1. Aim: Explain the effects of the Great War

2. War Affects the Home Front
The Great War affected everyone
Touched not only soldiers but civilians
World War I became a total war
Meant that countries devoted all their resources to the war effort
In each country, government took control of the economy
Governments told factories what to produce and how much
Every able-bodied civilian was put to work
So many goods were in short supply that people could buy only small amounts of items that were need (Rationing)
Governments used propaganda
One-sided information design to persuade support for the war 2

3. Russia Withdraws
Events in Russia gave Germany a victory on the Eastern Front
March 1917: Civil unrest in Russia due to war-related shortages (food & fuel) forced Czar Nicholas to step down
1917: 5.5 million Russian soldiers had been wounded, killed, or taken prisoner
Russian army refused to fight any longer
November: Communist Leader Vladimir Lenin insisted on ending his country’s involvement in the war
Offered Germany a Truce
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 3

4. The Central Powers Collapse
March 1918: Germans mounted one final massive attack on the Allies in France
May: Germans reached the Marne River (40 Miles from Paris)
Germans military had weakened 140,000 US troops launched a counter attack
Arrival of 2 million American troops
Allied forces began to advance
Central powers began to crumble
Bulgarians & Ottomans surrendered
In Germany, troops mutinied
Nov 1918: Germans met with French and signed an armistice (treaty)
November 11, World War I Ends 4

5. The Legacy of the War
Both sides of World War I paid a tremendous price in terms of human life
8.5 million soldiers died
21 million wounded
War led to the death of countless civilians by way of starvation, disease, and slaughter
Great conflict drained the treasure of European countries
Total cost of the war was at $338 billion
War destroyed acres of farmland
Great War left a deep mark on Western society 5