World War IWorld War I

The Great War Continues…

Quick Recap… Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia,

Serbia, Romania, and Greece Central Powers: Germany, Austria-

Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria

Germany’s Von Schlieffen plan has collapsed due to:– a loss at the Battle of the Marne on the

Western Front – quick Russian mobilization on the Eastern

Front

The Eastern Front: The Battle of Tannenberg

August 26-30,1914 Russians kept their word to France and

attacked before they were fully ready Disastrous defeat for the Russians. Germany’s greatest victory in the war. Russia never fully recovers.

The War Continues…

Italy remains neutral until May of 1915

The Allies promise Italy land in return for support, and the Italians become part of the Allied powers

Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Romania, and Greece

Trench Warfare After the Battle of the

Marne, both sides settle into their trenches, and the war becomes a stalemate

2 main trenches, 500 miles long, each protected by barbed wire and land mines

Men were in trenches for weeks

Attacks were made in the middle, which was “no man’s land”

Trench Warfare

War of Attrition The war becomes a war of attrition, both

sides continually try to wear the other side down through constant attack

WW I is now a TOTAL WAR- the countries are putting ALL of their resources into the war effort– Women take the place of men in factories,

farms, shops, etc– Propaganda is used to elicit harsh feelings

against the enemy. Rumors, posters, and ideas are spread that portray the enemy as a beast.

Battle at Gallipoli

The Allies wanted the Ottomans out of the war

Churchill opens 3rd front

Allies wanted control of Constantinople and the Dardanelles to supply Serbia and Russia

British Defeat at Gallipoli Allies attack the Gallipoli

peninsula Turks outnumber the

Allies ( mostly Aussies) Turks win one of the

bloodiest battles of World War I

Campaign is a disaster for the Allies and they withdrew in Jan. 1916

(Actual trenches in Gallipoli)

Battle of Verdun: February 1916

Germans make a surprise attack on the French Fortress Verdun

Attack lasts for 5 months, each side loses 300,000 men

The French are led by General Henri-Philippe Petain: “They shall not pass.”

Germany gained 4 miles, and then abandoned the attack.

Battle of the Somme: July 1916

British attack Germans 400,000 British die, 500,000 Germans,

and 200,000 French Britain gained 5 miles

– Introduced tanks into warfare– Tanks were slow and clumsy; make very little

difference– Generals did not know how to best use this

new weapon

American Entrance into WWI• American opinion was divided

• Wilson urges neutrality (isolationism)

• Germany resumes unrestricted sub warfare; attack civilian ships

• Remember:1915-Germans attacked Lusitania, a British trade ship, 128 Americans die

“The Yanks are coming…” The Zimmerman Note Feb. of 1917- Britain

intercepts a telegram from Germany to Mexico– Germans promise to help

Mexico regain territory in the U.S. if Mexico helps the Germans

– Result: April 2, 1917- Wilson asks Congress for a declaration of war

Why US entered into the War on the Allied side

Public outrage from the very beginning against Germany for violating Belgian neutrality

The sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania

Propaganda campaign by Allied sympathizers showing the “Horrible Hun”, “Poor little Belgium” etc.

Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare

The Zimmerman Telegram

Allied Propaganda from WWI

Significance of American Entrance into WW I

Turned the tide of battle in favor of the Allies Broke traditional isolationist policy America emerged as a world power