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 RecordedBooks™isatrademarkof RecordedBooks,LLC.Allrightsreserved. WorldWarI: TheGreatWarandtheWorldItMade (cid:1) ExecutiveProducer JohnJ.Alexander ExecutiveEditor DonnaF.Carnahan RECORDING Producer-DavidMarkowitz Director-MattCavnar COURSEGUIDE Editor-JamesGallagher Design-EdwardWhite Lecturecontent©2004byJohnRamsden Courseguide©2004byRecordedBooks,LLC 7 2004byRecordedBooks,LLC Coverimage:ThefirstbattleoftheSomme©Clipart.com #UT050 ISBN:978-1-4193-1361-5 Allbeliefsandopinionsexpressedinthisaudioprogramandaccompanyingcourseguide arethoseoftheauthorandnotofRecordedBooks,LLC,oritsemployees. 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 3 Books Recorded © 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. 4 m Clipart.co © Introduction “TheGreatWar”asitwasknownatthetimewasalsosaidtobethe“war toendallwars.”ItseizedallofEuropeandmuchoftherestoftheworldin itsgripofdeathanddestruction.Thefirsttrulymodernwar,itchangedhow war—andpeace—wouldbeconductedthroughouttheremainderofthe twentiethcenturyandeventothepresent. 5 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 6 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. 7 •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 © 9