The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

How the Assassination of one man led the World to War The Assassination sets off the system of Alliances Austrians, supported by Germany, send Serbia a tough ultimatum. Serbia agrees to all but two terms of the ultimatum. Russia mobilises her troops to support Serbia Germany demands that Russia stands her armies down. Germany declares war on Russia “Demands must be put to Serbia that would be wholly impossible for them to accept …”

The Schlieffen Plan Germany’s military plan to defeat France and Russia. “Knock out blow” aimed at France first.

The Western Front

Somme and Passch-endaele

Entire forests were turned into wastelands

WWI Technology Automatic Machine Gun — rapid fire technology made for efficient killing

“Artillery was the great leveller “Artillery was the great leveller. Nobody could stand more than three hours of sustained shelling before they start falling sleepy and numb. You're hammered after three hours and you're there for the picking when he comes over.” Martin Middlebrook - The Kaiser's Battle

Gas French artillery after fighting through a gas attack Poison Gas — mustard gas and chlorine gas were most common; caused choking, blisters, blindness and damage to soft tissue French artillery after fighting through a gas attack

Gas Shells exploding in No-Man’s Land “It produces a flooding of the lungs - it is an equivalent death to drowning only on dry land. The effects are these - a splitting headache and terrific thirst (to drink water is instant death), a knife edge of pain in the lungs and the coughing up of a greenish froth off the stomach and the lungs, ending finally in insensibility and death. The colour of the skin from white turns a greenish black and yellow, the colour protrudes and the eyes assume a glassy stare. It is a fiendish death to die.” - Lance Sergeant Elmer Cotton, 1915.

Tanks — first tanks were slow and clumsy, but they were armored and useful for leading charges British tank. Cpl. Shaw Somme Front, September 1916

British Introduced the Tank in 1916 Combined infantry and tank advance

German U-boats

Hot Air Balloon- used solely for reconnaissance Airplane- Used mostly for reconnaissance, and dropping bombs. Could fight with other Airplanes Hot Air Balloon- used solely for reconnaissance

Infantry- not as much changed German Mauser Both sides issued rifles to their infantry French Lebel Grenades

Lice Rats Water in trenches

Trench Foot Trench Foot was a fungal infection of the feet, caused by cold, wet, and unsanitary trench conditions.

The Rest of the World At War

The Rest of the Rest of the World at War

Russia Leaves the War Russia’s lack of Industry made them ill-prepared for modern warfare Russia still preferred bayonet rushes Russian communications lacked encryption codes; consequently, their transmissions were easily intercepted and read by the Germans 1914 in WWI the Russian army had 6,553,000 men, however, they only had 4,652,000 rifles

Bolshevik Revolution On the Eastern Front, the Russians did not have enough food, fuel, or weapons to fight a war. Czar Nicholas II refused to give up the fight. Two million (2,000,000) Russian soldiers were killed. March, 1917 a revolt took place and the Czar was replaced, but Russia stayed in the fight A second revolt, “The Russian Revolution” took place in November by the Bolsheviks, their Leader Vladimir Lenin took over as dictator. 1918 Lenin signed a peace treaty with Germany officially dropping out of the war, Freeing up thousands of German troops to fight in the Western Front

Treaty of Brest Liovsk 1918

Total War The idea of “Total War” is that the nation put absolutely all of their resources into the war effort. Women, children, elderly, non-military production—all were used to further the war effort.     British ten-acre munitions warehouse Tank Production Line

Country Men mobilised Killed Wounded POW’s + missing Total casualties casualties in % of men mobilised Russia 12 million 1.7mill 4.9mill 2.5mill 9.15mill 76.3 France 8.4 mill 1.3mill 4.2mill 537,000 6.1mill 73.3 GB + Empire 8.9mill 908,000 2mill 191,000 3.1mill 35.8 Italy 5.5mill 650,000 947,000 600,000 2.1mill 39 USA 4.3mill 126,000 234,000 4,500 350,000 8 Japan 800,000 300 900 3 1210 0.2 Romania 750,000 335,000 120,000 80,000 535,000 71 Serbia 700,000 45,000 133,000 153,000 331,000 47 Belgium 267,000 13,800 34,500 93,000 35 Greece 230,000 5000 21,000 1000 27,000 12 Portugal 100,000 7222 13,700 12,000 33,000 33 Total Allies 42million 5 million 13million 4 million 22million 52%

Country Men mobilised Killed Wounded POW’s + missing Total casualties casualties in % of men mobilised Germany 11million 1.7million 4.2million 1.1million 7.1million 65 Austria 7.8million 1.2million 3.6million 2.2million 7 million 90 Turkey 2.8million 325,000 400,000 250,000 975,000 34 Bulgaria 87,000 152,000 27,000 266,000 22 Total Central Powers 22.8mill 3.3million 8.3million 15 million 67 Grand Total 65 million 8.5mill 21million 7.7mill 37million 57%