The Great War: W.W.I.

Review... Remember the M.A.I.N causes of the war. Tensions in Europe had been rising and the had been increasing competition amongst The Great Powers. All that was needed was a spark to ignite the war. Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated and Austria-Hungary went to war with Serbia. The alliance system turned this war into a world war.

Europe Plunges into war One European nation after another is drawn into a large and industrialized war that results in many casualties.

Armies on the March Because nations had mobilization plans in place it took virtually no time at all for troops to be on the battlefields. Russia Moved in against Austria Hungary and Germany. Germany Declares war on Russia and soon after France as well. Great Britain Declares war on Germany Russia moved against Austria-Hungary. Figuring that Germany would support Austria Hungary because they were allies. They decided to move in against Germany as well. In response to Russia’s move against Germany, Germany will in turn waste no time and just declare war on Russia. Soon after they will declare war on France as well. Remember France is Russia’s ally therefore war with them was pretty inevitable. Britain—this makes sense because Great Britain is an ally to Russia and France. It is jumping in to fight with Germany because it has the back of Russia and France.

Alliances Name Change Triple Entente is called Allied Powers: France Great Britain Russia Triple Alliance is called Central Powers: Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire 5

Battle Plans Germany had a plan….. Schlieffen Plan The plan called for attacking and defeating France in the West and then rushing East to fight Russia. German forces swept into France after marching through Belgium. Allies stopped the Germans at the Marne River. Plan ultimately Failed. Forced Germany to fight a two-front war. In this plan Germany wanted to defeat France so it could then move on to Russia. The fastest way to Paris was to go through Belgium who was a neutral nation. Being stopped by the allied powers prevented Germany’s quick defeat of France. Since they were stopped and unable to advance quickly to Russia. Germany was forced to fight a two front war.

2 Front War Western Front Eastern Front During the earliest period of the war most of the fighting took place in Belgium and Northern France. Eastern Front Site of main fighting along the German-Russian border Although Russia struggles in the battles on the Eastern Front, the size of their army prevents Germany from sending troops to the Western Front. Germany is fighting on both fronts….they are having to spread out their troops and essentially fight two wars. Along the Eastern Front Russians and Serbs fought Austrians, Germans, and Turks. German and Russian troops fought for more than three years.

War in the Trenches Conflict descends into trench warfare Soldiers dug trenches were they ate, slept, and watched the enemy. Life in the trenches was pure misery. Trenches swarmed with rats Fresh Food was nonexistent Sleep was nearly impossible. Armies fighting from trenches Traded huge losses of human life for small land gains. The space between the opposing trenches was called “No Man’s Land.”

Life in the Trenches

Life in the Trenches

New Ways of Fighting Nations fought in the air for the first time. Throughout the conflict, countries on both sides built faster and stronger aircraft. Designed them to drop bombs and shoot at one another in the sky. Submarines were used on a large scale. Germany called its submarines U-Boats. During W.W.I. both sides created new weapons. Machine guns Poison gas Tanks

Machine gun fires bullets rapidly without reloading Machine gun fires bullets rapidly without reloading. A well-placed machine gun could wipe out thousands of soldiers. It fired so fast that the only way an army could protect itself was to take cover in the trenches. Tank- Introduced by the British. Could smash through barbed wire that protected the trenches. By the end of the war both sides were using tanks. German U-Boats sank many allied and neutral ships carrying food and supplies. In order to protect their supplies allies organized convoys, or warships that traveled all along the outer edge of a group of supply ships.

Machine Guns Machine gun fires bullets rapidly without reloading. A well-placed machine gun could wipe out thousands of soldiers. It fired so fast that the only way an army could protect itself was to take cover in the trenches.

Tank Armored combat vehicle that moved on chain tracks. Could cross many types of Terrain. Could smash through barbed wire that protected the trenches. By the end of the war both sides were using tanks. Introduced by the British.

Poison Gas Was introduced by the Germans but was used by both sides. Soldiers wore masks to protect themselves. Some gases caused blindness or severe blisters, others death by choking.

A Bloody Stalemate Battles result in many deaths, small land gains. Life in trenches is miserable, difficult, unsanitary. New weapons only lead to more deaths.

The war dragged on for 4 years. The war on the western front turned into a stalemate. During these years, new technologies of warfare, the total involvement of citizens and governments made W.W.I. unlike any earlier war. World War I spreads to several continents and requires the full resources of many governments.