MWH Unit 6: WW1

• At the beginning of the 20th century, most of the world was colonized by Europe or had been colonized by Europe, leading to instability in Europe
• Industrialism and rise in nationalism caused military build-up and more powerful weapons, alliances, and power-grabbing rivals increasing
• Triple Alliance (1880s): Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy - to protect against France
• Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia - later joined by Japan
• Schlieffen Plan: Germany’s attack on France through Belgium, a neutral country
• France-Russian alliance to keep Germany in check
• Austria-Hungary Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, leading to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia
• Over 40 countries joined the war effort due to widespread colonial connections
• Central Powers Alliance: Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary
• US joined the Allies in 1917 after Germany sunk British boat Lusitania in 1915 and kept sinking American ships, final push was Germany trying to get Mexico to join the war in 1916 (Zimmermann telegram)
• The Great War lasted until Germany and Central Powers gave up in November 1918
• Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 - Germany was to pay war reparations, release territory, downsize military
• Stalin instituted Five-Year Plans in the USSR, leading to industrialization and totalitarianism
• The Great Depression led to fascism in Europe, with extreme nationalism and racial identity
• Mussolini founded the first fascist state in Italy in 1919
• Hitler rose to power in Germany, believing in extreme nationalism and the superiority of the Aryan race
• Germany invaded Poland in 1939, leading to the start of WWII
• Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and began war on China in 1937, eventually merging into WWII
• US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to end the war
• The Holocaust resulted in the killing of millions of Jews in concentration camps
• US and Soviet Union became superpowers after WWII, leading to the Cold War
• United Nations was established in 1945 to prevent another great war and mediate international disputes
• World Bank, International Monetary Fund, General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs were formed to manage a global economy
• Cold War lasted for the next 50 years as US and Soviet Union strategized containment of each other
• Militarism: The belief in maintaining a strong military capability and being prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests
• Triple Alliance: A military alliance formed by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before World War I
• Kaiser Wilhelm: The German Emperor (Kaiser) during World War I
• Triple Entente: A military alliance formed by France, Russia, and the United Kingdom before World War I
• Franz Ferdinand: The Archduke of Austria-Hungary whose assassination in 1914 triggered the start of World War I
• Central Powers: A coalition during World War I that included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria
• The Allies: A coalition during World War I that included France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and later, many other nations
• The Western Front: The main theater of war during World War I, characterized by trench warfare in Western Europe
• Von Schlieffen Plan: A German military strategy aimed at quickly defeating France before turning east to face Russia during World War I
• Trench Warfare: A type of combat where opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other
• The Eastern Front: The theater of war on the Eastern European front during World War I
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: A naval strategy where submarines attack merchant and passenger ships without warning
• Total War: A conflict in which nations mobilize all available resources, including civilians and industries, to support the war effort
• Rationing: The controlled distribution of scarce resources, such as food, during times of war
• Propaganda: Information, often biased or misleading, used to promote a particular political cause or point of view
• Armistice: A formal agreement to stop fighting; in the context of World War I, the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, ending the hostilities