Who Was Involved?

Before:
 Three Emperors League: Germany, Russia, & Austria-Hungary
 Triple Alliance: Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, & Italy
 France & Russia
 Triple Entente: France, Great Britain, & Russia
During:
 Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, & Ottoman Empire
- Central Location  Able to move easily and transport soldiers quickly
 Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, Greece, Romania, and allied partners.
- 32 Countries total
- Had a large and efficient army
- Britain has supreme navy
- More industrialized so they are able to stop Central Power supply lines
After:
 Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, & Ottoman Empire
 Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, Greece, Romania, United States, and allied partners.
Countries:
 Allies: Greece, Romania, Japan
 Central Powers: Turkey, Bulgaria
Important Individuals:
 Otto von Bismarck: German chancellor who formed the Three Emperors League and later the Triple Alliance
with Italy to make sure that Germany had protection/alliances on West and East sides of Germany. Wanted to
keep France isolated and without allies. The Triple Alliance was an upset of power to Europe. Bismarck
established the Reinsurance Treaty of 1887 with Russia to state that each nation would be neutral if the other
became involved in a defensive war.
 William II: Kaiser of Germany who dismissed Bismarck and his policies. Entered Germany into the race for
overseas territories and made a naval buildup to compete with Great Britain. Also wanted to add Ottoman
Empire to the Triple Alliance.
 Francis Ferdinand: Austria-Hungary heir who was assassinated in Bosnia by Gavrilo Princep. Sets the stage for
WWI because Serbia does not accept Austria-Hungary ultimatum.
 Woodrow Wilson: President of the U.S. during WWI who traded with the Central and Allied powers. Declared
war on the Central Powers when Germany killed Americans on the Lusitania and other supply ships. Wrote the
Fourteen Points to set forth a set of ideas for a just world after WWI. General points were: 1. No secret treaties 2.
Freedom of the seas for all nations 3. Removal of all economic barriers or tariffs 4. Reduction of national
armaments 5. Fair adjustment of colonial claims, with equal consideration given to the interests of the colonial
powers and people 14. Establishment of a general association of nations
 Arthur Zimmermann: German foreign minister who sent a secret telegram to the German Ambassador in
Mexico to instruct him to align Mexico with the Central Powers. In return, Germany would get back the
southwestern region of the U.S.
 Czar Nicholas II: Ruled Russia during the Russian Revolution. His distrust in the Duma (elected legislature) made
him have most control over the government. He was a poor leader who was unable to lead his large army
effectively to help the Allies. His poor leadership caused him to be abdicated in 1917.
 V.I. Lenin: The Marxist leader of the Bolsheviks who took over Russia after Kerensky in the Bolshevik Revolution.
Beliefs stemmed the basic practices of communism. Withdrew Russia from WWI with the signing of a peace
treaty with the Central Powers.

What Were They Fighting For?

Alliances, resources, and nationalism.

When Did It Happen?

Beginning: Summer of 1914
When the U.S. Joined War: April 6, 1917 with the Allies
When Russia Withdrew: March 1918
End: November 11, 1918

Why Did It Happen?

Underlying Causes:
 Nationalism: European nations pursued interests and policies without regard to other nation’s wishes. People
also wanted to unite in countries with their own people and have a government control them. Problems arouse
in Africa, Asia, and other world territories between world powers.
 Imperialism: Nations wanted to acquire more territories. After the Congress of Berlin, Serbian nationalists
wanted Bosnia and Herzegovina to have access to waterways, etc  Pan-Slavism. Russia supported the Serbs
while the British distrusted Russia.
 Militarism: World Powers believed that force could solve problems among other nations. Stronger nations took
over weaker nations as world powers built up large and powerful armies. Spending and time for military efforts
also increased as nations began to mobilize for war. All of the world powers were ready and equip for war. This
frightened other countries and when other countries refused to immobilize, war broke out between Germany
vs. Russia & Germany vs. France
 System of Alliances: The unification of Germany and Italy changed the balance of power in Europe. Soon, other
nations such as Great Britain felt obligated to build alliances to protect themselves from strong alliances such as
Germany’s.
 Immediate Cause: The assassination of Austria-Hungary heir Francis Ferdinand in Bosnia by a Serb. Serbia did
not comply with Austria-Hungary ultimatum and WWI began.

How Did It Evolve?

The war spread from being a regional conflict into being a “world war” in many ways:
 Germany’s attack on France across Belgium in the Battle of Marne. France has a surprising win.
 Fighting in Gallipoli where the Allies attempted to take over Constantinople then Gallipoli.
 Sinking of the Lusitania and other U.S. supply ships.  Forced U.S. to join war
 Zimmerman Telegram: Germany sent a message to Mexico telling them that if Mexico aligned themselves
with Germany that they would help Mexico recover parts of the S.W U.S. When U.S found out the U.S.
declared war on the Central Powers.
 Contraband trading between the U.S. and both the Central Powers and Allies.
 After Russia withdrew from the war, the Central Powers gained a sizeable amount of territory and increased
power. The Allies now had to worry that supply lines being sent to Russia would fall in the wrong hands.
 German forces attempted to seize the Marne River again and were defeated by the Allies with the help of U.S.
forces.
 Central Powers began to dismember  Austria-Hungry becomes separate nations, Turks and Bulgaria surrender

New Developments:
 Technology:
- Tank: Invented by Great Britain to enable troops to tear through barbed wire and cross enemy lines
- Airplanes: Used to observe troop movements and sometimes engaged in air battles (dog fights) and
dropped bombs
- U-Boats: Germany submarine to liquidate Allied shipping
- Poison Gas
 Weaponry:
- Machine Gun
 Strategy:
- Trenches: Protect themselves from heavy artillery
- Draft: Draft men who were able to serve while women worked in factories to produce materials for war
efforts
 - Propaganda: Governments set up agencies for newspapers, magazines, ads, etc. to promote their side
and victories and attack their enemy as being brutal or horrific
* World War I was finally able to end after the Allies defeated the Central Powers at Chateau-Thierry in France. After this
defeat, there was a snowball effect of other Central Powers beginning to surrender their forces. Germany finally
surrendered to Allied forces in November 1918 where they suffered from the terms of their armistice. Some of the
lasting impacts of the war are:
- 10 million soldiers dead; 20 million wounded
- League of Nations
- Austria and Hungary split up. Austria suffers from poverty and financial crisis because of the Treaty of Versailles
- Germany is punished cruelly in the Treaty of Versailles
- Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, Palestine, Transjordan, Syria, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
etc. are created
- Other minority groups were dissatisfied with the terms of territory from the League of Nations. I.e. Armenians,
Kurds, etc.