World War I1914-1918

The Great War/The War To End All Wars

MAIN Causes of WWI

Militarism – build up of military to intimidate others and protect colonial holdings

Alliance System – agreements between nations to help each other in event of war; creating domino effect

Imperialism – colonizing foreign lands for own benefit; increased competition between nations; led to militarism

Nationalism – pride in one’s country; led to demands for independence from foreign rule

Expectations

Both sides thought the war would be a quick ordeal…

Kaiser Wilhelm II told his soldiers, “you’ll be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees.”

He also proclaimed he would have “Paris for lunch, St. Petersburg for dinner.” reference to the Schlieffen Plan

They underestimated the role industrialization would play in this war (led to arms race)

French troops marched off shouting “we’ll be home by Christmas.” What is the significance of the smile on his face?

Christmas Truce 1914

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NWF2JBb1bvM

Schlieffen Plan

New Type of Warfare

Trench Warfare: long ditches in which soldiers would take cover while firing on enemy, created a stalemate (neither side with an advantage) and caused huge losses

New weapons: poison gas, machine guns, tanks, airplanes “dogfights”, U-boats (submarines)

My Own Sweet Mother,I can see no excuse deceiving you about these last 4 days...I have not been at the front.I have been in front of it.I held an advanced post, that is, a "dug-out" in the middle of No Man's Land...the ground was not mud... but an octopus of sucking clay, relieved only by craters full of water. Men had been known to drown in it.The Germans knew we were staying there and decided we shouldn't.Those fifty hours were the agony of my happy life. I nearly broke down and let myself drown in the water that was now slowly rising over my knees.Your very own W.E.O. x

Key IdeasNew Weapons Used in the WarThe Machine Gun

Modern industry replaced the single-fire, short range rifle

British machine guns fired 8 rounds per second, at a distance of 2,900 yards

Artillery Greater power and could travel much further

Artillery

New Weapons Used in the Warcon’t

Weapons of the Industrial Age 75 different types of poison-gas bombs Flame throwers Tanks Airplanes submarines

Casualties of Modern Weaponry Tactics of sending masses of men toward enemy didn’t

work against modern weapons Britain suffered 57,470 casualties on the first day Total losses for WWI exceeded 10 million

Poisonous Gas!!!

Other New Weapons

Key IdeasTrench Warfare

The Race to the Sea 475 miles of trenches were dug across

northern France British troops used over 10 million

shovels during the warThe Trenches – What They Were

Really Like Charging over the top, crossing “no

man’s land” to reach enemy trenches (btw. enemy trenches)

Boring, terrifying, and caused shell shock

Horrible living conditions, wet, dirty, rat-infested

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Arial View of Trenches

“Shell Shock”

Many of the soldiers had to cope with images that wouldn't go away. Many parts of human

bodies were actually used to shore up the trench system itself. Some soldiers found it

humorous to hang their water canteens on a protruding arm or a protruding leg. These were not people who were disrespectful of the dead;

they were living with the dead. One can imagine the possibility of becoming numb to such images, but those who couldn't turn off

their feelings internalized them, brought them home with them, dreamt about them, and went

mad because of them.

Alliance System

Triple Entente – GB, France, Russia (US would later join and became Allied Powers); Russia later drops out of war because of revolution at home

Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy (Italy later switches sides because it blames Germany for war)

U.S. entrance into war

Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality (many still believed in isolationism)

Followed a policy of “preparedness” – steps to prepare just in case

U.S. favored Entente by loaning $$$ to Britain and France which boosted America’s economy

US began shipping military supplies to GB aboard commercial cruise liners

US Entrance

Sinking of Lusitania 1915 by German U-boat (policy of unrestricted submarine warfare – attacking all ships); hit on neutral seas; 1200 people died including 128 US citizens

Wave of anti-German feeling and propaganda swept across country

Germany knew this would pull US into war, but thought they could easily defeat Britain before that happened (Russia already out)

US Entrance

Zimmerman Telegram – intercepted telegram sent to Germany Embassy in Mexico; Zimmerman asked Mexico to attack US in return for land US acquired during Mexican-American War

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/zimmermann/

Anti-German sentiment increased even more

US enters April 1917 to make world “safe for democracy” Woodrow Wilson

Anti-German and other Propaganda

U.S. Involvement/Major Issues

Unprepared to send large army to Europe right away, Congress passed Selective Service Act to draft young men for military service until four months after declared peace

Among them was the 369th Infantry “Harlem Hellfighters” given France’s highest medal for bravery

Road to Peace

Germany was unable to defeat Britain, France, and the U.S.

Nov 11, 1918 signed an armistice (cease-fire agreement)

Once fighting stopped, leaders met in Paris for peace conference (lasted 6 months)

Wilson did not want to punish Germany, but others did

June 28, 1919 signed Treaty of Versailles crafted by the “Big Four” Wilson (U.S.), Clemenceau (France), Lloyd George (GB), Orlando (Italy)

Treaty of Versailles

Germany required to accept full blame for the war “war guilt clause”

Required to pay $33 billion in reparations to the Allies (esp. France)

Agree to be disarmed Demilitarized zone established between

France and Germany Nations carved from territories of Central

Powers Conditions of the treaty led to German

economic depression and bitterness (ultimately allowed Hitler to rise to power)

Europe Before and After

Cost of War

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/casdeath_pop.html

Estimated civilian losses: 8,000,000

Allied Powers Cost in Dollars in 1914-18

United States 22,625,253,000

Great Britain 35,334,012,000

France 24,265,583,000

Russia 22,293,950,000

Italy 12,413,998,000

Total of all Costs 125,690,477,000

Central Powers Cost in Dollars in 1914-18

Germany 37,775,000,000

Austria-Hungary 20,622,960,000

Turkey 1,430,000,000

Bulgaria 815,200,000

Total of all Costs 60,643,160,000

 

Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Goal: establish peace and stability No more secret treaties Included right to self-rule, free trade, free

access to seas Called for reduction in armaments *Proposed League of Nations – world

peace-keeping agency Ironically, U.S. did not join the league for

fear that joining an international organization would drag them into another world war

Impact at Home

Increased role of government in U.S. Food Administration: encouraged

people to conserve food that could be used in war effort

Daylight Savings Time: to burn less fuel Espionage and Sedition Acts: made it

illegal to interfere or refuse the draft, obstruct sale of bonds, or make statements criticizing the government

Socialist (govt. regulation of business), Eugene Debs, was imprisoned for speaking out against the war

Social Impact

Vacancies created in industrial workforce were filled by women

Great Migration: mass movement of African Americans from rural South to northern cities for better economic opportunities

Families planted victory gardens so more farm products could be used for war

Voluntary rationingPurchasing of Liberty Bonds

War Posters

War Posters

Aftermath

Why weren’t nations, such as Russia and Germany, present at the peace conference?

Other interest groups (women, labor org., WEB DuBois, Ho Chi Minh) were present at the conference. What were their agendas?

Why couldn’t many of them speak at the conference? (from question above)

Why was it impossible to achieve a lasting peace after the end of fighting in the First World War? (at least 4 answers)