WWI Political Changes and Alliances

Overview

This lecture covers the major political changes leading up to and during World War I, focusing on shifting alliances, the causes and course of the war, key battles, and consequences for the European and global order.

Shifting Alliances Before World War I

• The UK shifted strategy, choosing to align with Russia to secure its colonial interests, sacrificing the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires.
• Germany became increasingly isolated, forced into a closer alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy (Triple Alliance).
• The opposing alliance, Triple Entente, included France, Russia, and the UK through military and political agreements.
• Italy joined the Triple Alliance but sought territorial rewards, remaining untrusted by Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Causes and Outbreak of World War I

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, triggered the crisis; war began a month later.
• Multiple explanations for the war: intentional German aggression (Fischer Thesis), competition for colonies (Lenin’s theory), systemic changes in power, and domestic politics.
• The failure of diplomatic systems to resolve crises and rigid alliance systems increased the likelihood of war.
• Widespread mutual suspicion among allies and rivals made compromise difficult.

The War: Key Events and Fronts

• The conflict involved two major coalitions: Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottomans, Bulgaria) versus the Allies (France, Russia, UK, Italy, later the US).
• Initial strategies for quick victory failed; trench warfare and stalemates became the norm on the Western Front.
• Major battles included the Marne, Verdun, Somme, Tannenberg, and Brusilov Offensive.
• The entry of Italy and the Ottoman Empire, internal divisions in Greece, and the Balkan campaigns shaped the broader war.
• The Russian Revolution led to Russia’s withdrawal from the war.
• The US entered the war in 1917, providing critical support to the Allies.

End of the War and Consequences

• By 1918, exhaustion, economic collapse, and revolution broke the Central Powers.
• Armistices and treaties redrew the map of Europe and the Middle East, dissolving empires and creating new states.
• The war caused over 10 million military deaths, 21 million wounded, and coincided with the Spanish flu pandemic.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Triple Alliance — Military alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before WWI.
• Triple Entente — Agreement among France, Russia, and the United Kingdom before WWI.
• Pan-Slavism — Movement advocating the unity of Slavic peoples, influencing Russian policy.
• Trench Warfare — A type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other.
• Fischer Thesis — The argument that German leaders deliberately provoked WWI.
• Lenin’s Thesis — The idea that imperialist competition for colonies caused WWI.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review maps of WWI alliances and key battles.
• Prepare for a brief overview of the entire war and its aftermath in the next session.