World War 1

Background

Source: https://www.in.gov/doe/files/guide.pdf

World War I occurred between July 1914 and November 11, 1918.
By the end of the war, over 17 million people would be killed including over 100,000 American
troops.
The First World War began in the summer of 1914, shortly after the assassination of Austria’s
Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, and lasted more than four years, ending in 1918.
The Great War left more than 20 million soldiers dead and 21 million more wounded, which can
be attributed to trench warfare and the number of countries involved in the war.
After the assassination, the following series of events took place:  July 28 - Austria declared war
on Serbia.
 August 1 – As Austria’s ally, Germany declares war on Russia, an ally of Serbia
 August 3 – Germany declares war on France, an ally of Russia, and immediately begins an
invasion of neutral Belgium
 August 4 – Great Britain, an ally of France, declares war against Germany
 The United States (President Wilson) declares that the United States will remain neutral

Causes of War

1. Mutual defense alliances

Over time, countries throughout Europe made mutual defense agreements that would pull
them into battle. These treaties meant that if one country was attacked, allied countries were
bound to defend them. Before World War 1, the following alliances existed:
 Russia and Serbia
 Germany and Austria-Hungary
 France and Russia
 Britain and France and Belgium
 Japan and Britain

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Russia got involved to defend Serbia. Germany seeing
Russia mobilizing declared war on Russia. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria-
Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britain into war. Then Japan entered the
war. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies.

2. Imperialism

Imperialism is when a country increases its power and wealth by bringing additional territories under its
control. Before World War I, Africa and parts of Asia were points of contention among the European
countries. This was especially true because of the raw materials these areas could provide. The
increasing competition and desire for greater empires led to an increase in confrontation that helped
push the world into WW I.
 3. Militarism

As the world entered the 20th century, an arms race had begun. By 1914, Germany had the greatest
increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies in this time
period. Further, in Germany and Russia particularly, the military establishment began to have a greater
influence on public policy. This increase in militarism helped push the countries involved into war.

4. Nationalism

Much of the origin of the war was based on the desire of the Slavic peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina
to no longer be part Austria-Hungaryry but instead be part of Serbia. In this way, nationalism led directly
to the War. But in a more general way, the nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe
contributed not only to the beginning but the extension of the war in Europe. Each country tried to
provision dominance and power

5. Immediate Cause: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The immediate cause of World War I that made the aforementioned items come into play (alliances,
imperialism, militarism, nationalism) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-
Hungary. In June 1914, a Serbian-nationalist terrorist group called the Black Hand sent groups to
assassinate the Archduke. Their first attempt failed when a driver avoided a grenade thrown at their car.
However, later that day a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated him and his wife while
they were in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was part of Austria-Hungary. This was in protest of Austria-Hungary
having control of this region. Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination led
to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to mobilize due to its alliance with
Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all those
involved in the mutual defense alliances.

The Great Depression and World War II

October 29, 1929, was a dark day in history. "Black Tuesday" is the day that the stock market crashed,
officially setting off the Great Depression. Unemployment skyrocketed--a quarter of the workforce was
without jobs by 1933 and many people became homeless. President Herbert Hoover attempted to
handle the crisis but he was unable to improve the situation. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was
elected president and he promised a "New Deal" for the American people. Congress created The Works
Progress Administration (WPA) which offered work relief for thousands of people.

The end of the Great Depression came about in 1941 with America's entry into World War II. America
sided with Britain, France, and the Soviet Union against Germany, Italy, and Japan. The loss of lives in
this war was staggering. The European part of the war ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945.
Japan surrendered in September 1945, after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
World War II

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by
the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated Nazi
Germany and Japan in 1945.

Causes of World War II

The death and destruction of World War I were so horrible that it was called “the war to end all wars.”
Yet, the agreement to end World War I did not resolve the problems of the world and, according to
some historians, lead directly to the next catastrophe: World War II. The major causes of World War II
were numerous. They include the impact of the Treaty of Versailles following WWI, the worldwide
economic depression, the failure of appeasement, the rise of militarism in Germany and Japan, and the
failure of the League of Nations

Treaty of Versailles

Following World War I, the victorious Allied Powers met to decide Germany’s future. Germany would be
forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had to accept the guilt of the war and pay reparations.
Germany lost territory and was prohibited from having a large military.

Economic Depression

The whole world was hit by an economic depression in the late 1920s. In a depression, economies
shrink, trade is reduced, businesses close, prices fall, banks fail, and unemployment rises. Sometimes
during a depression, people look for a strong political leader to resolve their problems. In 1933, Adolf
Hitler became the leader of Germany by promising to restore German wealth and power.

Germany’s Militarism

Hitler immediately began secretly building up Germany’s army and weapons. Although Britain and
France knew of Hitler’s actions, they thought a stronger Germany would stop the spread of Communism
from Russia. In 1936 Hitler ordered German troops to enter the German-speaking areas of the Rhineland
(France), Austria, and Czechoslovakia. At this point, neither France nor Britain was prepared to go to
war. In 1936, Hitler made alliances with Italy and Japan. The military alliance of Germany, Italy, and
Japan was called the Axis Powers.

Failure of Appeasement

Appeasement meant agreeing to the demands of another nation in order to avoid conflict. During the
1930s, politicians in Britain and France began to believe that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to
Germany and that Hitler’s actions were understandable and justifiable. This belief, adopted by Britain,
was the Policy of Appeasement. An example of appeasement was the Munich Agreement of September
1938. In the Agreement, Britain and France allowed Germany to annex areas in Czechoslovakia where
German speakers lived. Germany agreed not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia or any other country.
In March 1939, Germany broke its promise and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. Neither Britain nor
France was prepared to take military action. Then, on September 1, 1939, German troops invaded
Poland. Britain and France immediately declared war on Germany. World War II had begun in Europe.

Failure of the League of Nations

The League of Nations was an international organization set up in 1919 to keep world peace. It was
intended that all countries would be members and that if there were disputes between countries, they
could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. The League of Nations was a good idea, but
ultimately a failure. Not all countries joined the league and the League had no army to prevent military
aggression such as Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in Africa or Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in China.

Japan’s Militarism

In 1931, Japan was hit badly by the economic depression. Japanese people lost faith in the government.
They turned to the army in order to find a solution to their economic problems. In order to produce
more goods, Japan needed natural resources for its factories. The Japanese army invaded China, an area
rich in minerals and resources. China asked for help from the League of Nations. Japan ignored the
League of Nations and continued to occupy China and Korea. As Japan invaded other areas of South East
Asia including Vietnam, the United States grew concerned about its territories in Asia, such as the
Philippines and Guam. Japan felt that its expansion could be threatened by the United States military
and attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941. World War II had begun in Asia.

What countries fought in World War II?

The Allied powers were led by Winston Churchill (United Kingdom); Joseph
Stalin (Soviet Union); Charles de Gaulle (France); and Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry
S. Truman (United States).

The Axis powers were led by Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy),
and Hideki Tojo (Japan).

Tripartite Pact, agreement concluded by Germany, Italy, and Japan on September 27,
1940, one year after the start of World War II. It created a defense alliance between the
countries and was largely intended to deter the United States from entering the conflict.
Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Croatia were later signatories to
the pact.
The Tripartite Pact was the culmination of a series of agreements between Germany,
Japan, and Italy. On October 25, 1936, Germany and Italy completed the Rome-Berlin
Axis, a cooperation deal. A month later Japan joined the so-called Axis powers by signing
(with Germany) the Anti-Comintern Pact, an anti-communist agreement that was
primarily directed against the Soviet Union; Italy signed in 1937. However, that compact
was broken with the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of August 23, 1939, which paved
the way for Germany to invade Poland the following week, thus starting World War II.

Third Reich, official Nazi designation for the regime in Germany from January 1933 to
May 1945, as the presumed successor of the medieval and early modern Holy Roman
Empire of 800 to 1806 (the First Reich) and the German Empire of 1871 to 1918 (the
Second Reich).

Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Third-Reich