**BACKGROUND: THE 1ST WORLD WAR
ORIGINS OF WWI
Long Term Causes:
1)the rise of Germany
-Prussia(most important German state) united Germany
-Industrial Revolution→overcame Britain’s industry
-France=sworn enemy⎯Bismark(German Chancellor) kept France isolated
-Bismark ensured no wars against Russia & Britain
*BUT new Germany got a new kaiser Wilhelm II
→Bismark no longer Chancellor
2)The new Kaiser & World Power
-Germany=Britain in wealth & industry
→some Germans wanted worldwide empire <like Britain>
➢ex.Kaiser Wilhelm II
→Wilhelm= more aggressive, ended friendship w/ Russia
**other countries began seeing Germany as a threat
3)The Arms Race
-German began enlarging/updating navy (could challenge British Navy)
→British enlarged/updated their navy
→French increased their soldiers
→Russia built military railways (spent $$$$$$$)
**People in Germany feared Russia would defeat them
4)The 2 Alliances
-Germany allied w/Austria-Hungary
-The Triple Entente:France,Russia,Britain(anti-Germany)
Short-term Causes:
1)The Killing in Sarajevo
-A Serbian killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to Austrian-Hungarian throne) & wife
→Austria-Hungary looking for excuse to fight Serbia
-A-H blamed Serbia for the murder & got ready to attack
*Serbia=Russian help
Russia=France& British help
*A-H=German help
**Wide war w/all powerful countries in Europe
2)German decision for war
-another argument btwn Hungary, Serbia, & Russia about land division (taken from Turkey)
*No huge war because Germany wouldn’t back A-H
*After 1 year, Germany gave full support
3)Confusion about British Position
-Grey (foreign secretary) tried to negotiate & avoid war
*If Britain made their decision to fight clearer, Germany may have been intimidated
→Germany attacked France→Britain went to war
THE 1ST WORLD WAR
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
→Austria Hungary & Germany(The Central Powers)
vs.
Russia, France, & Britain(The Allies)
**Rapid mobilization towards frontier w/enemy=little discussion & negotiation
Stalemate In The West
-in France: River Marne
-Germany army stopped by France
*Front-line established---didn’t change(next 3 yrs.)
-Britain tried to break stalemate
*Huge casualties, little result (British gained only 4 miles)
*Stalemate⎯countries didn’t know how to end war w/o losing face
→Both sides looked for allies
The Allies→Italy & Romania
Central Powers→Bulgaria
**This made the war worse
-New players wanted profits of war, would fight until they did
The Naval War & the Americans
Stalemate at sea
*German U-Boats(subs) attacking ships trading w/Britain(cut off vital supplies) **including USA
*USA declared war on Germany (strengthened The Allies)
~Revolution in Russia→withdrawal from the war
→signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
→Germany took huge areas of Russia
German Defeat & the Armistice
-Germany attacked France (USA reinforcements not there yet)
*USA reinforcements arrive
↓
The Allies ATTACK!!
*Germany asked Pres. Wilson(USA) for peace
↓the Armistice: Agreement to peace
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Russia Before Communism
-Russia ruled by Tsar Nicholas II (Austocrat)
*Russians wanted change in gov:
-Gap between rich & poor= HUGE (poor wanted a fairer deal)
-People had no political poower
(Tsar had all power)
(the Duma had no real power<Parliament>)
-Russia did badly in WWI
-war put strain on economy
(prices↑, food scarce)
The 2 Revolutions Of 1917
*Revolution in St.Petersburg (shortage of bread)
-no law & order
-Army mutinied, refused to help
*Tsar Nicholas abdicated
The Soviets & The Bolsheviks
-The duma set up a ‘provisional government’
-The people set up soviets
*Both claimed to be in charge
~Group of communists(Bolsheviks)---led by Lenin wanted to overthrow the provisional gov.
*The Bolshevik took over St.Petersburg
*→Soviets took over their local area
**AND the Bolshevik revolution began!!
The Treaty Of Brest-Litovsk
-Lenin believed communist world revolution would spread -- non-communist
states=doomed
→believed didn’t need foreign policy
→belief encouraged to make peace w/Germany (treaty of Brest-Litovsk)
-OK to lose lots of territory because the settlement would soon be swept aside by a world revolution
The Civil War
Many Russians opposed The Bolshevik
→civil war between the Whites(anti-communists) & the Red Guards(the Bolsheviks)
(independent White governments set up in ex.Ukraine, Georgia, & Siberia
→British, French, & Americans sent forces to fight the Bolsheviks
*Whites=divided among themselves & foreign armies withdrew (1919)
**Civil was was over & Bolsheviks won (by 1920)
World Revolution?
-Lenin encouraged other countries to follow Russian Revolution
(thought revolutionary Russia needed communist revolutions in other countries)
-Comintern(the Communist International) set up by Bolsheviks in other countries to
encourage communism
*many communist followers in Germany
>communists briefly took power in Hungary but overthrown(July 1919)
- - - - - -
-Lenin dies (1924)→Stalin takes over. Trotsky exiled
-Stalin did little to encourage revolution abroad
*concentrated on industrialization in Soviet Union
**BUT governments over the world still afraid of communist ideas spreading