World War 1The War to end all Wars!!

The Spark

The Assassin

Causes

• Imperialism- colonization was nearly done around the world and the losers were jealous of the winners.

• Militarism- the rise in power of the military leaders led to buildups in weapons and personnel.

• Nationalism- the rise of ethnic groups within borders led to calls for independence.

• Alliances- treaties both public and private led to a tangled web of promises to defend. Germany’s promise to back Austria’s invasion of Serbia led to the start of the war.

Picking Sides

• Central Powers- Germany and Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire(Turkey), Bulgaria

• Allies- Russia, France, Serbia, Great Britain, Italy

Weapons

• Machine Guns

• Rapid Fire Artillery

• Grenades

• Poison Gas

Trench Warfare

Trench LifePicking Lice from Clothing

Trench Battle

American Response

• Most Americans favored the Allied Powers

• In order to protect shipping President Wilson declared America to be neutral.

• Americans distrusted Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany because of his opposition to democracy.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Preparedness

• American soldiers started training for combat in 1915 in case of our entry into the war.

America Gets Ready for War

Soldiers Wanted

German Submarine Warfare

Lusitania128 Americans Killed

Lusitania Today

The Zimmerman Note

Zimmerman

Zimmerman Pledge to Mexico

US Declaration of War

• After the sinking of three US ships after the Zimmerman note was discovered, the US declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917

Financing the War

Training for War

American Influence the Outcome

• America turned the tide against Germany on the western front. The US Marines were told to dig no trenches to retreat to and they didn’t!!

What it looked like

Trenches Today

Flu Epidemic of 1918

• American Soldiers brought it with them

• 500,000 German soldiers caught it

• More American soldiers died from the flu than in battle

• All told over 500,000 Americans and 30 million worldwide died from this virus