UNIT TWO NOTES
World War I
Drews – Hist 2112 –
1/30/2013
World War I
The Great War
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Great in regards to the great number of countries involved
The War to End All Wars
Woodrow Wilson and the World
•
Wanted to focus domestically
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And he did focus domestically until 1916
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Isolationist foreign policy
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Wilson had a great distaste for war
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“America was too proud to fight”
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Foreign meant “The Americas”
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Monroe Doctrine/ Roosevelt Corollary
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Do not mess with the Americas
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Nicaragua, Haiti and Dominican Republic
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Mexico
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Victoriano Huerta seized power
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He was a dictator
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US didn’t like him
US forced him into exile
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Poor people felt the U. S. had betrayed the goals of the revolt
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Huerta was actually helping poor people
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Pancho Villa led rebel army attacking US interests
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Remember him!!!
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He attacked US businesses along the US border
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Wilson sent in 12,000 troops
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A big number of troops for that period in time
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Purpose
Find and stop Pancho Villa
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One of the most important triggers in involving US in WWI
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The European Crisis
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Wilson as not able to avoid the gathering storm in Europe
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Germany defeated France in 1871 war
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Long standing hostility between the Prussian Empire (Germany)
and France
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Annexed French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine
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Alsace and Lorraine
spoke French, but mostly German customs
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Created tensions between the two European powers
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Germany wanted respect for its boundaries and wanted colonies to fuel its
economy
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And also wanted the Alsace and Lorraine territory back!
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Prussia was greatly focused on Europe and saw their empire as
being in Europe
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Austria – Hungary greatly allied with Germany (Prussia)

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Nationalism Threatened Austria - Hungary
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Sarajevo
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Serbia
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Serbs were concerned that the growing empire would take over
them
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Faced Independence movements
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Serbian Assassinated Austrian Heir to Throne in Sarajevo
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Assassinated Archduke Ferdinand
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Austria – Hungary Declared War on Serbia
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Serbia Allied with Russia
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Russia Allied with France
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France Allied with Great Britain
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Austria-Hungary Allied with Germany
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Germans Allied with Ottoman Turks against Russia
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Chain Reaction as each ally starts to declare war on one another
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Secret Treaties between Allies Guaranteed Selfish Gaines in Expected
Wars with Neighbors
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In addition to known treaties, a lot of secret treaties came about
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Mobilization
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Great Powers had practiced Mobilization drills using Railways.
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Germany was Fastest in drills
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Russia was Slowest in drills
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Germany invaded neutral Belgium to attack France
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Belgium was a neutral country
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Took over Belgium
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Expected to take out France quickly and add it all to its empire
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Would then focus on Russia
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Did Not Expect Resulting Stalemate in Trench Warfare
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Trench warfare
not much movement, everyone just kept
shooting at each other
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- Spring '08
- FLEMMING
- Great Depression, New Deal, Woodrow Wilson, World War I, World War II