1. WORLD WAR I
The Great War Ends

2. 1. AMERICA PREPARES TO FIGHT
The U.S. joining the Allied Powers would prove to be the main factor in ending World War I
RECRUITS TRAINING FOR THE U.S. ARMY

3. 2. AMERICA ARRIVES AT A GOOD TIME
After some training, the Americans are fresh and ready for battle
Their allies, the British and French, are exhausted from three years of trench warfare
The Russians are on the brink of total collapse and will soon leave the war
The chief enemy, the Germans, are also exhausted, but are still a dangerous opponent

4. 3. A TRULY GLOBAL CONFLICT
Though this war concentrated in Europe, nations
from all over the globe get involved…
Arabs battle their Turkish rulers with British help
The United States enters the war in 1917
European colonies in Africa become a battleground
Soldiers from India fight alongside their British rulers in Europe
Japan declares war on Germany and seizes Germany’s Asian colonies

5. Sikh British Soldiers in India
Turkish Cavalry
Sikh British Soldiers in India
Chinese Soldiers

6. France and Britain have suffered severe losses and are exhausted
The arrival of millions of American soldiers in 1917 and 1918 gave a boost to the Allies
France and Britain have suffered severe losses and are exhausted

7. But, in November 1917, Russia exited the war
Russia (now led by Vladimir Lenin) has made a separate peace with Germany

8. No longer distracted by fighting Russia, Germany sends its Eastern Front soldiers West to fight in France
Germany is organizing what they call a “peace offensive”: they plan on unleashing an all-out attack on the Allies and ending the war

9. 5. GERMANY’S LAST STAND At this point, Germany is nearly defeated
Despite the efforts of the submarine warfare, they cannot break the blockade imposed by the British and are slowly starving
Now facing fresh American troops, the German forces are exhausted and overwhelmed

10. On November 11th, 1918 at 11:00AM, World War I ended at last
7. GERMANY IS DEFEATED
After this defeat, German generals informed the Kaiser that the war could not be won
Kaiser Wilhelm II steps down and flees to the Netherlands, where he would live the rest of his life in exile
The German military asks the Allies for an armistice, or an agreement to stop fighting
On November 11th, 1918 at 11:00AM, World War I ended at last

11. CENTRAL POWERS SURRENDER
Bulgaria surrenders in September, the Ottoman Empire surrenders in October, and Austria-Hungary surrenders in November, and then Germany asks for the armistice on November 11th, 1918, ending the war

12. WORLD WAR I
Effects of World War I

13. WOUNDED SOLDIERS RETURN FROM THE FRONT
THE BLOODY COST
WOUNDED SOLDIERS RETURN FROM THE FRONT

14. World War I was the largest, deadliest, and most destructive war the world had yet seen
8.5 million soldiers and 13 million civilians died as a result of the war

15. 21 million soldiers were wounded during the war

16. THE WOUNDED
Many of the wounded soldiers were maimed and suffered crippling injuries
A combat nurse writes a letter for a wounded soldier

18. SOLDIERS BLINDED BY POISON GAS

19. STAGGERING AMOUNT OF DEATH
To put this in proper perspective…
In the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has lost over 5000 soldiers over the last decade or so
In World War I, the Allies alone lost an average of 3500 SOLDIERS PER DAY in just over four years of war

20. THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
GENOCIDE is intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group
During the war, the Turks of the Ottoman Empire blamed some of their wartime losses on a group of people living in its borders called the Armenians
The Turks used the war as an excuse to commit genocide against the Christian Armenians, a group of people the Muslim Turks had hated for a long time

21. ARMENIAN WOMAN AND HER CHILDREN MARCHING TO THEIR DEATHS
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The Turks exterminated possibly as many as ONE MILLION Armenian men, women, and children
ARMENIAN WOMAN AND HER CHILDREN MARCHING TO THEIR DEATHS

22. Germany and Turkey were allied in the war; some German soldiers witnessed the systematic way the Turks slaughtered the Armenians

23. Germany and Turkey were allied in the war; some German soldiers witnessed the systematic way the Turks slaughtered the Armenians

24. ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS
Some of these German soldiers would later become Nazis during World War II

25. THE SCIENCE OF GENOCIDE ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS
These future Nazis learned the “science of genocide” from the Turks and used similar methods when carrying out the Holocaust against the Jews

26. Homes, farms, towns, and cities were destroyed; the war cost a total of $338 billion and most national treasuries were empty

27. BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR
THE DAMAGE DONE
FRENCH CITY OF VERDUN:
BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR

28. PALACE OF JUSTICE IN SENLIS: BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR
THE DAMAGE DONE
PALACE OF JUSTICE IN SENLIS:
BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR

29. RUINS OF THE CITY OF YPRES AFTER THE WAR
THE DAMAGE DONE
RUINS OF THE CITY OF YPRES AFTER THE WAR

30. RUINS OF THE FRENCH VILLAGE OF VAUX
THE DAMAGE DONE
RUINS OF THE FRENCH VILLAGE OF VAUX

31. AND AS IF THAT WEREN’T ENOUGH…
At the end of 1918, as the world is still reeling the war, another disaster strikes; an influenza epidemic spreads around the globe, killing about 30 million people worldwide

32. In 1919, representatives from 32 nations attended the Paris Peace Conference to write a treaty to end the war
The conference was led by the “Big Four”: Britain, France, Italy, and the United States
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
French Premier George Clemenceau
Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
Germany and none of the Central Powers were allowed to attend; Russia (now led by Bolsheviks) could not attend because of how they quit the war

33. Britain and France wanted to weaken Germany so it could never go to war again
Britain and France wanted Germany to accept full blame, pay reparations, and lose all overseas colonies
Creating a treaty would not be easy because the major powers had different agendas
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson disagreed with these harsh punishments for Germany
WILSON AT VERSAILLES, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Premier Georges Clemenceau and President Woodrow Wilson at the Versailles Palace during the Treaty Negotiations in 1919.
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
French Premier George Clemenceau
President Wilson presented his own peace proposal known as the Fourteen Points
Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson

34. WILSON’S 14 POINTS
Wilson’s peace plan (the 14 Points) was meant to prevent international problems from starting another war

35. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, 1918
POINTS 1-5: Wilson hoped to eliminate the causes of WWI and called for an end to secret treaties (alliances), freedom of the seas, eliminating imperial colonies, and reducing national militaries
POINTS 6-13: Wilson suggested changing national boundaries, creating new nations, and allowing self-determination so that the people of each nation could decide their own form of government
POINT 14: Wilson wanted a League of Nations…

36. …that would give all nations an opportunity to work out their grievances without resorting to war
Wilson hoped that a League of Nations could peacefully negotiate solutions to future conflicts

37. Members of the League of Nations (shaded)

38. ALLIES DISAGREE
President Wilson favored “peace without victory”, opposing severe punishment for the defeated Central Powers
The other Allies, most notably France, wanted revenge on the Central Powers, especially on Germany; France suffered more damage than any other country over the course of the Great War, and wanted vengeance on Germany because of it
In the United States, isolationists wanted America to stay out of other nations’ affairs
The bottom line result: The Allies reject most of the 14 Points

39. Britain and France disagreed with so many of the Fourteen Points that Wilson had to compromise
These compromises led to an agreement known as the Treaty of Versailles

40. Treaty of Versailles = World War II

41. The major provisions of the Versailles Treaty included:
A League of Nations that would serve as an international organization to keep peace among nations
The League covenant included an agreement that all member nations would work together to stop future acts of aggression
The League also included a Court of International Justice to settle disagreements

42. Germany had to give up land in Europe and all of its overseas colonies
The terms of the treaty severely punished Germany
Germany had to give up land in Europe and all of its overseas colonies
Germany was forced to sign the “war guilt” clause, accepting all blame for the war and paying $33 billion in reparations to the Allies
The German military was reduced to 100,000 troops, six warships, no submarines, and could not manufacture war equipment

43. Central Europe was redrawn to reduce the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Land was taken from Germany to create Poland; the German-French border was demilitarized to avoid a future invasion
In addition, the Treaty of Versailles redrew the map of Europe and the Middle East 43

44. Several Slavic nations (such as Bosnia and Serbia) combine to form one large new nation (Yugoslavia)44

45. New nations were created from territories that Russia gave up when it left the war early
The Ottoman Empire was divided; Britain and France gained mandates in the Middle East

46. A mandate is the authority to administer a country or territory
The mandates gave Britain and France control over oil resources in the Middle East 46

47. CARVING NEW NATIONS FROM OLD EMPIRES
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY (two main parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are split up)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA (taken from Germany and Austria-Hungary)
EAST PRUSSIA (a Germanic state now separate from mainland Germany)
POLAND (free of Russia and Germany)
YUGOSLAVIA (a Slavic nation composed of Serbia, Montenegro, and other Slavic people like Croatians and Bosnians, who are now free from Austria-Hungary)

48. CARVING NEW NATIONS FROM OLD EMPIRES
FINLAND (independent of Russia)
ESTONIA (independent of Russia)
LATVIA (independent of Russia)
LITHUANIA (independent of Germany)
IRELAND is now independent of Britain, but…
NORTH IRELAND remains under British control
The free city of DANZIG is created

49. BORDER CHANGES TO EXISTING COUNTRIES
In war, there are winners and losers
The winners expanded their borders while the losers lost land
ITALY, ROMANIA, GREECE, and DENMARK expand their borders
TURKEY, BULGARIA, GERMANY, and RUSSIA lose territory

50. NORTH SEA BALTIC SEA ATLANTIC OCEAN MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Norway
Sweden
NORTH SEA
Denmark
BALTIC SEA
Ireland
Russia
Great Britain
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Luxembourg
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Austria-Hungary
Switzerland
France
Romania
BLACK SEA
Serbia
Bulgaria
Montenegro
Portugal
Spain
Italy
Albania
Turkey/Ottoman Empire
Greece
Sicily
MEDITERRANEAN SEA

51. ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH SEA BALTIC SEA BLACK SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Finland
Norway
Estonia
North Ireland
Sweden
NORTH SEA
BALTIC SEA
Latvia
Denmark
Lithuania
Ireland
East Prussia
U.S.S.R.
Great Britain
Netherlands
Danzig
Poland
Germany
Belgium
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Lux
Czechoslovakia
France
Switz.
Austria
Hungary
Romania
BLACK SEA
Yugoslavia
Portugal
Bulgaria
Italy
Spain
Turkey
Albania
Greece
Sicily
MEDITERRANEAN SEA

52. On June 28, 1919, Germany and the major Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles and World War I officially came to an end

53. “Down with the brutal peace!”
Most nations celebrated the official end of the Great War
Germans protested the harsh terms and resented their own government for giving in and signing the treaty
“Down with the brutal peace!”
"Down with the Brutal Peace": Mass Demonstration in Berlin's Lustgarten against the Versailles Treaty (1919)

54. PLANTING THE SEEDS
Winston Churchill, Britain’s future Prime Minister, predicted that the harsh terms against Germany would cause conflicts in the future. He called the Treaty of Versailles “monstrous” for its harshness on Germany.

55. World War I was the largest war the world had yet seen and it changed the way future wars were fought
Nations used “total war” tactics to commit all their resources to winning; they also drafted soldiers, rationed, and used propaganda
New war technologies increased the rates of death and destruction to unprecedented levels
The war changed expectations for women and led to voting rights for women in many nations

56. The physical damage to Europe was enormous
World War I was the largest war the world had yet seen and it changed the way future wars were fought
22 million soldiers and civilians died in the war: an entire generation of Europeans was killed
The physical damage to Europe was enormous
War devastated Europe’s economy; nations had little money to rebuild and few jobs to offer citizens

57. The terms of the Versailles Treaty caused problems and bitterness in many nations, especially Germany
The Treaty of Versailles was said to be a “peace built on quicksand”
The treaty did not address the M.A.I.N. causes of WWI
The League of Nations did not include the USA; League leaders would do anything to avoid another war
High unemployment and desire for revenge would lead to aggressive dictators in the 1920s and 1930s

58. DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS MAN?

59. CORPORAL ADOLF HITLER
Adolf Hitler, who was from Austria, was a soldier for Germany in the Great War. He earned medals for bravery. Hitler was temporarily blinded by poison gas and was recovering in a hospital when news of Germany’s defeat reached him.