italy vs. France, Russia, and Great Britain) added to the tensions

The Blank Check

• Fear of the Russian intervention led to the Austrains to seek the support of the German Kaiser
• Willliam II responded with the infamous "blank check" -- Germany would fight Russia to aid Austria in it's war Franz Ferdinand whose assasination was the spark that created the war. Billy Bishop was a Canadian fighter pilot in WWI, known for his bravery and skill. He became one of Canada's top aces, credited with shooting down 72 enemy aircraft
• Robert Borden was Canada's Prime Minister during WW1. He Declared "when Great Britain is at war, Canada is at war, and there is no difference at all".
• Arthur Currie was a Canadian military leader in WWI, known for his strategic skills. He became the commander of the Canadian Corps and led them to success in key battles, including Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele