Transcript World War I (1914

World War I
(1914-1918)
The Great War
A. Causes of WWI
1. Imperialism
• Rivalries grew and intensified
between European nations as they
competed for lands in Europe and
overseas.
• All were competing for natural
resources to fuel industry
2. Militarism
• A mind set - Leaders of European
countries believed that force was the
only way to solve problems between
nations.
• Action – the stockpiling of weapons;
devoting the countries resources to
the production of weapons
3. Nationalism
• The countries of Europe became
internally strong. They were
prospering economically and had
solid leaders.
• People within these countries felt a
strong bond with their country and are
willing to fight for or defend it.
4. Alliances are Formed
• Europeans chose “friends” as they saw the
potential for conflict
• Triple Alliance - Germany, AustriaHungary and Italy
• Triple Entente - France, G.B., and Russia
B.The Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand (Austria)
• The “spark” that began the war
• Happened in the Balkan Region of
Europe known as the “Powder Keg”
of Europe (a region that is very
unstable due to the multiple religious
and ethnic groups that live there)
• June 28, 1914
• Assassinated by Gavrilo
Princip (19 yrs old)
• Member of the Nationalist
group the ”Black Hand”
• Princip was a Serbian
from the country of
Bosnia who objected to
Austria annexing them
(wanted to become part of
Serbia)
• Russia will declare war on
Austria for bullying fellow
Slavs
C. Keys to WWI
1. 2 Front War
a front is where both sides will
meet each other to fight.
Fronts are referenced in relation
to Germany’s location
Eastern Front is Germ/Russia
Western Front is Germ/Brits
and French
2. Trench Warfare
• The way the war was fought on
the Western Front
• Men are forced into underground
dug outs to avoid being mowed
over by machine guns
• Results in very little movement
because each side waits for the
other to get out and charge them
Stalemate- stuck; no movement
Trench
Retreat
Trench
No Man’s
Land
3. New Alliances
• Central Powers: Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
• Allied Powers: G.B., France,
Russia, Italy, and later U.S.
D. WWI Innovations
1. The Machine Gun
Hiram MaximAmerican inventor
in 1884
Tried to sell M.G. to British
first and they declined.
Bought by Germany and
massed produced by WWI
2. Tank
• Enabled troops to tear through
barbed wire. Acted as a shield in
no mans land
• Still in its developmental stages. They
tip over easily and cannons don’t
have much range of motion
3. Poison Gas Tear gas, chlorine, phosgene and mustard.
•Used primarily on the
western front to overcome
the stalemate of trenches
•First used by French
•Wasn’t an effective killer
•Outlawed for future wars
following WWI
Gas Attack!!!
4. Submarines (U-Boats)
Germans will begin the use of “unrestricted” sub
warfare, which means they sunk any type of ship –
passenger or war. One of the reasons the U.S.
joined the war
5. Airplane
• First used as “look outs” to see
where the enemy was
• Then both sides attempted to
shoot down the lookouts which
gave birth to “Dog Fighting”
• It was also learned in WWI that you
could drop grenades out of planes
Manfred von
Richtofen
“Red Barron”
Anthony
Fokker
Testing
timing
mechani
sm
6. Role of Women
• Maintained the home front while
men were fighting.
• Ran factories, farms, built military
equipment
• Earned new respect because they
kept the country in working order
7. Propaganda
• Ideas facts or rumors spread
deliberately to further ones cause or
to damage an opposing cause.
• Done through books, news papers,
cartoons, posters, movies, radio,
music, etc.
Blessed be by
God
• www.firstworldwar.com
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm
E. Why the US entered the War
(1917)
1.Unrestricted Sub
Warfare-Germany
declared it would
sink any ship in the
waters near Britain.
Sinking of the
Lusitania (1915), a
British passenger
ship, Killing 128
Americans
2. The Zimmerman Note (Telegram)
1917
• A message from
Germany’s foreign
secretary A.Z. urging
Mexico to attack the US
• Intercepted by a British
Agent
3. Cultural/Economic Ties
• U.S. felt closer to allied powers due to
similar cultures, language, ancestry, and
government
• England and France were our two biggest
trading partners