During
the late nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire started to decline and to lose
its territory closest to Europe. Sometimes, European powers meddled in the
affairs of the Ottoman Empire in cooperation with the rivals of the Ottoman
Empire. The young Turks conspired to force a constitution on the Sultan,
advocate centralized rule and the Turkification of minorities, and carry out
modernizing reforms. Looking for assistance, they turned to German, and they
hired a German general to modernize Turkey’s military. Alliances such as this
will soon play a role in what is now known as World War I. Other causes include
Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism. As many countries acquire territory
and build their military, suspicions will rise among their neighboring
countries. There would be a decrease in trust and an increase in setting up
defense mechanisms, just in case one country declares war on the other. This
Great War will last from 1914 to 1918, and it will begin with Serbia and
Austria-Hungary. These two nations will manage to pull many countries, and
their colonies, into the war. However, will the war deem profitable? Will
America maintain is isolation foreign policy? Russia will join the war, but
will leave the war to fight for the Russian Revolution. Will Russia fight for
communism or for democracy?
Nationalism
is a country’s want to take control other countries due to the idea of being
superior (hegemony). It is deeply rooted in European culture, as it served to
unite individual nations while undermining large multiethnic empires. Because
of the spread of nationalism, most people viewed war as a crusade for liberty
or as revenge for past injustices. Others believed that war could heal the
class divisions in their societies. Alliances, agreements, were formed between
countries. These agreements stipulated that one country will help the other in
times of war. The major European countries were organized into two alliances:
the Triple Alliance, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the Triple
Entente, Britain, France, and Russia. The
military alliance system was accompanied by inflexible mobilization plans that
depended on railroads to move troops according to precise schedules.
Imperialism was the source of tension and completion among countries because
they all wanted to acquire the maximum amount of territory possible: territory
equals power. Last but not the least, militarism is the building up of a
country’s military unit, and it caused suspicion among the alliances. These
four main acts led to World War I in 1914.
Furthermore,
on July 28, 1914 the alliances finally had a reason to go to war. The Archduke
Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, with his wife, goes to Bosnia, the city of
Sarajevo, to visit. This upsets the Serbians because they wanted to annex Bosnia,
since they were Slavs. Most importantly, the Serbians felt oppressed by the
Austrian-Hungarian people. Thus, the Black Hand, a secret association of Serbia
plots to assassinate the Archduke once he arrived to visit. [1]“The Black Hand movement
wanted Serbia to be free from Austro-Hungarian rule. The movement was founded
by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijevic, better known as ‘Apis’. Gavrilo Princip, the
assassin of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie at Sarajevo on
June 28th 1914,
was a member of the Black Hand movement.” This assassination sparks great
tension between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Both country pull alliances to
fight for justice. Austria-Hungary’s alliance comprised of Germany, the Ottoman
Empire, and Bulgaria. They had the upper hand because Germany had the best
army, and also because the Ottoman Empire had the largest territory. Serbia’s
alliance comprised of Russia, who wasn’t quite as industrialized as the other
European countries, France, Britain, Japan, China, and later the United States
of America. [2]“The
nations of Europe entered the war in high spirits, confident of victory. German
victory at first seemed assured, but as the German advance faltered in
September, both sides spread out until they formed an unbroken line of trenches
(the Western Front) from the North Sea to Switzerland. The generals on each
side tried to take enemy positions by ordering their troops to charge across
the open fields, they were killed by machine gun fire. For four years the war
was inconclusive on both land and at sea”. The demands of trench warfare led
governments to impose stringent controls, such as food rationing, over all
aspects of their economies. Africans, Indians, Chinese, and women were hired to
work in factories to help support the war and economy. This glory for women was
only temporary, as they were made to vacate their jobs when the men came back
from war. German civilians paid a high price for the war as the British naval
blockade cut off access to essential food imports. As the need for laborers and
troops increased, the Europeans turned to their African colonies. There, they
requisitioned food, imposed heavy taxes, forced Africans to grow cash crops and
sell them at low prices, and recruited African men to serves and porters and
soldiers in the Great War. This of course, took a toll on the African nation
once again. The United Stated grew rich during the war by selling good to
Britain and France. What happened to staying neutral? After several threats
form the German government, the United States abandoned its neutrality, and it
engaged in the Great War in 1917. Prior to that, the Turks had signed a secret
alliance with Germany in 1914. They engaged in unsuccessful campaigns against
Russia, deported the Armenians (causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and
closed the Dardanelles Straits. At the end of the war, the Treaty of Versailles
was issued. Its purpose was to weaken Germany. The Treaty blamed Germany for
the war and ordered it to pay reparations. It also broke up the Ottoman Empire,
and it gave mandates to the British and French. This led to the creation of new
countries such as the modern Middle East. The unfair Treaty of Versailles, and
the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations, will lead to WWII.
World
War I is considered to be the first modern war. It certainly changed warfare
forever. How? It introduced many Advances in Science and technology into modern
warfare, which changed the battle tactics and strategies. World War I was the
first war where the airplane was used. [3]“Initially, airplanes were
used to observe enemy troops. However, by the end of the war they were used to
drop bombs on troops and cities. They also had mounted machine guns that were used
to shoot down other planes”. Much of the war was fought using Trench Warfare.
Both Sides dug long trenches that helped protect the soldiers from artillery.
The areas between the trenches of two enemies was known as No Man’s Land. This
strategy of fighting resulted in log stalemates with high casualties. Tanks,
armored vehicles, were used to cross “No Man’s Land” between the trenches.
Although the first tanks were hard to steer, they became quite effective by the
end of the war. [4]“The
most dangerous ships during World War I were large metal-armored battleships
called dreadnoughts. These ships had powerful long-range guns, allowing them to
attack other ships and land targets from a long distance. The main naval battle
in World War I was the Battle of Jutland. Besides this battle, Allied naval
ships were used to blockade Germany to prevent supplies and food from reaching
the country. World War I also introduced submarines as a naval weapon in
warfare. Germany used submarines to sneak up on ships and sink them with
torpedoes. They even attacked Allied passenger ships such as the Lusitania.”
Ultimately, new weapons such as large guns, machine guns, flame throwers, and
chemical weapons were used for the first time in war.
By
the late 1916 the larger but incompetent and poorly equipped Russian Army is
forced to abandon the Great War, as they had experienced numerous defeats and
they had run out of ammunition and other essential supplies. The Russian
economy was in a state of collapse, as they faced fuel and food shortages. Czar
Nicholas II had proved to be an ineffective leader. Czar was married to a German
lady, who was greatly influenced by Rasputin. Most Russian folks felt uneasy
about this because Rasputin led a reckless life in town. They found it
despicable that such as man had great influence on their Queen. In March 1917,
the Czar is overthrown and replaced with a Provisional Government led by
Alexander Kerensky. On November 6, 1917, Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks staged an
uprising in Petrograd and overthrew the Provisional Government. This is
considered the first phase of the Russian Revolution: the formation of the
provisional government. In the fall of 1917, the second phase starts. Lenin, a
Marxist, believed in communism. However, he changed the ideas of Karl Marx. He
believed in the creation of a vanguard party and a group of professional
revolutionaries. The Bolsheviks gain the support of many people, as they take
over the government. However, their power isn’t solid because of the opposition
from groups like the Mensheviks, who didn’t believe in radical change. This
leads to the Russian civil war in the 1920’s. The world, US, France and
Germany, support the Mensheviks because they opposed communism and advocated
for democracy. The Bolsheviks defeats the Mensheviks, and the USSR (Union of
Socialist Soviet Republics) is formed. This is considered a turning point in
history because it establishes the first communist country in the world. Years
of warfare, revolution, and mismanagement had ruined the Russian economy.
Beginning in 1921 Lenin’s New Economic Policy helped to restore production by
relaxing government controls and allowing a return of market economics. This
policy was regarded as a temporary measure that would be superseded as the
Soviet Union built a modern socialist industrial economy by extracting
resources from the peasants in order to pay for industrialization. When Lenin
dies in 1924, his associates struggled for power. Trotsky, Lenin’s preference,
was expelled and forced to flee the country by Joseph Stalin, who took over the
government. Stalin, a very self-centered man, focuses on power, dictatorship,
and on himself. He corrupts many of Lenin’s ideas, and he creates a
totalitarian government. Brutal, he executes anyone who deems a threat to his
government, position, and ideologies. Approximately, 20 million people were
killed under his reign.
Stalin
goes ahead to set up the Five Year plan to increase agriculture and industrial
output in Russia. In the name of Communism,
Stalin seized assets, including farms and factories, and reorganized the
economy. However, these efforts often led to less efficient production,
ensuring that mass starvation swept the countryside. [5]“The first Five Year Plan
(1928-1932) was declared completed a year early and the second Five Year Plan
(1933-1937) was launched with equally disastrous results. A third Five Year
began in 1938, but was interrupted by World War II in 1941. While all of these
plans were unmitigated disasters, Stalin’s policy forbidding any negative
publicity led the full consequences of these upheavals to remain hidden for
decades. To many who were not directly impacted, the Five Year Plans appeared
to exemplify Stalin's proactive leadership” (McKinney, 3). Stalin also set up
collectives, which proved ineffective because the more people work on one job,
the less output is produced. The Russian Revolution is now depicted the George
Orwell’s Animal Farm. This novel
parallel the events in the Russian Revolution. Old Major’s vision of a farm
where animals ruled, where there were no human oppressors, is a direct match to
Marx’s vision of a communist society. [6]In his Communist Manifesto,
Marx envisions a world where everyone is equal, and where those on the lower
rungs of society have as much say as those on the upper rungs. Although both
concepts are nice in theory, “Animal Farm” shows that too much power can
corrupt anyone. When Old Major’s vision, later called “Animalism,” was put into
practice, the pigs in charge took over and became selfish and violent, twisting
the philosophy until it barely contained an echo of the original intent. The
same thing happened with communism, as Stalin left much of the country
penniless and helpless, and put people to death if they showed the slightest
resistance to his regime.
Pen
ultimate, in the 1920s women enjoyed more personal freedoms than ever before,
and women won the right to vote in some countries between 1915 and 1934. This
did not have a significant effect on politics because women tended to vote like
their male relatives. Class distinctions faded after the war as the role of the
aristocracy (many of whom had died in battle) declined and displays of wealth
came to be regarded as unpatriotic. The expanded role of government during and
after the war led to an increase in the numbers of white collar workers. The
working class did not expand because the introduction of new machinery and new
ways of organizing work made it possible to increase production without
expanding the labor force. WWI resulted in stalemates with huge casualties and
no profit. The unfair Treaty of Versailles together with the ineffectiveness of
the League of Nations will lead to WWII. Russia, the underdeveloped European
nation, will start a revolution in attempt to industrialize. Stalin would later
drag the Russian economy through mud, with his 5 year plan. WWI and the Russian
Revolution are turning points in history. Both events change people’s
perspective on government and war. The Revolution established communism, while
WWI established better and more effective war tactics.
[1] http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/black_hand_movement.htm
[2] file:///C:/Users/Charlene/Downloads/ap-wh-chapter-28-1210274710252461-9.pdf
[3] "World
War I for Kids: Changes in Modern Warfare." Ducksters.
Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/ww1_changes_in_modern_warfare.php>.
[4] "World
War I for Kids: Changes in Modern Warfare." Ducksters.
Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/ww1_changes_in_modern_warfare.php>.
[5] http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/ss/Stalin_6.htm
[6] http://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/55971-animal-farm-parallels-to-russian-revolution/
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