Imperialism
-Nations fighting to gain land and spread their influence throughout the world
Franz Ferdinand
- heir to the Austrian throne
- visit Bosnian capital, Sarajevo
- bomb assassination failed
- later that day, he and his wife shot
- black hand terrorists ->Serbian terrorist group
- Austria-hungry declare war on Serbia
Triple Entente
Britain, France, Russia
Triple Alliance
Austria, Italy, hungry, Germany
Black Hand
Terrorist group incorporated through Serbia
Killed Franz Ferdinand
Schieffen Plan
German plan to avoid defeat from Russia by taking France out first then fighting Russia
- smash France in 30 days
- go through Belgium to surround French troops, defeat the French, then rush to Poland front on the German rail system to face Russia
- once Russia began to mobilize, germany had an attack on France
- once Belgium got involved, so did Britain
Russian Revolution
- Czar Nicholas II and family was overthrown
- Bolsheviks were followers of Vladimir Lenin
- Lenin takes over
- communist society
- “Reds” communists wanted to abolish capitalism in the world
- Bc of this revolution, Russia left WW1, and left enemies out to dry
Stalemate
This war quickly became a stalemate bc:
- technology advanced before armies did
- caused trench warfare
- defensive war led to the war being stretched longer than need be
- when armies would advance, massive causalities would occur
- machine guns, planes, flame throwers
Election of 1916
- Demo- Wilson
- Repub- Charles Hughes
- Wilson won by his slogan that “He kept us out of war”
- Hughes pledged to uphold America’s right to freedom of the seas but also promised not to be too severe on Germany
- Hughes thought he was going to win
- back and forth
Zimmerman Note
- Germany asked for Mexico to help Germany
- if Mexico helps, then Germany will help get texas Arizona New Mexico back for Mexico
British Propaganda
Helped influence America to join war
America trades with France Germany and Britain
2X for Britain and France
Americans angry at Brit blockade but that German u boats sank all ships
Wilsons 14 Points
-made him the moral leader of allied cause
- goal was to keep Russia in war and boost morale of troops
Key ideas:
-abolish secret treaties
- freedom of the seas
- free trade
- self determination
-readjustment of colonial claim
14 th point : create League of Nations (congress disapproved bc it was another alliance)
Armistice 1918
Russia sign separate peace with Germany
- Germans want to find a way to end war before US troops get in France
- allies favored attrition
- germ had no chance
- ger failed offensive -> kaiser flees to holland
- this is basically end of war
Spanish Influenza
- sickness brought back from troops overseas
- largest death amount in the Western Hemisphere ever by a sickness
- people knew death was coming
- carpe diem formed
- ppl enjoy what they have for whatever time they have
Paris Peace Conference
- Wilson proposed 14 points
- Big 4 met
- Italy
- France
- Britain
- USA
- winners of the war
- Italy didn’t really do anything so they didn’t really get anything
- ended up putting all the blame on Germany
Treaty of Versailles
- this was a war guilt clause
- broke up German Austrian Russian and Ottoman Empire
- limited Germany army
- payment of debt put on Germany that they had no way of paying (on purpose)
- legacy of bitterness
