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World War 1, The Treaty of Versailles, and The Great Depression
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Alliances
An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies. A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies are declared on first. -
Imperialism
Imperialism is when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and France had control of large areas of Africa. With the rise of industrialism countries needed new markets. The amount of lands ‘owned’ by Britain and France increased the rivalry with Germany who had entered the scramble to acquire colonies late and only had small areas of Africa. -
Militarism
Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile by the government. The growing European divide had led to an arms race between France and Germany. Their armies both had more than doubled between 1870 to 1914 and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas. The Germans also drew up a plan of action that involved attacking France through Belgium if Russia made an attack on Germany. -
Nationalism
Nationalism means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of one’s country. The Congress of Vienna, held after Napoleon’s exile to Elba, aimed to sort out problems in Europe. Delegates from Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia decided upon a new Europe that left both Germany and Italy as divided states. Large areas of both Austria-Hungary and Serbia were home to differing nationalist groups, all of whom wanted freedom from the states in which they lived. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia. An escalation of threats followed the incident, by mid-August World War I broke out. In response to the assassination of the heir presumptive to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Austria declared war on Serbia.The start of the First War begun. -
Germany's Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
On July 5, 1914, in Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledges his country’s unconditional support for the actions Austria-Hungary chooses to take in its conflict with Serbia. A long-running rivalry thrown into crisis by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife by a Serbian nationalist during an official visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia. -
World War 1 Begins
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria may have triggered a chain of events that lead to the war beginning. On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a “blank check." On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A British ocean liner was torpedoed by a German U-Boat on the southern coast of Ireland and inside the declared ''war zone.'' On the Lusitania 1,201 people on board drowned in its sinking included 128 Americans. International uproar led by the U.S resulted in German U-Boat warfare for 2 years. -
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
Germany declared the area around the British Isles a war zone, in which all merchant ships, including those from neutral countries, would be attacked by the German navy. A string of attacks on merchant ships followed, culminating in the sinking of the British ship Lusitania by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915. Although the Lusitania was a British ship and it was carrying supplies, it was principally a passenger ship. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a diplomatic proposal from Germany to Mexico to declare war against the United States. It was an attempt to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States. Germany's main purpose for this Telegram, if it had succeeded, was to slow down the exports of U.S arms. -
US entry into the war and her impact on it
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went before Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson cited Germany’s violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The U.S. later declared war on Germany's ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. -
Effects of World War 1
By the time World War I ended more than 9 million soldiers had been killed and 21 million more wounded. Civilian casualties caused indirectly by the war numbered close to 10 million. The two nations most affected were Germany and France, each of which sent some 80 percent of their male population. The war also marked the fall of four imperial dynasties–Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Turkey. -
Treaty of Versailles
Signed on June 28th, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that had a multitude of goals and plans for handling Germany. Due to the long history of Germany's aggression and violence, there was suspicion and fear abounding of what Germany would do if there were no extreme restraints placed upon them. The Big Three, England, France and America, put together a group effort to solve the German problem and ensure that there would never be another war in such degree again. -
Dawes Plan and Young Plan
The Dawes Plan, proposed by the Dawes Committee, chaired by Charles G. Dawes was an attempt in 1924 to solve the World War I reparations . Which Germany had to pay, causing international politics following World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. The plan provided an end to Allied occupation, and a payment plan for Germany to follow for war reparations. It was an interim measure and proved unworkable. The Young Plan was adopted in 1929 to replace it. -
Great Depression
On October 29, 1929, the United States Stock Market crashed, marking the beginning of an economic crisis named The Great Depression. By 1933, some 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the country’s banks had failed. A record 12.9 million shares were traded that day, known as “Black Thursday.” Many aspects of the economy was impacted severely. As the United States was experiencing a horrible crisis, other countries around the world were also being impacted. -
Rise of Hitler
Born in Austria in 1889, Adolf Hitler rose to power in German politics as leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazi Party. Hitler was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, serving as dictator for a period of time. His policies provoked World War II and led to the genocide known as the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of some 6 million Jews.
