Transcript 2. WW1 Fronts and Homefront

The First World War:
Fronts and Homefront
World History
Effects of the War on the Home Front
Consider the following questions and be prepared to discuss your answers.
1. What do you see here?
2. What are the women doing?
3. Why are women needed to work in factories?
4. How might this affect the traditional role of women?
Patriotic Fervor
 In the summer of 1914 many Europeans
eagerly anticipated the coming of war
 Celebrations accompanied the send-off of
troops
 Great excitement and even festive
conditions surrounded the reporting of war
news
Mobilizing for Total War
 World War I was called a “total war” because the
countries involved committed everything for the war
effort and no one or no place was safe from attack
 Foods and materials like rubber, fuel, and metal were
rationed
 Citizens in England were encouraged to grow “victory
gardens”
 In Germany, all men between the ages of 17 and 60, not
in the war, were expected to work wherever the
government felt they were needed
 1916, Britain started a draft (conscription)
America Enters the War
 President Woodrow Wilson issued a
proclamation of neutrality four days war
broke out in 1914.
 Wilson offered to help negotiate the
differences between the sides.
America Enters the War
 In 1915 A German U-boat sunk a British
passenger ship called the Lusitania. On it
was 128 Americans.
 The Germans promised the US they would
no longer sink passenger ships.
 In 1917 the Germans resumed unrestricted
submarine warfare and sunk 3 more
passenger ships.
Zimmermann Note
 February 1917- Britain intercepted a
telegram from Germany’s foreign secretary
to Arthur Zimmermann the German
Ambassador in Mexico.
 The telegram asked Mexico to join Germany
in return they could recapture their “lost
territory”
America Enters the War
 The United States entered the war on April
6, 1917 on the side of the Allies
 The American Expeditionary Force was
sent to France under the leadership of
General John J. Pershing
 American soldiers were fresh and ready to
fight. Helped turn the tide of war.
The Western Front
 Germany, France, Britain and Belgium fought
along the Western Front
– 475 miles long
– Schlieffen Plan- Germany Races to the west defeating
France then return to fight Russia in the East…this
may have worked BUT…..
– Germany made several tactical mistakes—Crosses
through neutral Belgium which brings Britain in to the
war
– The French regrouped
– They raced for the sea
Battles Along the Western Front
 Fighting on the Western Front was characterized by
– Long battles
– Hundreds of thousands dead
– Almost no ground gained by either side
 1915
– Little offensive action
 1916
– Two major offensives
• The Battle of Verdun
– Six months and 680,000 deaths
• The Battle of the Somme
– Six months and over 1 million deaths
Battles Along the Western Front
(continued)
 1917
– Marked by
• German retreat to the Hindenburg Line
• US entry in the war (April)
• Russian Revolution in November, pulling Russia out of the
war
 1918
– Allied naval blockade created dramatic shortages of food and raw
materials in Germany and Austria
– Final German offensive fails
– August 8th the German lines were finally broken
The Eastern Front
 In 1914 Russia sent its armies against Germany and
Austria, along the Eastern Front from the Baltic to the
Black Sea
 The Russians experienced early victories, but it quickly
turned into victory after victory by Germany
 Russia’s lack of modern technology meant its troops were
under-supplied and poorly equipped
 ¼ of Russian troops went to battle without weapons
– Instructed to follow their comrades and pick up their
guns after they were killed
 In November of 1917, Vladimir Lenin led a revolution
that overthrew the government and took Russia out of the
war
 Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Central
Powers
– Russia lost ¼ of its land and population
The Balkan Front
 In November of 1914, Russia’s old rival, the
Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers
 In April, British troops landed on the Gallipoli
Peninsula
– The hope was to open a supply route to Russia and
attack Austria from the south
– The campaign was a failure
 In September, 1915 Bulgaria joined the Central
Powers and easily defeated Serbia
The Italian Front
 In May, 1915, Italy joined the Allies after
it was promised Austrian lands
 Italy fought against the Austrians
 After the Battle of Caporetto, the Central
Powers came within 50 miles of Venice
before the French and British stopped their
advance
The War Ends
 Though the outcome of the war on the Western
Front was still in question until the end, the war
ended quickly in 1918
 Revolts in Germany and Austria-Hungary led to
a push to end the war
– Bulgaria signed an armistice in September
– The Ottoman Empire in October
– Austria-Hungary on November 4th
– Germany signed the armistice on November 11th