Colonial Competition Some countries felt left out Asia Opium
wars Boxer rebellion Africa European colonies Rules of colonization
made
Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 6
Balkan Chaos
Slide 7
Outbreak of War Balkan trigger Serbs revolt/backed by Russians
Austria suppressed Serbs Serbian killed Austrian heir War (domino
effect) Austria declared war on Serbia Russia declared war on
Austria Germany joined with Austria France and Britain declared war
on Austria and Germany Archduke Ferdinand on day of
assassination
Slide 8
Alliances and Strategies Balance of power in Europe Britain
maintain continental balance and UK sea superiority France confine
Germany Russia expand if possible Germany never fight on two fronts
(West first and then East) Austria hold everything together Italy
try to solidify your own territory Ottoman Turks survive
Slide 9
Conduct of War German attack in the West French counter-attack
but are pushed back Russian speed of mobilization surprised Germans
so Germany was forced to move some troops to the Eastern front
Stagnation and trench warfare in the West All Quiet on The Western
Front
Slide 10
Trench Warfare Technology superior to tactics Machine gun
versus a human charge through "No man's land" New technology =
poison gas, airplanes Very high death rates Battle of the Somme =
600,000 allied and 500,000 German dead for 125 miles of land Battle
of Verdun = 700,000 killed on both sides with no gain in
territory
Slide 11
Trench Warfare From Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western
Front "We see men living with their skulls blown open; we see
soldiers run with their two feet cut off Still the little piece of
convulsed earth in which we lie is held. We have yielded no more
than a few hundred yards of it as a prize to the enemy. But on
every yard there lies a dead man." Horrors of the war
Slide 12
Russian Revolution Unhappiness with the war among the Russian
people Germany/Austria beating Russians Changes in government Lenin
transported Mensheviks (moderates) victorious Bolshevik counter
revolution Russia withdraws from war Germany ready to have a single
front war
Slide 13
Wider Involvement Ottomans entered war in 1915 on side of the
Central Powers Wanted to acquire Russian territory Turkey
slaughtered millions of Armenians to get their land Britain wanted
to protect trade routes to India Arabs promised their own country
if they would join with Britain against the Ottomans
Slide 14
Slide 15
United States War at sea initiated US involvement Americans
initially supplied both the Allies and the Central Powers Blockade
brought sinking of US ships Germans killed 1000 Americans Americans
entered the war on side of the Allies Tipped the balance in trench
warfare General Jack Pershing
Slide 16
End of the War Battle of Argonne broke German morale Versailles
Peace Treaty 70 nationalities Woodrow Wilson (League of Nations)
Britain and France desires Fence Germany in Reparations Mandates
over other territories Division of German colonies German reaction
Too harsh Felt justified in the war Seeds of WWII planted
Slide 17
Middle East Balfour Declaration November 2nd, 1917 Dear Lord
Rothschild, I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of
His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy
with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and
approved by, the Cabinet. "His Majesty's Government view with
favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the
Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the
achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that
nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious
rights of existing non- Jewish communities in Palestine, or the
rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the
knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely, Arthur James
Balfour [Foreign Secretary]
Slide 18
Slide 19
"'Who did this to us?' is of course a common human response
when things are going badly, and there have been indeed many in the
Middle East, past and present, who have asked this question. They
found several different answers." [1]The Mongols [2]Nationalism
[3]The Turks [4]Western imperialism [5]The Jews [6]Fate which gave
progress to the West at the beginning of the Modern Era [7]Islam
itself (but this is very dangerous) [8]Abandonment of divine
heritage [9]Islamic fanatics [10]Lack of separation of Islam from
civil society [11]Muslim sexism [12]Geography (desert) and
accompanying social ills [13]Dictatorial governments [14]Lack of
freedom of the mind and other basic liberties Adapted from Lewis,
Bernard, What Went Wrong?, Perrenial, 2002, p. 152- 160.
Slide 20
"The problem [with Islamic progress] was not, as was once
argued, one of decline. The Ottoman state and armed forces were as
effective as they had ever been, in traditional terms. In this as
in much else, it was European invention and experiment that changed
the balance of power between the two sides." Lewis, Bernard, What
Went Wrong?, Perennial, 2002, p. 20.
Slide 21
Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a better past.
Slide 22
Alliances Balance of European powers The Triple Alliance
Germany, Austria The Triple EntenteBritain, France, Russia Compare
to NATO and Warsaw pacts