World War I : the great war and the world it made

89 Pages·2011·4.365 MB·English

by  John Ramsden, Recorded Books, LLC

W W I:
ORLD AR
THE GREAT WAR AND
THE WORLD IT MADE
COURSE GUIDE
Professor John Ramsden
QUEENMARYUNIVERSITY
OFLONDON
World War I:
The Great War and the World It Made
Professor John Ramsden
Queen Mary University of London
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WorldWarI:
TheGreatWarandtheWorldItMade
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Lecturecontent©2004byJohnRamsden
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CourseSyllabus
WorldWarI:
TheGreatWarandtheWorldItMade
AboutYourProfessor......................................................................................................4
Introduction......................................................................................................................5
Lecture1 TheGreatestWar......................................................................................6
Lecture2 OpeningShots ........................................................................................12
Lecture3 GallipoliandtheNearandMiddleEast ..................................................17
Lecture4 1915intheWest......................................................................................23
Lecture5 HomeFronts............................................................................................30
Lecture6 TheWesternFrontin1916......................................................................36
Lecture7 TheEasternFront....................................................................................41
Lecture8 ALiteraryandArtisticWar......................................................................47
Lecture9 1917intheWest......................................................................................53
Lecture10 TheWaratSea ......................................................................................58
Lecture11 AmericaGoestoWar..............................................................................63
Lecture12 GermanyAlmostWinstheWarin1918..................................................69
Lecture13 VictoryintheWest..................................................................................74
Lecture14 AftermathandReputation........................................................................80
CourseMaterials............................................................................................................85
RecordedBooksandAdditionalWebsites....................................................................88
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Books
Recorded
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White About Your Professor
Ed
by
Photograph John Ramsden
ProfessorRamsdenwaseducatedatOxfordUniversityandhastaughtat
QueenMaryUniversityofLondonsince1972.Heiscurrentlyaprofessorof
modernhistoryanddirectoroftheHumanitiesandSocialSciencesGraduate
School,andwasformerlyheadofhistoryanddeanoftheFacultyofArts.
ProfessorRamsdenhasbeenavisitingprofessorofhistoryatWestminster
CollegeinFulton,Missouri,1995-96;aWinstonChurchillMemorialTrust
FellowinNewZealand,1999;andaDistinguishedAcademicVisitoratLa
TrobeUniversity,Melbourne,Australia,in2001.Heisaformerliterarydirec-
toroftheRoyalHistoricalSocietyandchairmanoftheInterUniversityHistory
FilmConsortium.From1984to1990,hewasadirectoroftheHistorian’s
Press.ProfessorRamsdencurrentlyservesontheAcademicBoardofthe
ChurchillCentre,basedinWashington,D.C.
ProfessorRamsden’smainlineofresearchtodatehasbeeninthetwenti-
eth-centuryhistoryoftheBritishConservativeParty,onwhichhegainedan
Oxforddoctorofphilosophyin1974.Hehaswrittenallthreetwentieth-centu-
ryvolumesoftheLongmanHistoryoftheConservativeParty;editedforpub-
licationthepoliticaldiariesofSirRobertSanders,LordBayford,1910-35;and
publishedwithHarperCollinsin1998AnAppetiteforPower,asingle-volume
historyoftheConservativessince1832.
ProfessorRamsdenwasgeneraleditoroftheOxfordCompanionto
TwentiethCenturyBritishPoliticsandcoauthorwithProfessorGlyn
WilliamsofRulingBritannia,atextbookhistoryofBritainsince1688.He
publishedin2002TheDamBusters,abookontheBritishfilmof1955,and
ManoftheCentury,abookonthepostwarimageandreputationof
WinstonChurchill.ProfessorRamsdenrecentlypresentedapaperabout
thepersonalandprofessionalrelationshipbetweenWinstonChurchilland
DwightD.Eisenhowerentitled“OldandDearFriends,OldandNewWorlds”
atthe“ChurchillandThreePresidents”symposiumheldattheLibraryof
CongressinWashington,D.C.
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Introduction
“TheGreatWar”asitwasknownatthetimewasalsosaidtobethe“war
toendallwars.”ItseizedallofEuropeandmuchoftherestoftheworldin
itsgripofdeathanddestruction.Thefirsttrulymodernwar,itchangedhow
war—andpeace—wouldbeconductedthroughouttheremainderofthe
twentiethcenturyandeventothepresent.
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Lecture1:
TheGreatestWar
Beforebeginningthislectureyoumaywantto...
ReadJamesJoll’sOriginsoftheFirstWorldWar.
Introduction:
Thewarof1914-18usheredinthemodernworldinsomanyways;it
wasthefirstgenuinelyworldwideconflictinwhichalmostallthemajor
developedcountriestookpart,withfightingonallcontinents;thefirst
tohavefightingonland,atseaandintheair;itintroducedtheuse
ofmodernweaponsandmunitionsdevelopedbyindustrialised
economiesinhithertounimaginablequantitiesanddestructive
effectiveness;itshapedtheinternationalpoliticalsceneofthe
restofthecentury,sincebothFascismandCommunismcanbe
seenasbeingspawnedbythewar;itchangedtherelationship
oftheindividualandthestate,thegenderrelationshipsof
msoacnieatineds.wItowmaasn,,aasnidtwthaesraollweaoyfsacrtaislltesdaunndtitlh1e9m39e,dtihaeinfree Clipart.com
GreatWar.AstheAmericanwriterPaulFussellhasargued, ©
memoryoftheGreatWarremainsacentralpartofourview
ofourselvesandwhatitmeanstoliveinthemodernworld.
Issues...
1.Theshiftsininternationalpowerrelationsinthe19thcentury.
2.TheriseofImperialGermanyandthereactionsofherneighbours.
3.Diplomaticcrisesandtheslideintowarin1914.
4.WhichcountrywasmostresponsiblefortheGreatWar?
ACenturyof(Relative)Peace
•Therewerefewmajorwarsin1815-1914,and
thoseweremainlyshortandgeographicallylim-
ited.
•MainlyatimeofBritisheconomicandmaritime
dominance;colonialismandEmpire,separate
E spheresofinfluencebuttensionwheretheycollided. ©Clipart.com
N
O •USmanifestdestinywascontainedwithinthecontinentuntilthe1890s;
E RussianexpansionsimilarlycontainedwithinAsia.
R
U
T •GrowingeconomiccompetitionoccurredasBritain’sleadasthefirst
C
E industrialisedcountrywaseroded,buteconomicrivalrylargely
L
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channelleduntilthe1890sinto
colonialexpansion.
•Butthe19thcenturywasalso
theageofnationalismallover
thedevelopedworld;growinglit-
eracyandpoliticalparticipation
meantthatnationalconflicts
wouldnowalsobepopularcon-
flictswithmassparticipation.
•Thegrowingscaleofthefew
warsfoughtandtheirbitteran-
tagonismsatthepopularlevel.
•Decliningempiresandthe
threatthattheyposed:Spain,
PortugalandevenBritain,but
TurkeyandAustria-Hungarythe
biggerandmoreimmediate
dangers,asthevulturescircled.
TheRiseofGermany
•Germannationalismderived
fromresistancetoNapoleonafter1806buttookhalfacenturytobecome
effectivepolitically.
•ThePrussianmonarchywasthepoliticalentityaroundwhichtheGerman
nationunited;thePrussianhistoricaltradition,andthespecialfeaturesof
Prussiandevelopment.
•Nationalunitythroughwarin1863-1871;Bismarck’spoliticalgenius,com-
biningforcewithpoliticalskillsandachievableaimsin“theartofthepossi-
ble”;butthelegacyofAlsace-LorraineandFrenchrevanchismeremained.
•GermanywasaninternationalpatronoftheDutchandtheAustrians,Pan-
GermanismadreamforGermansandathreattoothernationalities.
•Germanpolicyshiftsafter1890:theKaiser“dropsthepilot”(Bismarck)and
goesforpersonalruleandweltpolitik.
•PopularandpresssupportforassertingGermany’sclaimstoa“placein
thesun”;whatwouldbethelimits?
RivalriesandAllianceBlocks
•Shiftingcoalitionsofpowersfrom1815onwards:compare1820,1854,
1870and1894;colonialconflictsandtheirlimitingimpactonlasting
alliances,thoughlesstrueforthemoreEurope-centeredpowers.
•Theclosingcolonialfrontiersinthe1890s,notonlyfortheUSA,andthe
shiftoffocusbacktowardsEurope,allowingmorepermanentalliancesto
beformed.
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•From1894,Germanyplus “Tous,defeatinamaritimewarwould
Austria-Hungary(andperhaps meanadisasterofalmostunparal-
Italy)facedFranceandRussia; leledmagnitudeinhistory.Itmight
centralEuropefacedtheperiph- meanthedestructionofourmer-
ery,andthe“Centralpowers” cantilemarine,thestoppageofour
fearedencirclement,having manufactures,scarcityoffood,inva-
tofightfacingeastandwest sion,disruptionofEmpire.Noother
atonce. countryrunsthesamerisksina
warwithus.”
•Britain“splendidlyisolated”in
themid-1890s,neededtobeso ~LordSelborne,
becauseofcolonialissues. FirstLordof
theAdmiralty,1902
•Butaroughbalanceofpowerwas
maintained:Germanytoostrong
militarilytofearFranceand
Russiaverymuch,Francetoo
fearfulofGermanytoprovoke
wareventowinbackherlost
provinces;sotheadditionof
Britaintotheallianceswould
destabilisethebalance.
©Clipart.com
TheAnglo-GermanAntagonism
andtheNavalRace
•Aneffectivestand-offin1871-1896:Germanydominantonlandbuthad
smallnavy;Britaindominantatseabuthadsmallarmy,soneitherfelt
threatenedbytheother.
•After1890,agrowingantagonismatalllevels,especiallyaftertheBoer
War:diplomatic,personal,pressandpublicopinionallmoreantagonistic;
alliancetalksin1900-1902andwhytheyfailed.
•Tirpitz’snavalbuildingprogramme,mobilisingGermansupportfornaval
expansion.
•ThisprovokedBritain’shorrifiedreaction—herpopularhistory,islandidenti-
ty,invasionnovelsandspyscares;theKaiserasabogeymanandhisown
dangerousposturings.
•The“navalrace”whichBritainwassuretowin;whydidGermanypersist?
ThesymbolsofGreatPowerstatusandtherightsofnationalindependence.
Pre-warDiplomaticCrises,1904-1914
•Britainendsherisolationin1902-4:signsatreatywithJapanandan
EnténtewithFrance;bothverylimitedinscope.
E •CrisisoverMoroccoin1904-5:GermanyteststheEnténteanditstrength-
N
O ensasaresult.
E
R •BritainallieswithRussiatoo,1907:nowtwoblocsofpowersarelinedup
U
T againsteachotheracrossEurope,thesidesthatactuallyfoughtin1914.
C
E
L
8
•1911:anearwarandtheEnténtepowersonceagainbecomecloser:mili-
taryandnavalplans.
•GermanyisnowdependantontheSchlieffenPlanasitsonlystrategy.
•Wasthereawiderreadinessfora“warbytimetable”?
•Headsofstateandleadingpoliticianswerelosingcontroloftheagendaas
militaryandnavalplanningtookover.
SarajevoandtheDriftintoWar
•Dual-MonarchyAustria-Hungaryworriedaboutitssubjectpeoples;the
needtoshowatoughfronttomaintaintheEmpireintheBalkans;growing
SerbianaspirationsandunstableBalticalliances.
•AssassinationoftheArchduke
FranzFerdinandinSarajevo:
theslow-burningfuselit,but
whyshouldthisleadtoworld
war?Itwasnotexpectedtodo
soforanothermonth.
•Greatpowerpatronsandtheir
clients—Germansversus
Slavs—andthedetermination
nottoloseface;theentangle-
mentsofalliancesoutside
thatnetwork.
•Thedemandsofmobili-
sationtimetablestoget
thetroopstothefron-
tiers;ifthereisawar,
thenwemuststart
now.Noreverse
gears,no
effective
ArchdukeFranzFerdinand,heirtothe
Austrianthrone,hiswifeSophie,and
theirchildren,ca.1912.TheDukeand
Duchesswere
assassinatedin
Sarajevo,June
28,1914.The
assassinwas19-
year-oldGravilo
Princip,aSerb
nationalist.The
killingsparkedthe
beginningofthe
m
GreatWar. Clipart.co
©
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