A Bloody Conflict Vocab : no man’s land, armistice, Fourteen Points, Treaty of Versailles

Combat in World War I Trench Warfare. Troops would dig in on both sides. The use of the machine gun held off attacking forces. On the Western front which stretched from the English Channel to the Swiss border. Space between the trenches was called no man’s land.

Trench Warfare The attack was begun with Artillery Prep fire. Soldiers would run across and toss grenades. Many men were lost to this type of assault on both sides. Produced high casualty rates.

New Technology April 1915 the Germans were the first to use poison gas. The Allies resorted to the use of gas also British introduced the tank into combat. The 1 st tanks were slow, vunerable and easy to destroy. Use of planes in combat was a 1 st during WWI. Use of planes were to drop bombs and to fight one another.

Famous Battles of WW I Tannenberg Aug 1914 First Battle of The Marne Sep 1914 Battles of Ypres Oct – Nov 1914, Apr- May 1915 Lusitania sunk May 7, 1915 Gallipoli Apr 1915-Jan 1916 Battle of Verdun Feb – Dec 1916 Battle of Somme Jul –Nov 1916

Influences on the War Use of convoys by American warships and merchant ships. Russia leaves the war due to the Communist Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin (1917). The Bolsheviks signed The Treaty of Brest- Litovsk. Allowed Germany to end the war on the eastern front.

German Offensive Stalls June 1918 German forces were within 64kms of Paris. American troops played a significant role in halting the Germans. 1 st American attack was at the town of Cantigny on June 1 st.

Battle of the Argonne Forest American forces drove back the German forces at the battle of Saint- Mihiel. American Forces launch the largest attack in US military history in the Argonne Forest. The attack began on Sept. 26, November 1918 the Americans had broke the German lines.

The War Ends The Ottoman & Austro-Hungarian empires collapsed and surrendered. The people of Berlin rose up against their emperor and forced him to step down. Nov, 11 th, 1918 at 1100 the fighting stopped. Germany signs an armistice (cease-fire) that ends the war.

Peace ? The Big Four (Italy, U.S., GB & France) met in Paris in Jan for a peace conference. Germany was not invited. Wilson presented his Fourteen Points which called on justice to all peoples and nationalities. The last point was the creation of the League of Nations.

Peace ? The Treaty of Versailles terms were very harsh on Germany. The reparations (war damages) of $33 billion was too much for Germany. Germany could not afford this. Will play a part in WW II. 9 new countries result from the end of the war. (Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary were among the new countries.

US Senate rejects the Treaty Group of senators named the “Irreconcilables” opposed the treaty. Said it violated Washington’s warnings of staying out of entangling alliances. Another group of senators would not sign without amendments and Wilson did not want that either. Treaty of Versailles was never ratified by the U.S. Senate. The U.S. would eventually sign separate peace treaties with each Central Powers nation.