1. Life on the Front Lines
Machine caused the need for trenches to be dug for protection
Tanks (armored vehicles) were used to move across trenches
Loss of life was high but land gains were few
Trenches were bombed at times during the war and would be filled with earth and dead soldiers
Poison gas was used to force soldiers from the trenches
War of attrition (fighting designed to wear down the opposition)

2. Women at War
On the home front women filled jobs formerly held by men – railroad workers, bus drivers, police officers, and factory workers
Women’s pay was not equal to men’s
Women fill important role as military nurses serving on the front lines
Women’s war efforts push the suffrage movement forward and leading to the women’s vote in western industrialized nations
UK – 1918, Belgium & Netherlands – 1919, US – 1920, Sweden – 1921, Ireland – 1922

3. The Western Front
400 miles of trenches dug from the Swiss border to the North Sea
Germany advanced through elgium seeking a level coastal plain on which their army could advance more easily
German advance was halted 20 miles from Paris (Marne) resulting in stalemate – neither side could make advances – both sides dug into trenches for shelter
Horrors of war depicted in “All Quiet on the Western Front” a book by Erich Maria Remarque

4. The Eastern Front
Theater of war in the east between Germany and Russia
Marked by more mobility than the Western Front
Russia’s army first invaded Germany but was defeated at Tannenberg
Russia’s losses were many

5. Military Technology
Machine guns, poison gas, tanks and bombs were used and made the war more deadly than any other
The war was not fast moving but stuck in a stalemate or draw
The Zeppelin was used for reconnaissance and to bomb the enemy
Planes were used mostly in ‘dogfights’ with the enemy
The Red Barron, a German pilot, became infamous for his success in shooting down enemy planes

6. The War’s End
Germany, having lost it’s two major allies, agreed to an armistice with the Allies
Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points tried to bring about a peace without victory, looking to address the causes of the war in its terms and not looking to punish
Versailles Treaty (1919) ended the war. Its terms blamed the Central Powers for the war. The war guilt clause (Article 231) required the CP to admit their fault in causing all the pain, suffering and losses of the war

7. World War I’s Legacy Military technology had advances
Men suffered from PTSD, known as ‘shell shock’ at the time
Europe’s economy suffers while the US economy remains fairly strong
The Geneva Conventions are signed which create international laws on the legality of actions during war
People become disillusioned with the institutions (democracy) which allowed the war to become a reality
Estimates of dead were 17 million (military personnel 10 million, and civilians 7 million) and wounded another 20 million