Our Interconnected World: Networks of World War I Narratives
OER PROJECT: WHORIGINS / LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD: NETWORKS OF WORLD WAR I NARRATIVES1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Our Interconnected World: Networks of World War I Narratives,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/Networks of World War I NarrativeNote that the Allied and Central powers have been color coded below, with blue for the Allies and red for the Central powers.Important locations are shown in green.Thereasonsforwaratthistimewerecomplexandinvolvedarapidsuccessionofeventsthatleftmanysurprisedbywhatwasunfoldingbeforetheir eyes.However,thetriggeringeventthatsetthewarinmotionwastheassassinationofArchdukeFranzFerdinand,theheirtothethroneoftheAustro-HungarianEmpire(Centralpowers),byaSerbian(Alliedpowers)nationalist,whichoccurredonJune28,1914,inSarajevo,Bosnia[yarnbeginshere].Theeventsthatfollowedcameaboutveryquicklyandweretheresultofalliancesmadebeforethewarbegan,sometimeslongbefore.Oneofthemain reasonstheseallianceswereagreeduponwastopreventwar,butthese alliancesbecameoneofthemainreasonsaworldwaroccurredinthefirstplace.After SerbiarejecteddemandsfromtheAustro-HungarianEmpire,theSerbiansbeganmobilizingforwar,andthey askedoneoftheirfriends,Russia,forhelp.Russiaagreedtohelp,andalsobegantomobilizeforwar.GermanysawthismovebyRussiaasanactofaggressionandjumpedintothewartohelpone ofitsfriends,theAustro-Hungarians,bydeclaringwaronRussiaandSerbia.FrancethenjumpedintothewartodefenditsallyRussia,andGermany declaredwaragainstFrance.Kindofsoundslikeagiantmessalready—andthisisjustthebeginning!Then,GermanybeganmarchingitstroopstowardFranceandcrossedthroughthethen-neutralBelgiumwithoutpermission.GreatBritain—a Belgian ally—thushadto declarewaronGermany.Bynow,allofthemajorimperialEuropeanpowerswere involvedinthewar.Then,inquicksuccession,warwasdeclaredbyseveralnations:theAustro-HungariansagainsttheRussians;SerbiaagainstGermany;MontenegroagainsttheAustro-HungariansandGermany;bothFranceandGreatBritaindeclarewaragainsttheAustro-Hungarians;JapangoesagainstGermany, andthereforetheAustro-HungariansareobligedtodeclarewaragainstJapan,andthenonBelgium.Perhapsasaresultofbeingoverlyconfidentthatthewarwouldbeaquickone,peopleinthesenowwarringnationswerehappytoparticipateinthe wareffortbysigninguptofightortohelpoutathome.Thecitizensofeachofthesecountriesfeltanoverwhelmingprideintheirnations(nationalism), whichfueledthewareffort,especiallyintheearlydaysofthewar.TheAlliedpowerscertainlyhadsomeadvantagesovertheCentralpowers,includingoverallpopulation;sizeofmilitaries;amountofmilitaryequipmentthatincludedtanks,battleships,andsubmarines;aswellasthegeographicadvantage ofbeingneartheAtlanticOceanandthereforenearothernationsthatcouldsupplythemoutsideofthewarzones(mainlyintheAmericas).TheCentral powerswereconsequentlyoutnumberedandoutgunned;however,eachsidebelievedtheyhadmorality,
OER PROJECT: WHORIGINS/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD: NETWORKS OF WORLD WAR I NARRATIVES2technology,andstrategyontheirside.Thisisone reasonbothsidesbelievedthatthewarwouldbeoverquicklyandwhyeachsidethoughttheywouldbevictorious.ThefirstbattlesofthewarbeganontheWesternFrontinAugust1914andwerebetweentheFrenchandBritishforcesagainsttheGermans.Over2 millionsoldiersfoughtinthesebattlesinFranceandBelgium,whichwereknownastheBattleoftheFrontiers.Then,intheFirstBattleoftheMarne, thetrenchwarfare(oneofthemost-rememberedaspectsofthewar)beganandcontinuedforfouryears.Meanwhile,ontheEasternFront,theRussianswerewaginganunsuccessfulassaultonGermantroopsinEastPrussia(modern-dayPolandandRussia)whilealsofightingagainsttheAustro-Hungarians.Also,inAugust1914,theAustro-HungarianarmywasbattlingtheSerbiansinanattempttotaketheircapitalofBelgrade.ByearlyNovember 1914,Russia,France,andBritainhaddeclaredwarontheCentralPowerallytheOttomanEmpire.However,thewarwasnotconfinedtoEurope;thereweremanyadditionalplayers.Mostoftheseadditionalplayerswerenot necessarily involvedby choice,butratherbecausetheywerepartoftheEuropeancolonialempiresinAfrica,Asia,andthePacific.Forexample,boththeBritishandtheircolonial troops from India began fighting the Ottomans from the east, and occupied Basra (modern-day Iraq) in November 1914. In April 1915, the Australian and NewZealandArmyCorps(ANZAC),whowerealsopartoftheBritishcolonialforces,beganfightingalongwithFrenchandBritishsoldiersinGallipoli (modern-dayTurkey)againsttheOttomanEmpire.Inaddition,BritishcolonialtroopsfromCanadafoughtalongsideANZACtroopsinFranceagainstthe Germans.EuropeancolonialsubjectsinAfricawerealsocalledupontofightinthewar,andattimes,thewarcametothem. ThevastmajorityofAfricancolonialtroopswhoparticipatedinWorldWarIcamefromFrenchcoloniesinAlgeria,Tunisia,Morocco,andSomalia.About 450,000AfricantroopsfromtheseFrenchcoloniesweresenttobattletheGermansontheWesternFrontaswellastheOttomansontheEasternFront. Manyofthesemenwereviewedasexpendable,bothbytheEuropeanofficerstrainingthemandbytheFrenchgovernment.FrenchPrimeMinister ClemenceaustatedinaspeechtotheFrenchgovernmentin1918that“WearegoingtooffercivilizationtotheBlacks.Theywillhavetopayforthat...I wouldpreferthattenBlacksarekilled[inthewar]ratherthanoneFrenchman.”(Koller)BritishcolonialtroopsfromSouthAfricaalsofoughtinEuropebut BlackAfricantroopswerenotallowedtofightwiththeseforces.ThousandsmoreAfricanswereusedaslaborerstohelpthewareffortabroad.Amore modestnumberofsoldiersfromBelgian-controlledCongofoughtontheWesternFront.TheGermansalsousedalargenumberoftheirAfricancolonial troops,knownastheSchutztruppe.TheseforceswerefromtheGermanprotectoratesofGermanEastAfrica,Cameroon,andGermanSouthwestAfrica. TheirjobwastodefeatandcaptureAlliedcoloniesinAfricaandextendtheGermancolonialempire.
OER PROJECT: WHORIGINS/ LESSON 8.2ACTIVITY OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD: NETWORKS OF WORLD WAR I NARRATIVES3GermancoloniesinAsiaandthePacificwerealsotargetedbytheAllies.TheGerman-controlledportofTsingtao(modern-dayQingdao,China)was defendedbyacombinationofGerman,Chinese,andAustro-HungarianforcesbutwasultimatelycapturedbyJapaneseandBritishforcesinNovember 1914.NewZealandtroopsestablishedcontroloverGermanSamoainthePacificwithhelpfromFrenchandAustraliannavalforcesin1914.Inthesame year,AustraliansoldiersattackedGermanforcesonGermanNewGuinea,eventuallytakingovertheislandwiththehelpofaBritishbattleship.Naval battlesbetweentheGermansandBritishwerealsofoughtoffthecoastofChileinSouthAmericainNovember1914.By1916,Chinabegansending thousandsoflaborerstohelptheAlliedPowersandfinallyinthesummerof1917,ChinadeclaredwaronGermanybutcontinuedsendingsupportmainly in the form of laborers.Thewarringnationsdesperatelyneededrawmaterialstokeepthewarmachinegoing.Foodwasinshortsupplyinsomeareasandrawmaterialssuch ascoalandoilwerenecessarytofueltherailroads,ships,andenginesofthewar.Thesematerialsbecamehardertocomebyasbothsidessetup blockadestotryandpreventthesegoodsfromenteringEurope.TheGermansincreasedtheiruseofunrestrictedsubmarinewarfareintheAtlanticand in1915sanktheLusitania,aBritishshipcarryingciviliansaswellasmunitionsfortheAllies.Over100ofthe1,198passengerskilledinthisattackwere Americancivilians,whichpromptedtheAmericanstoincreasetheiraidandshipmentsofsuppliestotheAllies.Twoyearslater,whentheGermansonce againbeganusingunrestrictedsubmarinewarfare,theAmericansdeclaredwaronGermany.OtherrawmaterialsandsuppliescamefromLatinAmerica (Chile,Peru,Mexico,amongothers),theCaucuses,Urals,Siberia(Russia),andRomania;however,thisisnotacompletelist.Infact,betweenthespring andwinterof1917,evenmorenationsbecameinvolvedinthewar.AdozenLatinAmericannationsdeclaredwarontheCentralPowers,includingCuba, Panama,Bolivia,Brazil,Ecuador,CostaRica,Haiti,Nicaragua,Honduras,Guatemala,Peru,andUruguay.WorldWarI, the first truly global wars in history,encompassedallregionsofthe world.SourcesGetz, Trevor. “What Caused the First World War?” World History Project, 2019. Accessed December 19, 2019. https://whp-ppe.oerproject.com/WHP-Media/PDFs/Era7/What-Caused-the-First-World-War.Koller,Christian.“ColonialMilitary ParticipationinEurope(Africa).”International Encyclopedia of the First World War, 1914–1918,2014.Accessed December 19, 2019. https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/colonial_military_participation_in_europe_africa.Royde-Smith, John Graham, and Dennis E. Showalter. “World War I, 1914–1918.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019. Accessed December 19, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I.