The Great War (1914 - 1919)

The Road To War Key Points The Industrial Revolution created the technological advances that made WWI the most destructive war to date. The massive war that broke out in Europe in 1914 quickly settled into a long and bloody stalemate. At first, President Wilson was determined to maintain American neutrality. German submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram contributed to Wilson’s decision to declare war on Germany in 1917.

The Causes of War Militarism: European powers began to develop strong military forces in order to protect their global interests Alliances: European powers made a series of alliances for mutual protection Nationalism: Europeans developed extreme pride in their own countries Imperialism: European powers spread out across the globe in a race to control the most territory and resources Assassination: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Bosnia by a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princep

Militarism 1910 – 1914 Increase in Defense Expenditures France 10% Britain 13% Russia 39% Germany 73%

Nationalism Pan-Germanism Austria* Belgium Denmark Iceland Germany* Lichtenstein* Luxemburg Netherlands Norway Sweden Switzerland* United Kingdom *German Speaking Country

Nationalism Pan-Slavism Bulgaria Croatia Czechoslovakia Macedonia Poland Russia Serbia Slovakia Ukraine

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

Imperialism European powers ignored pre-existing civilizations throughout Africa and indiscriminately claimed lands as their own.

Assassination

Gavrilo Princep

Taking Sides Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Allies: Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, United States

Europe in World War I

The Conflict Grinds Along

The Conflict Grinds Along (continued) By early September Germany had swept into France and reached the outskirts of Paris September 5, 1914—At the First Battle of the Marne, Germany is forced to retreat. With this defeat the Schlieffen Plan failed because Germany was then forced to fight a two front war.

The Deadliest War Describe the first part of the war. Where was it fought? What happened? What type of warfare was used? Eastern France Germans and French were locked in a stalemate with both sides taking heavy loses and neither gaining any ground Trench Warfare The slaughter reached a peak in 1916. February 1916: Battle of Verdun—Each side lost more than 300,000. July-November 1916: The Somme—Each side suffered more than 500,000 casualties. Only 5 miles were gained in each of these battles. How did technology play a role in WWI? New weaponry like machine guns, poison gas, flame throwers, mortars, made the war much more deadly

American Neutrality Why did President Woodrow Wilson want to keep America neutral? He was horrified by the bloodshed, and he didn’t want to support Russia, a dictatorship What did Britain do to gain American support? They used anti-German propaganda in the U.S. What was the Lusitania and what happened to it? It was a British passenger liner that was sunk by a German U-boat Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare, meaning they attacked military, cargo, and civilian ships without warning. Their main goal being to stop allied trade.

Lusitania

Entering the War What was the Zimmerman Telegram? It was a message intercepted by British intelligence saying that Germany would help Mexico regain lost territory in America if they helped them invade the U.S. What were the 3 key things that made President Wilson decide to finally enter the war on the side of the Allies? Germany resuming unrestricted submarine warfare (they had stopped temporarily when the U.S. threatened to enter the war earlier) The Zimmerman Telegram The Russian Revolution (the Czar was overthrown)

The Zimmerman Telegram

Weapons of World War I

Weapons of World War I Artillery

Weapons of World War I

Weapons of World War I

Weapons of World War I

Flying Aces Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He was killed in combat with Canadian pilots near the Somme River.

Weapons of World War I

Weapons of World War I

Weapons of World War I

The British Vickers machine gun required a six man team to operate The British Vickers machine gun required a six man team to operate. One to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and the rest to help carry the weapon and supplies.