Causes of WWI

Militarism Alliances Nationalism Imperialism Assassination Causes of WWI - MANIA Militarism Alliances Nationalism Imperialism Assassination

1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures Militarism When a nation’s armed forces come to dominate a country’s national policy It is also a glorification of the military and war itself 1910-1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures France 10% Britain 13% Russia 39% Germany 73%

Alliances Signed treaties in which each nation involved pledges to defend the other if attacked by an aggressor Basically, countries agreed to help each other

Alliances Triple Entente: Triple Alliance: Great Britain Germany Austria-Hungary France Russia Italy

Nationalism Pride and patriotism in one’s nation In terms of WWI, nationalism became aggressive and subsequently (because of this) a major cause of international tension Independent nations desired dominance and prestige and as these powers tried to dominate each other in Europe, their rivalries may be regarded as one of the causes of the First World War

Imperialism Domination by one country over the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or region Due to the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, some European nations had a large portion of the world under their control

Imperialism and Colonial Rivalries After 1870, the European nations began to acquire colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific Colonial rivalry led to: strained relations among the European powers. In Africa, all the European powers except Austria and Russia had colonies there. Thus there were many clashes among France, Britain, Germany and Italy. the formation and strengthening of alliances and ententes. (indirectly) an intensification of the arms race. much hostility among the powers.

Assassination The “spark” that started WWI On June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria Hungarian Throne was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed that Bosnia should belong to Serbia

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914

Gavrilo Princip after his assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Point of No Return Austria blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s death and declared war on Serbia. Germany pledged their support for Austria -Hungary. Russia pledged their support for Serbia.

Germany declares war on Russia France pledges their support for Russia Germany declares war on France Germany invades Belgium on the way to France Great Britain supports Belgium and declares war on Germany

Allied Powers: Central Powers: Germany Great Britain World War I Austria-Hungary France Ottoman Empire Russia Italy

Schlieffen Plan: Germany would attack fast by going through neutral Belgium along the coast and defeat France swiftly, and then take on Russia in the East. Germany did NOT want to fight a war on two fronts! England declares war on Germany. Italy sides with the Allies.

Fighting not only in Europe…also in China, Pacific Islands, India, Africa…this was the War to End all Wars!

Submarine Warfare German U-Boats were sinking US ships killing many US citizens. Tensions were rising, but the US wanted to stay out of this war. Until... The Zimmerman Note: the US intercepted a letter from Germany to Mexico. Germany would support Mexico in a future war against the US if Mexico supported Germany in WWI

Lusitania British Ocean Liner May 7th 1915 sunk by a German U-Boat 1200 people die including 128 Americans The lost of the Lusitania provoked great outrage in the United States and helped create the climate of public opinion that would later allow America to join the war.

The Western Front Trench Warfare Soldiers fought each other from dug out trenches Would storm each other’s trenches Very bloody and each side would gain very little land -advanced about one mile per month All Quiet on Western Front Clip

Trench warfare

Trench Conditions Trenches were infested by rats and disease -dead bodies littered the ground Food was scarce and sleep was almost impossible due to constant artillery blasts

“The men slept in mud, washed in mud, ate mud, and dreamed mud”

Trench Warfare

“No Man’s Land”

Trench Warfare New Weapons Machine Guns: created huge # of casualties Tanks: slow and hard to control Poison Gases: painful and effective in trench warfare Large Artillery: destruction of trenches, cities,... Airplanes: used towards the end of the war

Machine Gun: Caused Huge # of Casualties

Flame Thrower

Artillery

Artillery: Constant bombardment of trenches and long range destruction BEFORE AFTER

Airplanes

Zeppelin airplanes Zeppelin Fly Boys Zeppelin Clip

WWI Tanks

British Tank German Tank

Poison Gas Use During WWI

Types of Poison Gas

Tearing Agent (lachrymatory) France used it first in 1914 Causes temporary blindness Inflames the nose and throat Gas mask offered good protection Similar to mace and pepper spray No long term effects if used properly Some forms would freeze in cold weather and not work (Eastern Front)

US Army Basic Training Gas Chamber

Asphyxiant First Used by the Germans in 1915 Poisonous gases Chlorine (First developed by Germany) Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At high concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation Gas Masks were effective in filtering Chlorine

British Use of Chlorine Gas Commander of British II Corps, Lt.Gen. Ferguson (officially) said of gas: “It is a cowardly form of warfare which does not commend itself to me or other English soldiers.... We cannot win this war unless we kill or incapacitate more of our enemies than they do of us, and if this can only be done by our copying the enemy in his choice of weapons, we must not refuse to do so” First attempt was a disaster as wind blew gas back into British Trenches. Also many British troops were not equipped with gas masks

Phosgene First Developed by the French in 1915 Odorless and hard to detect Often used mixed with an equal volume of chlorine, with the chlorine helping to spread the denser phosgene. Some of the symptoms of exposure took 24 hours or more to manifest 85% of the 100,000 deaths caused by chemical weapons during World War I

Blistering Agent Mustard gas Attacks any exposed, moist skin Eyes, lungs, armpits groin, etc…. Caused huge blisters “Heavy” gas as it laid in areas for hours sometimes days Fatal victims sometimes took four or five weeks to die of mustard gas exposure.[32]

How was poison gas used?

Before gas masks soldiers used socks soaked in urine to filter out poison gas

Equipment

Gas Victims

Poison Gas Victim: “It seemed as if my lungs were gradually shutting up and my heart pounded away in my ears like the beat of a drum. On looking at the chap next to me I felt sick, for green stuff was oozing from the side of his mouth”

Estimated gas casualties[34] Nation Fatal Non-fatal Russia 56,000 419,340 Germany 9,000 200,000 France 8,000 190,000 British Empire 8,109 188,706 Austria-Hungary 3,000 100,000 USA 1,462 72,807 Italy 4,627 60,000 Total 88,498 1,240,853