Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

The First World War - Coggle Diagram

- - - - 1905
        
        While Britain and Spain had accepted France's special interests in Morocco, Germany backed Moroccan independence
        
        Kaiser Wilhelm II did it as a challenge, and everything was solved in 1906, recognising the French special interest
      - 1911
        
        Local resistance to French rule required more troops to be sent. Germany sent to Morocco a military ship, threatening France. Both Britain and France saw this as a direct threat of war
        
        This was settled by officially establishing Morocco as French protectorate, while giving Germany a part of French Congo
      - Overall, this isolated Germany and brought France and Britain closer as allies
    - - Cause: Serbian resentment regarding Austria's annexation of Bosnia, as its population was mainly Serb
      - Event: Several terrorist organisations backed by Serbia and Russia boycotted Austrian rule in the region, and they decided to kill the Austrian Empire's heir. Gavrilo Princip shot him in Sarajevo, in his car
      - Consequence: Austria presented an outrageous series of demands to Serbia, undermining its independence
        
        As Serbia refused, war was on the door
        
        Serbia, backed by Russia, which was allowed with France vs Austria, backed by Germany
      - July 28, 1914, Austria declares war on Serbia
        
        As Russia mobilises to back Serbia up, Germany does the same, asking for demobilisation. As Russia denies, Germany declares war on Russia
        
        By August 10th, France, Belgium and Britain enter the war as well
        
        Full timeline at page 20
    - - Bosnian Crisis, 1908
        
        The Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, without respecting its agreements with Russia, angered both Russia and Serbia, as many Serbians were involved
        
        Germany stepped in with Austria and the annexation was finalised humiliating and angering Serbia and Russia
      - Balkan Wars, 1912-1912
        
        Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro formed a Balkan League, aiming to push the Turks out of Europe. In 1912 war started
        
        Scared by the League, Western powers stepped in and settled the war with the Treaty of London
        
        This caused a further conflict between league members as Bulgaria felt cheated
        
        This created a bigger, Russian supported and far more nationalist Serbia: a threat to Austria
  - - - Relied on detailed plans, such as the Schliefffen
      - The security of the empire relied on the war, as victory would have granted Germany what it needed to keep expanding
      - It had to defend itself from the emerging nets of alliances all around Europe, fearing encirclement
      - Austria was a reliable ally, the only one
      - Militarism and increasing nationalism meant that popular support was assured
    - - The military was ready for war
      - Could rely on extended alliances with Russia and Britain
      - Felt threatened by Germany
      - String nationalistic ideas against Germany arose due to what happened in Alsace and Lorraine
    - - Reliance on the Entente
      - Need to support the figure of the Tsar and redeem Russia from the humiliation in the Balkans
      - Military readiness for a conflict
      - Expected a quick victory
      - National feeling of support for other slavs
    - - Had to enter war to defend Belgium (1839 agreement) and support the Entente
      - There was a strong national feeling supporting the army and the war effort
      - The security of Britain depended on the war, a change to erase the German fleet
      - British naval power was huge
      - Had to preserve the balance of power in Europe
    - - Aimed to a quick victory
      - Could rely on a developed army
      - Relied on German support, a strong ally
      - Eradicate Serbian nationalism once and for all
      - Only way to preserve the Empire from the threat of Serbia and Slav nationalism
  - - - Britain vs Dutch locals, South Africa, 1899
      - France vs Germany, ambitions on the rich regions of Alsace and Lorraine
      - Japan vs Russia, fighting for the rich region of Manchuria, 1904
    - - Russia vs Britain, disputing the north-western frontier of India, 19th century
      - France vs Germany, Moroccan Crises, 1905 and 1911
        
        EXPAND IF LONG TERM
      - France vs Britain, for the ownership of Southern Nile, 1898
    - - Technology developed armaments (Britain vs Germany naval race)
      - Conscription, military youth organisations, schools and parades involved the whole population
      - The media and propaganda boosted public morale, celebrating military values
      - Consequences of militarism
        
        Equal technological development on both sides, leading to attrition wars
        
        Positive developments in otters fields of technology
        
        Unpredictable violence, as weapons were new and unknown
    - - Process behind alliances at page 16
      - Triple Alliance: Austria, Germany and Italy
      - Triple Entente: Russia, France and Britain
  - - - Austria vs Bosnia and Serbia
      - Austria and occupied Italy
      - Alsace and Lorraine
      - Japan
    - - Russia and Slavs
      - Austria vs Serbians
      - Growing nationalism and enthusiasm
      - Alliances network
    - - Resources-rich regions
      - Ability to build large armies up
      - Colonial expansion
      - Not very important for this conflict
- - - - Situation at the start of the year
        
        1914 and 1915 were characterised by the German wins in the East and the allied losses in the West. Germany was winning
        
        Had advanced well into Russia
        
        In advantage thanks to U-boats
        
        Keeping France still, not allowing breakthrough from the West
        
        Italy failed in being an obstacle
        
        Turkey was being stringer thank expected vs Britain
      - Main battles
        
        Battle of the Somme
        
        Britain vs Germany, another huge battle of attrition on the Western front
        
        Battle of Jutland
        
        The greatest naval battle of the war, both Britain and Germany lost a lot of resources not gaining a thing
        
        Battle of Verdun and the Forts
        
        Fierce battle between Germany and France, the fullest example of attrition
        
        Overall, 1916 was a very expensive year in terms of resources and human lives, but it didn't lead to any considerable change in the frontiers and the state of the war
      - Different scenarios
        
        War at sea
        
        Germany had the lead thanks to its U-boat submarines
        
        Britain used they fleet to keep the supplies flowing into Europe from America. They needed it to keep contact with France, and to supply their troops in the Middle East
        
        As both the battles of Jutland and Gallipoli Dailed to be decisive, was at sea wasn't that important. It was more important to impede supplied to reach the enemies on land
        
        War in the air
        
        Since 1914 airplanes were used in bombardments, the first time in Liege by the Germans (Gotha giant bomb)
        
        The German Zeppelin threatened London, which pushed Britain to create the Flying Corps, then RAF
        
        "Dog fights"
        
        The Entente took the lead in this sector, developing aircrafts, bombs and huge bombers
    - - Russia withdraws
        
        Due to internal revolutions Russia was forced to withdraw from the conflict
        
        Revolutions took place through 1917, and Russia left in March 1918
        
        The population was outraged by the war and the increasing general poverty
      - USA joins (April 1917)
        
        Reasons
        
        Sinking of the Lusitania in 1915
        
        After an initial relaxation of submarine warfare, Germany decided to apply a blockade between the USA and Europe, going back to unrestricted submarine warfare
        
        Germany and Mexico were plotting to wage war against the USA
      - France was subject to consistent mutinies, and as Russia left, Britain found itself as the main power of the Entente
      - Britain became the main player against Germany
        
        Lost at Ypres and Passchendaele
        
        Success thanks to new tactics
        
        Won at Vimy Ridge and in the Middle East (Damascus)
      - Germany and Austria
        
        Broke into Italy at Caporetto
    - - The events
        
        Italy joined the war in the Entente side, being promised the Italian-speaking lands under Austrian control
        
        Battle of Gallipoli, expensive and ineffective disaster
        
        As Japan entered the war, the conflict expanded to the European colonies
        
        Campaigns in Africa started
      - War on the Western front
        
        Characteristics
        
        Defending was easier than attacking. Once trenches were fortified and organised with railways it became even more difficult to attack
        
        Troops were forces to fight face ti face, not being able to manoeuvre. The whole army, transportation and artillery were focused in a small area
        
        The only way too advance was to conquest and acquire enemy trenches. The initial breakthrough phase was the crucial and most difficult part
        
        These tactics looked a lot like siege warfare, and they kept on through 1916 in the Flanders (Britain), in the Champagne region (France) and in the Easter front (Russia)
        
        The key example: Battle of the Somme, 1916
        
        Very deep and extended net of defence
        
        No surprise element
        
        Inexpert men serving in the armies
        
        No effective communication through radio
        
        Butcher and careless generals (General Haig)
        
        Generals were often blamed for the widespread unsuccessful and casualties
        
        Too rigid in they thinking, using and reusing the same tactics
        
        Careless of human life and butchers
        
        Too old and still thinking in terms of old warfare
        
        Created unrealistic plans and schedules
        
        Still cared a lot about honour, remote and dictatorial
        
        Military incompetence
    - - By the start of 1918
        
        Britain is weakened by the many losses (Passchendaele, soldiers to Italy)
        
        French army was weak and unreliable
        
        Americans were unexperiences
        
        Russia had retired
        
        Germany moved the majority of the troops to the West, leaving some in the occupied lands of the East. Everything now depended on the last German attack
        
        Operation Micheal started in March 1918. This last offensive was based on smaller group of Storm troopers and precise artillery fire. For the first time since 1914, breakthrough took place and the front moved
      - As Germany moved further and further from its borders, they started to lack men and resources. They didn't have enough to achieve victory
      - The response of the entente to Operation Michael
        
        The industrial potential behind the USA and Britain started to show. As Paris was saved, a counterattack was started
        
        Fresh American solders, well equipped and planned by capable generals
        
        Large numbers of tanks and planes
        
        Modern and precise artillery
        
        Amiens, August 1918, the turning point
        
        Battle of Piave
      - The problems of Germany
        
        U-boats were an old tactic, furthermore weakened by raids in the harbours
        
        Food shortages in Germany
        
        Greece entered on the Entente side
        
        Manpower and industrial production were on the side of the Entente
        
        Austria was out fur to Italy
        
        The German high command left at a crucial time
        
        Turkey was out due to Britain
        
        The American President Wilson offered a way out to Germany
      - Final events
        
        Battle of Saint-Mihiel, with 1483 planes involved it was the biggest battle in the air
        
        Battle of Vardar, defeating Bulgaria out of the conflict
        
        Kiel mutiny, a whole German naval base leaves the fighting
        
        Battle of Vittorio Veneto
        
        November 11, 1918: ARMISTICE
        
        No enemy soldier walked on German land
    - - The Western Front
        
        The Schlieffen Plan and its failure
        
        The Failure
        
        The plan didn't take into account the resistance of Belgium and the step in of Britain
        
        The plan didn't consider the observation aircrafts used by the French intelligence
        
        German armies had to march to battle, losing the advantage given by the railways. They had to march, as all other armies
        
        Due to development in technology and military tactics, war had become so different from what it was that old planes were outdated
        
        Russian railways were largely improved
        
        The plan underestimated the impact of modern weaponry, which meant that a small number of defenders could hold many attackers
        
        The Outcome
        
        The Germans were stopped on the Marne (first time gas was used in war)
        
        The Plan
        
        It was based on the advanced transportation network built by the Germans, opposed to the arretrare railways of Russia
        
        France had to be taken first in a quick offensive, as happened in 1870. German armies would have matched through Belgium, taking Paris.
        
        The Plan was designed to avoid a lengthy war on two fronts, simultaneously against France and Russia
        
        After taking Paris, the German army would be quickly moved to the East using the efficient railways, ready to face the Russians
        
        The Race to Sea
        
        As germans and French started to face each other, war became more and more still. To avoid this, the armies started to try and jump over the other, elongating the front from the sea to the Swiss border
        
        The race to sea ended in the Battle of Ypres, were the Germans were finally stopped
        
        The Attrition War
        
        As the armies stopped along the frontier, fighting became more and more sedentary, giving start to the war of attrition in the trenches
        
        Trenches became more and more developed, with more men and better engineered. Gas and artillery contributed to create the war of attrition
      - The Eastern Front
        
        The Russians were defeated both in Tannenberg and in the Masurian Lakes
        
        War in the Eastern front became an attrition conflict, as in the West
      - The Rest of the world
        
        Turkey entered the war in the side of the Alliance, as the British followed two German ships in a Turkish harbour. They wanted to fight against Russia
        
        Japan entered the war on the side of the Entente, aiming to conquest German colonies in the East
  - - - Artillery
        
        Faster, more accurate and reliable
        
        Rifled artillery, much more powerful and with longer range
        
        Devastating long-distance effects, especially using mortars
        
        Mines
      - Rifles
        
        Faster, more accurate and reliable
        
        Machine guns
        
        Less smoke from weapons, higher precision
      - Tanks
        
        Since 1916, they were used in battles
        
        Powerful technology, but too new to be used efficiently
      - Weapons could be produced in much larger quantities
    - - Mainly used for observation since 1914
      - Sometimes used in dog fights (flying aces) and bombings
      - The Zeppelin was used as bomber by the Germans
      - Development kept on going through the war (Gotha)
    - - Naval technology increased rapidly after 1815
      - British Dreadnought and German Nassau Class
      - U-boats
      - Q-ships, fake merchant ships
      - Dazzle camouflage to keep ships hidden
  - - - Women Land Army: female work force united and organised
      - The state increased its control on resources
        
        Conscription (24 millions of men drafted in Britain)
        
        Rationing
        
        Establishment of state owned firms
        
        Propaganda
        
        Geoffrey Malins documentaries, showing victories and limited scenes of war
        
        Posters saying the nation was in need
        
        Censorship
        
        General erosion of personal liberties and increase in the power of the state
      - The Homefront was fundamental in keeping supplied flowing and morale high
        
        In Russia, the homefront was unstable due to the revolutions, creating important losses on the front as well
        
        The American and British Homefront was united and string, allowing the Entente to reach victory
  - - - Growth of science and technology
      - Larger population
      - Industrial Revoution
      - Revolution in transportation
      - Now, while mass armies could be created, supported and transported, the whole nation could help sustain the war effort
- - - - Trading networks were completely changed due to blockades and economic destruction
      - Inflation, especially in Russia and Germany
      - Shortage of labour due to casualties
      - The USA in the West and Japan in the East were not in advantage
      - Agricolture
        
        Huge surplus due to the wartime economy
        
        Depression in worldwide agricolture
        
        General hardship
        
        Political instability
      - Industry
        
        During the war, heavy industry had reached its peak.
        
        Unemployment
    - - Demographics
        
        Decline in number of young men able to work and have children
        
        Declining birth rates
      - Women
        
        Since they participated in the war effort, they were now more and moreequated to men
        
        Right to vote
        
        Greater social equality
        
        Different through the world
        
        In Russia, women gained way more
        
        In Italy and Germany the newly established dictatorships didn't allow women to emancipate as quickly
        
        Rural areas weren't that affected
        
        Overall, women slowly gained equality in front of the law, but still faced discrimination and double standards
      - Working classes
        
        Similarly to women, they started to gain more rights after the war, as they had shown their capabilities in the battlefield and in the homefront
        
        As they moved to cities, more and more workers became aware of the social movements that are being carted around the world
        
        SPD in Germany
        
        Communists in Russia
        
        Strikes in Britain
      - New-born desire for a fairer society
        
        No more class distinction
        
        In the battlefield, men were all equal and peasants showed their real value
        
        In the homefront, all industries worked together, bonding together people from all different classes and erasing barriers
        
        No more country-city distinctions
        
        People wanted a new society
        
        Prohibition saw this in new standards
        
        Anarchism saw thus in the search for fun and enjoyment, opposed to the darkness of war and the fragility of life
        
        "Roaring twenties"
  - - - Political aspects
        
        More and more people joined trade unions and political associations
        
        The League of Nations was founded in 1920, lacking the USA and Russia
        
        Treaty of Washington, 1922: Maintain the current state of things in the East
        
        Locarno Pact, 1925: Guarantee the existing Western frontiers of Germany
        
        Kellog-Briand Pact, 1928: Outlawing war
        
        League of Nations Association, a peace organisation
        
        Third International, an International conference of all socialist parties
        
        NAACP, an association for the advancement of black peoples' rights
        
        Negative political and ideological developments
        
        Creation of racialist and nationalist groups
        
        Japanese Bushido, Italian fascist ideals and German Aryan race are some examples
      - Empires and nationalism
        
        Countries were broke into smaller nations and colonies became independent. The people wanted they national identity to be considered more, and opted for revolutions
        
        Austria-Hungary split
        
        Turkey lost its Middle East possessions
        
        The USSR was smaller than old Russia
        
        France's empire was unstable
        
        Britain's colonies were shook by Gandhi
        
        Ireland started a war with Britain
        
        Palestine and the future Isreal, a country for the Jews
  - - - Austria-Hungary
        
        The Empire fell apart after the war
      - France
        
        The Republic stood, even though the country was subject to instability
      - Germany
        
        After the abdication of the kaiser after the armistice, Germany became a democratic republic with a constitution, the Weimar Republic
        
        In 1933, the Nazi Party, bossed by Adolf Hitler established a right-wing dictatorship
      - Britain
        
        Witnessed growing nationalism in its colonies and unrest in the mainland
      - Russia
        
        The biggest political change brought by WW1 took place in Russia
        
        First revolution
        
        End of tsarism and the creation of a first parliamentary democracy
        
        Second Revolution
        
        End of the democracy and establishment of the first communist state by Trotsky and Lenin
      - Italy
        
        After a disturbed post-war period, in 1922 a right-wing dictatorship came about, bossed by Benito Mussolini
    - - Germany signed an unconditional surrender in November 1918
      - At the Paris Conference, the wining nations met to decide on the post-war agreements
        
        France wanted revenge and security
        
        Britain wanted imperial gain
        
        The USA wanted peace and cooperation
        
        Italy and Japan wanted territorial gains
      - At the Conference, the Versailles Treaty was stipulated and imposed on Germany
    - - Some new countries were created from the German-occupied Russian land
        
        Czechoslovakia
        
        Poland
        
        Latvia
        
        Lituania
        
        Estonia
        
        Finland
      - Yugoslavia was created as a federation of Slav states
      - Turkey modernised but lost land
      - Italy gained only some land (Terra Irridenta)
      - Russia lost lands to the new countries
      - Austria and Hungary split
      - Germany was divided by a strip of Polish land. It lost large pieces of land in the East and the desirable provinces of Alsace and Lorraine . It also lost all of its overseas colonies
      - Japan gained some land but not as much as it though it would. Furthermore, it had to end its alliances with Britain due to American intervention and keep its navy smaller
      - Overall, Italy, Japan, Russia and Germany felt as loosing countries. The balance of power was seriously altered by the conflict