Ch 23 Sec 2 – 4

Propaganda was employed to dramatize the ill effects of the war. The atrocities (terrible
inhumane acts) committed by the warring forces were used to create sympathy for the
war effort.

On the Western Front (the war along the French Border) the war quickly became a
stalemate (no side seems to be winning and no end is in sight) due to the effects of
Trench Warfare, which was instituted after the Germans were stopped short of Paris in
the September, 1914 in the first Battle of Marne.

The Leaders at the beginning of WWI were:

Czar Nicholas II (Romanov)- Russia
Kaiser William II (Bill)- Germany
Woodrow Wilson- USA
David Lloyd George- G. Britain
Georges Clemenceau- France
Emperor William Joseph- Austria-Hun
Vittorio (Tony) Orlando- Italy

The Eastern Front: The battle in Eastern Europe and Russia:

This was a more mobile, but also bloody war.
Germans thump the Ruskies at the B.O. Tannenberg and once again at B.O.
Masurian Lakess.
The Germans no longer saw Russia as a threat to acquire German turf
Good news for Allies though…. Italy switches sides to Allies and attacks A-H.
Russia fares much better ag. A-H than they did Germany.
By September 1915, Serbia was out. Bulgaria joined the Central Powers. Russia
was battered and things in the east looked bad for the allies

The Russian Revolution

Two reasons Russia got their butts kicked in WWI
1. troops were not equipped well
2. Czar Nicholas demanded to lead the troops himself

By 1917, the Russian people had lost the will to fight

While the Czar was at the front leading troops, his wife Alexandra fell under the spell of
Rasputin-a Serbian peasant who claimed to be a holy man-he was seven feet tall

Alexandra's son Alexis was hemophiliac (his blood wouldn't clot) and she believed that
Rasputin could stop his bleeding
Rasputin and Alexandra made stupid mistakes and ran the economy and government into
the ground-aristocrats have him assassinated (shot 3 times, poisoned, thrown in the river
to drown)

The March Revolution

In March 1917 a series of strikes occurred led by women
-they were angry that bread was being rationed and that the prices were too high

Nicholas orders his troops to fire on the crowds but many soldiers soon join their protest

The Duma met (legislative branch) and formed a provisional government and asked
Nicholas to abdicate the throne-he did ending 300 years of Romanov rule
The provisional gov't decided to keep fighting in the war-this is a major mistake
*Soviets-councils of soldiers and workers-they didn't want to stay at war-Bolsheviks-
group within the Soviets who would take power

Rise of Lenin
The Bolsheviks came under the lead of Lenin-he leads a violent revolution
Three promises of the Bolsheviks:
1. end the war
2. redistribute all land to peasants
3.factories would be owned by workers
Bolsheviks Seize Power
The Bolsheviks seized the Winter Palace-the place where the provisional gov't is located
-the power of this government rests with the Council of People's Commissars (Lenin is
the real head)
-they rename themselves "Communists"

Lenin gave up territory to Germany and this angered many Russians-Lenin said it didn't
matter b/c communist revolution would spread

Civil War in Russia

Not everyone in Russia supported in the Communists
-Allies did not support the communists either

In Siberia, the White Forces (anti-communist) attacked the Communists and were
defeated
*Leon Trotsky-military leader of the communists-he was a brilliant leader-if soldiers
disobeyed, they were executed on the spot

*war communism-organizing the economy for maximum results-communists appealed to

Russian nationalism

The Communist forces were victorious and the Soviets execute the Romanoff family and
burn their bodies

Armistice: A peace treaty

Reparations: Re-payment as a penalty of war

Mandate: An ultimatium issued for one country to govern another but not own the land.
Von Ludendorf: Led German military effort in WWI. Responsible for the 2nd Battle of
Marne won by the Allies.

Ebert: Led the new German Democratic Republic after WWI.

David Lloyd George: British Prime Minister during WWI and represented Britain at the
Peace of Versailles

Georges Clemenceau: French President during WWI and represented France at the Peace
of Versailles

Locate: Alsace & Lorraine were regions of contended ownership between France and
Germany.

#4: The mandate system was created to govern colonial areas after WWI. US Pres.
Wilson did not want the Allies to own the territories but wanted to make sure "friendly"
governments were in charge. (Like Charles, he was in charge in the 1980's sitcom,
Charles in Charge, but don't write that!)

#5 What did US Pres. Woody Wilson propose after WWI?

Woody proposed that the Ottoman Emp. be busted up into many Arab
states. Further he dismantled Germany and Austria-Hungary creating
Poland, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia. Also, Russia lost land which
became Finland and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and JoMama.

#6 Wilson wanted "Peace without Victory." However, European countries wished

to punish Germany and Russia, why was this so? Wilson and the US were
separated from Europe by a whole darn Ocean, while Britain and France had to
live with Germany and Russian, and they were afraid and upset. Afraid of
Germany because of their industrialism and expansionism, and upset with
Russia because the bagged out of WWI early through the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk.
Also, they were afraid of Communism in Russia.

#7 Wilson's 14 points of Peace were designed as targets that Germany could

agree to in order to end the war. The most important ones were:
#1- All alliances must be made in public and available to the public. This
was os no country could be subject to the reprecussions of a "Secret Alliance."
#2- Freedom of Navigation or the open seas: This was in response to the
"Unrestricted Submarine Warfare" that Germany used in controlling the Shipping
lanes in the Atlantic and North Seas.
#14- Creation of an International Peace Keeping Organization, "The
League of Nations." This organization was to peaceably settle disbutes among
countries.

The US Senate NEVER ratified this treaty and never joined the L.O.N