World War I: Alliances, Causes, Trench Warfare

World War I Alliances

• The Triple Entente consisted of France, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
• The Triple Alliance, later known as the Central Powers, included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, with Italy eventually switching sides.

Road to War

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914 triggered a series of events leading to war.
• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, prompting Russia to mobilize in Serbia's defense.
• Germany declared war on Russia and France.
• Germany's invasion of Belgium led Britain to declare war on Germany, escalating the conflict into a global war.

Trench Warfare

• Trench warfare resulted in a stalemate on the Western Front.
• There were limited territorial gains and high casualties.
• Military strategy shifted toward attrition.
• Soldiers faced harsh conditions and constant attacks in trenches.
• Trench warfare prolonged the war and increased its deadliness.

U.S. Entry into WWI

• German unrestricted submarine warfare, including the sinking of the Lusitania, was a key factor.
• The Zimmerman Telegram, in which Germany proposed an alliance with Mexico against the U.S., was a reason U.S. joined the war.
• Cultural and economic ties with the Allies, particularly Britain and France, influenced the U.S. decision.

Propaganda

• Propaganda was employed to demonize the enemy.
• Propaganda encouraged patriotism and recruited soldiers.
• It promoted support for the war effort.
• Posters, films, and speeches shaped public sentiment and motivated Americans to support military action.

Lenin and the Bolshevik Revolution

• Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 overthrew the Provisional Government and established a communist state.
• Lenin withdrew Russia from WWI.
• He implemented land redistribution.
• Lenin set the stage for the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

• Promoted open diplomacy and free trade
• Established a League of Nations to ensure lasting peace
• Advocated for self-determination of nations and the reduction of armaments

League of Nations Failure

• The U.S. did not join due to opposition in the Senate.
• It lacked enforcement power and could not compel nations to act.
• It proved ineffective in addressing major conflicts, such as Japan's invasion of Manchuria and Italy's invasion of Ethiopia.

Atatürk's Reforms in Turkey

• Atatürk established a secular government, separating religion from politics.
• He promoted education, especially for women.
• He adopted a new alphabet based on the Latin script.
• There was Westernization of dress and culture, along with economic modernization.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

• A secret agreement between Britain and France divided the Ottoman Empire's Middle Eastern territories into spheres of influence.
• Ethnic and religious divisions were disregarded.
• This agreement sowed the seeds for future conflict and political instability in the region.

Balfour Declaration

• It was a statement from the British government supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• It created tensions between Jews and Arabs in the region.
• The declaration laid the foundation for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Good Neighbor Policy

• Introduced by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.
• It aimed to improve U.S. relations with Latin America.
• It promoted non-intervention and cooperation.
• It replaced earlier policies of intervention and control.

Fascism

• Emphasizes authoritarian control, nationalism, and the supremacy of the state over individuals.
• Features private ownership of the economy under state control.

Communism

• Advocates for a classless society.
• Calls for the abolition of private property.
• The state has ownership of all means of production.

Mussolini and Hitler's Nationalist Rhetoric

• Used nationalist rhetoric to stir up pride, resentment, and the desire for national revitalization.
• Mussolini promised to restore Italy's glory.
• Hitler promised to return Germany to its former power.
• They often blamed external forces like communism and Jews for the nation's troubles.

Great Depression's Impact

• The Great Depression caused widespread economic hardship.
• People turned to extreme ideologies like fascism and communism.
• These regimes promised order, stability, and economic recovery.

Hitler's Policies

• Implemented censorship and the suppression of opposition
• He created a secret police force (the Gestapo)
• The Nuremberg Laws to institutionalize antisemitism were implemented

Nuremberg Laws

• Designed to exclude Jews from German society by stripping them of their citizenship and rights.
• Banned marriages between Jews and non-Jews
• Imposed strict social and economic restrictions

Spanish Civil War

• Seen as a prelude to WWII, with fascist and communist forces fighting each other.
• Hitler and Mussolini supported the Nationalists under Franco.
• The Soviets supported the Republicans.
• It was a testing ground for tactics and weapons later used in WWII.

Munich Conference

• Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
• This was in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion.
• The policy of appeasement failed to stop Hitler's aggression.

The Holocaust

• The Holocaust involved the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews and other persecuted groups by the Nazis.
• The Final Solution involved the establishment of death camps.
• Victims were sent to be gassed or worked to death.

Pearl Harbor

• The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, by Japan led to the U.S. declaring war on Japan and entering WWII.
• Pearl Harbor marked the end of U.S. neutrality.

Women's Contributions

• In the Soviet Union, women served as soldiers, snipers, pilots, and partisans.
• In the U.S., women worked in factories, took on non-combat military roles, and contributed to war production.
• "Rosie the Riveter" was an iconic figure symbolizing women's contributions.

African-American Soldiers

• Served in segregated units, often in non-combat roles.
• Demonstrated great bravery.
• Their contributions laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement after the war.

D-Day

• On D-Day (June 6, 1944), the Allies launched a massive amphibious invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France.
• Marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

Japanese-Americans

• During WWII, Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated and interned in camps.
• This was done under suspicion of disloyalty following the Pearl Harbor attack.
• Most were American citizens.