World War I

• The Allies were unwilling to make peace with the imperial government of Germany. Germany was also dealing with a group of sailors who mutinied in Kiel


  which encouraged many workers and soldiers to take over civilian and military offices. The pressure from the public caused Emperor William II to leave the country.
• The entry of the United States into World War I gave the Allied Forces a large advantage and allowed them to greatly outnumber and outlast German troops.
• Throughout the course of the war

  the reasons for fighting had changed from territorial gains to more idealistic reasons. The European powers found it easy to make Germany take blame for the war and forced them to pay for it.
• America wanted to complete a League of Nations to prevent future wars


  while Britain and France wanted to only punish Germany.
• The Treaty of Versailles caused large amounts of population movements because the new boundaries caused many ethnic minorities to travel across these new nations.
• Czar Nicholas II insisted on taking personal charge of armed forces despite his low ability and training
• Maurice-Georges Palelogue (1859-1944)- French diplomat and writer. Appointed Ambassador to St. Petersburg until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917
• Rasputin influenced the Czar's wife Alexandra when making important decisions. Was assassinated in December 1916, after the rulers experienced much military and economic disasters, angering the public
• March 8 1917, women from Petrograd (St. Petersburg) revolted after the price of bread increased due to rationing."Peace and Bread" "Down with the Autocracy." Strike caused all factories shut down on March 10.
• Aleksander Kerensky led the provisional government and decided to remain in WWI
• Soviets were largely made up of Socialists, and represented the more radical interests of the lower class.
• October 1917-Bolsheviks made up majority in Petrograd and Moscow soviets. Leon Trotsky was head of Petrograd soviet, so Bolsheviks were in a position to claim power in the name of the soviets.
• November 6 - Bolshevik forces seized the Winter Palace. Government collapsed quickly.
• April 1917, German military leaders sent Lenin back to Russia in hopes of creating disorder.
• Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communists
• March 3, 1918 - Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and gave up eastern Poland, Ukraine, Finland, and the Baltic provinces.
• Work days could be as long as 16 hours
• Working Class was in poverty
• Inflation and food shortage
• Gregori Rasputin - Influenced Czarina Alexandra's decisions
• Trade route was cut off in the war
• March Revolution - Women in Petrograd led a city wide strike over the shortage of bread and fuel. Soldiers went against nobilty, Government got contorlled by revolutionaries, Provional govt established, forced Czar NIcholas II to abdicate, power was given to the Duma
• November (Bolshevik) Revolution - led by Vladimir Lenin, Communist group of Bolsheviks led a bloodless coup, promised citizens "peace, land, and bread"
• Bolsheviks - Socialist revolutionaries, started provisional govt, Founded by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in October Revolution
• Soviets - a group of workers who wanted to have better conditions, communist society, and had great military power
• Bolsheviks - Signed a peace agreement with Germany to be taken out of the war, ended the civil war that lasted from 1917-1922, Renamed russia to the USSR, made Russia the first Communist nation.
• George Gapon - created a petition outlining workers sufferings and demands. +150,000 people signed, and formed assembly of Russian Workers in 1903
• Bloody Sunday - January 22, 1905, Gapon led workers to the Winter Palace to present the petition, but were attacked by police and Cossacks (soldiers), 100 killed and 300 wounded. Ignited the Revolution of 1905
• How the World War Ended: Germany got ambitious because of Russia's withdrawal from the war and sent troops to stop the stalemate at the Western Front. Led by Erich Ludendorff


  the German Military launched an attack on March 1918
• US Senate refused to ratify (sign) the Versailles peace settlement
• Most Eastern European Countries belonged to the Slavic language family
• 1870-1871 - Germany took Alsace Lorraine from France because they thought the land was theirs even though most people living there were French
• Austria-Hungary worried rising nationalism would cause minority populations to rebel
• "Franz Ferdinand was crown prince of Austria-Hungarian empire, visited Sarajevo in Bosnia in 1914.
• Serbian nationalists decided to kill the prince to gain independence from Austria-Hungary
• June 28, 1914, Ferdinand was assassinated "
• Blank Check Germany told Austria that they would support them if there was a war with Austria
• Austria-Hungary told Serbia to end all anti-Austrian ideas, but Serbia said no
• Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28 1914
• Austria-Hungary wanted to punish Serbia for encouraging terrorism