World War One World War One BY Mr. Upsall

Causes of WW1  At the start of 1914, Europe was basically divided into two camps – the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France and Russia).  The immediate cause of WW1 was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was the heir to the Austrian Empire and his assassination by Serbian nationalists sparked a series of developments which led to the commencement of hostilities.  However there were more serious and long-term causes to WW1 rather than just the assassination. These include: the growing rivalry between Germany and Britain, the emerging power of Russia, and the growing sense of nationalism in the Balkans.  A series of crises leading up to the war only served to exacerbate the already latent tensions that lay beneath the service. These crises include: the Moroccan crisis and the Bosnian crisis.

Countries Involved

CONSCRIPTION Conscription was a very powerful issue in WW1 in all countries where it was implemented or was attempted to be implemented. When we refer to conscription we are referring to the forced enlistment of able-bodied men into the armed services to serve in overseas conflict. In Britain conscription was not introduced until Up until that point the numbers were made up by volunteers which served to fill in the required numbers for the armed services. However after the growing number of casualties and lack of numbers it proved impossible to fill numbers just from volunteers and conscription was introduced. It was called the Military Service Act In Australia the issue of conscription was deeply divisive. Two referendums were held (both resulted in a no majority for conscription) which showed roughly half and half of society were either side of the fence. The referendums were held in 1916 and 1917 and resulted in political change and deeply divisive fissions in Australian society.

Weapons Some of the weapons used in WW1 were symptomatic of the useless, heartless nature of warfare in the modern age described in Owens’ poetry.Some of the weapons used in WW1 were symptomatic of the useless, heartless nature of warfare in the modern age described in Owens’ poetry. These weapons included:These weapons included: Poison Gas: this was used to inflict pain and injury on the enemy by letting gas drift over the enemy trenches. Only gas masks protected against this.Poison Gas: this was used to inflict pain and injury on the enemy by letting gas drift over the enemy trenches. Only gas masks protected against this. Machine GunsMachine Guns TanksTanks Artillery GunsArtillery Guns PlanesPlanes

Living Conditions The conditions for soldiers were squalid and they were often surrounded by death and disease. The conditions for soldiers were squalid and they were often surrounded by death and disease. In the trenches the soldiers were confined to small spaces where there were no facilities or comforts and they were often under attack from the enemy. In the trenches the soldiers were confined to small spaces where there were no facilities or comforts and they were often under attack from the enemy. Rats and lice were a common problem in the squalid conditions of the trenches which only served to reinforce the misery that the soldiers would have felt. Rats and lice were a common problem in the squalid conditions of the trenches which only served to reinforce the misery that the soldiers would have felt. Rations were limited and were often of extremely poor quality. This often led to persistent health conditions for the soldiers. Rations were limited and were often of extremely poor quality. This often led to persistent health conditions for the soldiers. The conditions of the trenches and the danger that the soldiers lived under everyday served as inspiration for Wilfred Owens’ poetry. The conditions of the trenches and the danger that the soldiers lived under everyday served as inspiration for Wilfred Owens’ poetry.