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Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente
The Triple Alliance was formed in 1882 and consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. This Alliance was established by Bismarck and was used for defense. France, Great Britain, and Russia created the Triple Entente in 1907. -
Kaiser William II
Kaiser William II had to deal with the growing unrest from workers as the country grew into an industrial and military power. The demand for democracy and more resources forced Germany to get into imperialism. In 1898, Germany's lower house in legislature, Reichstag, passed a bill to build a modern navy. They brought together 38 ships which was big enough to protect German assets while not being too big that it would upset England. -
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was Germany’s only plan to take France because Russia would take too long to mobilize. They needed to avoid a two front war and beat France and Russia quickly. France mobilized against Germany and the only war declared at this point was between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. -
New War Technology
WWI led to many advancements in weapons to use against enemies. Machine guns were very effective and, although they took a few people to operate, fired off countless rounds per second. Another new tool was gas especially mustard gas. This gas was dropped on enemies and would give people chemical burns to all exposed skin as well as one’s eyes and lungs. After people started using this gas masks became standard issue; however, any skin left uncovered would still become burned. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, were in a parade in Sarajevo. People didn't like the Archduke yet the parade still happened. Because of that a terrorist/freedom group called the Black Hand were waiting to assassinate them; however, after several failed attempts the parade route changed. It wasn't until the parade passed by a coffee shop were 19 year old Gavrilo Princip, who was part of the Black Hand, was sitting was the assassination finally successful. -
Battle of Marne and Trench Warfare
The Battle of Marne was the first major battle that led to trench warfare. In this war, both the Germans and the French were unable to get the other out of the trenches and the war quickly came to a halt. The trenches that were dug were used for protection from the enemy and were dug deep enough to hide in and protected by barbed wire. Some trenches were fairly simple with just a hole dug in the ground while others were more elaborate with some even having sleeping quarters for the troops. -
Grigory Rasputin
Nicholas II fled to the front lines in 1915 and left his wife and kids as home with Grigory Rasputin. Nicholas believed that Rasputin had magical powers that could help his child Alexis who had a blood disorder called hemophilia. Rasputin decided to gain a large influence since Alexandra, Nicholas's wife, was making all of the decisions. However, by 1917, the war was going poorly and the nobles weren't very happy and decided to kill Rasputin. -
Mensheviks and Bolsheviks
Soviets are primarily representatives of socialist workers, peasants, and the military. They are further broken down into the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. All three of them had different opinions on the war. The Kadets wanted to fight for honor, Mensheviks wanted change but will get it after they win, and the Bolsheviks wanted the change now and to not have a war. The Bolsheviks named themselves the “majority” and were led by Vladimir Lenin and strongly believed in Marxism. -
Vladimir Lenin
There were two groups in 1917, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Lenin who was exiled earlier but was sent back to Russia by the Germans to cause issues, which he did very well. He believed that the Bolsheviks was like a club with unlimited membership and a few leaders at the top. He wanted another revolution and his main goal at the end was to achieve Communism -
Treaty of Versailles
In 1918, the Treaty of Versailles was a peace settlement with Germany and was the biggest of all treaties. Woodrow Wilson allowed territory claims to happen in exchange for the League of Nations. The United States Senate said no to the League and the U.S. settled with Germany later. Germany was harshly punished from the Treaty of Versailles and was forced to take 100% responsibility for the war, pay billions worth of reparations, and greatly reduce their army. -
Fourteen Points and the League of Nations
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson wrote our a document called “Fourteen Points”, his ideas for a peace settlement that he thought justified the huge military struggle. This document included openly reaching peace using military forces and weapons and ensure self-determination. Wilson’s plan had three main parts but the most important was the League of Nations. The League of Nations was used to preserve peace and prevent future wars.
