What do we already know about WW1? Year it started… Countries involved… Year it ended… Day it ended… A major battle… It was fought in… Weapons used… It started because… ……….died. It ended because… Women did… Soldiers stayed in…

Overview

Causes Historians disagree about what 'caused' the First World War, but most trace it in some degree to the growing power of Germany. The 'balance of power' between the nations of Europe became unstable. This led them to form military alliances: The Triple Alliance ‒ Germany, Austria and Italy The Triple Entente ‒ France, Britain and Russia An easy to remember list of the most important issues surrounding the causes of the war is: Militarism - many countries believed it was important to build large armies and navies. Alliances - the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were said to have been formed to help prevent war. Imperialism - European nations were creating empires and coming into conflict. Nationalism - all countries were looking out for their own interests. After the murder of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia. The countries of Europe found that the alliances they had formed dragged them into war.

Course In August 1914, Germany invaded France through Belgium, using its plan for war ‒ the Schlieffen Plan. The German attack was forced back at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. Both sides dug defensive trenches and the war ground to a halt. For the next four years, the war on the Western Front consisted of a deadly stalemate. The battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916, and Passchendaele in 1917 were key events, where each side tried to wear the other side down.

Conclusion In 1917, the Americans entered the war. Before they could arrive, the Germans made another attack, in March 1918. It was successful to start with but the Germans failed to break through. They were pushed back in August 1918. Two months later the Germans signed the Armistice. Films like All Quiet on the Western Front (made in 1930 and then remade in 1979), based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, have led us all to imagine that we know what the First World War was like. We often think of flooded trenches, artillery bombardments, suicidal rushes across No Man's land, poison gas, mud and gangrene. There were other theatres of war, e.g. eastern Europe, Gallipoli, the Middle East, Africa and at sea. The First World War was one of history's epic conflicts, and you may wish to compare it to other major wars such as the second world war

Long term causes of WW1 Cause What was it? How did it cause war? Empire Arms race (Militaristic) Nationalism

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/20th_century/first_world_war/video/

Causes A number of different things contributed to a situation where the First World War could break out.

The Threat of Germany Germany became a united ‘empire’ in 1871, by defeating and humiliating France. After 1900 Germany built up its navy – this frightened the British. In 1901, Kaiser Wilhelm II demanded an overseas empire for Germany – this frightened Britain and France. Germany wanted to build a railway through the Balkans to Balkans to Baghdad – this alarmed the Russians who said they were the protectors of the Balkans. Germany’s military defence plan – the Schlieffen Plan – involved attacking France.

The Balkans The Turkish Empire in the Balkans collapsed: Nationalist interests became clear when the new aggressive nation of Serbia clashed with Austria. Austria and Russia clashed because they both wanted more power in the Balkans. How does the Bosnian Crisis 1908 link to events of 1914

The system of alliances Two opposing groups had grown up by 1914, believing that a 'balance of power' would prevent war: The Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (1882). The Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain (1907).

The Moroccan Crises 1905 and 1911 What happened How did they increase tension?

The Navy Race What is it? How does it increase tension- Why does the Kaiser try to reassure Britain?

TRENCHES

Death Death was a constant companion to those serving in the line. Inexperienced soldiers were cautioned against their natural inclination to peer over the parapet of the trench into No Man’s Land. Many men died on their first day in the trenches due to a precisely aimed snipe’s bullet. It has been estimated that up to one third of Allied casualties on the Western Front were actually sustained in the trenches. 

Rat Infestation Millions of rats infested trenches. Two main types, the brown and the black rat.  Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared.  Gorging themselves on human remains (grotesquely disfiguring them by eating their eyes and liver) they could grow to the size of a cat. A single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food. 

Frogs, lice and worse Lice were also never-ending problem causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams. Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever.  Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks.  Frogs by the score were found in shell holes covered in water; they were also found in the base of trenches.  Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid nits.

The Trench Cycle Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve a spell in the front line.  This would be followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve lines.  A period of rest would follow - generally short in duration - before the whole cycle of trench duty would start afresh.

Trench Foot A fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions.  It could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. 

Stand to The daily routine began with the morning ‘stand to’.  An hour before dawn everyone was ordered to climb up on the fire step to guard against a dawn raid by the enemy, bayonets fixed. This policy of ‘stand to’ was adopted by both sides, and despite the knowledge that each side prepared itself for raids or attacks timed at dawn, many were actually carried out at this time. Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at dawn.

Rum, Rifles and the Breakfast Truce With stand to over, in some areas rum might then be issued to the men.  They would then attend to the cleaning of their rifle equipment. Breakfast would next be served.  In essentially every area of the line at some time or other each side would adopt an unofficial truce while breakfast was served and eaten.  Truces such as these seldom lasted long; invariably a senior officer would hear of its existence and quickly stamp it out.  Nevertheless it persisted throughout the war, and was more prevalent in quieter sectors of the line.

Inspection and Chores With breakfast over the men would be inspected by either the company or platoon commander.  Once this had been completed NCOs would assign daily chores to each man. Daily chores included the refilling of sandbags, the repair of the duckboards on the floor of the trench and the draining of trenches. Particularly following heavy rainfall, trenches could quickly accumulate muddy water, making life ever more miserable for its occupants as the walls of the trench rapidly became misshapen and were prone to collapse.

Daily Boredom Given that each side's front line was constantly under watch by snipers and look-outs during daylight, movement was logically restricted until night fell.  Thus, once men had concluded their assigned tasks they were free to attend to more personal matters, such as the reading and writing of letters home. Meals were also prepared.  Sleep was snatched wherever possible - although it was seldom that men were allowed sufficient time to grab more than a few minutes rest before they were detailed to another task.

Dusk With the onset of dusk the morning ritual of stand to was repeated, to guard against a surprise attack as light fell. This over, the trenches became a hive of activity.  Supply and maintenance activities could be undertaken.  Men would be sent to the rear lines to fetch rations and water. Other men would be assigned sentry duty on the fire step.  Generally men would be expected to provide sentry duty for up to two hours.  Any longer and there was a real risk of men falling asleep on duty - for which the penalty was death by firing squad.

Patrolling No Man’s Land Patrols would often be sent out into No Mans Land.  Some men would be tasked with repairing or adding barbed wire to the front line.  Others however would go out to assigned listening posts, hoping to pick up valuable information from the enemy lines. Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land.  They were then faced with the option of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting. They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.

Relieving Men at the Front Men were relieved front-line duty at night-time too.  Relieving units would wind their weary way through numerous lines of communications trenches, weighed down with equipment and trench stores (such as shovels, picks, corrugated iron, duckboards, etc.). 

And the Smell Finally, no overview of trench life can avoid the aspect that instantly struck visitors to the lines: the appalling reek given off by numerous conflicting sources. Rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands.  Overflowing latrines would give off a most offensive stench. Men who had not been afforded the luxury of a bath in weeks or months would offer the pervading odor of dried sweat.  The feet were generally accepted to give off the worst odor.

Shell Shock

Amnesia: Where they might have hit their head hard and lost their memory. Confabulation: Where you loose your memory and replace it with another one.

On 7 July 1916, Arthur Hubbard painfully set pen to paper in an attempt to explain to his mother why he was no longer in France. He had been taken from the battlefields and deposited in the East Suffolk and Ipswich Hospital suffering from 'shell shock'. In his words, his breakdown was related to witnessing 'a terrible sight that I shall never forget as long as I live'. He told his mother:

Assessment question… “Trench Foot was the worst trench condition.” How much do you agree with this statement. Paragraph 1: Explain trench foot Paragraph 2-5: Talk about the other conditions Paragraph 6: Refer back to the statement and conclude your answer. Make sure you use the primary sources and question it’s reliability and what the purpose of the source is