Transcript The Great War

Unit 4: WWI
The Great War
1914-1918
Setting the Stage
• Imperialism- building empires led to competition over
markets, trade routes, and military bases.
• Nationalism- extreme love/devotion to one’s country
led to competitive & antagonistic rivalries among
nations
• Alliances – 2 major defense alliances in Europe
developed: Allies (FR/RU/GRBR) vs Central Powers
(GR/A-H/Ottoman Empire)
• Militarism- the glorification of military and war led to
competition over military bases (development of
armed forces & the use of it as a tool of diplomacy)
VIDEO:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles/videos/world-war-i-alliances
Secret Alliances
Triple Alliances (Central
Powers):
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Italy (changes sides)
• Ottoman Empire
Triple Entente (Allies):
• England
• France
• Russia
Europe before the war
WWI or the Great War
• Powder Keg of Europe
Many people tried to
assassinate Archduke
Franz Ferdinand while
he & his wife visited
Sarejvo, but a Serbian
named Gavrilo Princip,
a member or a
revolutionary group,
succeeded
Franz Ferdinand
• The assassination of the archduke leads to WWI when AH
declared war against Serbia, then
Russia jumps into protect Serbia,
then Germany jumps in on the
side of AH --- and bam! War is
declared.
• Many nations get sucked into the
War because of the Alliances
that had previously been created
to maintain the “balance of
power” in Europe
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Garvrilo Princip
Germany
• They have been developing a strong army and
U- boats
• They implement the Schlieffen plan- strategy to
invade Paris then Russia
New War Strategy or Technology
• Propaganda = information, ideas, or rumors
deliberately spread to help or harm a person, group,
movement, institution or nation; used by governments
to get support or convince people to behave a specific
way.
• War of Attrition- each side tries to wear the other
down through constant attack & counter-attack
• Trenches- soldiers dug ditches to live during war; by
the end of the war 12,000 miles of trenches were dug
• Development of New Weapons of War =
• Poison gas- Mustard gas, chlorine gas; caused
blindness, choking, vomiting, torn lungs, and death
• Tanks- very slow, hard to maneuver, very small; used
to knock down barbed wire of the enemy
• Submarines- U-boats; used to attack war ships as well
as passenger and commercial ships that carried
supplies to Allies (Contraband- prohibited goods)
• Machine Gun – developed to fire up to 600 rounds
per minute
• Airships – hot air balloons to spy on the enemy
• Airplane – single engine, bi-wing; used to spy
on the enemy & take photos, drop bombs,
engage in “dog fights” (machine guns attached)
• Anti-aircraft guns (AckAck Guns) – used to
shoot down enemy aircraft
• Large artillery guns attached to trains to move
parallel to the enemy’s lines
Trenches
• Trenches were created to “dig in” and maintain a defensive line
• Soldiers lived, ate, went to the bathroom and slept in the
trenches, all with rats the size of dogs living among them
• Land mines, barb wire & dead bodies in “no mans land”
• Thousands of men were inflicted with “trench foot” and “trench
mouth”, frostbite, body lice,
• Many men suffered from “shell-shock”
• 1/3 of all casualties are a result of being in the trenches
• 3,894 men in the British army were charged with self inflicting
wounds
• Some men refused to fight, were shot on the spot
Trenches of World War I
Weapons of World War I
“Mustard Gas- it was almost odorless and took
twelve hours to take effect. The skin of victims of
mustard gas blistered, the eyes became very sore
and they began to vomit. Mustard gas caused
internal and external bleeding and attacked the
bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous
membrane. This was extremely painful and most
soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. It
usually took a person four or five weeks to die of
mustard gas poisoning. One nurse, Vera Britain,
wrote: "I wish those people who talk about going
on with this war whatever it costs could see the
soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning.
Great mustard-colored blisters, blind eyes, all
sticky and stuck together, always fighting for
breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that
their throats are closing and they know they will
choke."
chlorine gas is a nasty irritant that causes harsh coughing.
Mustard Gas (Yperite) was first used by the German Army in 1917
Trench Foot and Frost Bite
German Soldier left to die at the
Trenches
Gas
• Mustard gas was
used but it was
difficult to control in
the wind, it was
usually dropped into
the trenches to kill
the men. Since
WWI the use of
“gas” has been
outlawed in war
Russia Withdraws from the War
In October 1917 a Bolshevik Revolution broke out in
Russia, headed by the communist leader, Lenin.
• The Russian Revolution toppled the regime of Czar
(“emperor”) Nicholas II & killed him and his family.
The Bolsheviks took over and pulled out of the war
• Lenin promised “Peace, Land and Bread”
• Russia changed its name to “the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics” (USSR) and withdrew after signing
the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
• the Eastern war front had been closed
President Woodrow Wilson
1912-1914 (1st time)
•To get re-elected Wilson promised not
to enter WWI, however the US was
doing business with both the
Allies/Central Powers
•The U.S.A. is making a lot of money off
this war
The US questioned Neutrality
• 1) divided loyalties = some new US citizens
were from the countries at war
• 2) many people did not want their sons going to
fight/die for the war in Europe
• 3) some people claimed that the war was a
money maker and that it was because of
imperialism
• 4) some people were pacifists/war is evil
• 5) the US had economic ties to Allies
• 6) the US had a stronger ties to Great Britain
• Pacifists
• Alfred Nobel
U.S.A Goes to war
• Wilson asked for, and Congress declared war
April 2, 1917
• Three reasons:
1. Sussex Pledge- sinking of 4 merchant ships
2. Lusitania- sinking of cruise ship
3. Zimmerman telegram- letter to Mexico
Video: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles/videos/the-one-thingyou-should-know-about-wwi?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
Lusitania sinking
General John J. Pershing
• In 1917, Pershing was selected to lead the American
Expeditionary Force to Europe during World War I.
• Pershing did not agree with French and British officers who
sought to incorporate the U.S. troops into their units.
• Pershing insisted that Americans fight together. His troops were
instrumental in the defeat of the Germans in the Argonne
Forest, in the region of France.
America Turns the Tide of War
• 1) Selective Service Act 1917 (24 million
registered, 3 million called up, 2 million served)
• 2) Mass Production – the US had the factories
& man-power to build the materials necessary
for war
• 3) Mass Production of ships/naval vessels
– Exempted ship yard workers from the draft
– Emphasized the importance of ship yard work
– Used pre-fabrication techniques to build ships
quickly
– The US government took over commercial/private
ships to use during the war
4) The US navy used the “convoy” system to move
men/materials and protect them from enemy subs
5) US troops were young, fresh, enthusiastic, and
ready to fight the war
6) US propaganda drove up support for the War at
home & abroad
7) Women & minorities went to work in the factories
to drive up war time production
Consequences of WWI
• 1) 11 million military deaths
• 2) 11 million civilian deaths
• 3) 20 million wounded
• 4) 10 million refugees
• 5) cost $32 billion
• 6) US had 48,000 combat deaths
• 7) US had 62,000 died from disease
• 8) US had 200,000 wounded
End of WWII
• Armistice Day – today known as Veteran’s Day
a truce was called to take place at the 11th hour,
on the 11th day, of the 11th month 1918.
• In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed
November 11 as the first commemoration of
Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in
America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled
with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in
the country’s service …” taken from the US Dept of Veteran’s Affairs
http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
Wilson’s 14 points
In January of 1918, President Woodrow Wilson, drafted a
plan known as “Wilson’s 14 Points.”
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
There should be no secret treaties among nations
Freedom of the seas should be maintained for all
Tariffs and other economic barriers among nations should be lowered or
abolished to foster free trade
Arms should be reduced “to the lowest point consistent with domestic
safety” to lessen the possibilities of a military response during diplomatic
crisis
Colonial policies should consider the interests of the colonial peoples as
well as the interests of the imperialist powers
#7-13 dealt with boundary changes (new countries were created)
14th Point – called for a creation of an international organization to
address diplomatic crises --- the League of Nations
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles#
Unit 4 WWI Study Guide:
10 Matching
22 Multiple Choice
• Matching:
– Woodrow Wilson
– Franz Ferdinand
– Militarism
– Reparations
– Nationalism
– League of Nations
– Alfred Nobel
– Pacifists
• Multiple Choice:
– Central Powers
– Allies
– Propaganda
– Years of WWI
– Reason for US entering
WWI
– Treaty of Versailles
– General Pershing
– Battle of Argonne Forest
– League of Nations
– Weapons of WWI