World War I

Bellringer Whose death was the fuse that began WWI?

The Great War Mid-August 1914 Central Allies o Germany, Austria-Hungary o Italy joins-name becomes Triple Alliance Allied Powers o Great Britain, France, Russia o Japan joins o Italy switches to join Allies Millions of soldiers marched to battle-convinced it would be short

Germany and a Two Front War Germany faces war on two fronts Develops the Schlieffen Plan o attacking and defeating France in the west and then rushing east to fight Russia o Russia lagged behind the rest of Europe in railroads Early September-Germans reach outskirts of Paris-First Battle of the Marne Allies regroup and attack German retreats

Quick Victory? First Battle of the Marne-most important event of the war? Defeat of the Schlieffen Plan Quick defeat in west seems impossible In the east-Russian forces invaded Germany German high command sent thousands of troops from France to aid forces in its east War on Western Front is stalemate

Trench Warfare By 1915, both sides on Western front had dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire Soldiers fight from trenches Armies traded huge losses of life and small land gains Life in trenches “The men slept in mud, washed in mud, ate mud, and dreamed mud.” Clip:

Life in the Trenches

Trench Foot Medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, & cold conditions Numbness, turning red or blue, decaying odor, swelling, blisters, open sores, fungus or ulcers If untreated-gangrene result in amputation If treated-complete recovery, pain still persists

The Western Front “No man’s land” Western front becomes “terrain of death.” New weapons of war kill greater number of people more effectively Battle of the Somme - Germans attack French, British help French. By the time it ended each side suffered more than a half a million casualties

The Eastern Front War was more mobile Russia suffered against Germans Russia defeated Austrians better Until Austria is able to push them out of Austria-Hungary 1916, Russian war effort was near collapse Russia had yet to be industrialized Short of food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, blankets German limits Allied supply shipment

Russia Ties up Germans Large Russian army Suffered a lot of losses Army continually rebuilt from population Germany could not send tons of fighting forces to the west because they were tied up in the east

New Weapons of War Poison Gas o Masks to protect themselves o Introduced by Germans o Used on both sides o Some caused blindness, severe blisters, death by choking Tanks o Armored vehicle that moved on chain tracks o Introduced by British

New Weapons of War Machine guns o Fires ammunition automatically o Wipe out waves of attackers and made it difficult for forces to advance Submarine o Introduced by Germans o Weapon against ships o Use of torpedoes, which are underwater missiles

Today’s Task-Setting the Stage The year is 1917, and the war in Europe is raging. The United States has entered the war, and its troops of volunteers and draftees are being sent to Europe. Though soldiers and pilots were men, many women enlisted as nurses and office workers. The war is having a huge impact on life throughout the world. Economies and governments are focused on the war effort, and people and politicians are in heated debates.

The Task What’s it like to be in a war? Each student will explore this question through the POV of a participant in WWI: a pilot, a nurse, a soldier, or a civilian.

The Process You can either work alone, with a partner, 3 or 4. There are 4 different fact sheets that give the perspective of WWI through different “jobs.” Each person is to complete the organizer about the different jobs in WWI. Due by the end of class.