WARS BEFORE WW1

WORLD WAR I
(The War to End All Wars / The Great War)
WORLD WAR 2
 WORLD WAR 1
“The Great War”
“The War to End All Wars”
“The Forgotten War”
 Bulgaria

Serbia
• Austria-Hungary • Great Britain
• Germany Ottoman • Russia
• Italy Empire • France
 non-aligned countries that entered into war

**ALL ALLIED POWERS

Japan Portugal Romania

Greece USA Belgium

summary of war declarations
summary of war declarations
summary of war declarations
summary of war declarations
 causes of world war 1

M militarism
A alliances
N nationalism
I imperialism
A assassination
 causes of world war 1
European Expansionism
Conflicts over Alliances
Arms Build-Up
Serbian Nationalism
The Assassination
The Blank Check Assurance
 M - militarism
Militarism denoted a rise in military
M expenditure, an increase in military and naval
forces, more influence of the military men
A upon the policies of the civilian government,
N and a preference for force as a solution to
problems.
I
A
 M - militarism
After 1907, there was an increase in military
M influence on policy making. This could be
reflected particularly in Germany and Russia.
The German Army at this period was called a
A "State within the State".
The parliament and the politicians had to follow
N the General Staff. They had no say in the army's
design to preserve the Fatherland. Even though
I the Schlieffen Plan would incur the anger of
Great Britain and bring the latter into a war, it
was accepted by the German civilian
A government as the war plan.
 M - militarism
In 1914, the Russian generals were also able
M to force the Czar to accept full mobilization.
They threatened him with the danger of
A defeat if he acted contrarily.
N
I
A
 A - alliances
In the age of imperialism prior to World War I,
M countries throughout Europe had created
alliances. The alliances promised that each
country would support the other if war ever
A broke out between an ally and another Great
Power.
N Prior to WWI, the alliances of Russia and Serbia;
France and Russia; Germany, Italy and Austria-
I Hungary; Britain, France and Belgium; France,
Britain and Russia; and Japan and Britain were
firmly in place.
A
 A - alliances
The alliance, between France, Britain and Russia,
M formed in 1907 and called the Triple Entente,
caused the most friction among nations.
A Germany felt that this alliance surrounding them
was a threat to their power and existence.
N As tensions continued to rise over alliances, the
I preexisting alliances fed into other countries
declaring war against one another in the face of
A conflict.
 A - alliances
These conflicts over alliances — which forced
M nations to come to the defense of one another —
led to the formation of the two sides of World War
A I, the Allied and Central Powers.
By the start of the war, Italy and the United States
N entered on the side of the Allied Powers, which
consisted of Russia, France and Great Britain.
I The Central Powers, alternately, consisted of
Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire
A and Bulgaria.
 N - nationalism
Nationalism was one of many political forces at
M play in the time leading up to World War I, with
Serbian nationalism in particular, playing a key
role. Serbian nationalism can be dated to the
A mid- and late-1800s, though two precipitating
nationalism events are directly linked to the start
N of WWI.
In the Balkans, Slavic Serbs sought
I independence from Austria-Hungary and the
Ottoman Empire, and in 1878, they tried to gain
control of Bosnia and Herzegovina to form a
A unified Serbian state.
 N - nationalism
With the decline of the Ottoman Empire,
M Serbian nationalism continued to rise,
culminating in the assassination of the
A Archduke of Austria in 1914 by a Bosnian
N Serb and officially triggering the start of the
Great War.
I
A
 I - imperialism
In the 1900s, several European nations had empires across
M the globe, where they had control over vast swaths of
lands.
Prior to World War I, the British and French Empires were
A the world’s most powerful, colonizing regions like India,
modern-day Vietnam and West and North Africa.
N The expansion of European nations as empires (also
known as imperialism) can be seen as a key cause of
World War I, because as countries like Britain and France
I expanded their empires, it resulted in increased tensions
among European countries. The tensions were a result of
many colonies often being acquired through coercion.
A
 I - imperialism
Then, once a nation had been conquered, it was
M governed by the imperial nation: many of these
colonial nations were exploited by their mother
countries, and dissatisfaction and resentment
A was commonplace.
As British and French expansionism continued,
N tensions rose between opposing empires,
including Germany, Austria-Hungary and the
I Ottoman Empire, leading to the creation of the
Allied Powers (Britain and France) and Central
Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the
A Ottoman Empire) during World War I.
 A - assassination
On June 28, 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
M of Austria was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip.
Ferdinand was chosen as a target because he
A was to be the heir of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
N On the day of his assassination, the Archduke
traveled to Sarajevo to inspect imperial armed
I forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, former
Ottoman territories acquired by Austria-Hungary
A in 1908.
 A - assassination
While Ferdinand was traveling in an open car
M in Sarajevo, Princip fired into the car, shooting
Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Following the
A assassination, Austria-Hungary issued an
ultimatum to Serbia, which was rejected and
N led Austria-Hungary to declare war against
Serbia, with German support. Russia then
I came to Serbia’s defense, therefore initiating
the First World War.
A
 blank check assurance
The alliance between Germany and Austria-
Hungary at the start of World War I is also
commonly known as the “blank check
assurance.”
In July 1914, during a meeting between members
of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, the Ambassador
to Berlin, the German Emperor and the German
Chancellor, Germany offered Austria-Hungary
unconditional support in the wake of the
assassination of Franz Ferdinand.
 blank check assurance
This “blank check,” via unconditional support, sought
military and political triumph in securing the Balkans.
It also gave Austro-Hungarian leaders the confidence
needed to embark on war against Serbia.
Today, historians regard it as one of the most
controversial decisions in the history of modern
warfare, particularly because Germany failed to
withdraw the unconditional support when given the
opportunity. It is also widely recognized as one of the
main reasons Germany is seen as responsible for the
escalation and continuation of World War I.
 ::militarism::
(arms buildup)

This is some next level copy-paste talent***

 ::militarism::
(arms buildup)
 ::militarism::
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 ::militarism::
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TIMELINE OF
EVENTS
(important) (only)
 ::when:: ::what::
June 28, 1914 The assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
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 Who is Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
• Heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne
• Grandson of Queen Victoria of England
• Cousin of:
• Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany
• George V, King of the United Kingdom
• Brother-in-law of:
• Tsar Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia
• Ferdinand I of Romania
• King Constantine I of Greece
• King Alfonso XIII of Spain
The Austro-Hungarian Empire
A VIDEO TO LIGHTEN UP THE MOOD OF US ALL
 ::when:: ::what::
July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia,
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beginning World War I

 SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
A German war strategy to attack on two fronts: France on the west
and Russia on the East, designed by Chief of the Imperial German
General Staff, Count Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905.
Schlieffen assumed that Russian troops would take at least six
weeks to effectively mobilize their forces since they were poorly
led and equipped, so Germany would send most of its troops to
France to form an overwhelming assault, while leaving just
sufficient forces to Russia to hold its mobilization process.
Once France had been dealt with, they will redeploy the armies to
the East to face the Russians.
 SCHLIEFFEN PLAN, modified
However, for the Germans to reach France, they had to go through
the neutral countries.
Switzerland was geographically invasion-proof because of its
terrain.
Netherlands was discounted because Germany desired Dutch
neutrality for as long as possible.
Germany then opted to violate Dutch and Belgian neutrality by
attacking Belgium and Luxembourg in order to reach France.
 ::when::

August 1, 1914
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::what::

Belgium declares
armed neutrality

#WalangLabel
 ::when::

August 2, 1914
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::what::
Germany
accidentally
invades neutral
Luxembourg
Luxembourg was put under German occupation
during the entire war. However, the people did not
sit quietly as thousands joined up with the Allied
forces to fight against Germany.
 ::when::

August 3, 1914
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::what::

Italy declares
neutrality
much to the annoyance of its Triple Alliance partners, arguing that
Austria-Hungary’s attack on Serbia is an act of war not covered in the
provisions of the Triple Alliance treaty (they were supposed to be a
defensive alliance).
 ::when::

August 4, 1914
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::what::

USA declares
neutrality
due to its foreign policy that the United States would not entangle itself
with alliances with other nations #WalangLabel
 ::when::

August 5-16, 1914

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::what::

Battle of Liege
(Belgium):
the first land battle of the war
Germans conducted a night surprise attack to this Belgian city that was guarded with 12
heavily armed forts built on the 1880s. This battle delayed Germany’s invasion of France by
4 – 5 days.
 ::when::

August 14, 1914 “This is already the vastest war in

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history. It is a war not of nations, but of

::what:: mankind. It is a war to exorcise a world-
“The War to End madness and end an age… For this is
now a war for peace. It aims straight at
All Wars” disarmament. It aims at a settlement that
shall stop this sort of thing for ever.
Every soldier who fights against
Germany now is a crusader against war.
This, the greatest of all wars, is not just
another war—it is the last war!”
- Herbert George Wells
 ::when::

August 16, 1914

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::what::

Adolf Hitler
volunteered to
fight with the
German Army as
messenger
 ::when::

August 23, 1914

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::what::

The Siege of
Tsingtau, China
The Japanese refused to become involved in the war in Europe and concentrate
their efforts against the German colony-port in Tsingtau, China. They secured
the formal surrender of Germany later in November 10.
 ::when::
August 26-31,
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1914
::what::

Battle of
Tannenberg
Germany’s major victory, capturing some 90,000 Russian prisoners.
The Russian’s defeat that shook Britain and France’s faith in their ally
on the Easter Front.
 ::when::

September 5-10,
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1914
::what::

First Battle of the

Marne
This battle marked the end of the German sweep into France and the
beginning of the trench warfare that was to characterize World War One.
TRENCH WARFARE
TRENCH WARFARE
TRENCH WARFARE
TRENCH WARFARE (No Man’s Land)
 ::when::

December 25, 1914

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::what::

The Christmas
Truce of World
War 1
A temporary cessation of fighting between the English and German
forces in the Western Front during the Christmas of 1914.
 ::when::

February 4, 1915
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::what::

Britain’s U-Boat
Blockade
German authorities announce that submarines will blockade Britain,
targeting vessels, whether sailing under combatant flags or not, as
legitimate targets
 ::when::

April 1915
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::what::

Women’s Peace
Party at the
Hague
A delegation of women from 12 different European nations who gathered
in the Hague in neutral Holland (Netherlands) to discuss the principles of
constructive peace.
 ::when::
April 22 – May 25,
1915
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::what::

The Second Battle

of Ypres
First major battle fought by Canadian troops in the Great War.
Germany first used the poison chlorine gas on the Western Front, with
4,000 gas cylinders on the first day.
 ::when::

April 25, 1915

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::what::

The Gallipoli
Campaign
Allies, including Australian and New Zealand troops, land in the Gallipoli
peninsula (Turkey) to: (1) capture the peninsula and help naval operations in
the Dardanelles Straits; and (2) relieve pressure on Russian forces who were
fighting Turkish forces
 ::when::

April 26, 1915

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::what::

The Secret Treaty

of London
Great Britain, France, and Russia convinced Italy to discard it
obligations of the Triple Alliance and to enter the war on the side of the
Allies by the promise of substantial territorial gains in expense of
Austria-Hungary.
 ::when::

May 1, 1915
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::what::

The Gulflight
Incident

A German U-Boat torpedoed a US merchant ship, the Gulflight,

without warning.
 ::when::

May 7, 1915
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::what::

The Lusitania

A German U-Boat torpedoed a British-owned luxury steamship Lusitania,

killing 1,195 people including 128 Americans.
This sparked the series of events that led to the US entering World War 1.
 ::when::

June 4, 1915
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::what::

The Gallipoli
Campaign Fails

The campaign to force Germany’s ally, Turkey, out of the war failed
when the warships were unable to force a way through the straits known
as the Dardanelles.
 ::when::

July 17, 1915

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::what::

Women’s Right
to Serve
Women in London marched demanding to make a fuller contribution to the
war effort, hiring women in the munitions industry, with the same pay as men.
Banners:
“Women Demand the Right to Serve” &
“The Situation is Serious – Women Must Help to Save It.”
 ::when::

October 12, 1915

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::what::

Execution of
Edith Cavell
A Red Cross nurse tending to wounded soldiers regardless of nationality
was arrested by the German and charged with having helped about 200
allied soldiers to escape to neutral Holland
 ::when::

September 11, 1915

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::what::

Little Willie
was introduced

The British began designing on what will become the world’s first
tracked armored vehicle, nicknamed “Little Willie”
 ::when::

February 21, 1916

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::what::

Battle of Verdun
With heavy artillery
barrage

The longest battle in this war, designed by the Germans to inflict

casualties n the French army and sapping its will to fight, which would
then force the British to sue for peace.
 ::when::

March 2, 1916
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::what::

Britain
introduces
Conscription
Military Service Act is an announcement that all singled men 18 – 41 are
liable for compulsory military service, except those who are medically
unfit, clergymen, teachers, and certain classes of industrial worker.
 ::when::

April 1, 1916
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::what::

Marie Curie
involved in the
war effort
Marie Curie helps to equip ambulances with X-ray equipment so
wounded soldiers at the front can receive immediate care. She realized
that the electromagnetic radiation of X-rays could help doctors see the
bullets and shrapnel embedded in the soldiers' bodies and remove them,
as well as locate broken bones
 ::when::

May 31st, 1916

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::what::

The Battle of
Jutland
Involving some 250 ships and 100,000 men, this battle off Denmark's
North Sea coast was the only major naval surface engagement of World
War I. The battle began in the afternoon of May 31, 1916, with gunfire
between the German and British scouting forces.
 ::when::

July 1, 1916
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::what::

Anglo-French
Somme
Offensive
In an effort to draw German troops away from Verdun, the Allies mount a major
offensive that opens with a large-scale artillery barrage that lasts five days. In one day,
as German machine gunners rake the advancing troops, 20,000 British are killed and
40,000 more wounded. The devastating Battle of the Somme will continue through the
summer and end in November. The British gain is a modest six miles. The casualty
count is horrific: 419,000 British, 194,000 French and 650,000 Germans.
 ::when::
September 15,
1916
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::what::

British used tanks

for the first time
Thirty-six tanks are secretly shipped to the front and used in the Battle of
Flers-Courcelette, near the Somme. However, mechanical malfunctions
and inexperienced crews greatly hampered the tanks’ effectiveness.
 ::when::

October 7, 1916
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::what::

President
Woodrow Wilson
was re-elected
He has campaigned on a ticket of maintaining US neutrality, despite
increasing friction with Germany
 On the outbreak of the First World War
the Admiralty established the
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Government Code and Cypher School

(GCCS). People such as Alastair
::what:: Denniston, Alfred Dilwyn Knox and
The Zimmermann Frank Birch were involved in
intercepting, decrypting, and interpreting

Telegram naval staff German and other enemy

wireless and cable communications.
GCCS obtained a copy of the
Zimmermann Telegram and after it was
decrypted it was passed to the American
government.
 On 16th January 1917, the German
Foreign Secretary, Arthur
Zimmermann, sent a coded telegram
to the ambassador in Mexico City
timeline of (important) events (only)

::when:: where he informed him that

January 16, 1917 Germany intended to begin
unrestricted submarine warfare on
1st February. He also instructed the
ambassador to propose an alliance
::what:: with Mexico if war broke out
The Zimmermann between Germany and the United
States. In return, the telegram

Telegram
proposed that Germany and Japan
would help Mexico regain the
territories that it lost to the United
States in 1848 (Texas, New Mexico
and Arizona).
 ::when::

February 1, 1917
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::what::

Germany returns to
unrestricted
submarine warfare
Germans believed that this campaign of sinking any vessels at will will
starve Britain into surrender within as little as five months.
 ::when::

February 3, 1917
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::what::

US severs
diplomatic ties
with Germany
US cuts its diplomatic ties with Germany following the latter’s
announcement that its navy will conduct unrestricted submarine warfare.
 ::when::

March 15, 1917

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::what::

Czar Nicholas II
of Russia
abdicates
Czar Nicholas was neither trained nor inclined to rule. His abdication
ended the Romanov dynasty that had ruled Russia for over 300 years.
 ::when::

April 6, 1917
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::what::

US declares war
on Germany
 ::when::

June 25, 1917

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::what::

First American
troops land in
France
 ::when::

July 17, 1917

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::what::

King George V
renounces his
German heritage
The King of Great Britain gives up all of his German titles and formal
associations with the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and renames his
dynasty ‘the House of Windsor.’
 ::when::

July 31, 1917

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::what::

3rd Battle of the

Ypres
In the first two weeks of battle, British artillery units fire 4,283,550 shells
at German lines near the Flemish town of Passchendaele. The campaign
ends by Nov. 10.
 ::when::

November 7, 1917
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::what::

The Bolsheviks
seize power in
Russia
Less than two months after being declared a “socialist republic”, Lenin’s
forces succeed in overthrowing the Kerensky government. The Bolsheviks
demand a “just and immediate peace.”
 ::when::

November 20, 1917

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::what::

British victory at
Cambrai
British tanks gain victory at the Battle of Cambrai on the Western Front.
The Germans are taken by surprise since no artillery barrage precedes
the attack. The tanks penetrate the lines by more than 10,000 yards. Ten
days later, the Germans counterattack, regaining most ground lost.
 ::when::

December 9, 1917
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::what::
The British
capture
Jerusalem from
the Turks
Church bells ring in London for the first time since the start of the war to celebrate
the victory. Prime Minister Lloyd George had tasked General Allenby with capturing
Jerusalem by Christmas. Allenby achieved his objective weeks ahead of schedule,
dealing a devastating blow to Turkish forces.
 ::when::

January 8, 1918
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::what::

President Wilson
outlines his
Fourteen Points
The peace plan includes independence for Poland, restoration of Belgian
independence, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, an end to secret diplomacy,
autonomy of subject nationalities and the formation of a League of Nations.
“What we demand in this war is nothing peculiar to ourselves. It
is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and particularly
that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our
own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be
assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the
world as against force and selfish aggression. The program of the
world’s peace, therefore, is our program.”

– President Wilson, January 8, 1918 address to Congress

 ::when::

March 3, 1918
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::what::

Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed by Soviet Russia and Germany. Germany sets harsh
terms: Russia yields 34% of her population, 32% of her farmland, 50% of her
industrial holdings and 90% of her coalmines. Bolshevik negotiator, Leon Trotsky,
laments; “This is a peace that Russia, grinding her teeth, is forced to accept.”
 ::when::

March 8, 1918
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::what::
First Report of
Spanish Influenza
at Camp Funston
(Kansas)
The disease, known as the “Spanish flu,” spreads through contact or in close
proximity to infected persons. It is carried from the U.S. overseas on troop ships to the
Western Front and then throughout the world. Over the next year, 550,000 Americans
will die from the disease and more than 20 million worldwide.
 ::when::

June 28, 1918

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::what::

US War Department
authorizes chemical
warfare
The CWS coordinates all aspects of chemical warfare including administration,
research, gas defense, gas offensive, development and medical training.
 ::when::

July 17, 1918

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::what::

Bolsheviks
murder the Czar
of Russia
The former Czar Nicholas II, his wife and children, are shot by Bolsheviks at
Ekaterinburg.
 ::when::

October 6, 1918
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::what::

Germany requests
armistice; Allies refuse
Through the neutral Swiss government, German Chancellor Prince Maximillian sends
a note to President Wilson requesting him to restore peace through an immediate
armistice with terms. The request is rejected.
 ::when::

November 9, 1918
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::what::

Kaiser Wilhelm II
abdicates
German Republic proclaimed as Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates. The next day, the ex-
Kaiser and his entourage flee to Holland; they arrive at Eysden, on the frontier, at
7:30 a.m.
 ::when::

November 10, 1918

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::what::

Emperor Karl of
Austria abdicates
Austria accepted truce terms, including the immediate cessation of hostilities and
evacuation on the Italian Coast on November 4. Six days later in Vienna, army
aeroplane hangers are burned. Shootings occur in the streets of Salzburg. Reports
state that the Austrian navy is scuttled by Jugo-Slav forces to prevent the Italians
from seizing the ships
 ::when::

November 11, 1918

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::what::

Germany signs the

armistice at
Compiegne
Three days prior, German delegates were escorted through a devastated French
countryside to a railway car in the Compiengne Forest, Marshal Foch’s Headquarters
and were presented with terms of the Allied Armistice. Fighting ends on the Western
Front Paris time 11:00 a.m. when Germany signs this armistice with the Allied
Powers. The terms are harsh, intended to show German acceptance of defeat and to
prevent any lengthy break for Germany to regroup and start military action again.
 ::when::

June 28, 1919

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::what::

Germany and the Allies sign

the Treaty of Versailles
The Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
(1) The surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations
mandates.
(2) The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.
(3) Cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania,
the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia.
(4) Poznania, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland.
The Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
(5) Danzig to become a free city;
(6) Plebiscites to be held in northern Schleswig to settle the
Danish-German frontier.
(7) Occupation and special status for the Saar under French
control.
(8) Demilitarization and a fifteen-year occupation of the
Rhineland.
The Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
(9) German reparations of £6,600 billion.
(10) A ban on the union of Germany and Austria.
(11) An acceptance of Germany's guilt in causing the war.
(12) Provision for the trial of the former Kaiser and other war
leaders.
The Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
(13) Limitation of Germany's army to 100,000 men with no
conscription, no tanks, no heavy artillery, no poison-gas
supplies, no aircraft and no airships;

(14) The German navy was allowed six pre-dreadnought

battleships and was limited to a maximum of six light cruisers
(not exceeding 6,100 tons), twelve destroyers (not exceeding
810 tons and twelve torpedo boats (not exceeding 200 tons)
and was forbidden submarines.