From the “Isms” to WWI: What’s the Connection?

CHY4U

Revisiting the “Isms”

•  Define the following terms: – Nationalism –  Industrialism –  Imperialism – Communism/Marxism

•  How do the “isms” echo in history

leading up to WWI?

Nationalism & War

•  How did the rise in nationalism impact the developments leading up to the First World War?

Economic Interests

•  How did the desire for economic power impact the coming of the Great War?

Germany’s Aims in the First World War

•  “Economic expansion was the basis of Germany’s political world diplomacy, which vacillated [fluctuated] in its methods between rapprochement [establishing cordial relations] and conciliation at one moment, aggressive insistence on Germany’s claims the next, but never wavered in its ultimate objective, the expansion of Germany’s power.”

- Fritz Fischer, Germany’s Aims in the First World War, 1961

Imperialism & War

•  What impact did the rise in imperialist actions during the 19th Century have in the road to war?

Imperialism & War •  “The imperialist war broke out on August 1, 1914: It was the

cumulative result of sharp imperialist contradictions.”

•  “Not content with the home market, the capitalists made their way into the colonies and economically underdeveloped countries in search of profit.”

•  Imperialism, with its domination of giant monopolies, accentuates this unevenness, both in the economic and political fields.”

•  “With the world already divided up among the biggest capitalist states, its re-division could only take place at the expense of one or another of these states, that is, through war.”

- History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1963.

1914 War Erupts: A (selected)Timeline

•  June 28, 1914: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria who is killed in Sarajevo

•  July 5, 1914: Austria-Hungary seeks German support in case of Russian militarism.

•  July 23, 1914: Austria-Hungary sends ultimatum to Serbia; Serbian response is seen as unsatisfactory.

1914 War Erupts: A (selected)Timeline

•  July 31, 1914: Germany warns Russia to stop mobilizing. Russia says mobilization is against Austria-Hungary only

•  August 1, 1914: Germany declares war on Russia; Italy declares neutrality; Germany and the Ottoman Empire sign a secret alliance treaty

•  August 2, 1914: Germany invades Luxembourg

•  August 3, 1914: Germany declares war on France and Belgium; Germany invades Belgium to outflank French army

1914 War Erupts: A (selected)Timeline

•  August 4, 1914: Britain protests the violation of Belgian neutrality, guaranteed by a treaty;

•  German Chancellor replies that the treaty is just a chiffon de papier (scrap of paper).

•  United Kingdom declares war on Germany

But… what led up to 1914?

•  Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) and notions of ‘Collective Security’

•  A hope for Peace and World Fairs: 1851 London, 1853 New York, 1862 London, 1889 Paris… –  The first era could be called the era of "industrialization"

and covered, roughly, the period from 1800 to 1938. In these days, world expositions were especially focused on trade, and were famous for the display of technological inventions and advancements. World expositions were the platforms where the state-of-the-art in science and technology from around the world was brought together.

The Unification of Germany and the Rise to Power

•  The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France.

•  Germany, through unification, would rise to challenge Britain as a leading power in Europe and the world.

Germany and War

•  “Germany did not plot a European War, did not want one, and made genuine, though too belated efforts, to avert one. She was the victim of her alliance with Austria and of her own folly. Austria was her only dependable ally… She could not throw her over, as otherwise she would stand isolated between Russia… and France.” - Sidney B. Fay, The Origins of the World War

Modern Warfare: Chemical Weapons

•  Considered uncivilized prior to World War One, the development and use of poison gas was necessitated by the requirement of wartime armies to find new ways of overcoming the stalemate of unexpected trench warfare.

•  Although it is popularly believed that the German army was the first to use gas it was in fact initially deployed by the French.

•  the German army was the first to give serious study to the development of chemical weapons and the first to use it on a large scale.

Chemical Warfare

•  A Gas Attack: – Gas was first effective used on April

22,1915. – With an east wind blowing toward the

French and Canadian lines, 5,000 chlorine gas-filled cylinders were opened causing panic in the lines.

Chemical Warfare •  “… running blindly in the gas-cloud, and dropping

with breasts heaving in agony and the slow poison of suffocation mantling their dark faces. Hundreds of them fell and died; others lay helpless, froth upon their agonized lips and their racked bodies powerfully sick, with tearing nausea at short intervals. They too would die later - a slow lingering death of agony unspeakable…”

•  “The whole air was tainted with the acrid smell of chlorine that caught at the back of men’s throats and filled their mouths with its metallic taste. Behind the gas-cloud came the advancing hordes of Germans, under cover of a violent artillery fire.”

Chemical Warfare

•  Mustard Gas: Germany unveiled an enhanced form of gas weaponry in 1917.

•  an almost odorless chemical, was distinguished by the serious blisters it caused both internally and externally, brought on several hours after exposure.

•  Protection against mustard gas proved more difficult than against either chlorine or phosgene gas.

Casualties From Gas - The Numbers

Country Total Casualties Deaths Austria-Hungary 100,000 3,000 British Empire 188,706 8,109 France 190,000 8,000 Germany 200,000 9,000 Italy 60,000 4,627 Russia 419,340 56,000 USA 72,807 1,462 Others 10,000 1,000

The Weapons of War

•  The modern tank traces its origin to designs submitted to the (UK) War Office in 1914.

•  Churchill decided to proceed with the development of the “land ship”.

•  For two years the secrecy of the project was protected with the code word “tank”.

•  September 15, 1916 the first tank lumbered into action at the Battle of the Somme

•  By the end of the war the relative strength of the tank force was: –  British 2630 –  French 2870 –  Germany 100

The Machine Gun •  Although artillery

caused more casualties during the war, the machine gun was the perfect weapon to stop an infantry attack across no man’s land. Spitting out bullets at rates of 500-600 rounds per minute, it could mow down men like wheat.

Artillery Support for Infantry •  Rolling barrage: a wall of exploding shells just in front of

the attacking troops would keep the enemy confined to his trenches and he could not use his machine gun.

•  Box barrage: the attacking infantry would also have the line of exploding shells protect his flank as he attacked.

•  Counter battery: through observation balloons, airplane reconnaissance and listening devices, the enemy guns would be located. When the infantry attacked, the counter battery guns would shell enemy guns to prevent them from being used against attacking troops.

Industrialism & War

•  What impact did the thriving movement of the Industrial Revolution have on the machine of war?

•  Is this still a consideration today?

Treaty of Versailles •  Article 232. The Allied and Associated Governments

recognize that the resources of Germany are not adequate, after taking into account permanent diminutions of such resources which will result from other provisions of the present Treaty, to make complete reparation for all such loss and damage. The Allied and Associated Governments, however, require, and Germany undertakes, that she will make compensation for all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied and Associated Powers and to their property during the period of the belligerency of each as an Allied or Associated Power against Germany.

The Cost of War: Human Casualties

Total Forces Military Deaths

Military Wounded

Civilian Dead

Prisoners and missing

Allies 42,188,810 4,888,891 12,809,280 3,157,633 4,121,090

Central Powers

22,850,000 3,131,889 8,419,533 3,485,000 3,629,829

Total 65,038,810 8,020,780 21,228,813 6,642,633 7,750,919

The Cost of War: Financial Implications

•  Canada’s Public Debt:

1911 $350M 1914 $350M 1915 $475M 1916 $625M 1917 $900M 1918 $1,175M

During 1918, the war cost Canada over one million dollars per day.

By March of 1919, the war had cost Canada about $1,300,000,000.

Who is to “blame” for WWI?