Final Exam Essay #2 notes
World War I is an excellent example of the senseless violence of the
20th century. Comment.
I. Germany (20th century)
A. Missed out on colonization
1. They had a right to have their fair share
B. Fear of aggression
1. Scared of France (very aggressive)
2. Russia (large and aggressive)
3. Great Britain (largest empire, controls ocean)
C. Risk Theory
1. Germany and Britain are allies
2. Germany builds fleet of ships
a. Large enough to pose a “risk”
i. To prevent war with Britain
ii. To weaken Great Britain if attacked
3. Backfires
a. Germany alienates allied Britain
D. Schlieffen Plan (1905)
1. Austria-Hungary ally to Germany still
a. Threats from France and Russia
2. Plan for two-front war
a. Throw all power into France, deal with Russia second
(Russia=slow country)
3. Weaknesses
a. Speed
i. French/German border is mountainous
b. Since border is mountainous, go through neutral Belgium
c. Only plan
i. Did not consider fighting only 1 enemy
ii. Did not consider unusual circumstances
II. Ottoman Empire “Sick man of Europe” (SE Europe/Balkans)
A. Bismarck not interested in Balkan states
B. Austria-Hungary wanted them part of their empire
1. Some groups opposed to incorporation
a. Serbia movement (Nationalists)
i. breaks away in 1878
ii. Slavs not all in Serbia yet
iii. Bosnia-Herzagovina made part of empire in 1908
iv. Slavs believe it should be part of Serbia
v. Terrorist campaign to oust Austrians
vi. Austria-Hungary versus Serbia over Bosnia
vii. Serbia could be crushed
viii. Russia aids fellow Slavs (Russia is a Slavic
nation)
ix. Austrians could now be crushed
x. Germany can’t let Austria get crushed
----Germany’s only ally
2. Germany’s involvement in the Balkans
i. Germany has only one plan (Schlieffen Plan)
ii. If Germany attacks Russia, then France would
wage war
iii. Germany must attack France (Schlieffen Plan)
iv. Must go through neutral Belgium (Schlieffen
Plan)
3. England won’t stand by and see neutral Belgium attacked
4. England, France, Russia are the Allied Powers
5. Germany and Austria-Hungary are the main Central Powers
III. Western Front
A. Germany and France fighting
B. Germany gets within 30 miles of Paris
C. Belgian resistance was good-delayed Germans long enough so
France and
Britain could ready troops
D. Schlieffen Plan didn’t work-can’t get France
1. Trenches dug along battle lines
2. France and England also dug trenches
3. Results of trenches---stalemate for 4 years
a. Miserable conditions
b. Use of obsolete tactic- “over the top”
i. An offensive attack-soldiers get cut down
4. Political reasons for stalemate
a. Germany couldn’t withdraw
5. Thousands of lives lost for nothing
a. Fighting continues
6. Battle of Verdun-1916
a. Germany-wipe out many soldiers
b. Allies launch counter-attack
c. 1 million lives lost
d. Gain in territory=trade for 7 miles
7. Strategies to end stalemate
a. Mustard gas
b. Airplanes
8. Life expectancy only a few weeks
IV. Armenia
A. Between Russian and Ottoman Empire
B. Turks thought Armenia would ally with Russia
1. Turks want a token of loyalty
a. Give up weapons (they complied)
2. Turks begin genocide (1915)
a. Led by Talaat Pasha
b. Use Armenians for work
c. 50% of Armenians killed
3. Using manpower to kill their own allowed British from Egypt
and
Russia to move in
4. Results: no one held accountable for atrocities
5. Impact: Hitler saw that no one seemed to remember
V. Eastern Front
A. Russians doing well against Turks
B. Russians: 8 million casualties over Poland
1. Russians get tired of fighting, give up in 1917
VI. Ending of the war
A. Germany in good shape in 1917, but
1. had no objectives
2. doesn’t know where to stop
D. America joins in 1917
1. Forced German defensive
2. Broke stalemate
3. America had objectives
a. Woodrow Wilson-Pres.
i. Didn’t want war
ii. Changed his mind, got people’s support
iii. “War to end all wars”
iv. War to make the world safe for democracy
b. Wilson planned peace promise after WWI (14 pts.)
i. No economic barriers
ii. Reduction of arms (consistent with safety)
iii. Self-determination
iv. Creation of League of Nations
(created, but U.S. refused to enter)
C. Versailles Treaty-1919
1. Violated Wilson’s points
2. Hurt Germany
a. Germany defenseless
i. Open for invasion
b. Ordered Germany to pay $33 billion in reparations
c. Treaty ignored, not enforced
3. Countries angry
a. Leads to Communism, Fascism, and National Socialism