World War I.ppttalking about the reasons of the ww1

world war 1

1. The Twentieth Century:
World War I and the Inter-war Period

2. •Before exploring the dramatic
occurrences of the 20th
century, we must first
remember that in the 19th
century, the rise of capitalism,
industrialization and trade
meant that European powers
had relied to a great extent on
imperialism and the founding
and rule of colonies.

3. •By the end of the 19th
century, most of the world
was divided between
European countries which
had colonized almost all of
Africa, Asia and the Middle
East. The wars they fought
were to strengthen their
empires by gaining more
colonies and weakening rival
empires. It was all about
more land and colonies, and
consequently more power.

4. •The 20
th
century opens with a
re-mapping of the world already
being prepared. Germany had
emerged as a powerful threat
under Bismarck, and alliances
were being forged between the
various European empires.
World War I broke out in 1914
between England, France and
Russia on one side (the Allies),
and Germany, Italy and Turkey
on the other (the Axis). This was
the world’s first experience of a
“total war”.

5. •In all Britain’s previous wars,
those who fought had been
the soldiers (with the
generals giving orders), and
all battles had taken place on
foreign soil (e.g. Pride and
Prejudice). At the beginning
of World War I, there was a
general mood of euphoria in
England: men rushed to enlist
to “fight for King and
Country” and there was a
supreme confidence that the
Germans would be defeated
within weeks or months –
“the war to end all wars”.

6. •However, the war dragged
on for years. The Germans
proved to be a formidable
power. For months on end
each side was dug in
trenches facing each other,
suffering from alternating
intense heat and cold, lice,
and all sorts of discomforts
and deprivations, with no
significant defeat or victory
on either side. The most
notable of these battles were
those of the Verdun and the
Somme.

7. •As the war continued,
compulsory enlistment was
enforced in England. Every
family had a father,
husband, son or brother in
the army. Many did not
come back, or came back
injured and shell shocked.
For the first time, the
psychological effects of war
were diagnosed. Russia
pulled out of the war owing
to its Revolution of 1917.

8. •The war finally ended with the
defeat of Germany and Turkey,
and the Treaty of Versailles. The
terms of the Treaty arguably led
to the outbreak of World War II,
since it was rather hard on
Germany: Germany was not
allowed to have an army, or to
operate factories for the
manufacture of arms. It also
had to pay reparations to the
Allies. In addition to the low
morale of the Germans for
having been defeated, the
country suffered from a severe
economic depression owing to
the terms of the Treaty.

9. Highlights

10. Sharif Hussein of Mecca
The Arab Revolt:
In order to weaken the Ottoman
Empire, the British encouraged Sharif
Hussein of Mecca to revolt against
Turkey, with the promise of an
independent Arab nation. However,
the British did not keep their
promises to the Arabs, due also to
the Sykes-Picot Agreement that
partitioned the Arab world, and gave
France mandate over Syria and
Lebanon, while Britain acquire a
mandate over Iraq and Palestine.
Egypt was already occupied by
Britain. The European powers
divided the remains of the Ottoman
Empire among themselves, including
the Arab world.

11. The effect on women
•Because all the men were
conscripted, women had to step
in and do the jobs formerly
occupied by men. Women started
driving ambulances, working in
factories and as nurses, and
generally helping out with the
war efforts. With the end of the
war, they started to demand
more rights, and got the suffrage
they demanded (the right to vote
and send members to
Parliament).

12. The Roaring Twenties
(Titanic versus The Great Gatsby). The end of the war, and the
liberation of women, led to a mood swing in the West. Women
shortened their dresses and had their hair cut, to symbolize their
liberation from the conservative traditions that had restricted their
movement. Jazz music was representative of the Roaring Twenties.

13. Wilfred Owen
The Inter War Period:
•World War I was also known as
the Great Divide: life before the
War was vastly different from life
after it. The dominant mood was
one of disillusionment. A lot of
people felt betrayed by their
generals, who had stayed safe in
their offices and sent out millions
of soldiers to die. This was clear in
the poetry of a group known as
the War Poets, such as Wilfred
Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, who
had themselves been soldiers and
had fought bravely during the war.Siegfried Sassoon

14. •More importantly, there was a disillusionment
with the Liberal Tradition, and all the
achievements that Britain had been so proud
of and that had led it to become a world
power: the institutions of the country (such as
Church and Parliament), Free Trade,
industrialization and capitalism, and
imperialism. People criticized the Empire for
having been the cause of this devastating war,
the likes of which they had never experienced
before.

15. •As a result of this disappointment, a lot of people
lost belief in their country and in Liberalism. Some
became atheists, some turned to Catholicism,
some praised Communism which had seemed to
be successful in the Soviet Union, while still
others became Fascists. The inter-war period
became a period of loss and confusion and
changing beliefs. The beliefs of the 19
th
century
that had anchored the nation were blown away.

16. •Modernism was also an intellectual
movement that started this period, covering
thought, literature and the arts. Writers and
painters moved away from traditional modes
of expression and became more experimental.
Themes of alienation and loss dominated their
works.