Transcript World War 1 Power Point

World War 1
C Cullen revised Feb. 2015
Notice Alsace-Lorraine
on the border between
France and Germany.
In the early 1900’s, tensions were running very high between France and
Germany. In 1870, Germany (Prussia), under the leadership of Kaiser
Wilhelm had defeated France and had seized the province
of Alsace-Lorraine and forced France to pay large reparations. France was
anxious to regain their traditional territory and brought in conscription
(compulsary military service). By 1914, war between France and Germany
seemed likely.
Germany thought that France was likely to attack at some point to try to
regain the land it had lost in the 1870 war. In an attempt to isolate France,
Germany allied with Austria-Hungary and Italy to form the Triple Alliance.
This meant that if France attacked Germany, it would also have to fight
Austria-Hungary and Italy.
By 1914, the three countries of France, Russia, and Britain had united to
form the Triple Entente. This alliance was designed to counter the
Triple Alliance and act as a deterrent against German aggression.
• Triple Alliance: Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy
Triple Entente: France, Russia, Britain
By 1914, Europe was aligned in two major alliances. If any one of these
countries was attacked, the other five could be drawn into war.
Naval Race
• Britain and Germany were involved in a major naval race.
Both nations built huge battleships called dreadnoughts.
The Balkan states include
Bosnia (part of the AustroHungarian Empire in 1914),
Montenegro, Serbia, Albania,
and Bulgaria.
Note the location of Bosnia’s
capital city of Sarajevo. This
was the site of the assassination
that sparked WW1.
The Balkan countries or Balkan states were the small south-eastern
European nations along the Mediterranean coast. These lands have
been described as the “powder keg” of Europe, and this description held
true in 1914, as events in the Balkan states of Bosnia and Serbia triggered
World War 1.
Balkans 1839
Balkans 1914
In 1908, Austria Hungary annexed (took over) the provinces of Bosnia
and Herzegovina.This angered Serbia, which hoped to expand its own
borders to include Bosnia. Most Bosnians would have preferred to join Serbia
than be part of Austria-Hungary as they shared the same Slavic background.
Gavrilo Princip shot
Franz Ferdinand and his
wife Sophie as they
drove through the streets
of Sarajevo in a parade.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne was shot in Sarajevo,
Bosnia, by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serbian terrorist group, the
Black Hand. The Black Hand hoped to stir up feelings of nationalism in
Bosnia and to help Bosnians break free from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
This assassination was the catalyst that triggered World War 1.
MAIN Reasons for World War 1
Militarism: Many countries of Europe were expanding their militaries,
bringing in conscription (forced military service) and building new
weapons. Britain and Germany were also both involved in a naval race.
Alliances: The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente divided Europe into
two specific groups and made a large-scale war more likely
Imperialism: Britain and France had large overseas empires and Germany
hoped to gain more territories and have its own “place in the sun.” AustriaHungary had expanded its borders in Europe by taking over smaller nations.
Nationalism: Many of the people who were part of larger empires had
Nationalistic feelings and hoped to gain independence. In Europe, the
Slavs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire hoped to gain independence. At the
same time, some of the powerful countries were also nationalistic and
hoped to increase the size and power of their own nations.
The Domino Effect: 1914
1. After Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, Austria
declared war on Serbia, which caused Russia to
mobilize its troops in defence of its ally Serbia.
2. Germany declared war on Russia after
Russia refused Germany’s order to demobilize.
3. Two days later, Germany declared war on France
and invaded Belgium.
4. Britain then declared war on Germany in defence of
Belgium. At this point, as a member of the British
Empire, Canada was automatically at war too.
The Schlieffen Plan
Von Schlieffen, who died before the start
of WW1
Germany did not want to fight a war on two fronts against France and
Russia at the same time, so General Von Schlieffen came up with a
plan to avoid this. The goal was to defeat France quickly because they
thought Russia would take six weeks to mobilize (get fully ready to fight).
Germany hoped that by the time Russia was ready, France would have
already surrendered.
France had strongly fortified their border with Germany, so the German plan
called for only 10% of their troops to attack the French border, while 90%
would go through Belgium and then veer quickly into France and try to
capture Paris.
The Germans hoped the Belgium would simply let them march through
their country and not offer any resistance, but this was not the case.
First
Battle of
The Marne
Sept. 1914
The Schlieffen Plan was not successful for 4 main reasons. First, the new
German general Moltke changed Schlieffen’s original troop ratio , and
committed more soldiers to the French border and the Russian front.
Second, the Belgians resisted the Germans and Britain came to Belgium’s
aid. Third, the German soldiers outran their supply lines and became
exhausted. Finally, the Russians mobilized faster than expected. The
Germans were stopped just 35 km from Paris at the Marne River.
Armies on both sides built series of trenches and the area of northern
France and Belgium became known as the western front. This would
be the site of all the WW1 battles in which Canadian soldiers were involved.
When Britain declared war on Germany, as a member of the British Empire,
Canada was automatically at war as well. Many Canadians were optimistic
about the prospect of war and assumed that the Allies would gain a quick
victory. More than 30,000 volunteers signed up during the first month.
The new volunteers were sent to Valcartier, Quebec, for basic training, under
the guidance of Sam Hughes. The new Canadian armed forces became
known as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Prime Minister Borden
insisted that they be kept together as a unit, rather than integrated into the
British army, which helped create a sense of Canadian identity and pride.
Sam Hughes
• Sam Hughes became Canada’s minister of the militia in
1911 and was in charge of the production of armaments for
World War 1. Hughes was a strong-willed man who came
into conflict with some of his fellow officers. He did not like
to delegate and liked to be in charge of everything.
Sam Hughes on the
Right
Problems with the Shell Committee
Hughes created the Shell
Committee to produce weapons
and war supplies. The committee
was not very successful.
Problems included shells that
exploded too early inside the gun,
boots with cardboard soles that
got soggy in the trenches,
uniforms that disintegrated in wet
weather, the Ross rifle that
jammed in rapid fire, and the
MacAdam shovel. Another
problem was that he hired
profiteers to supervise
production who were more
interested in making money than
the quality of the goods. Prime
Minister Borden fired Hughes
from his position in 1916.
Ross rifle
WW1 shells
Macadam shovel
The MacAdam shovel was supposed to be a innovative tool that
could dig trenches and double as a shield for firing a rifle through.
However, the handle was too short for digging (plus dirt fell through
the hole) and the rifles didn’t fit properly through the opening. Also,
the shovel was not bullet-proof.
Canadian World War 1 uniforms
War Measures Act 1914
• Prime Minister Robert Borden brought in the War
Measures Act that allowed the Canadian govt to do
everything necessary “for the security, defence, peace,
order, and welfare of Canada” Conscription was not
enacted at this point.
Mail could be censored
Factories and farms could be
Instructed what goods to produce.
Germans and Austrians had to carry ID cards and could be detained
If deemed suspicious and were classified as enemy aliens.
People could be detained
without being charged.
(habeas corpus suspended)
German dirigibles or zeppelins were first used to scout Allied troop
movements and were later used to drop bombs on enemy targets.
The Allies responded by shooting incendiary (fire) bullets at the dirigibles,
that caused them to explode. These vessels were not very important in WW1.
German submarines or U boats tried to prevent supply ships from
the United States and Canada from reaching Britain. The Germans
fired topedos at Allied ships and sunk many of them before the Allies
developed more effective defensive and counter-attack strategies.
Tanks played an increasingly important role in World War 1. The
early tanks were slow and hard to turn. They also had poor traction
and got stuck in muddy conditions.
Sopwith
Camel
World War 1 was the first major conflict in which airplanes played an
important role. At first, they were used mainly for surveillance, and
later were equipped with machine guns. There were many individual duals
in the skies over France.
British
Vickers
machine
gun
The machine gun was perhaps the most important new weapon developed
for World War 1. This gun completely changed the battlefield tactics, as
one soldier could kill dozens of enemy troops advancing towards him.
After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, the western front turned into a series
of bloody battles, often over small stretches of land. Both sides dug trenches
for protection and conditions were horrendous for the soldiers. There were
heavy casualties on both sides, with millions of young men dying for very
little gain. This trench warfare was sometimes referred to as a war of attrition
as both sides were willing to suffer high casualties as long the as the other
side suffered more.
Trench foot was a painful condition in which the foot turned black and
rotten. It was prevented by keeping the feet dry and changing socks
regularly, both of which were difficult were do. Rats and lice were two
other issues that plagued the soldiers.
British soldiers showing off trench rats.
Soldiers from both sides used trenches for cover, although enemy
artillery could still land on the trenches. When the commanders gave a
signal, often a whistle, the men would run out over the top of their trench
and sprint across no man’s land (the land in between trenches) to try to
get to their opponent’s trench and capture it. This resulted in huge casualties.
Battle of Ypres 1915
The Second Battle of Ypres was fought in 1915 in the Flanders district of
Belgium. It was here that the Germans first released chlorine gas. Canadian
soldiers were blinded and suffocated. This was a lengthy battle for little gain
on either side that caused 6000 Canadian casualties.
French gas attack
on German troops
Both the Germans and the Allies used chlorine and mustard gas as a war
weapon, despite the fact it was banned for military purposes. Neither side
was very accurate and sometimes even injured their own troops when the
wind shifted.
Battle of the Somme 1916
Douglas Haig
The Battle of the Somme in northern France became known as the
“Bloodbath” as there were a combined million casualties on the two sides.
Douglas Haig, the British commander, ordered old-fashioned infantry charges,
which were not effective against German machine guns and his German
counterpart did the same, leading to needless bloodshed.
Beaumont Hamel
Memorial Statue for
The Newfoundland
Regiment
At the Battle of the Somme, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (Nfld was still
a British colony rather than a province of Canada in 1916) was almost
completely wiped out in the first 30 minutes of battle. Over 700 men were
killed as they were ordered “over the top” of their trench, with 68 surviving.
This battle is still considered a defining moment in Newfoundland’s history.
Sir Arthur
Currie
Julian Byng
Vimy Ridge was located in northern France, close to the Belgium border.
British General Julian Byng (later Canada’s governor general) was in charge
of the entire operation, with Arthur Currie from Victoria, also playing a leading
role by coordinating the Canadian troops. This was the first time the Canadians
fought alone without British or other Allied troops and it fostered a great sense
of national pride for Canadians overseas and at home.
Canadians advancing
towards Vimy Ridge
Byng and Currie planned the attack very carefully. The Canadians built
tunnels to get closer to the German lines. Troops were issued
maps for the first time and practiced their advance with accurate models.
The attack began on Easter Monday, 1917 with an all-out artillery barrage.
The infantry then followed, doing the Vimy Glide, a creeping barrage where
they followed the shells landing just ahead of them.
Battle of Vimy Ridge 1917
Canadian Vimy Ridge Memorial
The Canadians won an impressive victory at Vimy Ridge and were able
to capture more territory, prisoners, and weapons than any other Allied attack.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge is often called Canada’s coming of age, as it helped
foster a sense of national pride and identity.
Battle of Passchendaele 1917
The Battle of Passchendaele
occurred in Belgium in the Flanders
district.
Muddy
terrain at
Passchendaele
The conditions were absolutely horrific, with ground so swampy and muddy
that soldiers and horses actually drowned, and large equipment often
sank into the quagmire. Arthur Currie again led the Canadian effort, as he
was rewarded for his success at Vimy Ridge.
Duck boards. Each section was about
one meter long so could be carried and
then laid down by a soldier.
Again, Currie planned out the attack meticulously, using models and maps.
The Canadians constructed duck boards to help transport the troops
quickly over the muddy ground. They used a multi-pronged attack and
tried to take out the German pill-boxes that held snipers.
Passchendaele
Memorial
The Canadians successfully captured the Passchendaele Ridge, something
the British, Australians, and New Zealanders had been unable to do. This
was considered another great Canadian military triumph; however, many
people, including Arthur Currie thought the huge casualty count was not
worth it.
The Hundred Day Campaign (also called 100 Day War) in northern France
and Belgium was the finalAllied Offensive. Arthur Currie led the Canadians
who played an important role in defeating the Germans. This was the
bloodiest fighting for the Canadians in all the war and resulted in
more Canadian casualties than any previous battle.
Women on the War Front
Aircraft maintenance
During World War 1, women took
on many duties traditionally done
by men. Many women worked in factories
to produce weapons and war machinery.
Canadian nurses
were nicknamed
Bluebirds because of
their blue uniforms.
Many were sent
overseas to Britain
to treat wounded Allied
soldiers.
Billy Bishop
Billy was sent home
to Canada early to help
sell Victory Bonds. The
government worried
morale would be lowered
if he were killed in action.
Billy Bishop was Canada’s
top flying ace credited with
72 “kills.” ( Five kills would earn
Someone the title of ace.)Some
historians have suggested that
Bishop padded his numbers.
Roy Brown and the Red Baron
Manfred von Richthofen was
Germany’s top flying ace. His nickname
was the Red Baron.
The Red
Baron’s
Fokker
Triplane
Canadian Roy Brown
shot down the Red Baron
Brown’s
Sopwith
Camel
War at Sea
The Canadian and American
goal was for their merchant
marine to carry supplies to
Britain, while the German
U boats tried to sink as many
merchant ships as possible
German
U Boat
WW1
convoy
At first, the Germans appeared to be winning the war at sea and were
sinking many merchant ships. Later, the Allies invented better underwater
listening devices that allowed them to locate and then sink German U boats.
They also started to travel in convoys, with navy vessels protecting a group
of merchant ships.
The Canadians also used dazzle camouflage on some of their
ships to make it more difficult for the Germans to detect and fire
accurately at them.
Although the Americans did not officially enter World War 1 until 1917, they
did support the Allied effort by supplying Britain with food and armaments.
In 1915, the British passenger ship, the Lusitania, was sunk by a German
U boat. The Lusitania carried many American citizens and this event
helped promote the pro-war movement in the United States.
Women’s Suffrage
Women contributed to the war effort in
many ways, which helped strengthen the movement
for women’s suffrage (the right to vote).
Manitoba was the first province to allow women to vote
in provincial elections, granting them that right in 1916.
Alberta and Saskatchewan followed in the same year.
Quebec was the last province to grant women the
provincial vote in 1940.
Nellie McClung
Propaganda
British portrayal
of Germany
American appeal
for rationing
American WW1 poster
Both sides used propaganda with their civilian populations to try
to convince them to support the war effort.
Canadian farmers were encouraged to grow more food to export to
Britain, both to feed the soldiers and to help out the civilian population
which was suffering food shortages.
Halifax was an extremely important Allied wartime port. It had a deep,
sheltered harbour that could be protected against German U boats.
Trains brought prairie grain, western timber, and war supplies from Ontario
and Quebec factories to Halifax for shipment to Britain. American ships
often stopped overnight for safe shelter before heading out across the Atlantic.
The
Mont
Blanc
explodes
On December 6, 1917, the
Mont Blanc collided with the
Imo in the Halifax harbour. The Mont
Blanc, which was carrying a highly
explosive cargo, burned for about
10 minutes before exploding.
Thousands of people were killed
in the largest man-made explosion
until Hiroshima in 1945.
The Imo beached on shore
Much of Halifax and Dartmouth looked like a war zone after the explosion.
Buildings were flattened and many people were buried in the rubble. Flying
glass blinded hundreds of people and caused many other terrible injuries.
Paying for the War
The Canadian government introduced Victory Bonds to help pay for the
war. They also brought in personal income tax, intended as a temporary
measure, and imposed a 4% business tax on certain companies.
The Doerr
factory in
Berlin, Ontario.
The company
later changed
its name to
Dare.
German immigrants in Canada faced discrimination in Canada during
the war and were classified as “enemy aliens.” Anti-German riots occurred
in the town of Berlin, Ontario, and the city eventually changed its name to
Kitchener.
The Conscription Crisis
•
Conscription means forced military service (the draft)
•
At the start of WW1, Borden promised there would be no conscription and
only volunteers would be sent to fight in Europe
•
Borden broke his non-conscription promise after visiting England and
seeing how many Canadian soldiers were needed to win at Vimy Ridge. By
this time, not many men were volunteering for service.
•
Borden brought in the Military Service Act that allowed for conscription
with exemptions were granted at first to disabled, clergy, specially trained
workers, and conscientious objectors (people opposed to war for moral or
religious reasons)
•
Many English Canadians supported the idea, while Quebecers were
strongly opposed
The 1917 Election (Khaki election)
Borden then enacted two new laws to help the pro-conscription cause:
the Military Voters Act that allowed men and women serving overseas
to vote and the Wartime Elections Act that granted the vote to women
directly related to soldiers such as wives, mothers and sisters
Borden’s Conservatives joined forces with pro-conscription Liberals
to form a new Union government (leaving Laurier with the opposing Liberals)
The Union government won the 1917 election and Borden remained prime
minister but many Quebecers voted for the Liberals and felt betrayed by
Borden’s broken promise
404,000 Canadian men were drafted but only 25,000 reached Europe
before the armistice was signed and the war ended
This conscription crisis created bitter feelings between many English and
French speaking Canadians.
WW1 victory
parade
In 1918, German Kaiser Wilhelm fled to Holland and the Germans decided
to surrender, as they used up all their available manpower and supplies and
their leaders felt that defeat was inevitable. The truce or armistice was
signed on November 11th, 1918 (Remembrance Day).
11th hour, 11th day,
11th month, 1918
Signing the truce or
armistice inside the
railway car in France
The Paris Peace Conference
• Over 31 countries met at Paris for 6 months in 1919 to determine
the peace conditions
• At Borden’s insistence, Canada was awarded its own seat at the
conference which helped strengthen Canada’s independence or
autonomy
• Much of the work at the conference was done by the “Big Three” of
Britain, France, and the United States. These nations’ leaders
tackled a wide variety of issues and the decisions made at Paris had
huge implications for later events of the 20th century
• In the words of Georges Clemenceau of France: “ It is much easier
to make war than to make peace.”
Robert Borden
-Borden claimed that Canada wanted nothing for itself but insisted on
recognition as a country independent from Britain with its own seat at
the conference
-Canada hoped to keep relations positive between the United
States and Britain as they did not want to be caught in the middle
of any future disputes between their two strongest allies
- Newfoundland’s prime minister also attended the conference
Woodrow Wilson:
 Wilson claimed that the USA was the only country that was not seeking territory, tribute, or
revenge and that all the Americans wanted was a lasting world peace
 His main goal was to create a League of Nations that would ensure collective security and
he hoped to base the Treaty of Versailles on his “Fourteen Points”
 He was also very interested in self-determination, whereby people should have the choice
to determine their country of nationality rather than having it imposed by outside forces
 Wilson suffered a massive stroke after the Paris conference and was never healthy again.
The USA did not join the League of Nations but Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Georges Clemenceau
“My life hatred has been for Germany
because of what she has done to France.”
 Clemenceau had fought in Franco-Prussian War as a young man
 France had lost a greater percentage of its population that any other
country in World War 1 and had seen its factories and farmland
destroyed along the German border
 Clemenceau’s goal was to crush Germany to ensure France’s future
safety
David Lloyd George
 Lloyd George wanted to see Germany defeated but not destroyed
because he saw Germany as a buffer against Russia becoming
too strong
 Britain wanted to keep Germany’s naval fleet.
 George wanted financial compensation: “Somebody had to pay.
If Germany could not pay, it meant the British taxpayer had to pay.”
Treaty of Versailles
•
Germany had to accept the War Guilt Clause which upset them greatly
•
Germany had to pay 30 billion dollars in reparations (France to get
52%, Britain 28% and the smaller countries to share the rest) (which most
Germans thought was an unreasonable amount)
•
German army was to be restricted to 100 000 men
•
Germany was not allowed U boats or an air force
•
The map of Europe was redrawn and new countries of
Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia,
and Estonia were created
•
Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France and the Rhineland was to remain
demilitarized (no military operations permitted in this region along the
French border)
Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria
•
The League of Nations was created in 1919 with the goal of world peace and
collective security. Forty-two countries joined, but the United States did not,
even though its former president, Woodrow Wilson, had proposed the idea.
The League was not very effective, as member countries didn’t always
cooperate, they had no military force, and the failure of the USA to join
meant the world’s most powerful country was missing.
Spanish flu
Ward
The Spanish Flu hit the world hard immediately after World War 1.
Returning soldiers brought the disease back to Canada, and many
young, healthy people died. Overall, the Spanish Flu killed over 20
million people, more than all of World War 1.