World War I

• A number of issues were driving European countries apart in the years before 1914: disagreements over colonies in Africa and Asia, military arms races and competition for influence in the Balkans
• These issues saw the creation of a system of alliances (an agreement between states to aid eachother in wartime)
• On 28 June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assasinated in Sarajevo. The Austrians blamed the Serbians and declared war on them in August
• Russia was an ally of Serbia so they declared war on Austria. Austrian ally Germany declared war on Russia whose ally France declared war on Germany. Britain had promised to protect Belgium and were forced to go to war with Germany when they invaded Belgium on their way to France
• The war quickly developed into a stalemate. The Germans had split their forces on the Western and Eastern Fronts. Soldiers dug networks of deep trenches along the Western Front.
• WWI battles were extremely bloody. 1.1 million people were killed over 5 months at the Battle of the Somme
• WWI saw the first use of aeroplanes and chemical weapons in war. German U-boats attacked ships, Britain developed the tank and mines and grenades were widely useed.
• The wars victors dictated the terms of the treaty to Germany and their allies. They met at a peace conference at Versailles.
• Woodrow Wilson wanted a just peace to prevent future wars, reduction of army sizes and a league of nations to prevent future wars. Georges Clemenceau wanted compensation and wanted to prevent German from ever being a threat again. David LLoyd George saw the Treaty as a chance to expand the British empire and boost the British economy, both at the expense of Germany
• The main terms of the Treaty were:

  1. War Guilt Clause placed sole blame on Germany
  2. Germany had to pay reperations
  3. Germany surrendered all its colonies in Africa and Asia
  4. Germany lost territory in Europe
  5. German armed forces was reduced to 100,000 men and 6 naval ships. They were banned from having an airforce, tanks or submarines
  6. Germany and Austria were forbidden to unite
  7. The Rhineland between Germany and France was demilitarised
  8. The League of Nations was set up
• The Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires were abolished and new states were created.
• The Treaty was deeply unpopular in Germany and the people felt betrayed by the government. There was also anger in Italy as they did not recieve all the land they had been promised when they entered the war
• Germany's economy was crippled and there was mass unemployment due to the reperations. This also had an impact on wider Europe as Germany was Europe's largest economy.
• The world's first communist government came to power under Vladimir Lenin in Russia.
• The US refused to join and Russia and Germany weren't allowed to join to League of Nations. This made it difficult for the League to operate with authority