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World War I Notes
• Causes of the War: 1-Nationalism=Many ethnic groups in Europe wanted their own countries, were angry at their rulers. 2-Imperialism=European competition over colonies created tension. 3-Entangling alliances=European nations had created a web of military treaties that put them on the hook if even a small conflict came between two nations.
• 1879: Triple Alliance-Military treaty between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. 1907: Triple Entente-Military alliance between France, England & Russia.
• 6/28/1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist. This sets off big chain of events, WWI begins.
• WWI Sides: Central Powers-Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire. Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia (Japan & Italy later joined).
• Western Front-deadlocked region in Northern France. Germans used the Schlieffen Plan, hoping for a quick victory over the French, then would rush over to Russia to defeat them.
• 9/5/1914: First Battle of the Marne-Germans defeated by the French in France, pushed the war into a long stalemate. The Schlieffen Plan was in ruins, the Germans would be fighting on two fronts.
• The Western Front was full of trench war battles; the Eastern Front was relatively mobile in comparison, but still full of death. Russia had a hard time keeping up, they hadn’t industrialized. The war also put pressure on the Russian monarchy, the people were growing unhappy with their leaders.
• By 1915, the war had spread beyond Europe, with battles in Asia and Africa.
• January 1917: The Germans were practicing Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, attacking any vessel they thought were carrying supplies to the Allies. German subs sank 3 US ships during this time, angering America.
• February 1917: America intercepts the ‘Zimmerman memo’ German communication to Mexico offering Mexico help to ‘reconquer’ territory in America if the Mexicans aligned itself w/Germany. America takes this as an act of war, joins the Allied side.
• March 1917: Russia, under stress of revolution, exits the war. Eventually the Communists take over Russia, sign the Brest-Litovsk treaty with Germany, ending the war between the 2 nations on March 1918.
• March 1918: German troops once again reach the Marne area, close to Paris, but they’re exhausted. The fresh American troops assist the Allied effort, causing the German offensive to collapse. Soon the Bulgarians and the Ottomans surrender. October 1918: The Austria-Hungarians revolt & surrender. Finally, the Germans surrender on November 9, 1918.
• Treaty of Versailles (June 28th, 1919): Peace plan created by the British French and US.
• Treaty created new nations out of Austria-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian Territory-Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Palestine, Iraq, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Romania & Poland gained territory out of the treaty.
• Treaty also put all the blame on Germany for the war, subjected them to huge reparations. They had to pay massive amounts of money to France & Britain.
• Versailles Treaty left many in the Central Powers bitter over the terms of the peace. This bitterness helped to cause WWII two decades later.
