Education is a long road that lasts a lifetime. Follow the WORLD MAKERS learning path to create a more equal, fair and sustainable world. Learning path Douaumont Ossuary in memory of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Verdun A tough start to the 20th century. The First World War 1 The beginning of the 20th centur y was ver y turbulent. Tensions between the great powers, social conf licts and the rivalries between colonial empires created a climate of fierce confrontation . This climate gave rise to the First World War. It was the most destructive war humanity had ever known . The Russian Revolution broke out in 1917, while the First World War was raging. The revolution was successful and gave rise to the creation of a completely new regime. Some people believed the Revolution resulted in the seizure of power by the proletariat. The terrible consequences of the First World War marked the decline of Europe and the rise of the United States of America to world leadership. L E T ' S G E T S TA R T E D Look at the photograph on this page. What does it suggest to you about the First World War? Look at the infographic. What were the trenches like? What new weapons were used in the First World War? What were the consequences of their use? Can we link the trenches and the new weapons to the high number of dead and wounded? What is the link? L E A R N I N G S I T UAT I O N 24 THE FIRST WORLD WAR TRENCH WARFARE Much of the war took place in the trenches. These were ditches dug into the ground, where hundreds of soldiers stayed for months amid mud, rainwater, the wounded, the sick and the dead. MAJOR BATTLES The battles of Verdun (February to December 1916) and the Somme (July to November 1916) were the most bloody, with more than 1,900,000 victims. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, British cannons fired 1.5 million artillery shells. On that day alone, more than 19,000 soldiers were killed. AIR WAR This was the first war in which aircraft were used in reconnaissance, defence and attack missions. Numerous cities were bombed from the air. FIGHTER AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY 1914 1918 138 4,500 113 3,300 232 2,390 150 1,200 55 740 244 ARMOURED WARFARE The tank was used for the first time, combining several technological advances: armour, the tracked tractor, the internal combustion engine and high firepower. CHEMICAL WAR The use of poison gas was one of the deadly new weapons of the First World War. NAVAL WARFARE The addition of aircraft carriers and submarines to the navy forced research into new technology, which gave rise to sonar, depth charges, etc. OTHER CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE An estimated 40 million animals died and 30,000 km2 of land in France alone were rendered unusable for agriculture. After the war ended, 16 peace treaties were needed. In total, some 40,000 km of trenches were dug (more than 3 times the diameter of the Earth). The machine guns fired between 400 and 600 bullets per minute. Shelter, hospital, command post, dormitory. barbed-wire entanglement No man's land Gas mask The hand grenade was created in 1915 during the war. Mud, excrement, urine, decomposing bodies, etc. Rats, lice, fleas, etc. Shell HUMAN VICTIMS 20 million people killed. 21 million wounded. 6 million prisoners. 10 million refugees. Peace, key to reducing inequalities in the world Peace is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, because armed violence has a destructive ef fect. Tensions should be resolved through dialogue. Acting out a peace conference can promote these values. R E T O I N T H I S U N I T. . . You will analyse the reasons for the war, its development and consequences. You will study what the war was like for the public and the soldiers. You will understand life under the Tsars of Russia in the 20th century. You will discover how the Russian Revolution started and its consequences. You will take action. You will organise a peace conference. CHALLE NGE 25 7. The revolutions of 1917 and the Russian Civil War The Revolution of February 1917 Russia joined the First World War in 1914. Militar y defeats and shortages led to discontent and protests, which were harshly repressed . The repression increased anger at the tsar's government and favoured the opposition . The Revolution of 1917 began . The Provisional Government Between March and October 1917, there were two powers in Russia: the Provisional Government and the soviets. The Government adopted some reforms, but remained in the war. Mensheviks, revolutionar y socialists and Bolsheviks demanded immediate peace. Lenin returned from exile. He wanted to break with the Provisional Government and move from the bourgeois revolution to a socialist revolution. In his April Theses he proposed: Russian withdrawal from the war. Redistribution of land among the peasants and control of factories by worker committees. Autonomy for the national minorities. A government of the soviets. Defeats in the war and civil discontent led to a popular insurrection in Petrograd in July. The government blamed the Bolsheviks, and Lenin went back into exile. In September, General Kornilov led the most conservative wing of the army in an unsuccessful coup. 27. Main events of the Revolution EQUALITY Find out who Aleksandra Kollontay was. What did she do to improve Russian women's lives? Find out about Lenin's life. Use reliable sources and compare the information you find. Select the information you find most interesting. Decide what is most relevant and what is secondary. Put the information in chronological order and write a script. Imagine you are Lenin. Tell your group who you are and why you are considered an important historical figure. Your turn Research Lenin's biography A biography is an account of the main events of a person's life. B E A H I S T O R I A N 25. Vladimir Lenin On 23rd Februar y (8th March by the Western calendar), there was a demonstration in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg ). The next day, the city was brought to a standstill by a general strike. On 26th February there was bloody repression by the troops. Just a day later the troops joined the strikers. On 27th February, a Provisional Government led by the moderate socialist Kerensky was formed. On 15th March , Tsar Nicholas II abdicated. * The Russian calendar was 13 days behind the Western European calendar. 2nd-3rd March Abdication of the tsar. Provisional government 4th April Lenin's April Theses Beginning of a great famine in the USSR 25th April Polish–Soviet War Height of war communism 25th-26th October Bolshevik takeover of power 27th August Attempted coup by Kornilov 3rd-4th July Mass demonstrations 28th January Creation of the Red Army REVOLUTION OF OCTOBER 1917 REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY 1917 REVOLUTION OF 1905 CIVIL WAR 25th February General strike in Russia 9th January Bloody Sunday 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1905 26. Aleksandra Kollontay 1 The Revolution of October 1917 On 24th October 1917, Lenin returned from exile and joined the Petrograd Soviet. The next day, the soviets, controlled by the Bolsheviks, took over strategic points around the city. They stormed the Winter Palace (28) and detained the Provisional Government. The October Revolution had begun . A new government was formed (Council of People's Commissars), led by Lenin. Under Lenin, the Bolshevik government made many significant changes: The civil war (1918-1921) The tsarists ( landowners, militar y commanders, the Orthodox Church , etc.) created the White Army to tr y to overthrow the Bolshevik regime. The White Army was supported by other countries who feared the spread of the Revolution . The Bolsheviks, under Trotsky, created the Red Army. In July 1918, the Bolsheviks executed the tsar and his family. In 1921, they launched an offensive and won the war. During the conf lict, "war communism" was introduced to guarantee supplies to the cities and the war fronts. Industries were nationalised and crops were seized to feed the army. Despite this, there was a famine in 1921. The basis of a new state was established in this period: All decisions were taken by the Bolsheviks (now called the Communist Party). A communist dictatorship was established. All other parties were banned. The government repressed strikes and protests violently. Define: Council of People's Commissars, Red Army, war communism. Analyse why the February Revolution took place. Was it a failure? Why or why not? How did the Bolsheviks come to power in October 1917? Describe the process. Compare and decide. Did the Russian Revolution have the same historical relevance as the American and French revolutions? K E Y Q U E S T I O N S 28. Assault on the Winter Palace in 1917 It withdrew Russia from the war (Treaty of BrestLitovsk, 1918). It ordered the expropriation of large estates, without compensation, to distribute land to the peasantry. Factories were placed under workers' control. The dif ferent nationalities within Russia were granted the right of sovereignty. * The Russian calendar was 13 days behind the Western European calendar. 2nd-3rd March Abdication f the tsar. Provisional government 4th April Lenin's April Thes Beginni g of a great famine in the USSR 25th April Polish–Soviet War Height of war com unism 25th-26th October Bolshevik takeover of power 27th Aug st Attempted coup by Kornilov 3rd-4th July Mass demonstra ions 28th January Creation f the R d Army REVOLUTION OF OCTOBER 19 7 REVOLUTION OF EBRUARY 19 7 REVOLUTION OF 1905 CIV L WAR 25th February Gen ral strike in Russia 9th January Bloody Sunday 1921 1920 19 19 8 19 7 1905 41 2 Organise the main events of the Russian Revolution in a table like this. Copy and complete. O R G A N I S E Y O U R I D E A S 1 Summarise the key points from the unit. Copy and complete the diagram in your notebook. Add any additional information you think is relevant. Fi rst Wor ld War S ides … … Causes ... ... ... … … Formation of blocs A P P LY Y O U R K N O W L E D G E Consequences Women's rights League of Nations Paris Peace Conference Objectives:... Objectives:... ... Demographic … … … … Deve l opment Trigger Trigger Main events of the Russian Revolution Revolution of 1905 Revolution of 1917 February October … … … 3 Explain who these people were. Evaluate their historical significance. Vladimir Lenin Alexander Kerensky General Kornilov Woodrow Wilson Nicholas II 4 Define these terms. Triple Alliance war communism Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Menshevik Party White Army Bloody Sunday Use the STUDY NOTES to review the content of this unit. ... Economic ... C H E C K Y O U R P R O G R E S S 42 5 Describe and interpret the painting. What does it show? Look for photos of the war on the internet. Is it a realistic painting? What weapons were used in the First World War? Why do you think the soldiers have their eyes bandaged? Why do you think so many artists chose to depict the horrors of the war? 6 Analyse the roles of the victorious and defeated countries in the peace conferences following the First World War. Explain why the Treaty of Versailles was the harshest of all the treaties that were signed. 7 Analyse and reflect on the following. The widespread incorporation of women into work outside the home during the war. The success or failure of the League of Nations. Imperialist policy as the cause of the war. The Revolution of 1905 as a predecessor of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. 9 Put these events in chronological order on a timeline. Outbreak of the First World War Bloody Sunday Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk General strike on 23rd February in Petrograd Beginning of the Paris Peace Conference End of the Russian Civil War Battle of Verdun Creation of the League of Nations 10 Analyse the text by Lenin. The peculiarity of the present moment in Russia is the passage from the first stage of the Revolution , which has given power to the bourgeoisie [...], to its second stage, which must place power in the hands of the proletariat and [...] the peasantr y [...]. Lenin, April Theses, 1917 (Adapted) Lenin mentions the first stage of the Revolution. When did it take place? What type of government and economic organisation was imposed in the second stage? How did the Bolsheviks come to power in October 1917? Were Lenin's ideas from the April Theses implemented? 1 W H A T D I D I L E A R N ? Think about what you knew about the first decades of the 20th century before starting this unit. Where did you learn about them: books, films, documentaries, etc.? List the aspects you have found most surprising in the unit and explain why. Which phrase would you use to summarise the beginning of the 20th century? 8 THINK AND COMPARE IN PAIRS Look at this caricature from 1914. Which countries are represented? Which ones look aggressive? How well does it represent the situation in Europe in 1914? Explain. 29. Gassed, by John Singer Sargent, 1919 43 4. Living with war A war economy The countries at war implemented wartime economies that were run by the state. The aim was to ensure supplies reached the general population and the troops: Free trade and production were suspended . Industr y in ever y countr y focused on producing weapons for the army. Mil lions of men became soldiers. As a result, mil lions of women began doing the jobs the men left, in order to fil l the gap in the workforce. 12. Female workers in an arms factory in the UK, 1917 What were the trenches like? Trenches were long tunnels and ditches dug into the earth . They were protected with barbed wire to prevent the enemy from advancing. Trenches had sandbags to defend against heavy artiller y. Soldiers spent months at a time in the trenches in terrible conditions. The cold was intense and rain flooded the trenches. Food was often scarce and the lack of hygiene and plagues (of rats, fleas, etc.) brought disease. On quiet days, some soldiers wrote diaries and letters that provide us with valuable information about the war. In the darkness of night, soldiers could leave the trenches to repair them or attack the enemy. (13 and 15) E X P L O R E 13. British trench in 1916 The trenches are narrow and muddy and full of yellow rainwater. You slip as you walk. Mice run along the embankments. There are rats in the muddy bottom of the trenches. Gusts of wind bring cold stench . There are deep spaces dug into the slopes of the trenches where squads of soldiers protect themselves. Lookouts are concealed among boulders and twigs so they can listen and watch for the enemy. In front of the two enemy trenches are fields of thorny barbed wire. There is also a space where the dead of recent days rot on the bones of those who fell before them. The surrounding land looks like it has been ploughed . Shrapnel has chopped down the trees and burnt the grass. From the bottom of the trenches, rockets emerge, green and white, opening up in the dark night. Ramón María del Valle Incl án, Un día de guerra, in El Imparcial, 11th October 1916 (Adapted) Women mainly worked in weapons factories, building propel lers, mortar shell s and rif les, or packing ammunition . (12) Thi s was hard and dangerous work. Many women were kil led in accidents. Mil lions of women began working in the countr yside and al so as nurses, tram and bus drivers, mechanics, police of ficers, etc. Some women , such as Natalie Tychmini and Dorothy Lawrence, fought on the front line. Others, such as Mata Hari , became spies. 32 1 The home front: surviving hunger and fear The war caused a decrease in the production and importation of food . Governments set limits on the prices of basic items and employed rationing: each person was assigned a daily amount of food . To obtain this food , people needed to show their ration books in certain shops. The lack of products led to a huge surge in the black market (the market for contraband products). Despite this, thousands of people died of star vation . In addition to having a poor diet, people were constantly afraid of dying in an aerial bombing. France and Britain suf fered most from these bombings, but Germany was also attacked in this way. (14) Governments used propaganda to keep up the morale of the population . Posters were put up in cities. In this propaganda , victories were highly praised , defeats were minimised and the enemy was shown as a monster to be destroyed . Bad news was often censored to avoid demoralising soldiers and civilians. In addition , families were encouraged to write letters to the soldiers in an attempt to lift the soldiers' spirits. Analyse the wartime economy. How did it affect women? Use the image to explain war propaganda. K E Y Q U E S T I O N S Investigate • Find out more about the trenches. What structure and zones did they have? What materials were used to make them? Do you think Valle Inclán's description of the trenches is realistic? • Investigate life in the trenches: the tasks done during the day and at night, what the supply of food and hygiene were like, where the soldiers slept, etc. • Describe the photos. • Read the soldier's letter. How does he feel? Why? How would you have felt in that situation? Imagine you are a soldier in the trenches. Write a letter to your family. 18th Januar y 1918 My dearest Madeleine, I am dead tired . All day and night a deluge of iron and steel falls upon us. We lie on the ground (when we can). The days go by sadly amidst the filth , the f leas and the pestilence. How have I not died a hundred times already? I do not know. There is no water. Food rarely reaches us because of the almost constant gunfire that prevents it. You can't wash or change your clothes. For ten days now, my meals have been reduced to a tin of sardines in oil shared with a companion . I cannot take it anymore. I want to get out of here. I want to live and see the light of day. Letter from a soldier in Bénédicte des Mazery, La vie tranchée (Adapted) 14. British propaganda poster about German airships 15. Trench in 1916 33 1 ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE 2 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 3 Think about a real or imaginary situation from daily life with the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS in mind, in order to begin the learning process. Contribute to the achievement of one or several of the targets by doing the challenge. Take the Challenge! Go further and investigate. EXPLORE cases, characters and other interesting aspects that will expand your knowledge of the world. To do this, look for reliable information, organise it carefully and draw your conclusions. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT? Evaluate: think about what you have learnt and how you constructed your knowledge. Organise your ideas and apply your knowledge to different contexts and situations in the CHECK YOUR PROGRESS activities. Think, make connections and communicate critically by doing the ACTIVITIES throughout the book. Work like a specialist. With the help of the BE A HISTORIAN section you can practise what you learn. Exercise your mind. Practise THINKING TECHNIQUES that will enhance your powers of reflection and thinking. Use the KEY QUESTIONS to review and ensure you have understood the content. Acquire essential knowledge from the clearly explained content and strong visual language: drawings, maps, timelines, etc. LEARNING SITUATION
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