WW1

• M.A.I.N causes of the War:

  • Militarism
  • Alliances (+ secret diplomacy)
  • Imperialism
  • Nationalism
• The Triple Alliance:

  • Germany
  • Austro-Hungarian Empire
  • Italy
• The Triple Entente:

  • France
  • Britain
  • Russia
• Ottoman Empire: in decline, considered as the "dying man" of Europe
• Austria-Hungary: in decline, in the midst of a multiculteral crisis -struggled to meet the demands of all different ethnic groups, who wanted nothing less than independence
• Italy was a thing and wanted to not be left behind. Was not very important in this war besides the fact that they switched to the Triple Entente after being promised more land
• Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary): assassinated by Gavrilo Princip on June 28th, 1914
• Germany: came, saw, conquered - mainly France. After the Franco-Prussian War (1871) the French were left humiliated by the Treaty of Frankfurt and lost ~1 billion dollars and the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine
• The Franco-Prussian War stirred French nationalism just as much as it did German nationalism. Germany aimed to isolate France from the rest of Europe and to turn Germany into an industrial giant
• French foreign policy was the recovery of Alsace and Lorraine, and revenge against Germany
• Russia needed access to the Black Sea, a warm water sea port, which was only possible if the Ottomans where pushed out, so Russia aligned with the Balkans. This put them in the middle of a fight with Turkey (Ottomans) and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (who was bffs with Germany)
• Britain isolated from Europe because they were too busy colonizing the world and being ultra-imperialist for everyone, but then Germany built a ship and it threatened their power
• People + countries were mad and ready for a fight because they all felt that they were better than everyone and wanted to prove it
• July Crisis: assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austro-Hungary blamed Serbia with Germany's support
• After assassination:

  • UK + France: in favor of a negotiated settlement
  • Russia: willing for a great "power war" over Serbia - keep reputation as "protector of slavs"; expand and influence over Turkish straights
  • Austria-Hungary: settlement unsatisfactory
  • Germany: already had plans for war against Britain and France
• German Schlieffen Plan:

  • Invade France through Belgium before the French invade them with half the army. Other half invades Russia
  • soldiers moved too fast, ahead of supplies
  • Belgium fought back harder than anyone expected
  • Russia successfuly invades East Prussia
• Canada in WW1:

  • Was a dominion of the British Empire, so when Britain went to war Canada did as well
  • many were against conscription, especially Quebec
  • "shock troops"