Easter Rebellion Notes

• The Irish problem never wet away. In fact there were three major aggravations:
• The British procrastinated on est. Home Rule
• Irish Parliamentary part was weakening
• Growth of the Sinn Fein (revolutionaries)
• If the leader of the Irish Parliamentary party (Mr. Redmond) was a little stronger and younger, he would have gotten England to give a Home Rule concession to Ireland in exchange for his rally to the war. Then the Sinn Fein would not be as aggravated to start a revolution and turn its efforts to constitutional lines.
• If reconciliation went a bit further between England and Ireland, things may have gone well as Unionism was more accepting of Home Rule.
• However, Orange Ulster had returned to his drum beating and showing his dislike of Catholicism.
• If Sinn Fein was in wiser hands there would not have been a war, no Dublin strikes. The south was led by a man of hostile temper rather than a statesman.
• If only the British had been quicker with the Home Rule and Mr Redmond could unite the Irish.
• Dublin was rising up in revolt against anything the army could use to fight against the barricades except artillery.
• Sinn Feiners had a goal to create an organization of Irish that were separated from the Anglican church and “Western Britionism”. They realized that Ireland wanted more than just what the British could give her. They wanted something more practical than the parliament provided by the Home Rule Bill.
• After the war should come the final settlement that Ireland be under a new Imperial constitution and that Ireland be given local representation and a share of imperial government.
• The freedoms of Ireland will be declared by Ireland not Britain.

DOC1:

1) Issued by the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army

2) Supported by U.S. Irish Immigrants, European allies, and the people of Ireland

3)The British have not given Ireland her rights and Ireland has the fundamental right to declare her own independence and that right cannot be extinguished by England unless all Irish people are destroyed

4) The IRB tried to guarantee that every Irishman and woman is to have religious and civil liberties, equal rights and opportunities of all citizens and the right to the pursuit of happiness and prosperity of the nation.

DOC2:

1) It was hard to determine friend or foe because nobody wore uniforms.

 

2)Artillery was only used to reduce barricades

 

3) Maxwell blamed the people that started the revolt. People that he also said invited the assistance of the Germans

 

DOC3:

Ed1: resistance should be eliminated from Ireland. the revolution should be finished so that it will not happen again.

Ed2: The act of resistance was a crime that left sorrow, misery and destruction.

Ed3: The men of Ireland were betrayed. The people that sent the Irishmen into the anti-patriotic movement were safe in America.

Ed4: Punishment for the act of the Rising should be moderate. Let only the worst of the leaders be punished while the misguided youth be set free from any punishment.

Ed5: Executions should not continue except for those that actually committed murder.

 

DOC4:

Defense1-John Dillon- There had never been a rebellion this bloody in the whole of modern history. However, it is not murderers you are executing but insurgents that have fought a clean fight. These men in Dublin put up their best fight against machineguns and artillery.

Defense2-Roger Casement- If we are to be labeled as criminals for loving Ireland more than we love our lives, then we do not know what advantage that a self government held out to brave men would provide. Self government is what we are entitled to, a right since our birth.

Defense3- John Connolly- We have proved that the Irish are willing to die for Ireland to win while Britain is asking Irishmen to die for Belgium. The cause of Ireland will remain safe however. The Irishmen believe that the British government has no right and Ireland and never should have any right in Ireland and never will have any right in Ireland.

The Peace Settlement (Pgs 733-End Ch 25)

• January 1919 was when the delegates of the victorious allies gathered at Paris to draw up the peace settlement.
• The war started with national selfish interests and ended with idealistic principles.
• When the Bolsheviks and Lenin overtook the Russian government, they unveiled a slew of secret treaties. The treaties showed that nations primarily went to war for territorial gains.
• President Woodrow Wilson had outlined 14 points to Congress in order to justify the military struggle.
• Wilson also gave additional steps for a “just and lasting peace”. I say this in quotes because the “just and lasting peace” didn’t last very long as we had World War II. Wilson proposed that promises and treaties be made open rather than in secret. All national arms must be reduced to a limit that is sufficient for defending the country. He classified WWI as a war against “absolutism and militarism” which he believed could only be eliminated through democracy and “general association of the states”.
• Wilson was greeted with enthusiasm when he came to Europe to help with the peace settlement.
• However, the other states at the were guided by their own motives and not all secret treaties could be ignored even if it conflicted with Wilson’s proposals.
• National interests also played a role as David Lloyd George was elected as prime minister of Britain on the sole platform of making the Germans pay.
• France was more concerned with national security and Georges Clemenceau believed the French people carried the burden of German aggression.
• He wanted the Germans to be demilitarized and reparations be paid to the French. Woodrow Wilson was quite alarmed as this went against his beliefs.
• The Russian revolution also gave the Europeans a scare as they feared the Bolsheviks would take over everybody. Eastern European states were strengthened as a result of the peace.
• The Paris Peace conference had four major players: Britain, France, Italy, and the United States but Italy wasn’t quite a major player.
• The Big Three obviously would argue. Wilson wished to create a “league of the nations”to prevent future wars but the others wished to punish Germany harshly.
• The League of Nations concept was eventually adopted as a compromise. Territorial arrangements were made and France accepted a defensive alliance with GB and US.

Treaty of Versailles

• Germany considered the Treaty of Versailles harsh but also imposed a harsh agreement with Bolshevik Russia.
• Germans were mad about Article 231 which was the War Guilt Clause which declared the Germans and Austrians the starters of the war and they should pay reparations.
• Reparations were to be decided by a reparation committee for the damages caused to the Allied countries.
• Germany was forced to give up territory, cut the army to 100000 men and the navy and completely eliminate its air force.
• Germany lost sections of Lorraine to France and Prussia to Poland.
• A demilitarized zone was established west of Germany to the Rhineland to prevent Germany from raising any offense.
• Germany wished to reject the peace but that would renew the war and that was just not possible for the Germans any longer.

The Other Peace Treaties

• European map was redrawn.
• Balkans rearranged with Finland, Lativa, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary.
• Romania received land from Russia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
• Serbia was the center of the new state of Yugoslavia.
• Paris Peace Conference was supposedly guide by self-determination.
• Compromises had to be made to satisfy national interest.
• Russia was no longer an ally to the French so the French strengthened the eastern countries to create a barrier between Russia and Germany.
• However, this meant minorities problem in the East and later more conflict.
• Ottoman Empire was dismembered after the peace settlement.
• The allies promised to recognize the independence of Arab states in the Mid eastern lands of the Ottoman Empire but instead controlled the lands by imperialism as they did Africa. France got Lebanon and Syria, Britain got Iraq and Palestine. Wilson opposed the annexations but called them mandates as if they would administer the countries in on behalf of the League of the Nations.
• The peacemakers seemed to be shortsighted but the settlement was all they could have possibly done in that time period Self-determination was the core.
• However 20 years later, we had WWII.
• However, the Treaty of Versailles was never ratified by the US Senate and US never joined the league of the nations. Senate also rejected the defensive alliance with GB and France.
• GB then retreated from the alliance leaving France alone against Germany.

The War

I updated these notes! Scroll down further.

• Before 1914, most thought that war was not worth fighting because of the risks. They thought the diplomats would keep things under control…which was sorta a crappy move. The movement after 1914 was crappy too.

1914-1915: Illusions and Stalemate

• Everybody was excited to go to war. Government propaganda fell everywhere, asking the ‘comrades’ to help out in the defense against their enemies. Remember AQWF in HCAII? Yes this is Kantorek addressing the students telling them that it is a great opportunity to be a “patriot”. The “Iron Youth” he called them.
• All domestic conflicts were set aside during the war. Socialist parties even dropped their strikes because of the war.
• Of course nobody thought WWI would last so long. They believed it would be over in a few weeks. Who could blame them? The other wars of Europe since 1815 had only lasted a few weeks. It was just another war.
• A second illusion was that war would destroy the economy of a nation quickly and couldn’t last for more than a few weeks. All believed that their “warriors” will be home by Christmas.
• To some, war was a way to escape from the control of the bourgeoisie. Others thought it was an adventure. Finally some thought the war would redeem the people that were caught up in the materialistic view of the world. These illusions died immediately on the battlefield.
• German could only hope for a quick end to the war if they defeated the French.
• Germans seemed successful on their August 4th march to Paris. However, the British showed up along with the French. French commander General Joseph Joffre stopped the Germans at the First Battle of the Marne (Sept 6-10).
• German troops fell back. French were exhausted. It was a stalemate as neither side would seem to budge. This area became known as the Western Front where both sides dug trenches.
• The war on the East was more active. Russia had already moved into Germany and was defeated at the Battle of Tannenburg on August 30th and Masurian Lakes on Sept 15th.
• The Russians were no longer a threat to the Germans due to the intervention of Paul Von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff.
• Austrians fared less well in the beginning. They were defeated by the Russians at Galacia and were also beaten out of Serbia. Italy then betrayed the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans and joined the allied powers.
• Russian casualties- 2.5 Million Germans and Austrians joined by Bulgarians attacked and finished Serbia from the war.

1916-1917: The Great Slaughter

• The Germans were now able to move back to the west after their success in the east.
• The trenches were the cheap low tech way of defense with 3-5 foot high barb wire around them. There were concrete machine gun nests and mortar batteries. The troops lived in little holes in the ground. The area around was called “no man’s land”.
• Trench warfare was so different for the military leaders who liked action. They liked to see people running around.
• The initial plan of the leaders was to send a wave of soldiers to beat the weakened front line and then break through creating a war of movement.
• They would then give an artillery barrage to flatten the barbed wire of the enemies. They would then crawl out of the trench and make way to the enemy trench with bayonets. However, the machine gun ruined all of these plans.
• The great slaughter was when millions of men were sacrificed between 1916 and 1917 to the search of a breakthrough.

DAILY LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

• It’s all described in AQWF. Battles were not orderly and machine guns would fire immediately when soldiers left “no-man’s land”. They lost sense of direction but still went forward because of momentum. it was all mud blood and barbed wire. Dead bodies everywhere built up a stench of death and rats infested the trench grew fat.
• A let and live system was established where both sides did not do any shelling while breakfast was being served or attacking latrines. They even agreed to make noise to alert the enemy to retreat back into trenches.
• Both sides produce humorous magazines to keep the soldiers occupied.

The Widening of the War

• The Ottoman Empire now entered into the Central Powers (Germany, Austria, and Ottomans)
• GB, France, and Russia all declared war on the Ottomans but withdrew due to disaster and Bulgaria entering on the Central side.
• Italy was also failing and needed the help of the Allies.
• Lawrence of Arabia was sent by the British to encourage the Arabs to revolt against the Ottoman leaders. The British then destroyed the Ottoman Empire.
• Allied powers seized German territories overseas while Germany was preoccupied.

ENTRY OF THE UNITED STATES

• The United States got involved because of Naval combat between Germany and GB. The Germans engaged in unrestricted submarine warfare after the British tried to blockade them. Germans declared areas around the British isles war zones and would blast any ship that entered it. The sinking of the Lusitania with Americans on board forced Germany to rethink the unrestricted plan and suspend it.
• However, the Germans gambled and started this back up. United States entered the war and the waves of troops arrived the following year. This boosted the morale of the Allied powers during a disastrous situation. Russia was out of the war due to the Bolshevik Revolution and the Italians were crushed.
• Central powers were in a favorable position although they were also exhausted. 

The Home Front: The Impact of Total War

• Eventually, the war became a total war that effected everybody, even those that had not been on the battlefield
• Need for men and material led to centralization of governments, economic regimentation, and manipulation of public opinion.

TOTAL WAR: POLITICAL CENTRALIZATION AND ECONOMIC REGIMENTATION

• When the war started, everyone was hyped and filled with an adrenaline rush of patriotism.
• However, people were not ready for a war that’d drag on forever. The economy began to tank and “knockout” blows that were anticipated failed.
• Government had to help. They had to get more men to go out and fight for the near impossible victory.
• Conscription was started in Britain to ensure that the skilled workers were in the factories and not in the battlefield in order to keep the economy running.
• The free market went out the window and in came the government control on economy by price controls, rations, and wage controls.
• Compulsory employment and planned economies.
• Germany most successful at planning economy. Asked Walter Rathenau, head of German Electric Co., to use business methods to organize the War Raw Materials Board, an organization dedicated to hoarding raw materials to produce what is necessary to be produced.
• Germans sucked at rationing food though. They had to import food from other countries. British blockade prevented importing. German rations were below adequate for survival. Many died for survival.
• German was eventually controlled by the military and two superior officers: Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. They introduced completed mobilization for total war.  Auxiliary Service Law required all male noncombatants between 17-60 be working in a job that only supports the war effort.
• France and Britain did not possess as much authoritarian power but the central government still increased in power.
• Britain created the Ministry of Munitions led by David Lloyd George in order to provide protection for the munitions. They ensured that private businesses would produce war materials at limited profits.
• Soon the ministry had the power to take over munitions plants that did not follow government regulations
• The British gov’t also rationed food and imposed rent controls.
• French less successful. Germans occupied the northeastern corner and this stopped 75 percent of coal production.
• There was struggle in the relationship of civil and military authorities.
• Georges Clemencaeu est. clear civilian control of gov’t.
• Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Italy got owned in the face here. The autocratic empires and backward economics were too weak to succeed in production of high quantities of war material. Russia could only arm 1/4th of soldiers and the rest of them were sent unarmed although they were advised to pick up guns from dead people.
• Minorities also got in the way of internal peace and Italy had no enthusiasm nor did they have any industrial resources.

PUBLIC ORDER AND PUBLIC OPINION

• war dragged on with worsening conditions and increased casualties.
• Citizens began to realize that the war really sucked.
• Strike activity increased and German workers striked for three days because of the arrest of a rad. socialist leader. Ditto in France and Britain.
• Violence in Ireland- Irish Republican Brotherhood and Citizen’s Army occupied gov’t buildings in Dublin on Easter.
• Easter Rebellion crushed and leaders killed.
• Opposition came from liberals and socialists.
• liberals- wanted peace resolutions
• Socialists- wanted settlements
• Morale was gone.
• All countries survived mutinies except Russia.
• Police powers were exercised by war governments in order to crush internal disdain.
• British Parliament- passed Defence of the Realm Act allowing authorities to arrest people that spoke out against war.
• Newspapers could also be censored.
• France was a bit more lenient but soon also became afraid of opposition that would weaken the will to fight.
• Civil liberties were suppressed by Georges Clemencaeu and the editor of antiwar newspaper was killed for treason
• Propaganda was used. British and French made Germany look like the devil. Posters were also made.

THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF TOTAL WAR

• Unemployment was ended as everyone was doing something to help war effort and men were out to war so job spots were open.
• Patriotism of workers led to greater acceptance of trade unions.
• War gov’ts of Britain France and Germany made agreements with unions so that they could participate in making important gov’t decisions on labor matters just to keep labor problems from causing disruption of production.
• Unions would cooperate on wage limits and production schedules.
• Labor gained two benefits: collective bargaining practices continued after WWI and trade unions were able to attract more members.
• Women were allowed to take over the empty spots left by men that went to war. They could work jobs they never once were allowed to work in.
• Jobs like banking had more women.
• Some males resisted the idea that women were taking jobs that were thought of as “beyond capacity of women”
• French gov’t passed minimum wage law for women in July 1915 for women in textile industry producing war uniforms.
• Wages of men and women still were not equal.
• They also did not have any job security. When the men returned, they would be back on the job.
• Governments removed women from jobs and reduced wages after war.
• Still women gained some benefits such as the right to vote in Germany and Austria immediately after the war. Britain in Jan. 1918 and the United States 19th amendment in 1920.
• Women also showed off new independence by smoking in public, wearing shorter skirts, cosmetics, and boyish hairstyles.
• WWI allowed reduction of class lines. Death did not avoid any class. Junior officers that led charges were often killed; most of these were aristocrats.
• Unskilled workers and peasants were the ones KOed by the machine guns.
• Skilled laborers were lucky because they were producing things for the war and they needed to stabilize the economy.
• “All classes, high and low, are shedding themselves of selfishness…It is bringing a new outlook to classes….We can see for the first time the fundamental things that matter in life, and that have been obscured from our vision by the….growth of prosperity” – David Lloyd George.
• However, this statement was based on illusions and class conflict was not eliminated.
• Not everyone received economic benefits. The owners of industries that manufactured weapons gained the most prestige.
• Governments did nothing to limit profits of these businesses.
• Small firms that were not essential to war were shut down because of lack of resources.
• Inflation was increasing. Full employment and high demand forced prices up. Skilled workers could keep up with the inflation but unskilled workers and unessential industries could not. Only in GB did the wages beat the prices. Purchasing power was lost. Middle class people suffered the most. Some had fixed incomes or were retired. Professionals, retirees on pensions, clerks, civil servants, teachers, shopkeepers of small shops, clergy, etc did not see their incomes rise with inflation.
• These people would express their discontent following the war.