Transcript The War

Opening Stages of WWI
1. Italy decides to remain
neutral because they believed
Germany had acted aggressively.
2. Most Europeans thought
the war would be over by
Christmas, lasting only six
months.
Opening Stages of WWI
3. On August 3, 1914,
Germany invades Belgium.
This was part of the
Schlieffen Plan, a war
strategy drawn up by a
German general in 1905.
Opening Stages of WWI
4. One problem that appears
early for the Germans, is that
they have enemies on both
sides.
5. The Germans were
slowed in their advance at the
Battle of Alsace-Lorraine.
The French offensive attack
failed, yet slowed German
advancement.
Opening Stages of WWI
6. The French are
then able to push back
the Germans at the
Battle of Marne ending
the Schlieffen Plan.
General Joseph
Joffre of France
Opening Stages of WWI
7.
The Russians enter the war quickly, but are
defeated at the Battle of Tannenberg by the
Germans. Russia is never fully able to recover.
8.
“Race to the Sea” was a series of battles
between the Germans and Allies to see who
would reach the North Sea first. This caused
the war to reach a stalemate in the western front
by November of 1914.
Opening Stages of WWI
9. Countries soon had to
begin changing their plans.
10. Countries began
using the idea of
propaganda, or news and
information intended to
influence people’s
feelings about a cause.