Georgia’s History: World War I SS8H7d © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Standards SS8H8 Analyze Georgia’s participation in important events that occurred from World War I through the Great Depression. a. Describe Georgia’s contributions to World War I. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 1/THE GREAT WAR/THE WAR TO END ALL WARS Remember there are four causes- three Isms and the Alliance System Imperialism – the belief that strong nations should control weak nations and have overseas colonies (mercantilism) Nationalism - extreme love of country Militarism – a belief in a strong military and using it to further your interests Alliance System – mutual defense treaties between nations

World War I 1914 to 1918 World War I began in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife. The Archduke was heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire He was visiting Sarajevo on a good will mission The murderer was a Bosnian nationalist. The archduke’s murder caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. Because of the alliance systems everybody declared war against each other © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his Wife, Sophie, and 3 Children 1910 © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Alliances Military alliances made the conflict grow larger. Russia came to Serbia’s aid. Germany declared war on Russia and France. Great Britain came to the aid of France by declaring war on Germany. The Ottoman Empire entered the war a few months later. Italy entered the war in 1915. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

© 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Alliances- the Two Sides Allies Central Powers Serbia Austria-Hungary Russia Germany France Ottoman Empire Belgium Bulgaria Great Britain Italy © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Isolationism The US was neutral and stayed out of the war at first although they were willing to sell to both sides. President Woodrow Wilson thought that the US should remain neutral and that isolationism was the best option for the country. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson Childhood home is in Augusta across from the Bell Auditorium © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Three Reasons for US Entry The Sinking of the Lusitania – May 1915 Unrestricted Submarine Warfare The Zimmermann Note January 1917 The US will enter the war on April 2, 1917

Submarine Warfare U-Boats were new technology and disliked because you couldn’t see them. In the early days U Boats would surface, warn their target and sink it with their deck gun In response to the British Blockade Germany announced a war zone around Britain that declared any ship entering as subject to attack The German Embassy in the US posted warnings in US newspapers warning passengers of the state of war and the danger of sailing into the zone The Lusitania was carrying munitions on it’s voyages

Lusitania The Lusitania left New York City bound for England In May 1915, a German U-boat sank the British passenger liner off the coast of Ireland. The ship sank in 18 minutes after being struck by one torpedo (It took the Titanic 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink) 1,198 people died, including 128 Americans. Days later bodies began floating up on the beaches This angered many Americans and it went against the American belief of freedom of seas. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Lusitania 1907 © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Sinking Ships Wilson protested the sinking and Germany stopped unrestricted warfare for a while Germany continued to selectively sink ships because they were trying to keep supplies from reaching Great Britain. Americans sympathized with the Allies and were concerned about the safety of US ships. The last straw was when several US ships were sunk in February and March 1917. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

German U-boat 1910 © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Zimmerman Note January 1917 A telegram to the German Ambassador in Mexico from the German Foreign Office The telegram is intercepted by British Intelligence and decoded Germany is fearful the US is close to entering the war on the side of the Allies because they plan on bringing unrestricted submarine warfare back in February 1917 The offer is this: If the US enters the war, Mexico should invade the US to force the US to keep their army at home and not send them to Europe In exchange for this, after Germany wins the war, Mexico will regain Texas, Arizona and New Mexico Americans are angered by the telegram and anti-German sentiment increases Zimmerman Note January 1917

US Enters War On April 6, 1917, the United States entered the war as an ally of Great Britain and France and declared war on Germany. The US military drafted 4 million men and was sending thousands to Europe every day. Nearly 100,000 Georgians served in the armed forces. The US Navy sent supplies, Marines, and battleships to fight the Central Powers in Europe. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Style of Warfare and New Technologies Trench warfare is common- miles of men dug into trenches separated by a 1000 yards of No Mans Land Thousands die crossing this open space- killed by machine guns New Technologies include machine guns, airplanes, tanks, flame throwers, and gas warfare © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Georgia in WWI Georgia contributed to the war effort in many ways. The state’s textile mills produced fabric that was used for uniforms and blankets. The increased demand for food and supplies brought prosperity to Georgia’s farmers as they produced food, livestock, cotton, and tobacco. The value of Georgia’s cotton crop tripled between 1900 and 1916—making farmers more prosperous than they had been in over 60 years. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Georgia in WWI Many military bases in Georgia played key roles in preparing men for war. Fort McPherson near Atlanta, was the oldest and dated back to 1889. Over 10,000 wounded soldiers were treated at General Hospital No. 6 at Fort McPherson. General John Pershing ordered the opening of Fort Benning near Columbus in 1917 to train thousands of troops. The US War Department established a camp at Fort Oglethorpe to hold German merchant sailors as prisoners. Georgia has the ports and railroads to handle transportation for troops © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

WWI Ends America’s entry into the war gave the Allies the extra power they needed to defeat the Central Powers. US troops are so well fed French soldiers call them Doughboys In 1918, American troops fought the final battles of WWI. In November 11, 1918, the Central Powers surrendered to the Allies and signed an armistice that ended the war. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Celebrating the End of WWI © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Teacher Info – WWI Questions Print off the WWI Questions handout for each student. They should answer the questions after discussing the presentation. Afterwards, check and share answers as a class. *You can also use this as a quiz! © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

World War I Questions 10. What happened on November 11, 1918? 9. In what ways did Georgia contribute to the war effort? 8. How did the US contribute to the Allies? 7. How many men did the US military draft to send to Europe? 6. Why did the US get involved in WWI? 5. What was the name of the British passenger liner that was sunk by German submarines? 4. Which president thought that the US should remain neutral? 3. Name the Central Powers: 2. Name the Allies at the beginning of WWI: What happened in 1914? © 2014 Brain Wrinkles World War I Questions