World War I

The Triple Entente: Great Britain, France and Russia (formed in 1907) The Triple Alliance: Germany, Italy and Austria Hungary (formed in 1882)

I think that the Triple Entente was the stronger alliance due to the fact, they were more united countries. Austria-Hungary was falling apart, as well as Germany which was a divided country. Great Britain and France had an extremely large empire. For Britain had the largest empire in the world, as well as France owning the second largest. Britain 45 million 711, 000 185 390 million Germany France 40 million 1.25 million 62 58 million Germany Russia 164 million 1.2 million 30 0 AustriaHungary Germany 65 million 2.2 million 97 15 million France, Russia, Great Britain The Kaisser, Italy, AustriaHungary Jealousy of Britains empire and wealth Italy 35 million 0.75 million 36 2 million France, Russia, Great Britain Germany France Austria-Hungary 50 million 0.81 million 28

Population No. of Soldiers No. of Warships Overseas Empire Main Rivals

Main Friends

France

Britain

France, Britain

Italy

Main Concerns

Germanys growing strength. Germany was producing more steel and iron than Britain

Revenge Rivalry on with the Germany! AustrianHungarian empire

To remain neutral in the event of the war

Number of regions in their empire were insistent for independence

Long-term underlying causes of war

On 28 June 1914, a Serbian shot an Austrian. Within six weeks, many of the countries of Europe had become involved in a war that was to cause the deaths of 10 million soldiers, but was the assassination the only cause of war?

Four underlying causes of war:

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand signalled the rapid slide into world war, but this wasn't the only cause. There were underlying causes in the run-up to the First World War. In the 1930s, historians argued that there were four underlying long-term causes of the First World War: Nationalism - the belief that your country is better than others. This made nations assertive and aggressive. Imperialism - the desire to conquer colonies, especially in Africa. This brought the powers into conflict - Germany wanted an empire. France and Britain already had empires. Militarism (Arms Race) - the attempt to build up a strong army and navy gave nations the means and will to make war. Alliances - in 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. This alarmed, France, Britain and Russia. By 1907, they had all joined the Triple Entente. Europe was divided into two armed camps, to help each other if there was a war.

Germany was primarily responsible for outbreak of the war:

Germany had started to think about reinforcing a plan (The Schlieffen Plan) in 1894, and when the conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia started, Germany used it to use their plan Germany invested so much money on their military forces and their naval forces, if you spend your money on these military forces, youd want to use them Germany could have sparked the conflict as an excuse to defeat their main rivals: Britain and France Germany ultimately began the battles of Mons and Marne, by their invasions Britain continuously urged Germany to withdraw fighting, but the German government

Germany was not primarily responsible for the outbreak of the war:
Germany was pulled into the war by their alliance with Austria-Hungary, which was activated by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, who was an Austrian archduke killed by the Serbian Black Hand group in Bosnia Germany was scared of the alliance between England and France and were merely defending themselves

Germany had to keep their promise of the blank cheque to Austria-Hungary to deal with Serbia so they were dragged into the war The British developed HMS Dreadnought The French also had recruited a plan 17, which was a plan to get back the states of Alsace and Lorraine they wanted revenge Britain formed an expeditionary force, of course to enable it to invade or fight with other countries

Trench Warfare in World War I

Conditions and Consequences
Trenches

The trench system stretched for 400 miles and in places the opposing trenches were no more than 20 m apart.

Trenches were necessary because the war was dragging on and progressing very slowly.

Life in a trench
A number of factors made the trenches so terrible to live in: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Mud Damp Rats Disease Bad food Trench foot Lice

There was still alot of mud, though they had duckboards, made of wood. There were rats, which often bit off body parts. Soldiers were and slept in the same clothes for more than a week. The socks often stuck to the feet of soldiers.

New Technology in war

TO MAKE PEOPLE AFRAID
Poison gas: Poison gas was first used in 1915 by the Germans and soon both sides were using gas as a weapon. There were two types of poison gas used: a) Blister agents which were designed to blind or maim but could not kill you b) Also Choking agents Tank: The tanks got its name by accident. Worried that spies might discover its true purpose, the army referred to it as being armoured water carrying vehicle Mines: In order to disrupt the enemy lines tunnels were often dug under No Mans Land and large quantities of explosives placed beneath the enemy trenches. These would be set off just before an offensive would begin. Aircraft: At first aircraft only a limited role in the war by observing the enemy from above. Later on, planes began carrying a few hand grenades or bombs to drop on enemy troops Airships: The First World War saw the use of airships to conduct bombing raids on enemies. The raids did minimal damage compared to the bombings of later wars

Chemical Action Drill Once hearing the alarm: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Stop breathing and close your eyes Turn your back to the wind Crouch down Remove your helmet Place helmet between legs Take out your gas mark

7. Put your gas mask on (chin first) 8. Check straps 9. Breathe out hard shouting Gas! Gas! Gas!

Battle of the Somme

Date: 1 July 1916 13 November 1916 Place: River Somme, France Deaths: 1, 120, 000 people (altogether) Countries: Britain (Casualties: 419,000); France (Casualties: 204,253); Germany (Casualties: 465,000) Weapons: Artillery, Shells, Infantry, Machine guns, Cavalry Victory: To the Triple Entente, who by the end of this bloody battle, had only gained 15 kilometres of land What happened: The Battle of the Somme was planned as a joint French and British operation. The idea originally came from the French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre and was accepted by General Sir Douglas Haig, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) commander, despite his preference for a large attack in Flanders. Although Joffre was concerned with territorial gain, it was also an attempt to destroy German manpower. At first Joffre intended for to use mainly French soldiers but the German attack on Verdun in February 1916 turned the Somme offensive into a large-scale British diversionary attack. General Sir Douglas Haig now took over responsibility for the operation and with the help of General Sir Henry Rawlinson, came up with his own plan of attack. Haig's strategy was for an eight-day preliminary bombardment that he believed would completely destroy the German forward defences. General Sir Henry Rawlinson was in charge of the main attack and his Fourth Army was expected to advance towards Bapaume. To the north of Rawlinson, General Edmund Allenby and the British Third Army were ordered to make a breakthrough with cavalry standing by to exploit the gap that was expected to appear in the German front-line. Further south, General Fayolle was to advance with the French Sixth Army towards Combles. Haig used 750,000 men (27 divisions) against the German front-line (16 divisions). However, the bombardment failed to destroy either the barbedwire or the concrete bunkers protecting the German soldiers. This meant that the Germans were able to exploit their good defensive positions on higher ground when the British and French troops attacked at 7.30 on the morning of the 1st July. Haig was not disheartened by these heavy losses on the first day and ordered General Sir Henry Rawlinson to continue making attacks on the German front-line. A night attack on 13th July did achieve a temporary breakthrough but German reinforcements arrived in time to close the gap. Haig believed that the Germans were close to the point of exhaustion and continued to order further attacks expected each one to achieve the necessary breakthrough. Although small victories were achieved, for example, the capture of Pozieres on 23rd July, these gains could not be successfully followed up. On 15th

September General Alfred Micheler and the Tenth Army joined the battle in the south at Flers-Courcelette. Despite using tanks for the first time, Micheler's 12 divisions gained only a few kilometres. Whenever the weather was appropriate, General Sir Douglas Haig ordered further attacks on German positions at the Somme and on the 13th November the BEF captured the fortress at Beaumont Hamel. However, heavy snow forced Haig to abandon his gains. With the winter weather deteriorating Haig now brought an end to the Somme offensive.

The path to war

During 1900-1914, the great powers of Europe clashed a number of times. Each of these events increased international tension and rivalry, and made war more likely. War was going to come sooner or later.

Events
Key events 1899-1914

Event 1. Boer War 18991902 2. First Moroccan crisis 1905-1906 3. 'Daily Telegraph' article 1908

Description Germany opposed Britain's attempt to defeat the Boers in South Africa. Kaiser Wilhelm promised to support the sultan of Morocco against France's attempts to take over the country. In a newspaper interview, Kaiser Wilhelm said the English were mad and the Germans hated them. This caused great offence in Britain. 4. Bosnia 1908 Austria annexed Bosnia in the Balkans. This annoyed Serbia, which wanted to take over the area. Russia wanted to help Serbia, but had to back down. 5. Dreadnought crisis Scared by the growing German navy, the British people 1909 demanded that the government build eight of the new Dreadnought battleships. 6. Agadir 1911 There was a revolution in Morocco, so France sent an army to take over. Kaiser Wilhelm sent the gunship 'Panther', but Britain and France forced him to back down. 7. Balkan Wars 1912Serbia and other countries in the Balkans conquered most of 1913 Turkey's land in Europe. Serbia became a powerful country, and said Austria-Hungary was its next target. 8. Assassination of The heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was shot by Gavrilo Franz Ferdinand 1914 Princip, a young Serb terrorist, in Sarajevo in Bosnia.

Assassination at Sarajevo
The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was critical in setting off the chain of events that led to the First World War. Not only was it a bad day for the Archduke and his family, but also a bad day for Europe.

The assassination - the basics

1. Sarajevo was in Bosnia, the province that - to Serbia's anger - had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. 2. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was inspecting the army in Sarajevo with his wife Sophie. The royal couple arrived by train at 9.28am. 3. Seven young Bosnian Serbs planned to assassinate Franz Ferdinand as he drove along the main road in Sarajevo, the Appel Quay. 4. The first conspirator who tried to kill Franz Ferdinand threw a bomb at his car. He missed and was arrested. 5. The Archduke escaped unhurt. He decided to abandon the visit and return home via a different route to the one planned. . 6. No one had told the driver the route had changed. On the way back, therefore, the driver turned into Franz Josef Street, following the published route and, when told of his error, stopped the car to turn around. 7. Unfortunately, the car stopped in front of Gavrilo Princip, one of the conspirators, who was on his way home thinking he had failed. 8. Princip pulled out a gun and shot at Franz Ferdinand, hitting him in the jugular vein. There was a tussle, during which Princip shot and killed Sophie. By 11.30am, Franz Ferdinand had bled to death.

Extra facts
Here are some extra facts about the assassination: Franz Ferdinand was inspecting the army in Sarajevo with his wife Sophie and it was their wedding anniversary. The Austrian Emperor Franz Josef had forbidden him to be seen in public with her on other state occasions because she was a commoner. That day - 28 June 1914 - was also Serbia's National Day. Franz Ferdinand's visit was a direct insult to the Serbs. The conspirators got their guns and bombs from the Black Hand, a Serb terrorist organisation. In Franz Josef Street, the car pulled up in front of Schiller's grocery store. After shooting Franz Ferdinand, Princip tried to shoot Potiorek, the Austrian governor of Sarajevo, who was sat in the front seat. However, during the tussle he shot and killed Sophie instead.

Was Haig the Butcher of the Somme?

NO:
The French General, General Joffre decided on the location, which was one of the key reasons of the loss. As the Somme location had very poor weather and ground. A shell was fired at the British, causing the stored grenades to go off. Billy McFudzon threw himself onto the grenades to absorb no blow The weather also made it difficult for fighting conditions, and may also have led to deaths Haig did not create the straight line plan, in fact it was the formation of General Rawlinson. Though Haig recommended a reassessment of the plan, Rawlinson was reluctant to amend it Haig was not as experienced as others in trench warfare

YES:

He had thought bombardment would destroy barbed wire and kill many Germans, however Haig made risky assumptions and it made barely any difference He made other optimistic views such as cavalry (a particularly old method of war) was ineffective He did not care about the lives of the soldiers, since most of them were lower class

1918 How did the First World War end?

The events of 1917 convinced the leaders of the fighting countries that war would have ended soon. Russia experienced two revolutions Germanys economy was paralysed by inflation and food shortages The Arab people were in revolt against Turkey The French army mutinied Growing unrest in Britain among unions and anti-conscription campaigners

By March 1918 the new Communist government in Russia had negotiated its way out of the First World War. Germany was given everything that it asked for, and could now concentrate on the war in the West.

Germanys dilemma
Germany was fighting a war on two fronts, America was aiding Britain and France, so Germany needed to defeat them before they became too strong, could they?

Germanys gamble 21 March 1918

Germany threw all their soldiers into one final attack on the French and British, before the Americans could mobilise.

The Key Offensives of 1918

1. Kaiserschlacht It was launched on the 21st of March 1918, broke through the front of British fifth Army and reopened mobile warfare. 2. Battle of the Lys It began on 9th April 1918. Haig regarded this as the most offensive German, because it had the potential to threaten the Channel ports. 3. Second Battle of the Marne It launched on 15th of July 1918, the Second Battle of the Marne was the last major German offensive of the war. However it was halted by the Allied counter-attack of 18th of July 1918. 4. Offensive at Amiens On August 8 1918, the BEFs offensive at Amiens marked the beginning of the end of the war at the Western Front 5. Meuse-Argonne The battle in the Meuse-Argonne, which began on the 26th of September, was the largest US offensive of the war 6. Breaking of the Hindenburg Line The breaking of the Hindenburg line by the British Fourth Army on the 29th of September 1918 shattered Germanys last hope of victory. Why

Womens Suffrage
Votes for Women Source Analysis
Content/Nature: This is source is an antisuffrage poster. It shows a suffragettes home, where a man arrives home after a hard days work to find his children alone and sobbing. The lamp has run out. Pinned to a suffragette poster is a note saying back in an hour or so, which has been written by the mother of the household, who has probably gone to a protest or a meeting. Origin: The National League for Opposing Women Suffrage commissioned John Hassall to design a poster in 1912 Purpose: The poster was published by the National League for Opposing Women Suffrage to discourage recruits. Useful? It is useful for discouraging the vote for women, since it implicates that campaigning for the vote, meant that women would neglect their families.

Content/Nature: This source is for women

suffrage. The poster shows the interioir of a prison cell where a women is being forcibly held seated in a chair by a man and a woman while another pours liquid into a tube inserted into the womans nose; written on the prison wall is Votes for Women. Origin: The National Womens Social and Political Union commissioned David Allen and Sons to print this in 1909

Purpose:

Content/Nature: This source is another

suffragette poster, which depicts the workings of the Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act, known by the WSPU as the Cat and Mouse Act. During 1913 and 1914, the force-feeding of suffragettes on hunger-strike stopped. Instead, the weakened campaigners were released from prison on a special license but were liable to be rearrested to complete their sentence when their health improved. Origin: Published by the WSPU in 1914 Purpose:

Content/Nature: It is a women
suffrage poster, however it was established by the suffragists to oppose the suffragettes. It depicts two women, one a suffragette and the other a suffragist outside a liberal meeting. They are both against each other. Origin: It was drawn by Bernard Partridge in 1906 Purpose:

The Paris Peace Conference

Delegates from all over the world came to Paris to sign a treaty of peace in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles January 1919 The Peace Conference was a realistic way to shape Europe historians argument Delegates: Wilson from America, Clemenceau from France and Lloyd George from Britain They had problems to face ethnic nationalism, that we wouldnt be able to face today The First World War made 10 million people dead, and double that injured or maimed 25% of Frances male population between 18 and 30 were either dead or wounded By the end of the war, 1.8 million Germans were dead 1 million Britains (including those in the empire) were lost The whole of Northern France was devastated The retreated Germans looted factories, burnt crops and flooded mines No Allies ever set foot on German land So there was a feeling, that victory was incomplete But the outer world was in chaos The tsars of Russia, Kaisser of Germany, Ottoman empire, Austria-Hungary empire were all collapsing at the same time This was a map that had to be redrawn, because the blocks that constituted Europe had gone There were going to be severe limits to the Allied leaders Three weeks after Armistice, Woodrow Wilson proposed 14 points wanted democracy to the Senate His speech made him a symbol of hope a superstar The Peace Conference had to end the war and punish Germany Fighting continued in the East Soldiers were quickly The Paris Peace Conference lasted 12 months 32 nations were represented apart from the losing ones 5 treaties were drawn up Key decisions were made by the Big Three: Lloyd George, Wilson and Clemenceau However they ignored advice from politicians There were poor relations between the Big Three

What did the Big Three want?

The conference was initially planned as a pre-meeting of the big three to decide what terms they were going to ask from Germany at an official peace conference, but the premeeting quickly became the meeting where the decisions were made. The problem was the big three had different ideas about what the terms of the treaty should be.

Wilson's aims:
To end war by creating a League of Nations based on his Fourteen Points. To ensure Germany was not destroyed. Not to blame Germany for the war - he hated the Guilt Clause.

Clemenceau's aims:
Revenge and to punish Germany. To return Alsace-Lorraine to France. No League of Nations. An independent Rhineland. Huge reparations. To disband the German army so that Germany would never be strong enough to attack France again.

Lloyd George:
A 'just' peace that would be tough enough to please the electors who wanted to 'make Germany pay', but would leave Germany strong enough to trade. Land for Britain's empire. To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy.

The Fourteen Points proposed by Wilson

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. No secret treaties Free access to the seas in peacetime or war Free trade between all the countries All countries to work together for disarmament Colonies to have a say in their own future German troops to leave for Russia Independence for Belgium France to regain Alsace-Lorraine Frontier between Austria and Italy to be adjusted Self-determination for the people of Eastern Europe Serbia to have an access to the sea Self-determination for the people in the Turkish empire Poland to become an independent country with access to the sea A League of Nations to be created

The Mood in 1919

European nations such as Britain, France and Belgium were exhausted Economies and industries were in ruins British and French casualties amounted to over nine million dead and wounded. This is for the population.

The Conditions of Treaty of Versailles

Military provisions:
The army limited from 4 million to 100, 000 Only six battleships allowed in the navy and no submarines No air force

Territorial provisions:
Germany mainland reduced Forbidden to unite with Austria

Germany though that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair for many reasons: 1) Germany did not have a say in the Treaty of Versailles, so they couldnt propose any points that would benefit them 2) Germany was blamed completely for the war, though Britain and France also contributed in the fighting. (It takes two to tango fight). Also it was essentially Austria-Hungary and Serbia with Balkan problems, which caused the war. 3) The German army was reduced significantly to around 100, 000 men this meant that the Germany army had practically no self-defence. Germany also had many neighbouring countries such as Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark. They all posed as a threat to Germany, so if they declared war, Germany would be unable to support themselves. 4) Germany had to pay 7 billion in reparation, which put them into extreme debt and they did not pay all of it until 4 years ago. 5) Finally, Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations, so they could not gain advice or contribute their ideas.