Ch 16 Sec 2

1914 – 2 Rival GroupsTriple Entente

◦Great Britain, France, RussiaTriple Alliance

◦Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

Chain Reaction◦A-H declares war on Serbia◦Russia moves army toward border w/A-H Mobilizes toward Germany in anticipation of declaration of war

Germans view this as declaration of war

◦Aug 1 – Germany declares war on Russia◦Aug 3 – Germany declares war on France◦Aug 4 - GB declares war on Germany

Mid-August 1914, battle lines were drawn

Central Powers◦At first, Germany and A-H◦Later, Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire Hoped to gain land

Allies◦GB, France, Russia, Japan◦Italy Accuses Germany and A-H of unjustly starting war

Joins the allies

The Schlieffen Plan◦Gen. Alfred Graf von Schlieffen◦German army would race west to defeat France

◦Then fight Russia in the east◦Speed vital Quickest route through Belgium Refuse to allow them to pass Germany invades

Schlieffen Plan works at first◦Aug 1914 Germans overran Belgium and moved into France

Sept. 3 – Germans on edge of Paris

Battle of the Marne◦Sept 5◦Allies attack Germans northeast of Paris 2000 taxis used to transport troops from Paris

◦Sept. 9 – Germans order retreat

◦Single-most important event of the war Defeat of Germans left Schlieffen Plan in ruins

Quick victory no longer possible Russians had invaded Germany

2-Front war

Fall 1914◦War turned into long and bloody stalemate

Western Front◦Deadlocked region in Northern France

War in the Trenches◦1915 – Trench Warfare Miles of parallel trenches along Western Front

Offer protection Huge losses for small land gains

◦Miserable life Men slept in mud rats No fresh food Sleep nearly impossible

“No Man’s Land”◦Space between trenches◦Men go “over the top” to cross Met by machine-gun fire Many die

◦Bombed trenches

New tools of war kill thousands◦Machine guns◦Poison gas◦Armored tanks◦Larger artillery

Feb. 1916 – German attack at Verdun◦300,000 die on both sides

◦Germans advance 4 miles

July 1916 - Battle of the Somme◦20,000 British die in one day

◦500,000 on both sides by November

◦British gain 5 miles

Eastern Front◦German and Russian Border Russians and Serbs vs. Germans, Austro-Hungarians, Turks

◦More mobile than Western Front

Central Powers gain the advantage◦Aug. 1914 – Germans force Russian retreat 30,000 Russians killed

◦Sept 1914 – Russians defeat Austrians Drive deep into Austria

◦Dec 1914 – Austria turns the tide 17-day battle near Limanowa Defeat Russians and drive east

◦Jan. 1915 – push Russians out of Austria

1916 - Russia’s war effort near collapse◦Russia not industrialized Short on food, guns, ammo, clothes, boots, blankets

◦Allies unable to ship supplies to RussiaRussia had only one asset

◦Huge numbers prevent Germans from focusing on Western Front