The First World War

Time Line 1914World War I breaks out in Europe. The Germans fail to take Paris; trench warfare begins in France. The Germans defeat a Russian offensive in East Prussia. The Ottoman Empire enters the war on the side of the Central Powers.

Time Line 1915Italy enters the war on the Allied side. The British launch the Gallipoli campaign. Germany’s campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare results in the sinking of the Lusitania.

Time Line 1916The German offensive at Verdun and the Allied offensive on the Somme fail to produce breakthroughs. The British and German fleets fight the Battle of Jutland. David Lloyd George takes office as Great Britain’s prime minister. 1917The U. S. Enters the war on the Allied side. Georges Clemenceau becomes premier of France.

Time Line 1918President Woodrow Wilson announces the Fourteen Points. Soviet Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Germany agrees to an armistice. 1919The Paris Peace Conference begins its deliberations. The Germans sign the Treaty of Versailles.

The War in the West Battle of the Marne Stalemate on the Western Front Battle of Verdun Battle of the Somme The Western Front in 1917 Changes in Political Leadership

The War in the West Battle of the Marne 8/4/14: Germans invaded Belgium. As the Germans advanced, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was sent to France. End of August, Germans defeated the French in the Battle of the Frontiers. 9/5/14: In the Battle of the Marne, French turned back the Germans 12 miles short of Paris.

The War in the West Stalemate on the Western Front After the Marne, both Germans and French dug trenches. Trench warfare in France continued for the better part of 4 years. Failed offensives. Heavy artillery. 4/1915: Chlorine gas at Ypres.

The War in the West Battle of Verdun 2/1916, Germans massed for assault on French stronghold at Verdun. Battle continued until December. No decision. French losses: 540,000. German losses: 430,000

The War in the West Battle of the Somme 7/1916, British and French launched an offensive at the Somme River. Battle lasted into November. British introduction of the tank. Allies advanced the line only 7 miles. British casualties: 400,000. French casualties: 200,000. German casualties: 650,000.

The War in the West The Western Front in 1917 French war-weariness required the British to assume greater responsibility for the front in France. British offensives as Passchendaele and at Cambrai both indecisive and costly. After 3 years of fighting, no real gains and tremendous casualties on both sides.

The War in the West Changes in Political Leadership 12/1916: Liberal British PM Herbert Asquith stepped down. Gave way to a war cabinet headed by Liberal David Lloyd George, the “Welsh Wizard.” 11/1917: Georges Clemenceau became premier of France, providing them with determined leadership.

The Eastern Front, German Victories in East Prussia The War in the East, Defeat of Russia

The Eastern Front, German Victories in East Prussia Summer, 1914, Russians mobilized faster than the Germans expected. 2 Russian armies invaded East Prussia. August, Battle of Tannenberg. Sept., Battle of Masurian Lakes. Crushing defeats for the Russians.

The Eastern Front, The War in the East, Russians scored some successes against Austria-Hungary. Germans pushed toward Warsaw. Russians ran short on ammunition and military equipment. Germans advanced into Russian Poland and Lithuania.

The Eastern Front, The War in the East, (cont’d.) 9/1915, Tsar Nicholas II took personal command of the Russian army. 6/1916, Russian offensive in Galicia halted by the Germans. 1/1917, Austro-German forces defeated and occupied Rumania.

The Eastern Front, Defeat of Russia End of 1916, Germans had, in effect, defeated Russia. Revolutions of 1917 ended any possibility of continued Russian fighting. 3/1918, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended the war between Russia and the Central Powers. (more to come)