1. Origins of World War I

2. Origins of World War I
Objective: The student will describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, with reference to unrestricted submarine warfare.
Essential Question: What were the origins of World War I?
Vocabulary: neutrality, engagement, unrestricted submarine warfare

3. CAUSES FOR WWI
Nationalism
Militarism
Imperialism
Alliances

4. Nationalism
a devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation

5. Militarism
the policy of building up armed forces in aggressive preparedness for war and their use as a tool of diplomacy

6. Imperialism
a nation takes control over a weaker one

7. Alliance System
A system established for military cooperation of agreed nations to prevent the attack of an opposing nation
Set-up by Metternich at the Congress of Vienna after Napoleon tried to rule Europe as a French Dictator
Two major defense alliances in Europe

8. European Defense Alliance
Triple Entente
France
Britain
Russia
Triple Alliance
Germany
Austria-Hungary
Italy

9. European Defense Alliance
Triple Entente will become the Allies
Italy will leave the Triple Alliance and join the Entente
Triple Alliance will become the Central Powers
After Italy leaves, Germany and Austria-Hungary will agree to an alliance with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire controlled mostly Middle Eastern lands

10. Alliances During WWI Allies Central Powers Australia Belgium
Great Britain
British colonies
Canada & Newfoundland
France
French North Africa & French Colonies
Greece
India
Italy
Japan
Montenegro
New Zealand
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
South Africa
United States
Austria-Hungary
Bulgaria
Germany
Ottoman Empire

11. World War I
June 28, A Serbian terrorist assassinates Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife.
July 23- Austria threatens war with Serbia and invades four days later.
August 1- Austria’s ally, Germany declares war against Russia, Serbia’s ally.
August 3- Germany declares war against France, Russia’s ally and immediately begins an invasion of neutral Belgium b/c it’s the fastest route to Paris.
August 4- Great Britain, an ally of France, declares war against Germany.
Central Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
Allied Powers- Great Britain, France, Russia (Italy joined in 1915, the US joined in 1917

12. WAR TACTICS
Trench warfare
Machine guns
Tanks

13. The Somme Total allied dead and wounded: 623,907 Total German dead and wounded: 465,000

14. Woodrow Wilson
28th President
Democrat
“The Man of the Hour”

15. The United States in WWI
President Woodrow Wilson initially proclaimed the neutrality of the United States.
Declared America would stay Neutral in a struggle happening 3,000 miles away and did not threaten American lives nor property

16. German’s U-boat
Lusitania

17. Germany’s Submarine Warfare
May 17, German submarines torpedoed and sunk the Lusitania, a British passenger liner. Most of the passengers, including 128 Americans, drowned.
March an unarmed merchant ship, the Sussex was torpedoed, injuring several Americans. Wilson threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany. Germany backed down and promised to not to sink ships without giving due warning.

18. Sussex Pledge
1916
US warned that it would break off diplomatic relations unless Germany changed its tactics
Germany agreed with a condition:
US had to persuade Britain to lift its blockade of food and fertilizers or Germany would resume unrestricted submarine warfare

19. Election of 1916 Democrat: Woodrow Wilson
“He Kept us out of the War”
Republican: Charles Evans Hughes (Supreme Court Justice)
Election returns were very close
Wilson won
“a peace without victory…a peace between equals”
Harsh punishments should not be imposed on the other

20. The US Decides to Enter the War
Here’s why:
January Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare. Wilson cuts off diplomatic relations. In early March they sunk 5 unarmed US merchant ships
March 1- News broke of the Zimmerman telegram, a secret offer from Germany to Mexico that proposed that Mexico ally itself with Germany in exchange for aid in recovering lost territories April 6, Congress issued a declaration or war against Germany.

21. “Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be. The present German submarine warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind. We are glad to fight for the ultimate peace of the world and for the liberation of its peoples. The world must be safe for democracy. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful nation into war, but the right is more precious than peace.” -President Woodrow Wilson _______________________________________ Question: Do you think that the United States was doing the right thing when it entered World War One? Why or why not?