World War 1 aka The Great War

World War 1 aka The Great WarCauses of WWILong-term causesNationalismMilitarismAlliancesImperialismImmediate causeAssassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand (heir to Austria-Hungarys throne) by Serbian nationalist in 1914

Domino effect that caused Europe to fall into war1914The World Goes to War

Alliances Before the WarTriple EntenteGreat Britain France RussiaSerbiaTriple AllianceAustria-HungaryGermanyItaly

Sides During the WarCentral PowersAustria-HungaryGermanyAllied PowersGreat BritainFranceRussiaSerbia1 year in Italy (traitors!!)1 year to go United StatesAnimated MapTrench Warfare and New Weaponry during WWIThe Western Front

Front Line Trenches

Soldiers in the First World War did not spend the whole of the time in the trenches. The British Army worked on a 16 day timetable. Each soldier usually spent eight days in the front line and four days in the reserve trench. Another four days were spent in a rest camp that was built a few miles away from the fighting. However, when the army was short of men, soldiers had to spend far longer periods at the front. It was not uncommon for soldiers to be in the front line trenches for over thirty days at a time. On one occasion, the 13th Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment spent fifty-one consecutive days in the line.Communication TrenchesThe trench system on the Western Front consisted of front-line, support and reserve trenches. The three rows of trenches covered between 200 and 500 yards of ground. Communication trenches were dug at an angle to those facing the enemy. These trenches used to transport men, equipment and food supplies.

Awful Conditions

Awful Conditions

LiceMen in the trenches suffered from lice. One soldier writing after the war described them as "pale fawn in colour, and they left blotchy red bite marks all over the body." They also created a sour; stale smell. Various methods were used to remove the lice. A lighted candle was fairly effective but the skill of burning the lice without burning your clothes was only learnt with practice. One soldier described how this worked: "The things lay in the seams of trousers, in the deep furrows of long thick woolly pants, and seemed impregnable in their deep entrenchments. A lighted candle applied where they were thickest made them pop like Chinese crackers. After a session of this, my face would be covered with small blood spots from extra big fellows which had popped too vigorously."

Trench FeetMany soldiers fighting in the First World War suffered from trench foot. This was an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and insanitary conditions. In the trenches men stood for hours on end in water logged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. The feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Trench foot was a particular problem in the early stages of the war. For example, during the winter of 1914-15 over 20,000 men in the British Army were treated for trench foot.The only remedy for trench foot was for the soldiers to dry their feet and change their socks several times a day.

Trench Foot in COLOR!!!

AmputationsOver 1.65 million men in the British Army were wounded during World War I. Of these, around 240,000 British soldiers suffered total or partial leg or arm amputations as a result of war wounds. Most of these men were fitted with artificial limbs.

Poison Gas

Mustard GasMustard Gas (Yperite) was first used by the German Army in September 1917. It was one of the most lethal of all the poisonous chemicals used during the war. It was almost odourless and took twelve hours to take effect. Yperite was so powerful that only small amounts had to be added to high explosive shells to be effective. Once in the soil, mustard gas remained active for several weeks.

Various Gas Masks worn in WWI

Poison GasPoison Gas Deaths: 1914-1918CountryNon-FatalDeathsTotalBritish Empire180,5978,109188,706France182,0008,000190,000United States71,3451,46272,807Italy55,3734,62760,000Russia419,34056,000475,340Germany191,0009,000200,000Austria-Hungary97,0003,000100,000Others9,0001,00010.000Total1,205,65591,1981,296,853Letters from the TrenchesTwelve and a half million letters were sent to the Western Front every week. In 1914 the Postal Section of the Royal Engineers had a staff of 250 men. By 1918 the Army Postal Service employed 4,000 soldiers. Letters only took two or three days to arrive from Britain. Even soldiers in the front line trenches received daily deliveries of letters.Soldiers were also encouraged to write letters to friends and family in Britain. Most men decided it would be better to conceal the horrors of the trench warfare. As a result of the Defence of the Realm Act that was passed in 1914, all letters that the men wrote should have been read and censored by junior officers.

Initial NeutralityThere was no desire or need to enter warOutbreak of war had devastating effects on American economyDeep recession spurred by drain of hard specieLoss of overseas markets for tradeBy 1915, Britain and France looked to U.S. to supply them with munitions and foodstuffs giving industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy a boostComplete impartiality ImpossibleOne-third of U.S. population were hyphenated AmericansVigorous propaganda campaigns by both sidesEconomic ties between U.S. and AlliesTrade with Germany ended but trade with Allies increasedValue of American trade shot up from $824 million in 1914 to $3.2 billion in 19161917: loans to Allies exceeded $2.5 billion compared to loans to the Central Powers of only $27 millionNation enjoyed great economic boomU.S. became neutral in name onlyNeutrality TestedU.S. neutrality severely tested after Britain and France imposed naval blockades against GermanyGermans utilized U-BoatsNew weapon, submarine, they utilized to terrorize shipping traffic across AtlanticBombed ships crossing Atlantic whether they were civilian or militaryGermans claimed that ships might be carrying munitions of war for Britain or France and must be stoppedBy September, 1915, U-boats had sunk 90 ships, including British luxury liner The LusitaniaKilled 1,200 people, 130 were AmericansWilson still didnt want to go to war, issued warning to Germans to cease submarine warfareMarch, 1916, Germans attacked French passenger liner The Sussex, killing 4 AmericansWilson issued Sussex Ultimatum where he warned Germans to stop submarine warfare or U.S. would break all diplomatic relations with GermanyWilson begins preparedness campaign

1915The RMS LusitaniaBritish liner torpedoed by a German U-Boat. 1,200 passengers were killed, including 128 U.S. civilians.

1916Wilson warns Germany to stop unrestricted submarine warfare

Wilson re-elected with campaign slogan He kept us out of the war.

The Zimmerman NoteMarch 2, 1917, Wilson received word that British agent had intercepted and decoded letter from German Foreign Secretary Zimmerman to German ambassadorLetter contained promise from German government to Mexican president that if his country assisted Germany in war against U.S., Mexico would be given back the territory lost in the Mexican-American War after Germanys victoryThe combination of the sinking of four unarmed American merchant vessels along with the telegram, which directly threatened the U.S., were enough for Wilson to ask Congress for declaration of war1917The Zimmerman NoteJanuary 16, 1917Telegram sent to Mexico by GermanyIntercepted by British and given to AmericaPromised Mexico would get back states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if it formed alliance with GermanyCaused Wilson to finally ask Congress for declaration of war

Dark Green land that Mexico had currently controlled in 1917.Medium Green land that was promised to Mexico by Germany in the Zimmerman Note. Light Green land that Mexico had once controlled, before the Mexican-American War.

U.S. Declares War on Germany, April 4, 1917The world must be made safe for democracyThis will be a war to end wars1917Selective Service Act: authorized draft of young men for military service in Europe.First day: 9.6 million Americans registered for the draftCommittee on Public Information: educated public about causes and nature of the war.Had to convince Americans that the war effort was a just causeEarned widespread support for American war effortMobilizing for WarCommittee on Public Information formedGiven task of informing Americans of the war through propagandaEncouraged Americans to buy war bonds and support war effortFood Administration headed by Herbert Hoover encouraged Americans to sacrifice Meatless Mondays and victory gardensAmericans stopped eating German food, playing German musicWar Industries Board controlled production, wages, and prices of manufactured goodsSelective Service Act (1917) authorized conscription of American males into military service

War Changes American SocietyEspionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918: allowed postal authorities to ban treasonable or seditious newspapers, magazines, or printed materials from the mail; enacted severe penalties for anyone engaged in disloyal or treasonable activitiesPrejudice Against German AmericansHamburgers= liberty steaksDachshunds= liberty pupsNew opportunities for women: worked in jobs left by men going to warAfrican Americans follow opportunity NorthGreat Migration: movement of 1.2 million African Americans from rural South to industrial North in order to escape racism and get a chance at economic advancement1917March 1918: Soviet Union signs a treaty with the Central Powers and withdraw from the war- Brest-Litovsk TreatyThis allowed more German soldiers to fight on Western Front; launched attack that was stopped by newly arrived American forcesBy May, 1918, over one million American troops were stationed in France, along the Western Front. (American Expeditionary Force)Approximately half of these men were stationed in the front lines.With American assistance, and a discouraged Germany, the Allied Forces were able to launch a series of offensives that sent the Germans retreating.

1918: Armistice

Armistice Day being celebrated in New Zealand And in Canada.The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. 41Wilsons Fourteen PointsDelivered to Congress on January 8, 1919 in preparation for his postwar visionBelieved that Great War would be the war to end all wars and that America had to make the world safe for democracy.Points provided for:The abolishment of secret treatiesFreedom of the seasEconomic freedomReduction of armsEnd of colonializationSelf-determinationFormation of international organization for collective securityThis most important point to Wilson but would prove the hardest for him with Americans at wars end1918Wilson writes his Fourteen PointsLenin, now in power in Russia, claimed that the entire war was an imperialistic land grab (fought for the purpose of gaining new territory) He exposed secret treaties Russia had made with the Allies in which they agreed to divide among themselves the empires of their enemies. Wilson, on the other hand, wanted to promote a peace without victory

Peace Without VictoryWar was not about acquisitions and imperialism, but about peace and freedom (ideals)Only a tranquil Europe can be a stable Europe. There must be a peace without victory. Victory would mean peace forced upon the loser, a victors terms imposed upon the vanquished. It would be accepted in humiliation and would leave a sting, a resentment, a bitter memory upon which terms of peace would rest, not permanently, but only as upon quicksand.He answered Lenins charges about the purpose of the conflict by outlining Americas war aims in Fourteen Points1919Rest of the Allies disagreed with WilsonThey blamed Germany for starting the war and felt that they had suffered more than the U.S.They insisted Germany make reparations or payment for war damagesWanted to weaken Germany so that it would never threaten Europe againAllies create the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919.

The Paris Peace ConferenceBritain France David Lloyd-George George Clemenceau

The Big Three + Italy America Italy Woodrow Wilson Vittorio Orlando

The Treaty and Its ProblemsLeague of Nations was made part of the treaty along with Article XCalled for members to stand at the ready if another member nations sovereignty was being threatenedProved problem for Wilson when he returned to America

Problems with the peaceIn the new map that emerged from the conference, national self-determination was violated constantly.Ex: Iraq was still a mandate of Britain (territory overseen by another nation)In Middle East, breakup of the Ottoman Empire led to new states in which ethnic groups were clustered together randomlyGermany gets broken up so that ethnic Germans now live within borders of Poland and CzechoslovakiaCauses Hitler to invade these areas to reunite all ethnic Germans at start of WWIIAmerica Rejects the Versailles TreatyIrreconcilables: wanted to remain isolationist, something that could not be done if they signed the treaty and became a part of the League of NationsReservationists: were opposed to the treaty as it was written because the language was too vague, felt that it could lead the U.S. into a war without the consent of Congress, which was unconstitutionalWhen treaty went to Senate for vote, no one was willing to compromise: At a moment that demanded compromise, Wilson and his opponents refused to put aside personal and political differences for the good of the country. The tragedy of the failed votes was that without full American support, the League of Nations proved unable to maintain peace among nations.

Effects of WarGermans have strong desire for revengeLenins Soviet Russia threatened revolution throughout the industrial worldIn U.S. horrors of war and widespread fear of communists and radicals cause Americans to question political and economic role in the worldAmericans Embrace NormalcyPresidential Election of 1920Wilson felt election of Democrat James M. Cox would prove that Americans supported the League of Nations and his vision of the role U.S. should play in the worldElection of Warren G. Harding would be final rejection of the leagueHarding rejected Wilsonian idealismTired of progressive reforms and foreign crusadesCalled for a return to normalcy

Im Normal!!!!Americans Embrace NormalcyBy 1920 the U.S. was an economic giantRichest, most industrialized country in the worldU.S. was now largest creditor nation in the worldOther countries owed the U.S. more money than the U.S. owed themThe victorious United States came out of the war strong, confident, and prosperous