Chapter 13 Section 2 Europe Plunges Into War Objective: Examine military actions on the Western & Eastern fronts Vocabulary: Central Powers, Allies, Western Front, Schlieffen Plan, Trench Warfare, & Eastern Front

Setting the Stage By 1914, Europe was divided into two rival camps On one side was the Triple Entente – Great Britain, France, & Russia On the other side was Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria- Hungary, & Italy As a result of alliances, nearly all of Europe soon joined what would be the largest, most destructive war the world had ever seen

The Great War Begins Russia expected Germany to join Austria & they mobilized along the German border On August 1st, the German government declared war on Russia Russia rushed to France for support Two days later, Germany declared war on France & shortly after, Great Britain declared war on German

Nations Take Sides Central Powers – nations of Germany & Austria-Hungary Allies – nations of Great Britain, France, & Russia, along with a few other nations Italy switched sides to the allies accusing their former allies for unjustly starting a war In 1914, millions of soldiers marched happily off to battle, convinced the war would be short

A Bloody Stalemate Western Front – region in Northern France Germany developed a battle strategy to fight a war on two fronts Schlieffen Plan – Germany’s military plan which German troops would rapidly defeat France & move east to attack Russia

The Conflict Grinds Along Germany swept into France & days away from taking over Paris 600 taxicabs rushed soldiers from Paris to the Western Front, causing the Germans to retreat The German’s Schlieffen Plan was in ruins after retreating Paris & Russia already began their invasion The Western Front turned into stalemate between Germany & France

War in the Trenches Trench Warfare – form of warfare in which opposing armies fight each other from trenches dug in the battle field Life in the trenches was pure misery with rats, no fresh food, & very little sleep Space between the trenches was known as “no man’s land” New tools of war included machine guns, poison gas, armored tanks, & larger artillery Thousands died in the trenches to only gain a few inches of land 300,000 men were lost in war for Germans to gain 4 inches while the British gained 5 miles

The Battle on the Eastern Front Eastern Front – region along the German- Russian border Russia forces launched an attack on both Germany & Austria Germans were able to crush the Russians while the Russians were originally victorious against the Austrians

Russia Struggles Russia wasn’t industrialized unlike Western Europe Russia’s army was short on food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, & blankets The army was able to rebuilt its ranks because of the country’s enormous population Even though Germany was winning the Eastern Front they couldn’t put its full focus on the Western Front