Mr. Pirkle
AP Euro.
2/16/23
19. TWO WORLD WARS
World Wars - Ones involving many nations universal
1. 1914-18
2. 1939-45
Churchill inspired Britons to w/stand German assaults
By the end, global power balance → The States (Democratic) & Soviet Union > W. Eur.
- United Soviet Socialist Republics would control the E. Bloc
- Via States, W. Eur. would rebuild, stabilize, & unify
WWI AS A EUROPE CONFLICT
Fr. wanted to regain Alsace’s & Lorraine’s provinces
- Lost it after losing the Franco-German War (1871)
Ger. wanted to spread territory & influence = Alarmed Russia & Britain
- The two + Fr. made an alliance to counter it
Ger. & Austria-Hungary were friends for a while now → Pressued smaller nations to take sides
Militarism - Arming of European countries
- Grew as nations got arms for offensive & defensive reasons (Ex. 1890-1910, expenses
doubled)
Nationalism dramatically ↑, esp. after Italy’s & Ger.’s unifications
Movements (I.e. pan-Slavism) = Unrest in the Habsburg Emp.’s Balkan region
Interest - Strong gov. that protected his wants
1. The War in Eur.
Started w/ Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s (Austria) assassination by a Serbian nationalist
(Sarajevo, Jun. 28, 1914)
- Austria soon declared war on Serbia* → Ally*, Russia, took up arms = ↑ tensions
Ger. wanted easy win = Declared war on Russia & Fr. (Aug. 1)
- Also invaded neutral Belgium → Pulled in Great Britain for Fr. & Russia
32 total wars w/ two sides…
- Central Powers - Ger., Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Emp., & later Bulgaria
- Allies - Triple Entente, Italy (1915) & the States (1917)
Also fought on two fonts…
- W. Front - 400 mi. from Belgium → Fr.
- E. Front - 1K mi. from Russia's border form the Baltic → Black Sea
2. The W. Front
Ger. invaded & conquered Belgium (Aug. 1914)
By Oct., Ger. invades Fr. (Lost) as the W. Front → Trench Warfare
- No man’s land - Space in b/n
Trenches were soldiers’ homes for months at a time
- Very unsanitary = Disease (Trench foot)
1914-6, Ger. engaged w/ Fr. & Britain in central Fr.
- Staggering losses = Stalemate
- 1917, the States entered for the Allies
2nd Battle of the Marne (Paris, Jul. 1918) - Ger.’s last offensive chance
- Meant to force peace terms b/n the Alliance
- Nov. 11, 1918, Ger. signed an armistice w/ them = WWI ends
3. The E. Front