histcasestudyweek5.pdf

HIST40 Week Five Case Study Chamberlain University College of Nursing History 405 Professor Patrick O'Hara February 10, 2024

Brooklynn Colon HIST40 World War I erupted in 1914 when nations worldwide simultaneously took up arms against each other. The formal declaration of War followed the tragic assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife. However, the world war was inevitable, and this event merely acted as a catalyst. Underlying tensions, alliances, and geopolitical rivalries had been building up for years, and governments had been preparing for War long before the Archduke's demise. Germany was a massive contributor to the War. Wanting to rule over all of Europe, the Germans rapidly expanded their naval forces. This rapid expansion posed a significant threat to Great Britain, which controlled maritime shipping routes during this time. It threatened Britain's control over maritime shipping and sparked conversations between Britain and their ally Russia about maintaining the balance of power in Europe. It is speculated that preparations for conflicts with Germany were being put in place before the War with Austria-Hungary and Serbia ensued. Germany wanted to start its expansion by taking more land from France but was wary of public opinion of initiating War directly. To navigate this situation, when Austria-Hungary indicated its intention to wage War against Serbia, who is believed to have had a hand in the death of Archduke Ferdinand, Germany lent its support and offered financial backing. This strategic move anticipated that France would likely come to Serbia's aid, thus indirectly advancing Germany's expansionist goals while avoiding direct confrontation, which is precisely what happened. At this point, there were two divisions. One side was Germany and Austria-hungry, and the other side was Serbia and France. Belgium, a neutral nation, found itself caught in the crossfire when to avoid French blockades, German militants decided to go through Belgium to get to France. This maneuver intensified hostilities as it was a violation of Belgium's sovereignty and

Brooklynn Colon HIST40 drew Belgium into the War. Britain had managed to keep itself out of War until Belgium's sovereignty was violated, at which point they and Russia decided to join the War as well. Human casualties were enormous. The War had lasted four long years at this point, and countries were exhausting all of their financial wealth and resources on the War. Amidst this global disaster, the United States found a unique position that allowed it to profit from the conflict while maintaining a stance of neutrality. President Woodrow Wilson emphasized non-interference in other nations' affairs unless the circumstances rose to the level of a moral imperative (OpenStax, 2019), and since Cotten was essential for gunpowder production, the US could leverage its position to engage in profitable trade with all parties involved. The United States' ability to maintain neutrality was impossible as A series of reprehensible attacks made by Germany compelled U.S. intervention in the quest to safeguard democracy worldwide. Warfare has established customs, including prohibitions on chemical weapons and attacks on civilians; Germany violated these norms by using Chlorine gas, a deadly agent, against opposing troops. Additionally, German submarines sank the Lusitania, a British passenger liner carrying American passengers, endangering maritime safety. The tipping point came with the interception of a telegram proposing a German-Mexican alliance, encouraging Mexico to weaken U.S. power before it could potentially enter the War. Faced with these provocations, the United States had no choice but to take action. The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, marked the end of World War I. The Treaty established the league of nations and placed the entire blame for the war on Germany but failed to address the underlying issues that caused World War I, such as nationalism, imperialism, and colonial rivalries. To prevent future conflicts, there were harsh penalties imposed on Germany, including limiting their army to 100,000 troops, forbidding them from maintaining an air force, and forcing them to forfeit territories (Farmer, 2018). Additionally, Germany faced the financial burden of paying for damages caused during the war. These harsh measures led to economic hardship and widespread resentment among the German population. The rise of extremist ideologies, particularly Nazism, eventually culminated because of it.

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Brooklynn Colon HIST40 The United States Senate rejected the treaty due to objections related to the League and fears that joining the League would compromise national sovereignty. Because of this, The United States never became a member of the League of Nations. This had a huge impact on global diplomacy and security. The absence of the U.S. weakened the League’s ability to enforce collective security and maintain peace. It allowed countries to exploit the situation, like Germany, Italy, and Japan, who pursued expansionist policies without strong international opposition. The League’s inability to prevent their actions contributed to the lead-up to World War II.

Brooklynn Colon HIST40 References Dyer, J. (Producer), & Dyer, J. (Director). (2005). A War to End All Wars: Part 2. [Video/DVD] Dallas, TX: Dallas County Community College District. https://search.alexanderstreet.com/ view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C3226495 Farmer, B. (2018). The Treaty of Versailles and the Rise of Nazism. New American, 34(21), 33-38. Retrieved from https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/ pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=89029547-c2b1-4601-b3a6-234f9bd89861%40redis . OpenStax. (2019). U.S. History. OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/a7ba2fb8-8925-4987 b182-5f4429d48 daa@9.1.