World War I

The Powder Keg Ignites

World War I began in Eastern Europe

Crisis began with the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary Was visiting Bosnia but also home to many

Serbs and Slavics Serbians were unhappy with the visit Viewed Austrians as foreign oppressors Serbian terrorist group known as the Black Hand

carried out the assassination

Video of Assassination

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbfhH6aK8vI

Assassination of Archduke

Archduke ignored warnings of anti-Austrian unrest in Sarajevo

June 28, 1914- he and his wife were shot

They were in an open car in Sarajevo

Austria Strikes Back

Government of Vienna saw assassination as an excuse to crush Serbia

Germany was upset by the assassination

Germany gave Austria the “blank check”- a promise of unconditional support no matter what the cost.

Austria sent Serbia and ultimatum Tried to avoid the war Serbia was supposed to end all anti-Austrian

agitation in punish the Serbians who were involved in the plot

The Ultimatum

Serbia agreed to most but not all the terms of the ultimatum

July 28, 1914- Austria declared war on Serbia

The Alliances Kick In

Carefully planned alliances kicked in when conflict arose.

After Austria declared war, Serbia went running to its ally Russia

Nicholas II asked William II to ask Austria to soften the demands, this failed

Russia then began to mobilize- prepared troops for war

August I- Germany responded by declaring war on Russia

The Alliances Kick In

Russia went to its ally France

France gave same kind of backing Germany did to Austria

Germany demanded France stay out of the conflict

Germany declared war on France

II. How It Began

A.The Balkans

(“Powder Keg of Europe”)

WAR

Germany Invades Belgium

Italy and Britain remained uncommitted

Italy chose to remain neutral

Neutrality- policy of supporting neither side in a war

Schlieffan Plan Germany’s location presented itself as a two-front

war (France in the west and Russia in the east) Schlieffan Plan was designed to avoid this issue Plan- attack France first because Russia was slow to

industrialize

Schlieffan Plan

Goal: to surprise attack France by going through Belgian borders

European countries signed a treaty to keep Belgium neutral

Idea was to encircle and crush France’s army

Germany invaded Belgium on August 3rd

When Germany went through Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany on August 4th

Section 2: A New Kind of War

Information about the Great War

Great War was the largest conflict in history up to that time

France mobilized 8.5 million men, Britain nearly 9 million, Russia 12 million, and Germany 11 million

Stalemate on the Western Front

German forces fought their way through Belgium toward Paris

Belgium tried to resist but German power was much too powerful

The Schlieffan Plan Failed

Russia mobilized faster

Russia won small victories over Germany

Germany had to then fight a two front war (France and Russia)

Battle of the Marne- ended Germany’s hope of a quick victory on the Western Front

The Stalemate

Both sides dug deeper trenches to protect their armies

Stalemate- a deadlock in which neither side is able to defeat the other

Battle lines in France remained unchanged for 4 years

New Technology

Machine guns

Artillery gun

Poison Gas

Trench Warfare

Tanks

Airplanes

Submarines

B. Trench Warfare

1. Goals

2. Conditions

3. Success

German “U” Boats

Damaged the Allied side

Sank many ships going to Britain

The Eastern Front

Battle of Tannenburg (August of 1914)

Central Powers crush Russians (Poor supplies and leadership) who never were a threat again

War Around the World

Ottoman Empire had a strategic location

Ottomans joined the Central Powers

Turkey cuts off Russia from the Dardanelles- a vital strait connecting the Black Sea ad the Mediterranean

Turkey fought Russia

3 Front War

3rd Front- Middle East

1916- Arab nationalists led by Husayn ibn Ali declared a revolt against Ottoman Rule British sent T.E. Lawrence- Lawrence of Arabia-

to support the Arab revolt

Section 3: Winning the War

Waging Total War

Nations realized that a modern mechanized war required the channeling of a nation’s entire resources- total war

To achieve total war- government took a stronger role

Both sides set up systems to recruit, arm, transport, and supply armies that numbered in the millions

Conscription

Britain imposed conscription- “the draft”- required all young men to be ready for military or other service

Government raised taxes and borrowed huge among of money to pay the costs of war

Countries rationed food and other products such as boots and gasoline