Transcript World War I - White Plains Public Schools

World War I
In this lesson, students will be able to define
the following terms:
Central Powers
Allies
Trench Warfare
The Treaty of Versailles
Reparations
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In 1914, the Archduke of Austria was
assassinated. Austrians believed that
Serb officials had helped the assassins.
Austrians decided to invade Serbia.
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Austria’s decision to invade Serbia set
off a chain reaction that soon involved
all of Europe’s major powers.
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During the war, Germany, Austria-Hungary,
and Turkey became known as the Central
powers. Britain, France, and Russia
were known as the Allies.
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During the first World War, soldiers
dug themselves into trenches, protected
by barbed wire and machine guns.
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Trenches extended hundreds of miles.
Many soldiers died due to the harsh
conditions in the trenches.
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New weapons
were used
during World
War I. These
weapons
included the
machine
gun, poison
gas,
submarines,
and airplanes.
Initially, the United
States was neutral.
However, Americans
were sympathetic to
the British and French.
When American ships
were attacked by
Germany in 1917, the
United States entered
the war while Russia
dropped out of the war.
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The Russians had
experienced a
revolution and were
promised “Peace,
Land, and Bread.”
When the Russians
dropped out, the arrival
of new American
troops still favored
the Allies.
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President Wilson announced Fourteen
Points that he felt should be the basis
of the coming peace. He planned to
give each nationality its own government
and end secret diplomacy.
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The Germans agreed to end the war and
overthrew the Kaiser in 1918. However,
the final peace terms turned out to be
quite different from the Fourteen Points.
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The Treaty of Versailles (1919) concluded
the peace with Germany. Germany lost
territory to France and Poland, as well as
all of its overseas colonies. The AustriaHungary empire was divided into several
smaller states.
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Germany lost its navy while its army
was reduced to a small police force.
Germany was forced to accept blame
for starting the war and was forced to
pay huge reparations (payment for
damages) to the Allies.
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The League of Nations or an organization
of nations was created to prevent future
national aggression. However, the
United States and Russia failed to join it
thus weakening its power. The road
to the Second World War was being paved.
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Questions for Reflection:
• What event triggered the First World War?
• List the nations of the Central Powers and
the Allies.
• What was trench warfare and why do you
think it was particularly devastating?
• What were the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles?
• Why did the Treaty of Versailles pave the
way to future conflict in Europe?
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