1914 – 1918

The Great War

IntroductionThe Great War, or World War I, was the first of its kind. It was the war to end all wars, involving all the great world powers. World War I was the result of leaders’ aggression towards other countries which was supported by the rising nationalism of the European nations.

Causes of the WarInternational

DisquietImperialismNationalismMilitarism Arms

RaceAlliances’Economic

CompetitionNo International

Peace Organization

Countries In the WarOver twenty-seven countries were mentioned as the Allied and Associated Powers in the Treaty of Versailles. World War I, however, was truly global in its outreach because colonies of European nations also went to war.

Austria-Hungary : Austria-Hungary initiated World War I by declaring war on Serbia in July 1914.

Belgium : Though initially neutral, Belgium joined World War I to offer stiff resistance against German invasion.

Brazil : Brazil joined World War I in 1917 on the side of the Allies, and was the only Latin American country to participate in the Great War.

British Empire : Britain and British colonies including Australia, Canada, India, and New Zealand formed part of the Allied camp. The spread of the British colonies across the globe brought World War I to Africa and Asia.

Bulgaria : The Kingdom of Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in 1915 and fought until September 1918.

China : China entered World War I in 1917 following U.S. entry into the war.

France and Colonies : One of the major Allied nations, France declared war with the German declaration of war against France on August 3, 1914.

German Empire : Germany was a major Central Power. Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war was heavily influenced by Germany’s assurance of support.

Countries In the War Greece : Following the U.S. entry into World War I, Greece entered the war on the

side of the Allies on June 27, 1917. Italy : Initially reluctant to join the war despite an alliance with Germany and

Austria-Hungary, Italy sided with the allies in 1915. Japan : Japan's entry into World War I in August 1914 followed Britain's request to

combat raids of the Kaiserliche Marine (German Imperial Navy). Liberia : Liberian trade was adversely affected by World War I, and the country

joined the Allied Powers in 1917. Montenegro : Linked closely with Serbia, Montenegro joined the Allied cause in

August 1914. Ottoman Empire : The Ottoman Empire joined World War I in November 1914, on

the side of the Central Powers, due to its close ties with Germany. Portugal : Despite the rivalry between Portugal and Germany, Portugal remained

neutral until March 1915, when Germany declared war. Portugal then joined the Allies.

Romania : Romania joined the Allies in August 1916. Russia : Russia, along with Britain and France, was one of the major Allied Powers,

and first among the nations to mobilize troops against Germany. Serbia : The outbreak of World War I was triggered by the assassination of

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo, Serbia. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July 1914.

United States of America: The United States declared neutrality in 1914. In 1917, the United States associated with the Allied nations thereby changing the course of World War I.

Europe's Military Alliances

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo. The assassination sparked Europe into a frenzy and began a chain reaction that started the war. Germany declares war in August 1914.

Sinking of the SS Lusitania The British ocean liner RMS

Lusitania, famous for its luxurious accommodations and speed capability, primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain.

Since the outbreak of World War I, ocean voyage had become dangerous.

On May 7, 1915 a German U-boat launched a torpedo and sank the Lusitania within 15 min.

Of the 1,959 people on board, 1,198 died. The toll of civilians killed in this disaster shocked the world.

128 of the dead were Americans.

Trench WarfareTrench warfare is a

form of land warfare using occupied fighting lines consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are significantly protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery.

Technologies used in the WarPoison GasGas MasksMachine GunsTanksSubmarineGerman Zeppelins Military PlainsRadio

ATTACK AT dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun

In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun, Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one, Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire. The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear, Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.

Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear, They leave their trenches, going over the top, While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists, And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists, Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!

-Siegfried SassoonAt Creiglockhart, July – November, 1917

The Western Front the German Army opened the

Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the race to the sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war.

“To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured.  God helping her, she can do no other.”

- Woodrow Wilson Source: Source Records of the Great War, Vol. V, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923

American Enters the War - April 6, 1917

American Doughboy 1918

American Propaganda Propaganda was used to

spark emotion into the American People. Sometimes it would be fear, hope, or patriotism. Emotional appeals and simplistic caricatures of the enemy influenced many Americans. No matter what, propaganda posters made an impact on the choices Americans made during the war.

American Women in the WarWomen played a significant

part in the war. Some worked as nurses to aid wounded solders. Some worked in factories and farms to take the place of men. Some volunteered for different causes and organizations', such as driving for the Motor Corps; and some even dresses as men to fight for their country. Some women supported the home front by preserving food, and growing gardens.

Women Working in Factory

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Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurses

Armistice The final Allied push towards the

German border began on October 17, 1918.

Alliance between the Central Powers began to collapse.

A German Republic was declared and peace feelers extended to the Allies.

At 5 AM on the morning of November 11 an armistice was signed in a railroad car parked in a French forest near the front lines.

The terms of the agreement called for the cessation of fighting along the entire Western Front to begin at precisely 11 AM that morning.

After over four years of bloody conflict, the Great War was at an end.

WWI Death Toll