1. World War I and the Russian Revolution (1914–1924)
Lesson 2 Fighting the Great War

2. World War I and the Russian Revolution (1914–1924)
Lesson 2 Fighting the Great War
Learning Objectives
Understand how trench warfare led to a stalemate on the Western Front.
Identify and describe the impact of modern military technology on the fighting.
Outline the course of the war on multiple European fronts.
Explain how World War I was a global conflict.

3. World War I and the Russian Revolution (1914–1924)
Lesson 2 Fighting the Great War
Key Terms
stalemate,
zeppelins
U-boats,
convoys,
Dardanelles,
T. E. Lawrence

4. A New Kind of War
World War I—known at the time as the “Great War”—was the largest conflict in history up to that time. The French mobilized almost 8.5 million men, the British nearly 9 million, the Russians 12 million, and the Germans 11 million. For those who fought, the statistics were more personal. “One out of every four men who went out to the World War did not come back again,” recalled a survivor, “and of those who came back, many are maimed and blind and some are mad.”

5. A New Kind of War Stalemate on the Western Front
Schlieffen Plan failed
Belgium resisted German advance
Russia mobilized faster than expected
Battle of the Marne- GB and France counter attacked and stopped the offensive
Stalemate-
Trench Warfare
Trench systems?
High Casualty Rates
Old tactics, new technology
Massive offensives against
Machine guns
Barb wire
Land mines
Better artillery
Verdun- 11 month battle- half million casualties
Battle of the Somme- 5 month battle, over a million casualties, 60,000 British casualties in one day

6. A New Kind of War
Analyze Maps Who do you think was in a better strategic position at the start of the war, the Allies or the Central Powers? Why?

7. A New Kind of War
This German soldier was one of the many casualties of the fighting during World War I. Massive offenses and new military technology combined to produce extremely high casualty rates.

8. Modern Military Technology
The enormous casualties suffered on the Western Front were due in part to the destructive power of modern weapons. Two significant weapons were the rapid-fire machine gun and the long-range artillery gun. Machine guns mowed down waves of soldiers. Artillery allowed troops to shell the enemy from more than 10 miles away. The shrapnel, or flying debris from artillery shells, killed or wounded even more soldiers than the guns.

9. Modern Military Technology
Poison Gas
Wasn’t very effective, but terrifying
Germans used first
Mustard gas
Chlorine gas
Blinded and suffocated
Tanks, Airplanes, and Submarines
Tanks- invented to break stalemate
Zeppelins- better direct battles, eventually drop bombs
Airplanes- at first scouts- then used in battle
Red Barron
U-boats- German submarines
Sank thousands of ships
Convoys- at sea, to protect ships

10. Modern Military Technology
Poison gas and machine guns are two examples of the military technology that killed and wounded so many. These British machine gunners wear gas masks during the Battle of the Somme, in July 1916.

11. Other European Fronts
From the outset of World War I, Germany and Austria-Hungary battled Russia on the Eastern Front. There, battle lines shifted back and forth, sometimes over large areas. Even though the armies were not mired in trench warfare, casualties rose even higher than on the Western Front. The results were just as indecisive.

12. Other European Fronts
Mounting Russian Losses in the East
After initial gains, ill-equipped and ill-led Russian troops are slaughtered by Germans
Germans used rail system to move troops around
Tannenberg- Germans destroyed two Russian armies
War in Southern Europe
Bulgaria joins Central Powers
Romania joins Allies
Italy declares war on AH

13. Other European Fronts
Austrian soldiers advance into Russian Poland during the winter of 1915.

14. A Global Conflict
Though most of the fighting took place in Europe, World War I was a global conflict. In 1914, Japan joined the Allies by declaring war on Germany. Japan used the war as an excuse to seize German outposts in China and islands in the Pacific. Japan’s advances in East Asia and the Pacific would have far-reaching consequences in the years ahead as ambitious Japanese leaders set out to expand their footholds in China.

15. A Global Conflict The Ottoman Empire Joins the War
Japan joined the allies
Ottomans on fence, eventually join central powers
Cut off Dardanelles- allies couldn’t supply Russia anymore
Gallipoi- 10 months, British and Australian troops suffer 200,000 casualties and withdraw
T.E. Lawrence- organizes Arab forces to fight Ottomans by promising and Trans-Arab country- turned war against the Ottomans
Deportation and Mass Murder of Armenians
Ottomans worried about Armenians rebelling
600,000 to 1.5 million slaughtered
European Colonies and the War
All of British Empire participated
Fighting in German colonies
French Colonies participated as well
Colonies hope to get independence with contributions

16. A Global Conflict
Analyze Maps How did the Arab revolt against the Ottoman empire affect the Allied cause?

17. A Global Conflict
These Armenian refugee children were forced from their homes by the Ottoman government’s deportation campaign. They are waiting to receive their daily ration of food, provided by American relief workers.

18. Quiz: A New Kind of War
What was one effect of the failure of Germany’s Schlieffen Plan to quickly defeat France?
A. Germany had to fight the war on both the Eastern and the Western Front.
B. Germany was not able to bring Austria-Hungary into the war as its ally.
C. Germany was able to concentrate only on the Eastern Front.
D. Germany had to make an alliance with France.

19. Quiz: Modern Military Technology
What was the most significant effect of U-boat attacks on the fighting on land?
A. They killed many soldiers.
B. They kept soldiers from the front lines.
C. They destroyed vital supplies.
D. They created a stalemate.

20. Quiz: Other European Fronts
What is one way the Eastern Front was different from the Western Front?
A. The Eastern Front was fought with more military technology than the Western Front.
B. The Western Front provided the Central Powers with their most decisive victories.
C. The Western Front suffered more casualties than the Eastern Front.
D. The Eastern Front had front lines that moved widely, while the Western Front did not.

21. Quiz: A Global Conflict
Why did the Ottoman empire suffer important losses in the Middle East?
A. The Arabs revolted against their Ottoman rulers.
B. The Armenian army fought well in the Middle East.
C. The French did not provide the Ottomans with enough support.
D. The Ottomans were weakened by the Allied success at Gallipoli.