The Great war continued Phase III phase of slaughter longest phase Example july 1916 at battle of the Somme River 20 000 killed in one day Goal since cannot make territorial gains bleed the enemy white Entire genre of WWI poets lost poets generation o Wilfred Owen died at age 25 in 1918 in action General Paul Von Hindenburg and Ludendorf o In charge of WWI efort later appointed Hitler as Channcellor o Ran Germany as military dictatorship o Kaiser fires Falkenhayn at insistence of Hundenburg and Ludendorf o Germany experience widespread strikes o Hidenburg and Ludendorf send strikers to front increase censorship of war reports o Hitler believed the lies in the war reports that Germany was in fact winning all the battles o Hindenburg and ludendorf became delusional and thought they could win the war and continue to extend Germany Phase of Rev and peace Russians overthrow Czar in 1917 Surrender to Germany in treaty of bresllitosk 1918 US becomes involved Eastern front ceases to be war front US entry into war Short term cause o German unrestricted submarine warfare German subs were willing to sink any ship not just warships o Woodrow Wilson driven into war because of US cruise ship sunk in 1915 Wilson not happy and Germany ceased to practice unrestricted warfare for some time but eventually resumed thinking that they can win the war quickly enough before the US had time to enter Increasing pressure on Wilson to join war as result of unrestricted warfare LIBERAL believes that international institutions could induce states to corporate saw idea of balance of power being inherently dangerous Contradictory character with how he looks to Europe vs latin America Asia he was racist o Wilson s believes the us had discovered the best path to order with its beginnings as loose federation International arbitration can solve conflicts peacefully Goal get the counsels of plain men to replace the counsels of sophisticated men of afairs Key dates leading to US entry into war o May 1915 American Cruise liner sunk by Germans o March 1917 German sub sunk four unarmed American merchantmen o 2 April 1917 Wilson appears before a joint session of Congress to request war solution o Zimmerman telegram Germans to Mexicans that was intercepted Said that if Mexicans defeated US they would get US territory taken from them End of the War Involvement of US put more pressure on the Germans March 1918 Germans tried new attack but Americans made it not successful November 11 1918 END of war Germans Surrendered Kaiser fled Hindenburg and Ludendorf stepped down Marks Veterans Day Holiday 11 11 Germany didn t actually lose that much territory because war ended before western allies could move forward Question of War Guilt War by accident or by timetable Germans didn t think tjey were responsible or that they lost Fritz Gishcer War bc of Germans bc of Kaisers decision to give blank check to Austro Hungarian Empire Why did they give blank check Causes o Germany felt encircled o Believed AH survival was essential reason for blank check AH was thought to be Germanys only true friend o Saw war was legit and desirable way to conduct policy o Believed Germany uniquely qualified to run the world o Trusted militarism as best policy o Germany landlocked The interwar period Victorious leaders assembled at palace of Versailles outside Paris to negotiate peace treaty Wilson traveled to France personally and received heroes welcome Peace conference Versailles 1918 Wilson s vision of new world order o The 14 points look up o Old vs new diplomacy Old Secret no role for public opinion highest goal national security social ties of diplomats crucial New Public public opinion matters highest goal collective security govt leaders bypass diplomats new actors involved o Realism vs idealism o Promotion of democracy o Wilsons defeat Treaty of versaulles signed june 1919 Wilson traveled around US seeking support Sept 1919 wilson sufered stroke Nov 1919 senate fails to ratify treaty Opposition in senate against treaty 8000 mile journy to get popular vote on treaty however treaty was the one voting Collapsed with a stroke in Colorado at the end of his journey and became incampacited and his people wife ran the country for the reaminder of his presidency US public didn t know US isolationism o Hostility to immigrants 1919 20 Red Scare o Unions were labeled as socialist and un American o National origins act of 1924 set strict quotas on immigration that contd until 1965 Terrible bc Hitler s actions made euros want to immigrate to US but they were not able to Catholics and Jews that were targets of HIlter could not Immigrate because of strict immigration laws Legacy of WWI is paradoxical War was inevitable If so after what point What was the legacy of the brutality of the Great War o Revulsion of euros to fighting explains slow response to rise of Hitler o Bankrupt Britain and France o Destroyed France o Made Europe hesitant to go forward o Brought communist regime to the world in Russia Hitler thought Germany had one war and the lies were at fault by the Jews survived being gas and brutal car accident 16 11 2011 03 26 00 16 11 2011 03 26 00