Causes and Consequences of World War I and the Industrial Revolution
The First World War (I). Causes. Contenders
Broke in Europe in 1914. It covered a large territorial extension and was known as the Great War.
Central powers
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria joined later
Allies or Triple Entente
France, Russia, UK and Serbia. US joined amongst others.
The causes of the conflict
The root causes
Political conflicts:
Territorial reasons (France claimed Alsace-Lorraine from Germany) Nationalistic reasons (Austro-Hungarian and Turkish empires confronted in the Balkan wars 1912-1913). Other reasons (colonial clashes between imperialist powers for the control of certain territories).
Economic rivalries increased due to commercial competition. France and UK distrusted the growth of the German economy. The military alliance systems led to an arms race which could turn any incident into a war
The spark of war
The war initiated kill of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo (1914) by a Serbian nationalist student. As a result, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia initiated system of alliances.
The Fist World War (II). Events and consequences. The development of the conflict.
Characteristics of the war
Vast territorial extension: sixteen nations took part
Use of new offensive weapons (toxic gases, mines, machine guns, etc).
New defense systems (trenches)
New forms of combat (psychological warfare).
Rise bourgeusie:
Gained political power, became wealthy, formed part of an elite culture and imposed its ideologies.
UPPER COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BOURGEOISIE
They were at the top of this social group. Their wealth came from manufacturing
PETIT BOURGEOISIE
They were the middle class. It was made up of small merchants, industrialists
Birth of the proletariat:
It was made up of industrial workers, peasants and artisans. Cheap workforce and had any professional qualifications. 30% – 75% of the industrial workforce was made up of women and children. The have insurance, at factories they were treated with strict discipline and were easily punished.
The war also triggered economic and social transformations:
The war of movement (1914)
The war began on both Eastern and Western Fronts. Germany attempted a flash victory over France (concentrate forces of the Eastern north and defeat Russia). But France resisted at the Battle of the Marne and the rapid Russian advance forced Germany to send troops to the eastern Front. At the end the Ottoman Empire joined the Central powers.
Trench Warfare (1915-916)
Fronts were stabilized long extensive lines of trenches (absence of decisive victory). Offensives were launches at Verdun, Somme, etc. The war became a global conflict with the entry of Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Japan, etc.
The War ends (1917-1918)
US joined in 1917 (side of Allies) and Russia withdrew after the triumph if the communist revolution and the Treat of Brest-Litvosk. In 1918, the Allies launched offensives (progressive surrender of Central Powers). Us President Woodrow Wilson set out the ´Fourteen Points´(principles for world peace).
The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) and the League of Nations.
Paris Peace Conference:
Defeated countries signed treaties and had to reduce armies, pay war reparations and make territorial concessions (new map of Europe). Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany lost Alsace-Lorraine and its colonies and was blamed for the war. The League of Nations (Geneva) in 1919 was an international organization for promoting peace.
The Consequences of the War.
9 million people were killed, plus some injured or disabled. It caused serious material losses, sharpened contrasts between working classes, impoverished middle classes and a minority (enriched by war based businesses). It favored work of women outside, promoted pacifist and antimilitarist ideology, increased desire for revenge by defeated countries.
After the war, Central Powers and ruling dynasties disappeared, most countries adopted universal male suffrage and granted vote to women. European world supremacy was replaced by the Us.
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
Impressionism
(around 1870): a group of painters began painting outdoors to capture the immediate effects of light and the atmosphere. They used small thin brushstrokes and overlapping pure color. They chose themes hitherto considered secondary. The sculptor Auguste Rodin was close to Impressionism as he broke away from the prevailing Academy art and was interested in light and movement.
Post-impressionism
(around 1886): revised Impressionism by creating new approaches which constitute the precedent of the new-avant (garde movements). Paul Cézanne decomposed objects into geometric figures, Paul Gauging used strong, flat colors, Van Gogh used pure and unreal colors (curved and thick brushstrokes).
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in 1780 due to favourable economic and demographic factors.
1. THE ROOTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN GREAT BRITAIN The concept of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the group of changes of production and consumption provided by the incorporation of machines in industrial manufacturing.
Changes in the system of land ownership
The old open-field system, which consisted of large fields shared by the community, was not very productive, so English landowners established the Enclosures Acts in 1845 to turn common land into private property.
CONSEQUENCES: Many poor peasants had to sell their land to aristocrats, bourgeoisie and rich peasants, and become wage workers or emigrate to cities in search of industrial jobs
Demographic rev.
Causes: The main cause of this growth was the decrease in mortality. This led by improvements in nutrition so the population grew
Effects: As a result of the demographic revolution, the available workforce and the demand of products increased, agricultural and industrial innovations expanded and emigration to other countries increased
Modernisation and networks of transport: DOMESTIC TRADE
Intensified due to the improvement of road surfaces and the construction of canals. FOREIGN TRADE was driven by the dominant British colonialism,
The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain had energy sources and raw materials
In the Old Regime, industrial production was done in small workshops where specialised artisans worked using manual tools and sold their products in their own shops. During the Industrial Revolution, artisanal workshops disappeared and factories took their place. Factories were large buildings with many workers
The invention of the steam boat by Robert Fulton in 1807 and the railway by George Stephenson in 1829.
3. THE SPREAD OF THE INDUSTRIALIZATION
The Industrial Revolution spread from Great Britain to other countries. The pace at which it spread varied due to the amount of natural resources,
Rise of trade
Domestic and foreign trade benefited from the increase in demand and production, and from the new means of transport.
Devel. capitalsm: substituted the previous commercial capitalism. The first industries were small and financed by individual or family capital but as they grew they demanded
Increse economic inequality:
Measured by their industrial power instead of their geographical size or military strength.
The Second Industrial Revolution (1870-1914).
New sources of energy (end of the 19th century).
Oil: used to move engines which worked with oil derivatives (diesel)
Electricity: used for lightning and to drive engines (invention of accumulator and transformer – 1897). Allowed energy to be transported.
Changes in work organization.
Taylorism (Frederick Taylor): aimed to achieve maximum work efficiency (way of carrying tasks determined, time needed clocked and production incentives granted).
Fordism (Henry Ford): initiated mass production and the need of enormous factories (work organized in assembly lines: each worker/task, product placed in front of him by a conveyor belt). Performance was increased and products sold at lower price.
Leading industrial sectors.
Metallurgy (use of Bessemer converter – 1856, steel obtained from iron). It incorporated new metals (copper – used in electrical industry, aluminum – obtained with electricity). The chemical industry elaborated petroleum products (dyes, plastics).
Electrical equipment and mechanics (manufactured sewing machines, cars, bikes, locomotives, first airplanes). They were related to textiles (artificial fibers and dyes to preserve food by using hermetically sealed cans)
The social consequences of the Second Industrial Revolution.
Population and urban growth
Between 1870 and 1914 European population grew from 300 to 440 million.
Emigration abroad:
It originated from UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, later affecting all Europe. Main destinations were US, Australia, Latin America. It favored recipient countries and migrant-sending countries (reduced unemployment)
Cities increased population. They transformed their appearance (improved hygiene conditions-sewers, paving, rubbish collection, and adoption of innovations-lightning, underground, electric trams).
Social developments
Labor movement: gained affiliates (states recognized freedom of assembly and association and legalized workers ‘associations) Laborers´ parties emerged (aimed to access political power and promote democratic and social reforms) such as the German Social Democratic party (SPD) in 1875. Labor internationalism revived. Marxists purists (power- revolutions) clashed with revisionists (power- elections). It also condemned Capitalism, Imperialism and War.
Progress of proletariat: pressure (labor movement and leftist parties) led many states (Germany, France, UK) to formulate laws which regulated hours and established protection measures (minimum wages, accident compensation, etc) – field of employment. Mass production lowered prices of goods (elevated proletariat´s capacity for consumption and quality of life) – economic field.