Transcript Russian army mobilized quicker than expected

The War
Schlieffen Plan

General Schlieffen believed Germany could
reach Paris & defeat the French in 6 weeks


Then move to the Eastern Front & fight the
Russians
Problems with his plan



Troops went through an area that was too
fortified
Stronger resistance by the Belgians
Russian army mobilized quicker than expected
1914-1915

Most people believed they had a just cause


Believed it would be a short war
Western Front


First Battle of the Marne: Germans stopped
before making it to Paris; saved Paris & boosted
French morale
War turned into a stalemate – both sides dug
trenches from the English Channel to
Switzerland; dug to protect themselves
Cabs carrying troops to the
First Battle of the Marne
Eastern Front




More mobile than the western
Battle of Tannenberg: Russians defeated by the
Germans; never really recovered
Battle of Masurian Lakes: Russians defeated – no
longer a threat to Germany
Italy got out of the Triple Alliance


Allied Powers: France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria,
Ottoman Empire
Western Front - 1916-1917


Trench warfare
 5 ft. high barbed wire, 30 yds of no man’s land; 500 miles long;
land mines
 No one knew how to fight this way
 Tried to breakthrough the lines – didn’t work, cost many lives
 Lived here for weeks at a time

Endured cold, mud, rats, disease

Soldiers went over the top of their trenches to attack the
enemy

Opponents then mowed them down with heavy artillery &
machine guns
Battle of Ypres
 Germans introduced poison gas; chlorine gas
 Caused blindness, choking, vomiting, torn lungs, & death
Battle of Verdun-1916




Surprise attack by the Germans
Lasted 6 months-bloodiest battle of the war
700,000 men died – Germans lost to the French
Battle of the Somme

British introduced the tank; not an effective
weapon during the battle

Planes were introduced during; WWI



First to spot the enemy
Attacked ground targets
Dogfights in the air
German Albatross
US DeHaviland DH-4
German Fokker DR – 1
Red Baron
German Fokker
Eindecker
French Nieuport
British Handley Page
0/400
French Nieuport
17C
British SE5A Scout
British Sopwith Camel
Manfred von Richthofen
Red Baron
Entry of the U.S.



Tried to remain neutral
Immediate cause: Germans sank the Lusitania – had over 100
Americans on it
Zimmermann Telegram: German minister promised Mexico
they would get their lands returned if they helped the
Germans; telegram was discovered & printed; angered many
Americans
 Germany stopped unrestricted submarine warfare
 1917: Germans began unrestricted warfare again
 U.S. came into the war in April 2, 1917 on the Allied side
 Brought a psychological boost, money, & war goods
Total War







WWI had turned into a total war
Involved all citizens
Price, wage, & rent controls
Rationed food supplies
Newspapers were censored
Use of propaganda
Women took over jobs when the men left
Pair Assignment

Why did the U.S. enter WWI?

How did the war turn into a war of attrition?