CHAPTER 18 THE FIRST WORLD WARCH. 18-1 A WORLD CRISISAMERICAN HISTORY

CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I

June 28, 1914--The assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife by 19-year Serbian Gavrilo Princip

Most of Europe would be at war within 5 weeks

How could 1 assassination start a world war?

A series of political changes in Europe made war almost unavoidable

1) NATIONALISM Extreme pride or devotion to their

country Nationalism led to the formation of

new countries such as Germany and Italy in the 1870s

It also led to competition for power This struggle was most visible in the

Balkans—a region of southwestern Europe made up of many ethnic groups

The current rulers, the Ottoman Empire, started falling apart in the 1800s

The Austro-Hungarian Empire saw an opportunity to expand—annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina

Many slavic peoples, such as the Serbs, rejected the rule of outsiders

Russia saw itself as a protector of the Serbs

By the early 1900s, tensions were high

2) IMPERIALISM Late 1800s—Great Britain and France

had colonial empires in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia

Colonies provided markets and natural resources

Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany) wanted colonies, too

Germany would need a stronger military

3) MILITARISM The policy of military preparedness

and building up weapons 1900—Germany began to build a

navy that could take on the world’s strongest navy of Great Britain

Germany also enlarged its army and provided them with the latest weapons—machine guns and larger artillery

Germany army officials began drawing up war strategies

The Schlieffen Plan—precise instructions for waging a two-front war against France and Russia at the same time

It also called for a surprise invasion of France by passing through Belgium and subsequent attack on Russia

Great Britain, France, and Russia worry about Germany’s intentions

These countries start to build up military in case war breaks out

European countries believed that strong militaries would prevent countries from attacking each other

3) ALLIANCES Countries formed alliances to

maintain peace but they led directly to war

Two Alliances: 1) Triple Alliance—Germany, Austria-

Hungary, Italy 2) Triple Entente—Great Britain,

France, Russia Some Europeans believed these

alliances would create a balance of power and decrease the chance of war

WAR BREAKS OUT

After the assassination, Princip was arrested

An investigation revealed the Serbia had provided them with guns and bombs

Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for Ferdinand’s murder and declared war

Russia promised to protect Serbian Slavs

Russian army quickly mobilizes Germany views Russia’s mobilization

as an act of aggression against Austria-Hungary

Germany declared war on Russia and France

THE GERMANS TAKE BELGIUM August 14, 1914—German troops cross into

neutral Belgium Great Britain pledged to help Belgium so

they declared war on Germany Most countries had chosen sides: 1) Central Powers—Germany, Austria-

Hungary, Ottoman Empire

2) Allied Powers—Great Britain, France, Russia

By the end of “The Great War” another 30 nations, including Italy, would join the war

Initially the Schlieffen Plan worked well

German attack on Belgium was fierce Entire villages were burned Civilians, included women and

children, were executed

A NEW KIND OF WARFARE French troops mobilized and rushed to

meet the approaching German divisions French troops were dressed in bright

red uniforms Germans were dressed in gray uniforms

that worked as camouflage to help them blend into the battlefield

French troops marched row-by-row onto the battlefield

French troops drew their bayonets and they were met by German machine guns

French were not ready for the massive German fire power

Each German machine gun = 50-100 French rifles

THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE After one month Germany was about 25

miles from Paris

French troops refused to surrender French needed a victory so they

launched a daring counterattack along the Marne River east of Paris—September 7, 1914

2 million men fought along a 125-mile front

After 5 days—250,000 lives lost French moved Germans back nearly

40 miles This battle allowed Russia to mobilize

and force Germany to reposition some troops

THE WAR REACHES A STALEMATE First Battle of the Marne ended in a

stalemate French and German troops dug trenches for

protection from enemy fire Fall 1914—nearly 400 miles of trenches

across western Europe Battle lines extended from Switzerland to

the North Sea

FIGHTING IN THE TRENCHES TRENCH WARFARE—fighting in the trenches

Anytime a soldier or piece of equipment appeared above the edge of the trench, it/they were fired upon

Troops that left the trench to move to another trench also risked being shot at

Neither the Allies nor the Germans made much progress

Trench warfare became a stalemate

NEW WEAPONS Scientists for both sides created new weapons

in an attempt to gain an advantage German military scientists experimented with

poisonous gas Gas was a risky affair for both sides because

the amount was unknown and wind was an issue

April 1915—German soldiers fired canisters of poisonous gas into allied trenches

A yellow-green cloud of chlorine gas covered the allied soldiers

The gas quickly destroyed the soldiers’ lungs, and many of them panicked

British and French forces soon began developing gas as well

Soldiers started carrying gas masks This led to another stalemate British forces soon developed motorized

tanks In the first battle 18 out of 48 tanks

became stuck in mud

Airplanes were used by both sides to map enemy positions and attack trenches from above

At first airplane pilots dropped bricks and other heavy objects

They also attached machine guns to the planes

Planes participated in air battles called dog fights

German Ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen (aka The Red Baron) shot down 80 planes before begin shot down himself in 1918

Trench warfare did not give either side an advantage

Strategy would have to change for someone to gain a clear advantage.

THE END