Important People of WWI

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Austria-Hungary Archduke assassinated by Serbian nationalist. His assassination sparked WWI.

General John.J. Pershing Supreme Commander of all US forces in Europe.

Kaiser Wilhelm King and Emperor of Germany during the First World War. His stubbornness led directly to the destruction of Germany

Woodrow Wilson President of the US Created the Fourteen Points as an outline of how to avoid future wars. His stubborness led directly to the failure of the Treaty of Versailles in the Senate.

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Lenin born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary who led the October Revolution of As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years (1917–1924), as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War

Causes of the Word War I 1. The Alliance System 2. The Arms Race/militarism 3. Nationalism

Alliances: Distrust led the great powers to sign treaties pledging to defend each other These alliances were intended to create powerful combinations that no one would dare attack The growth of rival alliances increased international tensions The Problem: If anyone starts a war, all major powers become involved (world war) Secret alliances complicated the region

Triple Alliance and Triple Entente

The Allies 1. Britain 2. France 3. Russia 4. United States ( )

Central Powers 1. Germany 2. Austria/Hungary 3. Turkey

Militarism: Definition: The policy of aggressively building up the military for war The military gained more authority in many countries Created an “arms race” which further increased suspicions and made war more possible. Part of the arms race included a “Naval Race” to build a large, modern navy.

Nationalism: Definition: Strong feelings of superiority; acting only in one’s interest as a nation; desire for self- determination Leads to war when two countries have competing interests Nationalist feelings in both France and Germany Nationalism also occurred in countries with diverse populations – Eastern Europe and Russia

How did the conflict widen? After the assassination of the archduke, Austria sent Serbia an ultimatum, or final set of demands Serbia agreed to most, but not all, of the terms. As a result, Austria declared war on Serbia. Serbia sought help from Russia, who mobilized for war Germany offered full support to Austria Hungary Instead of urging restraint, the Kaiser gave Austria a “blank check” Germany responded by declaring war on Russia Russia appealed to its ally France France offered full support to Russia prompting Germany to declare war on France Along came Britain to help France ……and the war was on!

What did it take to get the US involved?  1. Blockades In May, 1915 Germany told Americans to stay off of British ships They could/would sink them

 1. Blockades Lusitania torpedoed, sinking with 1200 passengers and crew (including 128 Americans) Was eventually found to be carrying 4200 cases of ammunition What did it take to get the US involved?

 2. Unlimited Submarine Warfare What did it take to get the US involved? 1917 Germany announced “unlimited submarine warfare” in the war zone Why? Otherwise their blockade would not be successful

 3. Zimmermann Note The British intercepted a coded message from Germany to Mexico Promised Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona back in return for an alliance What did it take to get the US involved? Was never taken seriously by Mexico Some historians believe it was a fake; created by the British to bring the U.S. into the war

America Enters the War The United States entered the First World War April American soldiers were called “doughboys”, because of their uniforms and they were better fed than the Europeans. Their greatest victories were Belleau Wood and the Argonne Forest

Selective Service Act The Selective Service Act or the Draft, was the way the United States raised an army in Some 2.8 million men drafted. Age and It was run by local draft boards that would receive quotas from the national draft board. The local boards would make the decisions as to who would get drafted.

Women in the War In WWI, for the first time, women were allowed to enlist in the army as nurses and clerks. This was to release more men for combat.

Trench Warfare

War Technology

Dogfights

The Convoy System German U-boats were sinking Allied shipping faster than they could be launched. For a while it looked like the Germans were going to win with this tactic. The Allies though came up with the Convoy System of shipping. In this method, large groups of ships would travel together, this allowed the convoys to get to their destination with fewer casualties.

Armistice 1918 An armistice does not end the war, it simply stops the armies where they are and they stop fighting. The end of the war has to negotiated. On November 11, 1918, at 11 o’clock, the German Army informed the Kaiser that they could not continue the war. Up to this time, the Kaiser thought they were winning the war. The Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland where he grew potatoes until his death in 1930.