Transcript World War One Powerpoint

Le Guerre du Droit
The Great War
Mr. DeMarco
Oceanside Middle School
Do Now:
Wars are almost never officially “named.”
 Over time, society simply begins to use the
same phrase to describe the conflict. World
War 1 was originally called by several names:
The War for Justice; The European War; The
War for Civilization.
 Eventually, the war became known as “The
Great War.”

 Why do you think that name was chosen?
 Why do we no longer use that name today?
The Great War – Nations Involved
GREEN – ALLIED POWERS – France, England, U.S., etc.
YELLOW – CENTRAL POWERS – Germany, Austria, Turkey, etc.
The Great War
Nations
Involved

Please use the
map to the left to
fill out the handout
you have received.
Be sure to indicate
the names of the
nations as well as
what side they
fought for.
Aim: How did the Great War begin?

There are several “long term” causes of
this war. These are things which existed
in Europe for many years before the
outbreak of the war.

The first of these causes is
MILITARISM:
 The policy of building/training a large military

Do Now: How might this have
contributed to the start of World War 1?
Militarism –
Army Size

CENTRAL POWERS
 Germany – 11,000,000




soldiers
Austria – 7,800,000
soldiers
Turkey – 2,850,000
soldiers
Bulgaria – 1,200,000
soldiers
TOTAL – 22,850,000
soldiers
Militarism –
Army Size
 ALLIED
POWERS
 France – 8,400,000
 Great Britain –
8,900,000 soldiers
 Russia – 12,000,000 soldiers
 Italy – 5,600,000 soldiers
 United States – 4,300,000 soldiers
 TOTAL – 39,200,000 soldiers
Military Buildup in Europe
Rifles –
 The main weapon used by most soldiers
was the bolt-action rifle. 15 rounds could
be fired in a minute and a person 4,200
meters away could be killed.

Military Build-Up – Maxim Gun
The Maxim Gun was first designed by
Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884.
 The gun was the first rapid-fire weapon
ever produced. It allowed soldiers to fire
450-600 rounds per minute.
 Maxim made a fortune by first selling his
weapon exclusively to the British, and
then quickly turning around and
marketing it to all other European
nations.

On the battlefield, a single machine-gun could be as effective
as 80 traditional rifles.
Military Build-up - Artillery
Artillery is a type of weaponry which has been
used by armies for thousands of years.
 In the past, artillery was simply catapults.
 However, with the development of gunpowder,
cannons became the more favored form of artillery.
Capable of firing heavy metal shells extremely long
distances, cannons made traditional Castles
obsolete and changed the way wars were fought.
 By the time World War 1 rolled around, artillery had
been made much bigger and much stronger.

Military Build-up – French Artillery
- The guns below could fire up to fifteen shells
per minute and were capable of hitting a target up to
five miles away. The shell weighed 15lbs.
Military Build-up – German Artillery
Known as Big Bertha,
this gun was capable of
firing a shell weighing
1,800lbs.
 The gun could fire this
shell nearly 7 miles.
 It was so large and
heavy that it could only
be transported by train.

Big Bertha’s 419mm Shells
1800lbs each
More examples of German Artillery
The “Paris Gun” – German made artillery
capable of hitting Paris from over 70 miles away.
Some American Artillery
The Great War – How did it begin?

Another one of the long-term causes of the
war in Europe was a system of Alliances Partnerships where two nations each offer to
fight alongside the other in the event of war.

The Triple Alliance and the Triple
Entente were the two biggest and
included Russia, France, England;
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
The Great War – How did it begin?

Nationalism –
 A strong feeling of PRIDE in one’s nation.
“Believing themselves superior in soul, in
strength, in energy, industry, and national
virtue, Germans felt they deserved the
dominion of Europe.” – Barbara
Tuchman, Guns of August – pg. 37
 How could feelings of NATIONALISM
lead to a war?

Nationalism – A good thing?
Nationalism –
A bad thing?
The Great War – How did it begin?

IMPERIALISM –
 A desire to spread the influence of your nation over other
places.

Germany and the Next War - General von Bernhardi:
 Germany must choose “world power or downfall.”
 Germany is “compressed into narrow, unnatural
[geographical] limits.”
 Germany cannot attain greatness without increased political
power, an enlarged sphere of influence, and new territory.
This is something “which we are entitled to claim and is a
political necessity and the first and foremost duty of the
government.”
Alsace-Lorraine
In 1870 Germany and France
fought a war called the
Franco-Prussian War.
 Germany won.
 When the treaty was
negotiated to end the war,
Germany demanded that her
western border expand to
include the territory known as
Alsace-Lorraine.
 This was a huge victory for
the Germans. The French
were furious.

The Great War – How did it begin?

ASSASSINATION!
 On June 28th, 1914 the heir to the throne of
Austria, a man named ARCHDUKE FRANZ
FERDINAND was assassinated in a city
called Sarajevo located in the Southern part
of Austria.
 The assassin was a Serbian man named
Gavrilo Princip.

This was the spark that caused the war.
Archduke Ferdinand and his wife.
The Great War – How did it begin?

The Great War had many causes:
 M ILITARISM
 A LLIANCES
 N ATIONALISM
 I MPERIALSM
 A SSASSINATION

A great way to remember this is the
word MANIA!
AIM: How was World War 1 fought?




Because of the new and powerful weapons
developed before the war, tactics used in
battle had to change.
As we learned, in past wars armies would
often line up and charge one another in an
orderly fashion.
This battle tactic – used for centuries – was
now useless. Against a machine gun, a line of
charging soldiers would be sitting ducks.
The Germans first learned this lesson at the
Battle of Liege.
The War Begins – Battle of Liege

On August 1, 1914, World War 1 began
with the German invasion of Belgium.
The German’s
goal was to
invade France.
In an attempt to
catch the French
by surprise, they
decided to invade
through Belgium.
A Lesson Learned – Battle of Liege
The first city in
Beligum that had to
be taken was the city
of Liege.
 The city was
surrounded by a
series of 12 forts
which protected it.

Germany’s Plan to Conquer Liege

On August 5th, 1914 German brigades
attacked the forts surrounding the Belgian
city of Liege. Confident of an easy victory
with little significant Belgian resistance, the
Germans assumed their men could easily
topple Liege. In fact, the Belgians put up a
valiant defense from the first moment.

When the German soldiers stormed up the
slopes leading to the walls of the forts, they
were mowed down by the fort’s machine
guns.
Germany’s Plan to Conquer Liege
 The
dead piled up in ridges a yard
high. At Fort Barchon, Belgians,
seeing the German lines waver,
charged with bayonets and pushed
them back. Again and again the
Germans returned to the assault,
spending lives like bullets in the
knowledge of plentiful reserves to
make up the losses.
BAYONETS
The Battle of Liege
 A Belgian
officer describes the scene:
“they came on, line after line, almost
shoulder to shoulder, until as we shot
them down, the fallen were heaped
on top of each other in an awful
barricade of dead and wounded
which threatened to block our guns
and cause us trouble.
The Battle of Liege

So high did the barricade become that
we did no know whether to fire through
it, or to go out and clear the openings
with our hands… But would you believe
it? – this wall of dead and dying men
enabled those Germans to creep closer
and closer, and actually charge up the
sides of the fort.
The Battle of Liege
 Of
course our machine guns were still
able to sweep them back. We had
our losses, but they were slight
compared to the carnage we inflicted
on our enemy.” (qtd in Tuchman, pg
204.)
 By the end of the day on August 5, all
of Liege’s fortresses remained in
Belgian hands.
Battle of Liege
It took nearly ten more days, but the
forts were eventually conquered.
 The only way for the Germans to break
down the Belgian defenses at Liege was
to utilize their massive

Liege eventually fell to the Germans on
August 15, but only after they had brought up
the most powerful land weapons in their
arsenal, the enormous siege cannons.
 Shells weighing nearly a ton rained down on
the Belgian Forts, demolishing them one by
one. The valiant defense the Belgians put
forth was vanquished. The German warmachine rolled on through Belgium and into
France.
 The Great War had begun.

Liege – A change in tactics
After the first battle at Liege the
Germans had to change their strategy.
 They realized that to continue to attack
the forts in the way they had would be
suicide.


They decided to call up their artillery…
Remember Big Bertha?
Lessons learned at Liege

Realizing the devastating power of the
Machine Gun and of Artillery, the
Germans realize that they must change
their tactics to be successful.

As a result, Trench Warfare is born.
AIM: Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare – Using a series of
ditches dug deep into the ground,
soldiers would be protected from enemy
fire.
 They would use these positions to take
shots at the enemy while remaining safe
themselves.
 This became the strategy used by both
sides throughout the war.

Soldiers were expected to carry all of their
equipment with them at all times.
They were supposed to keep it clean and in good
condition – they were British after all.
World War One - Equipment

Each soldier carried 65 pounds
of gear: rifle and ammunition,
knapsack, canteen, extra
boots, entrenching tools
(shovel, etc.), knife and a
variety of tools and kits
strapped to his coat. In one
bag was his “iron ration”
containing two cans of meat,
two of vegetables, two
packages of hardtack (bread),
one of ground coffee, and a
flask of whisky which was only
to be opened when given
permission by an officer.
Another bag held thread,
needles, bandages and
adhesive tape; another held
matches, chocolate and
tobacco.
Trenches and Bunkers
Fear and Anticipation
First Bombardment
Surviving a Gas Attack
The Human Cost of War
Daily Life
Boredom and Cramped Quarters
Morale
The British government
wanted to encourage
men to enlist for war.
They said the war would
be safe, hardly any
fighting, a good lark and
over by Christmas.
They used advertising
posters to encourage
this idea!
The reality of ‘going over the top’ was
very different!
How the uniform and equipment changed
after just three weeks in the trenches…
Posters always
showed men ready
and willing to fight.
They never showed
the boredom of the
trenches or actual
fighting taking place.
Why do you think the
government showed
no fighting?
No smiling and relaxed faces…
No clean uniforms…
Their equipment is scattered
everywhere…
Boredom and sleep are
obvious…
One of the rainiest years on record
The soldiers had very
little decent food,
and what food they
had was often
attacked by rats.
These rats were the
size of small rabbits
and badgers because
they had fed on the
decomposing bodies
of dead soldiers.
The reality of war…

“the guns recoil at each shot. Night is falling
and they look like old men sticking out their
tongues and spitting fire. Heaps of corpses,
French and German, are lying every which
way, rifles and in hand. Rain is falling, shells
are screaming and bursting – shells, all the
time. Artillery fire is the worst. I lay all night
listening to the wounded groaning. Some
were German. The cannonading goes on.
Whenever it stops we hear the wounded
crying from all over the battlefield. Two or
three men go mad each day.”
AIM: What events lead the U.S.
to enter World War I ?

The United
States
maintains
neutrality:
 When the war
first started,
the United
States did not
get involved.
 “[Every
American] will
act in the true
spirit of
neutrality.” –
Wilson, 1914.
The U.S. Maintains Neutrality

Despite not being
officially involved,
American citizens
get involved with
the Red Cross
and with the
French Foreign
Legion (an
international
army.)
A poster supporting the U.S. Red Cross
A soldier in the French Foreign Legion
The U.S. Maintains Neutrality




The U.S. was also involved by trading.
Initially we were permitted to trade and lend
money to both sides in the conflict.
Later on, German ports were blockaded by the
British. This allowed us to only trade with the
British, which angered President Wilson.
This was technically a violation of International
law, however Wilson was sympathetic to the
Allies and encouraged Americans to continue
to trade with them.
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare




Germany had 29 U-Boats in operation at the start
of World War 1.
International Treaties prevented the Germans
from using U-Boats to attack merchant ships.
Despite this, Germans wished to prevent war
supplies from reaching Great Britain.
They declared the area around Great Britain a
“War Zone” and announced that they would
attack any merchant ships in that area without
warning.
Many American cargo ships were
sunk by German U-boats.
How do you think American citizens
would feel about this?
The Sinking of the Lusitania


The
Lusitania
was a
British
passenger
ship.
It was sunk
by a
German UBoat in
May, 1915
killing
1,198 of
the 1,959
people on
board.

NOTICE!
TRAVELLERS intending to embark
on the Atlantic voyage are reminded
that a state of war exists between
Germany and her allies and Great
Britain and her allies; that the zone
of war includes the waters adjacent
to the British Isles; that, in
accordance with formal notice given
by the Imperial German
Government, vessels flying the flag
of Great Britain, or any of her allies,
are liable to destruction in those
waters and that travellers sailing in
the war zone on the ships of Great
Britain or her allies do so at their
own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY
Washington, D.C. 22nd April 1915
Sinking of the Lusitania

The Commander of the German U-Boat Walther
Schwieger's description of the attack, recorded in
the log of U-20:
 “Torpedo hits starboard side right behind the bridge. An
unusually heavy detonation takes place with a very strong
explosive cloud. The explosion of the torpedo must
have been followed by a second one [boiler or coal or
powder?]... The ship stops immediately and heels over
to starboard very quickly, immersing simultaneously at the
bow... the name Lusitania becomes visible in golden
letters.”

The second explosion was caused by a secret
cargo of 4,200 crates of ammunition!
Wilson Campaigns for Neutrality



Wilson was furious
over the sinking of
the Lusitania.
However he still
wished to keep the
U.S. out of the war.
He even
campaigned for reelection using the
slogan “He kept us
out of war!”
The Zimmerman Telegram

The Zimmerman
telegram was a note
sent from the
Germans to the
Mexican
Ambassador urging
Mexico to get
involved in World
War I by declaring
war on the United
States.
The Zimmerman Telegram


The telegram also
promised that
Mexico would gain
back a portion of
American lands after
the war was over.
What lands do you
think Mexico
wanted? Why?
Declaration of War


The American reaction to all of this was
simple: WAR!
On April 2, 1917 President Wilson went before
congress and spoke this message:
 …in the most terrible and disastrous of all wars,
civilization itself seems to be hanging in the balance.
But rights are more precious than peace, and we
shall fight for the rights which we have always
carried nearest our hearts: for democracy, for the
right of people to have a voice in their own
governments, for the rights and liberties of small
nations, to bring peace and safety to all nations, and
to make the world itself at last free.
AIM: What is propaganda and
what role did it play in WW1?
Objectives of Wartime Propaganda

Recruitment of
Soldiers, either
through a draft or
voluntary enlistment.
Objectives of Wartime Propaganda

Financing of the war
effort through the
sale of War Bonds
or new taxes.

War Bonds – Loans
from citizens to the
government.
Objectives of Wartime Propaganda

Eliminating dissent
and unifying the
country behind the
war effort.
Objectives of Wartime Propaganda

Conservation of
resources necessary
to wage war.
 Food, oil, and steel.
Objectives of Wartime Propaganda

Participation in
home-front
organizations to
support the war.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Demonization –
Making the enemy
seem evil or
portraying the
enemy like a
monster.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Emotional Appeals –
Playing on people’s
fear in order to
convince them to do
something.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Name Calling –
Using negative
names like “huns,”
for Germans;
“commies,” for
Russians; or “japs,”
for Japanese.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Patriotic Appeals –
Using patriotic
language or symbols
to appeal to the
nations sense of
pride.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Half Truths or Lies –
Twisting the truth to
support your
position.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Catchy Slogans – a
statement that is easy to
remember which gets
your message across.
Tools Used in Wartime Propaganda

Humor or
Caricatures – Using
humorous images to
promote the war
effort.
See if you can identify the tools
and the objectives of the
following images.
For France
Pour your gold
The Gold fights for Victory
World War 1 – Eliminating Dissent

Dissent – the act of publicly disagreeing with
the methods and goals of a government.
 The Espionage Act – 1917 – Made it illegal to:
○ Interfere with military recruitment
○ Aid enemies during wartime
○ To promote insubordination in the military.
 The Sedition Act – 1918 – Made it illegal to:
○ Use "disloyal or abusive language" about the United
States government, its flag, or its armed forces.
○ Use language that caused others to view the
American government or its institutions in a negative
way.
World War 1 – Eliminating Dissent

Eugene V. Debs –
 A socialist – meaning he support allowing the government to
take control of and/or heavily regulate big businesses.
 He was against capitalism.
 He was a pacifist and often spoke out against World War 1.
World War 1 – Eliminating Dissent



Eugene Debs was
arrested in 1918.
He was charged with
ten counts of Sedition.
On September 12th,
1918 he was found
guilty. At his sentencing
hearing, he spoke the
following: (It has
become a very famous
speech)
World War 1 – Eliminating Dissent

Eugene Debs – Sentencing Speech:
 Your honor, I have stated in this court that I am
opposed to the form of our present government; I
am opposed to the social system in which we
live; I believe in changing both by perfectly
peaceful and orderly means....
 I am thinking this morning of the men in the mills
and factories; I am thinking of the women who,
for a paltry [low] wage, are forced to work out
their lives;
 I am thinking of the little children who, in this
system, are robbed of their childhood, and in
their early years, are seized and forced into the
industrial dungeons, there to feed the machines
while they themselves are being starved of body
and soul....
World War 1 – Eliminating Dissent
 Your honor, I ask no mercy, I plead for no immunity. I
realize that finally the right must prevail. I never
more fully comprehended than now the great
struggle between the powers of greed on the one
hand and upon the other the rising hosts of freedom.
I can see the dawn of a better day of humanity. The
people are awakening. In due course of time they
will come into their own.
 I said then, and I say now, that while there is
a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a
criminal element I am of it, and while there is
a soul in prison, I am not free!!
Aim: Negotiating the Treaty of
Versailles

"Our military situation has deteriorated so
rapidly that I no longer believe we can hold
out over the winter; it is even possible that a
catastrophe will come earlier." – German
Leader – Sept. 1918
 Do Now: To ensure that war does not
break out again, which of the following
should be a priority? Why?
 1) Punishing the Losers
 2) Addressing the reasons for the war
starting
On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh
day, of the eleventh month…

Signing
the
Armistice
Casualties of the War
http://www.nv.cc.va.us/home/cevans/Versailles/greatwar/casu
alties.html






Total casualties: 37 million
Total killed in WWI: 10-11 million
1 in 8 young men in France died
62% of all European men fought at some
point in the war.
Total wounded in WWI: 30 million
Total amount spent directly on the war:
$180,000,000,000
After the Battle of Verdun
After the Battle of Ypres
Negotiating The Treaty of Versailles
June 1919
The “Big Four” at the Versailles
Peace Conference
Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Wilson’s ideas for a lasting peace:
 No more secret treaties
 Free navigation of all seas
 End economic barriers to trade
 Reduce armaments in all nations
 France should regain control of Alsace-Lorraine.
 All independence movements in Austria-Hungary
should be granted their freedom.
 An independent Poland should be established.
 A League of Nations should be established to
guarantee peace and freedom for all nations.
Major Provisions of the Treaty
of Versailles

The Punishment of Germany
 Germany was required to admit total blame
for starting World War 1.
 Germany was required to pay for the total
cost of the war. This included:
○ Homes and Factories destroyed.
○ Supplies and Pensions for Allied soldiers.
○ Estimates for this totaled $300 billion.
 Germany’s army/navy were limited in size.
 Germany’s colonies were divided among
allied nations.
You’ve got to swallow it
whether you like it or not!
German Kaiser
Wilhelm
Peace
Terms
British Empire
France
America
Italy
Japan
BIG FOUR
PILLS
Worth Millions
Major Provisions of the Treaty
of Versailles

Other territorial changes:
 Austria-Hungary was divided into four
separate nations:
○ Austria; Hungary; Yugoslavia &
Czechoslovakia
 Five other independent nations were
established along Germany’s border with the
Soviet Union:
○ Poland; Finland; Estonia; Latvia & Lithuania
Major Provisions of the Treaty
of Versailles

League of Nations and World Court
established.
 The League of Nations would be obligated
to assist one another in stopping
international aggression.
 The World Court was set up to settle
disputes between nations.
American Feelings Towards
the Treaty:

Wilson had mixed feelings about the
Treaty.
 He strongly felt that the treaty was too harsh
towards Germany.
 However, because it allowed for the creation
of the League of Nations, he accepted it.
When Wilson returned home, he found
little support for the Treaty amongst the
American people, or the Senate.
 This lack of support centered around the
League of Nations.

American
Feelings
Towards the
League of
Nations:
An alternate perspective: