Causes and Main Events of World War 1
WW1
1) Causes:
– Militarism: Build-up (group) of armed forces to prepare for war.
– Alliance: Agreement between countries to defend or fight together.
– Imperialism: Belief of a country in building up (creating) an empire and controlling less powerful countries.
– Nationalism: Pride in a country with people wanting to govern themselves or defend themselves.
2) Main events:
- 1914 28 June → Archduke’s Assasination (TRIGGER EVENT)
- 1914 29 July → Russia mobilise its troops to defend Serbia
- Germany declares war on Russia (1st August)
- France declares war on Germany to help Russia (2nd August)
- Germany declares war on France (3rd August)
- 19th january 1915
- Germany begins an aerial campaign against Britain
- 15th September 1916
- The first use of tanks. Used by the British.
- 6th April 1917
- USA entered the war on the side of the Entente Allies (France & Britain)
- 3rd March 1918
- Treaty of BREST-LITOVSK (Russia signs a peace treaty with Germany)
- 11th November 1918
- An Armistice is signed between Germany and the Alliance.
TRIPLE ENTENTE VS TRIPLE ALLIANCE
– France – Austria -Hungary
– Great Bretain – Germany
– Russia – Italy
– USA (1917)
– Serbia
ALLIED POWERS CENTRAL POWER
28th June 1914 – 11th November 1918
Allied power VS Central power
(Triple entente) (Triple alliance)
3 phases: (The war had different phases)
1- Movement phase (1914) → Different countries started fighting on the Western & Eastern European front.
2- Trench warfare (1915-1917) → A stalemate period. There was impossible to move
3- World phase (1916-1918) → The conflict became global: Eastern Europe, Mediterranean Africa & Asia.
The end of the first world war:
- Number of deaths; the bloodiest conflict in human history.
- military
- civilians
- In Europe 500 million people were directly/indirectly affected. 10 million died and 30 million were injured or disabled.
- By 1918 most people believed there would never be another war like it again.
- The Allied powers met in Versailles to decide the key points surrounding.
1IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT. . .
WWI was a war of innovation:
↳ Weaponry
↳ Militarism
↳ Manufacturing
↳ Chemistry
↳ Communications
- TRENCHES -> 1915-1917, both sides reached a stalemate that kept them from moving.
- ZEPPELIN -> The introduction of aircraft left soldiers and civilians vulnerable. The 1st aerial attack (by Germans) with a zeppelin.
- AIR ATTACKS -> Although at the beginning aircraft was mainly used as reconnaissance, it later became a strategic tool.
- U-BOAT -> Undersea boats (Submarines). First used by Germans on Feb. 1915. They announced the intention to sink any ship under “ALLIED” flags.
- GAS-ATTACKS -> Gas was first used by Germans in 1915. Later Gas-masks were introduced.
- TANKS -> 1916.
British soldiers used tanks for the first time in the battle of Somme.
Helped with mobilisation during the Trench Warfare.
- STEEL HELMETS -> At the very beginning of the war, soldiers used to fight without a helmet. After the introduction of the aircraft and due to the head wounds, steel helmets started to be used.
- UNIFORMS -> Khaki uniforms in response to new technologies/inventions (aerial reconnaissance).
- CAMOUFLAGE -> The first war unit dedicated to camouflage started in 1915. It was a strategy to hide from Aerial reconnaissance.
10. RECRUITMENT -> The 1st time that propaganda was used to recruit soldiers… Appealing to patriotism.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
- THE NATIONAL RISING “EL ALZAMIENTO”
- 1936 July
- Successful mainly in rural areas, it didn’t succeed in industrialised areas
- Unsuccessful in Biscay & Gipuzkoa
- A military coup d’etat.
- THE BATTLE FOR MADRID
- The plan failed
- The idea was to make a sandwich.
- They found resistance in Madrid & the participation of International Brigades.
- FRANCISCO FRANCO
- He was named CAUDILLO of Spain by the Grace of God
- All the political and military power of this side belonged to a single person.
- THE BASQUE GOVERNMENT WAS SET UP & BASQUE ARMY
- October 1936 the Statute of the B.C was approved.
- Jose Antonio Aguirre was the 1st lehendakari.
- Basque army was established / EUSKO GUDAROSTEA VS. NATIONAL ARMY
- THE BATTLE OF THE EBRO
- The biggest battle of the war.
- July 1938. It was done to recover conquered territories by crossing the river.
- Franco counter-attacked with major support (Italy & Germany) and the Republican side lost ground.
- November 1938 ended with 100.000 casualties (deaths) + the destruction of the Republican army.
- THE END OF THE WAR
- January 1939- MARCH 1939
- Nationals entered Barcelona (BCN) & Madrid (MAD) without much resistance.
- BOMBING OF GERNIKA
- April 26th 1937
- Republican communication centre.
- Weapon factory
- The attack lasted 3 hours. Monday, Market day.
- “Total war” (Civilians & infrastructures)
- To eliminate communications between the main towns and the front line.
- To test German aircraft and arms.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES:
Atrocities were committed in both sides during the war. In the case of the National side, they were ordered by the fascist government.
Atrocities on the republican side were committed by radical leftists.
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES:
Spain’s economy was destroyed and the renta per capita decreased due to the war and the isolation.
POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES:
A dictatorship started (Franco’s) and all advance/reform achieved during the 2nd Republic were destroyed
2nd REPUBLIC
The extreme political ideologies were becoming more radical, furthermore, falangists wanted a dictatorship while the communists and the anarchists promoted revolution. There was a rise of posing political ideologies, especially between parties which were against the reforms carried out during the Republic.
The main reforms were, universal suffrage, land reforms, state secularism, universal education, improvements in social services and Catalonia and Basque autonomy.
The 2nd republic was proclaimed during a period of worldwide economic depression.