World War I: Origins and Alliances

World War I Begins

• World War I started on June 28, 1914.
• The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie was the catalyst.
• The assassination was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian-Bosnian.

Tensions in Europe

• There had been deep-seated tensions and conflicts among European countries since the 19th century.

Franco-Persian War Impact

• After the Franco-Persian War in 1870, Germany won and took control of the 2 provinces of France: Lorraine and Alsace.
• Germany feared France would reclaim their land, leading them to seek allies.

Triple Alliance Formation

• Otto Von Bismarck of Germany created the Triple Alliance.
• The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.

Triple Entente Formation

• The Triple Alliance initially sought Russia as a member, but relations between Germany and Russia were strained.
• Russia then allied with Great Britain and France to form the Triple Entente.

German Beliefs

• Germans believed they were superior to other races.
• They were influenced by Charles Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest" theory.
• Germany wanted to conquer all of Europe.

Assassination Details

• It took two attempts to assassinate the heir.
• Archduke Francis Ferdinand traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia, to visit injured Austria-Hungary's soldiers.
• The assassination succeeded due to the driver, Leopold Lojka, making a wrong turn.
• Gavrilo Princip seized the opportunity presented by the wrong turn to assassinate the Archduke.
• The Serbian government was blamed for the assassination.
• The assassination was a primary cause of the war in Europe.

Austria-Hungary's Response

• Austria-Hungary waited a month to declare war to avoid appearing as the aggressor.
• Austria-Hungary wanted to protect its reputation and secure support from allies.
• Instead of declaring war immediately, Austria-Hungary issued the "July Ultimatum."
• The ultimatum was delivered to Baron Wladimir Giesl von Gieslingen, the former Austro-Hungarian Minister to Serbia.
• The July Ultimatum stated all demands must be met within 48 hours, or Austria-Hungary would attack Serbia.

July Ultimatum Demands

• Suppress publications inciting hatred against the Austrian Monarchy using existing laws against incitement.
• Dissolve Narodna Odbrana (National Defense) and similar groups that promote Serb nationalism in Austria-Hungary, and prevent them from reforming.
• Eliminate propaganda against Austria-Hungary from public education in Serbia.
• Remove military and administration officers guilty of propaganda against Austria-Hungary, with Austria-Hungary reserving the right to provide names.
• Accept Austro-Hungarian collaboration in Serbia to suppress subversive movements against the monarchy's territorial integrity.
• Begin a judicial inquiry into the accessories of the June 28th plot on Serbian territory, with Austro-Hungarian government participation.
• Immediately arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and Milan Ciganović, who were implicated by Austria-Hungary's preliminary investigation.
• Prevent Serbian authorities from assisting in illicit arms and explosives traffic across the border between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Punish members of the Serbian Frontier Service who assisted authors of the Sarajevo outrage.
• Provide explanations regarding statements from high Serbian officials expressing hostility towards Austria-Hungary.
• Notify Austria-Hungary by 5:00 PM on July 25, 1914, of the execution of these measures.

War Declaration

• With an agreement that Serbia would not abide by the July Ultimatum, Austria-Hungary began planning for war.
• 40 days after the Archduke's death, Austria-Hungary commenced its attack on Serbia.

Germany's Strategy

• Germany also initiated attacks on France and Russia.
• Knowing the Russian military was not as strong, Germany aimed to enter Paris by attacking France first.
• Germany requested passage through Belgium to enter Paris.

War with Belgium

• Belgium's refusal to allow passage led to war between Germany and Belgium.

Great Britain's Involvement

• Great Britain considered Belgium its responsibility.
• Belgium's ports greatly contributed to Great Britain's trade and military operations.

Shift in Alliances

• Italy, originally part of the Triple Alliance, joined the Triple Entente.
• Austria-Hungary and Germany did not view this as a disadvantage as they allied with the Ottoman Empire.
• The Ottoman Empire is now known as Turkey.

Failed Paris Attack

• The inability to gain support resulted in the plan to attack and conquer Paris failing.

Russia's Strength

• Russia's forces grew more rapidly than Germany had anticipated.

Eastern Front

• Due to unforeseen events, Germany shifted forces to the Eastern Front.
• Croatia was recovered from German occupation.
• The combined forces of Great Britain, France, and the Belgian Army pushed back advancing German soldiers.

Battle of Ypres

• Germany aimed to restore its strength and sought to control ports in the English Channel to cut off enemy supplies.
• Germany failed in the Battle of Ypres, with 250,000 deaths.
• The Battle of Ypres occurred on October 19, 1914.
• The accepted reasoning for the Ypres battle was the Germans wanting to secure English Channel ports and the British Army's supply lines.

Trench Warfare

• Faced with prolonged warfare, European countries sought protection for their soldiers.
• Trench Warfare was introduced as a fighting method in which both sides dug deep trenches to defend against artillery and machine guns.
• Trench conditions were complicated, dirty, bloody, cold, with limited food and the smell of dead bodies.
• New chemical warfare made conditions even more brutal.

Russia's Struggles

• Although Russia initially won and overthrew part of East Germany, they were pushed back by Austria-Hungary and Paul Von Hindenburg.
• Gradual expansion and occupation of Germany weakened Russia, reducing its military strength and supplies.

Russia's Internal Issues

• Allied countries could not send supplies to Russia, as the enemy controlled the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.
• The ongoing Civil War in Russia went hand in hand with other conflicts making progress slow.
• The Civil War was a result of the emergence of opposition against the Bolsheviks after November 1917.

Russia's Withdrawl from the War

• The "Tsar" or "Caesar” of Russia was replaced.
• The new Russian government withdrew from the war due to a lack of supplies, weapons, food, and the death of many soldiers.
• Germany conquered Russia.

United States Joins the Allies

• Russia's loss to the Triple Entente was offset by the United States joining them.
• The United States wanted revenge for the sinking of their ships, loss of supplies, and wealth.

U.S. Neutrality and Shift

• The United States had a strong tradition of Isolationism before World War I.
• America began leaning towards the allies due to harsh war tactics of Germany.

German U-Boats

• Germany began utilizing U-boats as weapons against Allied powers.

U.S. Trade with Great Britain

• The U.S. primarily traded with Great Britain early in WW1 due to naval blockades preventing Germany from trading with other powers.

Lusitania Sinking

• On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania, a British luxury liner with over 1900 passengers, was torpedoed by a German U-Boat.
• The Lusitania sinking killed 1200 people, including 128 Americans.

Sussex Torpedoing

• On March 24, 1916, the Sussex was torpedoed by German U-Boats.

U.S. Entry into WWI

• The United States joined the Allied Forces on April 6, 1917.

American Expeditionary Force

• The Americans who fought in Europe were known as the AEF (American Expeditionary Force).
• General John J. Pershing led the AEF.

Convoy System

• To safely transport troops to Europe, the U.S. used the "convoy system.“
• In the convoy system troop transports were surrounded by destroyers or cruisers for protection.

Japan and Portugal Join

• Japan and Portugal joined the Triple Entente and took over parts of Germany in South East Asia.

Germany's Decline

• As the war continued, Germany's funds and supplies decreased as rebellions rose inside Germany.

End of the War

• The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) surrendered first, followed by Austria-Hungary.
• Germany surrendered late after its "Caesar" was deposed and replaced by a new leader.
• As countries surrendered soldiers came out of the Trench Warfare and they hugged each other which signaled that World War I was over.

Pandemic on the Home Front

• An influenza pandemic broke out in Europe in 1918, spreading to the United States.
• Nearly half of the American soldiers that died during WWI were lost to the flu.
• This specific influenza was like none that have ever been seen before.
• Nearly 675,000 Americans were lost to the influenza pandemic.

Paris Peace Conference

• The Paris Peace Conference was a series of diplomatic meetings that occurred on January 12, 1919.
• These meetings were held to establish the terms of peace after World War I.
• The conference took place at Versailles, outside of Paris.
• It was attended by nearly 30 nations.
• The main decision-makers were the "Big Four” or the “Triple Entente.”
• The Big Four included President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Premier Georges Clemenceau and Italian Prime Minister Vitto to Orlando

Treaty of Versailles

• The Treaty of Versailles held Germany solely responsible for the war.
• The treaty made Germany pay massive reparations for war damages.
• The treaty limited the size of the German army.
• The Treaty of Versailles led to the establishment of a League of Nations.
• Central Powers were required to relinquish all of their colonies to the allies.
• Germany was required to pay an equivalent of 20 billion gold marks, totaling $5 billion in gold, commodities, ships, securities, or other forms.