1. A Bloody Conflict

2. US entered the war on April 6, 1917 Already millions of deaths from both old fashioned strategies and new technologies Will America make a difference? Trench warfare – dug trenches that extended from the English Channel to the Swiss border The space between the opposing trenches was known as “no man’s land” – a rough barren landscape pockmarked with craters from artillery fire. Sometimes lined with barbed wire and metal obstacles Relied upon modern rifles and a new weapon, the rapid fire machine gun with which they could hold off attacking forces.

3. Fighting – both sides would begin with massive artillery barrages Then soldiers would race across no mans land and hurl hand grenades into enemy trenches Not often successful – artillery was ineffective, troops crossing no mans land were easily stopped by enemy’s machine guns and rifles. Staggering high casualties!

4. New Technology April 1915 Germans first to use poison gas in the second battle of Ypres – fumes caused vomiting, blindness and suffocation Allies retaliated by using it as well. Now all soldiers had to carry gas masks 1916 British introduced the tank into battle. First tanks were very slow and cumbersome, mechanically unreliable and fairly easy to destroy Were useful in that they could roll over barbed wire barriers and some trenches. But did not make a big enough impact to make a difference

5. First airplanes to be used in combat First used to observe enemy activities Secondly used to drop small bombs Then attached machine guns and engaged in deadly air battles known as dogfights

6. The Americans and Victory America comes marching in to save the war They called American soldiers “dough boys” as they were largely inexperienced - but fresh like fresh dough Their presence boosted the morale of Allied forces

7. Winning the War at Sea No American ships were sunk on their way over to Europe to join in the fight – due largely to Admiral William S. Sims. With all of the damage the U-Boats had inflicted on British ships, Admiral Sims proposed grouping the warships and merchant ships together and forming a convoy

8. Russia Leaves the War March 1917 riots broke out in Russia over the government’s handling of the war and the scarcity of food and fuel March 15, 1917 Czar Nicholas II – leader, abdicated his throne. A temporary government was set up that was pro war but it could not deal with the food shortage or other problems effectively Nov. 1917 the Bolsheviks, a group of Communists lead by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the Russian government and established a Communistic government. Military forces pulled out of the war so they could concentrate on establishing a Communist state.

9. Lenin agreed to a Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany on March 3, 1918. Russia lost substantial territory – gave up the Ukraine, its Polish and Baltic territories & Finland. But Germans had to vacate any remaining Russian lands Now Germany was able to concentrate on the western front

10. German Offensive Falters March 21, 1918 – Germany launched a massive attack along the Western Front – using gas attacks and artillery They pushed deeply into Allied lines In early June they were less than 40 miles away from Paris! But in May American troops had launched their first attack and were successful, they then joined the French troops to stop the Germans advance on Paris on June 1. July 15 Germans make another concentrated attack on Paris but fail to take it.

11. Battle of Argonne Forest – French Marshal Ferdinand Foch ordered massive counter attacks along the front while German troops are stalled outside of Paris. Sept. 26, 1918 – General Pershing amassed over 600,000 American troops, 40,000 tons of supplies, and 4,000 artillery pieces. Slowly one German position after another fell to the advancing American troops. Americans suffered heavy casualties but by early November, they had shattered the German defensives and opened a hole in the German lines. Broke RR lines supporting German troops.

12. The War Ends While fighting was going on at the Western Front, revolution engulfed Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Turks surrendered. Faced with surrender of their allies and a naval mutiny at Kiel, the people of Berlin rose in rebellion on Nov. 9 and forced the Germans to step down. At the 11 th hour on the 11 th day of the 11 th month, 1918, the fighting stopped Germany signed an armistice - a cease fire that ended the war.

13. A Flawed Peace Jan. 1919, Peace Conference in Paris Resolve many complicated issues The “Big Four” the leaders of the victorious Allied Nations 1. President Woodrow Wilson – US 2. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George 3. French Premier Georges Clemenceau 4. Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando * Germany was not invited to participate

14. Wilson had presented his plan “The Fourteen Points” to Congress Jan. 1918 Based on “the principal of justice to all peoples and nationalities.” The first five points - eliminate the general causes of war through free trade, disarmament, freedom of the seas, impartial adjustment of colonial claims, and open diplomacy instead of secret agreements.

15. Next 8 points – addressed the right to self- determination (belief that people in a territory should have the ability to choose their own government) Required Central Powers to evacuate all of the countries involved during the war, including France, Belgium, and Russia.

16. League of Nations The 14 th point of Wilson’s plan called for the creation of a general association of nations, “The League of Nations.” Leagues member nations would help preserve peace and prevent future wars by pledging to respect and protect each others territory and political independence.

17. Treaty of Versailles As peace talks progressed in the Palace of Versailles, it became clear that Wilson’s ideas did not coincide with the interests of the other Allied governments. The other countries thought that Wilson’s ideas were too lenient on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles, signed by Germany on June 28, 1919, weakened or discarded many of Wilson’s proposals

18. Treaty of Versailles Germany was stripped of its armed forces Germany was made to pay $33 Billion in war reparations to the Allies And the most humiliating, Germany had to acknowledge guilt for the outbreak of World War I and the devastation caused by the war.

19. The war itself dissolved four empires: the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary, which was split into separate countries. Furthermore, nine new countries were established in Europe, including Yugoslavia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.

20. US Senate Rejects Treaty A key group of Senators called “the irreconcilables,” feared that the League of Nations might supersede the power of Congress to declare war and thus force the US to fight in numerous foreign conflicts A larger group of Senators known as the “reservationists,” led by Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Henry Cabot Lodge; Supported the L of N but would ratify the treaty only with amendments that would preserve the nation’s freedom to act independently.

21. Wilson insisted that they pass it without changes Convinced that he could defeat his opposition by winning public support, Wilson took his case directly to the American people. In three weeks he made over 30 speeches and traveled over 8,000 miles. Wilson collapsed in Colorado on Sept. 25 and returned to the White House. There he suffered a stroke and was bedridden for months. The Senate voted in November 1919 and again in 1920 but it refused to ratify the treaty. After Wilson left office in 1921, the US negotiated separate peace treaties with each of the Central powers. The L of N, the foundation of President Wilson’s plan for lasting peace, took shape without the US

22. CountryMen KilledWoundedPOW’s Total Casualties % of men mobilized + missing casualties mobilized Russia12 million 1.7mill4.9mill2.5mill9.15mill76.3 France8.4 mill 1.3mill4.2mill537,0006.1mill73.3 GB + Empire 8.9mill908,0002mill191,0003.1mill35.8 Italy5.5mill 650,000947,000600,0002.1mill39 USA4.3mill 126,000234,0004,500350,0008 Japan800,000 300900312100.2 Romania 750,000335,000120,00080,000535,00071 Serbia700,000 45,000133,000153,000331,00047 Belgium 267,00013,80045,00034,50093,00035 Greece230,000 500021,000100027,00012 Portugal 100,000722213,70012,00033,00033 Total Allies 42million5 million13million4 million22million52% Germany 11million1.7million4.2million1.1million7.1million65 Austria7.8million 1.2million3.6million2.2million7 million90 Turkey2.8million 325,000400,000250,000975,00034 Bulgaria 1.2million87,000152,00027,000266,00022 Total Central Power 22.8mill3.3million8.3million3.6million15 million67 Grand Total65 million8.5mill21million7.7mill37million57% War Deaths