World War I

The World Before WWI  Western Europe- Highly competitive  Eastern Europe- Dominated by Russia and the Austrian Hungarian Empire  Middle East- Controlled by the weak Ottoman Empire  Africa and Asia- controlled by Europe  North America- Dominated by the U.S.  South America- Protected from control by the U.S.

I.Traditional European Rules of War  1. A country must declare war before attacking another country.  2. Each side must wear uniforms or identify themselves to each other before attacking. Soldiers wearing an enemy uniform will be shot as a spy.

 3. Commanding officers should not be targeted

 4. Civilians, Surrendering Soldiers and Medical Personnel will not be attacked.  5. Hand to Hand combat is honorable, shooting from a distance is cowardly

 6. Soldiers must be given the opportunity to surrender honorably.

II. Roots of WWI  In 1914, Europe was ready for war.  There were four main reasons why:  1.Militarism: The countries of Europe were building up their armies and navies  2. Imperialism: European countries were arguing over colonial property in Asia, Africa and the New World

 3. Nationalism: The major European countries were extremely proud of themselves and were ready to prove it. Smaller countries such as Serbia wanted their independence.

 4. Alliances: The major European countries had made friends with each other for protection.

The Alliances  Triple Alliance  Germany – Kaiser Wilhelm II  Austria-Hungary – Archduke Francis Ferdinand  Italy Germany had later alliance with the Ottoman Turks  Triple Entente  England  France  Russia – Czar Nicholas II  England had an alliance with Belgium  Russia had an alliance with Serbia

Major Colonies  Triple Alliance  Germany- Africa, parts of Asia   Triple Entente  France- Vietnam, Africa, S. America  England- Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, S. America

Regions where fighting took place in World War I Western European Front 2 Eastern European Front 3 Italian Front 4 Balkan Front 5 Palestine/Syria 6 Iraq 7 Arabia 8 German Togoland 9 German Camaroons 10 German East Africa 11 German Southwest Africa 12 German Pacific Islands

III. The Start of the War  June : Archduke Ferdinand of Austria visited Sarajevo. He and his wife are killed by Gavrilo Princip, member of the Serbian independence group The Black Hand.  Austria wants revenge against Serbia asks Germany for assistance. Germany gives Austria a “blank check”- do what they wanted

Archduke Francis Ferdinand and Wife one hour before Assassination

 July : Austria demands repayment from Serbia, gives Serbia an ultimatum Serbia prepares for war, asks Russia for help  July : Austria declares war on Serbia  July 31, 1914: Russia, Austria, and Turkey mobilizes for war

Czar Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1899

 August 1, 1914: 2. Belgium, France, Germany mobilize. Germany declares war on Russia  Germany invades Poland and Luxemburg, invasion of France starts  August 3: Germany declares war on France  August 4: Germany declares war on Belgium and invades it, England declares war on Germany  August 5: Austria declares war on Russia

 By the end of 1914, not only Europe was at war, but also all of Europe’s colonies in Asia, Africa and South America.

IV. War Technology  1. Guns – A. The Machine Gun 1. It was used by both sides, hundreds of rounds a minute could be shot by one person.

– B. The German plan against France was to rush into the country as fast as possible: The Schlieffen Plan – C. The Machine Gun stopped this plan

How would the machine gun give an army an advantage ?

 D. Both sides of the war had the machine gun.  Millions of men were killed by it.

 D. Both sides of the war had the machine gun. Millions of men were killed by it.

The Trenches  Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland  6,250 miles  6 to 8 feet deep  Immobilized both sides for 4 years

 2. The Trenches – A. Both sides dug long trenches that faced each other. The trenches ran for miles. From time to time, one side would attempt to cross the “No-Man’s Land” the area in between the trenches.

Life in the Trenches  Elaborate systems of defense – barbed wire – Concrete machine gun nests – Mortar batteries – Troops lived in holes underground

French Soldiers Attacking a German Trench

What were the advantages and disadvantages to Trench Warfare ?

 3. Chemical Weapons A. WWI was the first major war to use chemical weapons B. Mustard Gas and Chlorine Gas were the two most popular weapons: They caused suffocation, blindness, and death

 C. Soldiers would protect themselves using Gas Masks

D. Gas weapons were inefficient, they killed both friend, enemy and civilians. E. They were outlawed after WWI

 4. The U-boat (Submarine) – A. Germany’s secret weapon during the war – B. Sank dozens of British ships, controlled the oceans.

Why would the British think the U- boat was breaking the rules of War ?

 5. Airpower – A.Both sides used aircraft for observation, limited bombing, and air battles – B. Airplanes were slow, clumsy, and unreliable, – C. The most famous German pilot was Baron von Richthofen (The Red Baron)

The Red Baron

 6. Other technology – A. Tanks: The British tried using tanks at the end of WWI, they were slow, broke down frequently and would get stuck in mud. – B. Automobiles: Used mainly to transport the wounded from the battles, cars and trucks were used in a limited way in WWI

V. The Battles The Western Front 1. Battle of the Marne was the name of two battles The first halted German advance into northeastern France in 1914, the second in 1918 tipped the balance of power in favor of the Allied forces. 2. Battle of Verdun A.Ten months long B. French and German armies. C. Estimated 540,000 French and 430,000 German casualties D. No strategic advantages were gained for either side.

3. Battle of Somme A.English and French vs Germany B. Six months of fighting C. Five miles of advancement for Allies D. 1 million men killed

 The Eastern Front Germany vs. Russia 4. Battle of Tannenberg: August First major eastern battle. Russia was badly defeated and pushed back. A. Russia lost millions of men against Germany, undersupplied, under gunned

 5. Other Fronts  Ottomans vs English, Australians  Battle of Gallipoli  Allied attack to capture Istanbul, and open a Black Sea supply route to Russia.  The idea was originally promoted by Winston Churchill

VI. The Home Front  Women took war factory jobs  Received lower wages than males  Food shortages made running a household difficult

The Home Front  Censorship – Not told about high death toll – Romanticized the battlefields “soldiers have died a beautiful death, in noble battle, we shall rediscover poetry…epic and chivalrous”

The Home Front  Impossible to hide death – Women in mourning – Badly wounded soldiers returned home – Opposition began to emerge

VII. Russia Exits the War  1. In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicates his throne, the Russian Duma continues to fight.  2. In October 1917: Lenin and the Bolsheviks take command: The Soviet Union is created.  3. March 1918: Soviets and Germans sign the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk, ending the war in the East.

VIII. America Enters the War:1917  US led by President Woodrow Wilson A. Wilson wanted to stay out of war: 1. Germans practiced unrestricted submarine warfare 2. Sinking of Lusitania: 128 Americans killed on British passenger ship, 3. Zimmerman Telegram: Germany promises Mexico: New Mexico, Arizona and Texas if Mexico helps Germany

Zimmerman Propaganda

 US poorly trained and armed for WWI

VIII. End of the War  1. March 1918: Last major campaign for Germany, threatened Paris, eventually lost campaign, pushed back by French and American troops  2. November 10,1918: Kaiser Wilhelm forced out of power  3. November 11, 1918: Armistice signed, war ended.

WWI- The Big Three  David Lloyd George- Represented England  George Clemenceau- Represented France  President Woodrow Wilson- Represented the US.

X. The Versailles Treaty 1.14 points from Wilson – Liberty for Colonies – League of Nations – not supported by US 2. Soviets not included 3. Britain and France took parts of Middle East 4. Germany punished with war debts,

XI. Consequences of WWI  1. Germany was punished with war debts to England and France, Germany was angry at its losses especially toward the new Weimar Republic.  2. France lost 20% of its men  million men died  4. Europe was economically destroyed  5. United States becomes world leader