...WW1 Significant events Many battles were fought in World War 1 and many lessons were learnt. Whether it is the advancements of technology or the new war tactics. Three of these kind of events stand out: the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, which is important as its failure influenced many countries who participated in the battles. The battle of Verdun which was the longest battle in WW1. And finally the US entering the war which, although happened towards the end of the war, influenced the battles and the decision making around the war. After the examination of these events, the most influential event of WW1 will be established and further proved to be the significant turning point in WW1. The first turning point in World War 1 is the British Campaign at Gallipoli in 1915. This campaign was important because it improved the morale of the British public, it allowed grain to more easily flow to Russia, and it kept Russia in the war, which was needed in order for the Allies to win. On November 25th 1914, Winston Churchill suggested his plan for a new war front in the Dardanelles to the British government’s War Council. On January 15th 1915, the War Council gave its agreement and British troops in Egypt were put on alert. The Central Powers were fighting primarily on two fronts – the Western and Eastern Fronts. Creating another front would force the Germans to split their army still further as they would need to support the badly rated Turkish army. When the Germans went to assist...
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...However, a handful of events occurred over a few months and years prior to the event, consequently were short term causes. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife, acted as a trigger that ultimately led to war breaking out. As a result of this T.F. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The assassination gave Austria-Hungary the ideal excuse to declare war against Serbia. An ultimatum was issued to Serbia stating that it must agree to all the terms described in the ultimatum in order to avoid war. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia 48 hours to reply and clearly stated that all the terms must be met and complied with. Serbia agreed to all terms except one. WW1 had many countries involved but not all of them entered at the same time. There were three sides to choose from at the beginning of WW1. One option was the Central Powers which included; Germany and Austria-Hungary, and were later joined by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, who were neutral at first then joined at a later date. There were The Allies which were made up of; Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia, Montenegro and Serbia. The Allies were later joined by Portugal, Italy, Greece and Romania who all left the neutral nations. The neutral nations were made up of; Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland,...
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...In saying that, I agree with the quote “This is not a peace treaty, it is an armistice for 20 years” - Ferdinand Foch because it never did end the war, only stopped it for a while then led to a new war, a greater one. The treaty simply put too much loss on Germany which caused the civilians to suffer. This is when Hitler stepped in, he lolled the people into a sense of safety, so they followed him. What he had created in Germany is what caused the beginning of the Second World War, the peoples need for comfort and Hitler’s promise of it. The main points of the treaty of Versailles where to destroy Germany's military it accomplished this by reducing its army to 100000 men and no tanks, reducing their navy and not being permitted to build any submarines and having no air force. To return land including Alsace-Lorraine and all its colonies in Africa, china and the pacific islands. Their Rhineland was to be dematerialized causing a lot of financial loss, as well as they had to pay 33billion (US) in reparations. Union with Austria was forbidden and Germany had...
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...World War One The first world war started for many reasons like competion of the colonies, military technology development, economic competition and different national interests. Many historians believe that Germany caused World War One. But the first world war was triggered on June 28, 1914, when Austrian Empire Franz Ferdinand was murdered by a Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. After that Germany declared war on Russia and France in the beginning of August. Russia and France became allies. On August 4th The United Kingdom declares war on Germany, after Germany invades Belgium. Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany on August 6. On August 19th President Woodrow Wilson announces the United States will remain neutral. In early November The United Kingdom announces that the North Sea is a military area, effectively creating a blockade of goods into Germany. Allied countries An alliance is an agreement made between two or more countries to give each other help if it is needed. When an alliance is signed, those countries become known as Allies. But allies changed in the war many times. The war divided Europe into two armed camps. On one side was the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their enemy was the Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain. As other countries began to join sides, the Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers...
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...Asia should be reassessed, and a better understanding of Asian racism and nationalism is needed. In this perspective Pearl Harbor will be seen as a by-product of Asian nationalism and as a conflict between an Asian country and the Occidental nationalism. As he assumes for the Japanese Pearl Harbor portrayed “a blow against the efforts of the Occidental powers to strangle Japan”. He quotes Tokutomi Sohō’s comment on the Imperial Declaration of War: “We must show the races of East Asia that order, tranquillity, peace... can be gained only by eradicating... [the Anglo-Saxons] ...and by making Nippon the leader of East Asia.” The essay of Crowley aims to help the better understanding of nationalism, colonialism, communism and imperialism in the Asian setting. The post-WW1 situation 1 Besides this essay, I relayed on the Wikipedia articles of historical events as my source. 1 The essay argues that the nationalistic sentiments in Japan are rooted in several post WW1 diplomatic events which showed that Japan was not recognized as equal of the Anglo-Saxon nations. Article 156 of the treaty of Versailles (28 June 1919) transferred German concessions in Shantung(China) to Japan rather than returning sovereign...
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...Introduction The period between 1870 and 1913 has often been referred to as Mach-1, in reference to the speed of economic growth that it presented. This was a period of peace especially when its compared to what came soon after. Under the Hegemonic leadership of Great Britain, Trade and the movement of people with and within Europe grew at rates that were then unprecedented. All these gains crumbled just before the start of the Great War of 1914. For the next thirty years attempts were made to bring the world economy to its glory years without any success. At this point, nation states had retreated back to protectionism and a wave of national identity and anger of one state against another was sweeping across Europe. State debts, the just ended war, Fascism, Nazism and other various anti-International economic policies and philosophies made it difficult for cooperation amongst states. Cooperation and success was not realized until another undisputed economic power (United sates of America) rose to the occasion in the summer of 1944, to plan and re-arrange the post war economic order. If we were to follow the same naming style as the above mentioned, then this period would in turn be termed Mach-2. Once again the world united under a new Hegemonic leadership. Just as in the previous hegemon, Markets began to recover the good practices of the classical economic system were adopted and the lessons learnt in the thirty years of economic turmoil since the first world war were also...
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...June 28, 1919: The treaty of Versailles is Signed The Treaty of Versailles is signed ending WW1 and imposes heavy reparations payments on Germany. December 1, 1925: The Locarno Pacts are Signed The Locarno Pacts are signed in efforts to stabilize relations with Germany and its neighbors. The pact is supposed to bring peace and prosperity between the countries. April 14, 1931: The Spanish Monarchy is Overthrown A provisional government is established to take Spain from monarchy to republicanism. September 18, 1931:The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria Japan stationed troops in Manchuria and build railroads. After an incident with the Chinese, Japan invaded and annexed Manchuria. February - July 1932: The final League of Nations Disarmament Conference The last major League of Nations-sponsored disarmament conference meets from February to July 1932 at Geneva, with 60 nations in attendance, including the United States. This conference fails to secure any agreement, and other discussions are unaccomplished. January 30, 1933: Hitler is Appointed Chancellor of Germany In an attempt to control the chaos of the German government, President Paul von Hindenburg declares Hitler chancellor. This is the begging of Hitler’s dictatorship. July 17, 1936: The Spanish Nationalists Begin the Spanish Civil War Generals Goded, Mola, and Francisco Franco lead troops against the republic, starting the Spanish Civil War. September 18, 1938: The...
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...oppositions were given a high powering authority by the government. New world opportunities needed to be tapped into which included a rise of industrialism. The industrial wave has been eminent and new products and military ideas on weapons and strategies came to fruition. A new market of machines and a rise of authority were being conjured. The armies of both competitive oppositions of France and Germany had increased drastically in size. Over the next decade there was competition between Germany and Britain for the oceans and waterways. It was an era of time when nationalism was taking over and becoming a strong proponent of the rights and interests of society and each nation in power. Retrieved on August 10th http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW1/causes.htm The Pan-Slavism evolution was...
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...‘Appeasement Was Politically Popular But Thoroughly Misconceived.’ Discuss Appeasement is the policy of making concessions to dictatorial powers to avoid conflict, which is what the British government, in particular, Neville Chamberlain, hoped to do in the 1930s. He and his generation had witnessed after witnessing the horrors that war can bring. There are two parts to this question because it suggests that appeasement was both politically popular and misconceived, both of which can be disputed. However there is not too much conflict over its popularity at the time because most people believed that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and that another war was inconceivable after WW1 with a general feeling of ‘peace at any price.’ Whether it was misconceived or not has been argued by traditionalist and revisionist historians ever since. It is plausible to argue that Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement was naïve because, by giving in to Hitler’s demands, Britain would seem weak and make Hitler just want to push for more. Indeed this is exactly what happened at the Munich conference. Chamberlain was acting on the assumption that Hitler would honour his commitments and act in good faith. In this way Chamberlain and Lord Halifax, Foreign Secretary, showed that they came from a very different political and social background to Hitler and so were poorly equipped to make clear judgements on Hitler’s likely behaviour. Halifax wanted to believe that Hitler was a thoroughly changed...
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...1.) Compare and contrast the two types of totalitarian governments that arose after 1917, that is, communism and fascism. What were the origins of these governments, their accomplishments, and their failures? What accounts for the fact that the masses mobilized to support these movements? Elaborate. Communism is founded by Karal Marx and Friedrich Engels. Communism is Classless society, government-less and automatic system based on the common ownership and social sameness. There is no one is rich or poor people in a communist system. It stands for a stateless society where all are equal. On the other hand, Fascism was founded in Italy by Benito Mussolini. Fascism is the glorification of the state and it considers state on top of everything; believes in nationalism where state control everything. Communism means state ownership and fascism means state control. Fascism became popular between 1919 and 1945. Communism became popular after the Revolution of Russia in 1917. Fascism began to rise in Europe directly following the First World War because there was a fear of Socialism. The first nation where fascism rose to power was in Italy with Mussolini and his government. He created this ideology as the exact opposite of socialism and the way to combat the rise of socialism. He saw the rise of the Soviet Union and was afraid that they would move across Europe to force communism. Fascism has the government supporting private business instead of the government . In the...
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...World War 1 was caused by many events and this is what makes it difficult to figure out what the main cause was. The acronym MAIN stands for Militarism, Alliance System, Imperialism and Nationalism. Europe can be seen as a bottle of Diet Coke and you can look at the assignation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a piece of Mentos. We all know what happens when you bring those two harmless substances together. Though all four of these causes play a key part in WW1 I believe that the most important cause was Alliance System because if not for all the alliances the bottle of diet coke would be just be an empty bottle. Militarism is defined as the building of a nation’s army, navy, soldiers and military forces. From the year 1870 up until the start of World War 1 both France and Germany had doubled their armed forces. Britain and Germany were in competition to build the biggest and best navy. It was said that “Whichever country ruled the waves could rule the world”. This meant that the nation with the largest navy had the fastest and easiest form of transportation at the time and could get colonies more easily. This also caused technology to increase rapidly. Another event that pushed militarism was the conscription laws. During this time most of the countries in Europe except Great Britain had conscription laws. This meant that by law men that were 18 or older were forced to join the army. As all the armed forces of Europe were growing the empty bottle was starting getting...
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...How stable were the ‘Stresemann Years’ of the Weimar Republic, 1924-29? Timeline: 1924: May: Nationalist vote increases in Reichstag elections August: Reichstag accepts the Dawes Plan 1925: February: Death of President Ebert April: Hindenburg elected President October: Locarno Treaties signed 1926: September: Germany admitted the League of Nations 1927: August: Commercial Treaty signed – between France and Germany 1928: May: Number of socialist votes in Reichstag election increase 1929: September: Allies begin military evacuation of the Rhineland October: Stresemann dies December: Referendum upholds decision to adopt Young Plan. Relative Political Stability * This period of the Weimar = absence of attempts to threaten republic * However – no political stability = parliamentary system failed to develop * Main reason for no development: Coalition government = not enough support to tackle issues that faced democracy (blame with political parties) * Some parties still acted as interest groups representing own sectional group rather than national parties government (due to their inexperience in forming govt) * Due to PR – parties need to be cooperative [eg. DVP’s association with business interest made them refuse coalition with SPD in 1926] – therefore frequent political paralysis * Inability to cooperate = inability to tackle social/economic problems * Therefore not really politically stable Chancellor’s of the Weimar...
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...World War I or as some call it The Great War, originated between European countries, but eventually nations from all over the world got involved. Although the immediate cause to the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, there were many underlying factors that developed tension over time. This tension was between Europe countries, and it had been building up for decades through Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and even Alliances. One of the underlying causes of the war was Nationalism, which is the love and devotion to one’s own nation. This pride that one developed for their own country resulted in them thinking that their own country was more superior to others. This feeling of Nationalism spread throughout Europe during the 19th century, and it is one of the reasons that started causing tension between these countries. Austria-Hungary in particular had various nationalities which spoke different languages. They started to lose control of their multi-ethnic empire during the Balkan crisis. In 1903, Serbia became increasingly defiant to its former protector (Austria-Hungary). Four years later, The Austrians take advantage of a revolution in Turkey, and they annexed Bosnia in hopes of getting a firmer grip on the Balkans. The annexation instead brought on a European crisis which provoked Serbian nationalists into launching a terror campaign against Austria, causing further destabilization of the area. Imperialism was another cause that contributed...
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...1918 The cost of WW1 to Britain - $35,334,012,000 (highest of all the allied powers) and 994,138 British people died. April 1919 Treaty of Versailles – Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war (Clause 231) and pay £6,600 million in reparations. She was forbidden to have submarines or an air force and could only have a navy of six battleships and an Army of just 100,000 men. She also lost territory to Britain and France. The League of Nations – an international organisation designed to preserve the peace and solve international disputes by arbitration; based on a system of collective security (article 10). 42 countries joined at the start and by the 1930s this became 60. The covenant of the League of Nations was agreed as part of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 held at Versailles – it aimed to stop war, improve people’s lives and jobs, disarm and enforce the Treaty of Versailles). In May 1920, the US Senate voted against Versailles (due to isolationism) and did not join. Summer 1919 John Maynard Keynes published ‘The Economic Consequences of the Peace’ – said that the Treaty of Versailles was ‘economic insanity’ and an example of a ‘Carthaginian Peace’. It sold 60,000 copies in the first 2 months, 100,000 copies in the first 6 months and was translated into 14 languages. Aug 1919 – 1934 ‘Ten Year Rule’ – British spending was only £102 million on defence in 1932, compared to £760 million in 1919 – 1920. March 1921 Anglo-Soviet trade agreement – stopped the blockade...
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...Part 1 - Weimar Germany 1918-1929 1) The Treaty of Versailles ▪ Kaiser abdicates November 9th 1918, Armistice (cease-fire) signed November 11th ▪ Treaty of Versailles signed June 1919 ▪ It is a DIKTAT – something forced on to Germany. Allies say that they will carry on the war if Germans do not sign. ▪ For many Germans the defeat in WW1, national humiliation, the Treaty of Versailles, the Weimar constitution & democracy are all linked – helps explain why democracy is weak in Germany ▪ Terms of the Treaty – ▪ Germany has to pay REPARATIONS (fixed in 1921 as £6600 million) ▪ Germany loses all its COLONIES (overseas parts of their empire) ▪ German army limited to 100,000 men with no air force & a small navy with only 6 battleships and no submarines ▪ 13% of Germany is now transferred to neighbouring countries as the map is redrawn ▪ Germany loses land to France (Alsace-Lorraine), Belgium, Poland (Posen & West Prussia) & Denmark ▪ 15% of German coal mines are lost in map changes ▪ Many Germans blame the defeat in the war on “the stab in the back” (DOLCHSTOSS) – i.e. the Socialists / Communists / Jews betrayed Germany & the army was never defeated. This myth makes it harder to accept the Treaty ▪ Treaty weakened democracy in Germany and the German economy ▪ Friedrich Ebert appointed Chancellor in October 1918 2) The Weimar Constitution ▪ A National Assembly was elected to write this new constitution ▪ It met in Weimar because Berlin was...
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