World War I: The War To End

All Wars…

or something.

Early 1900’s: Alliances formed through-out Europe

Two “isms” rear their heads:

Nationalism:

Militarism:

Result: Europe is a powder keg!

The SparkWho:

Why:

Where:

Who else: Gavrilo Princip

What happened:

The leaders were unable to back away from their national "honor" and the entangling alliances they had agreed to. •Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia, who they believed had supported the assassins.

•Russia, the traditional friend and ally of their fellow-Slavs, the Serbians, came to their support.

•Russia's ally France also mobilized for war.

•Germany, the ally of Austria Hungary, then came to the aid of their ally and invaded neutral Belgium to get to France.

•When the French violated Belgian neutrality, Great Britain entered the fray.

•Other nations followed. What should have been a small local war became the first world war.

“Choosing Teams”:The Central Powers

• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Bulgaria• Ottoman Empire

(Turkey)

• Great Britain• France• Russia• Italy• 20 other nations

“Choosing Teams”:The Allies

U.S. NEUTRALITY

ADVANTAGES: CENTRAL POWERS

• Germany, Austria-Hungary-single connected territory

• Efficient railroads• Rapid movement of

troops and supplies• Submarines

ADVANTAGES: ALLIES• Control of the seas• Blockaded Central

Powers• Access to vital

supplies• Number of troops

THE GERMAN

STRATEGYSchlieffen Plan:

Delay the Russians in the East, hit the

French HARD in the West, then focus on

the Russians(Avoid fighting on

two fronts)

SCHLIEFFEN PLAN• Violate

Belgium’s neutrality

• First defeat France

• Full scale attack on Russia

THE WESTERN FRONT(“All Quiet on the Western Front”)

• Stalemate-neither side able to gain land

• Trench Warfare: 600 miles of ditches from the Alps to the North Sea

• Distance between opposing ditches- “No Man’s Land”

TRENCH WARFARE

TRENCH WARFARE

TRENCH WARFARE

Meanwhile, back in the Batcave...U.S. positions:

Official:

Unofficial:

Examples:

2Why Did The U.S. Enter The War?

Two Major Reasons:

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

International Rules:

German Point of View:

Goal: Starve the British and force them to release the British Navy blockade

Sinking of Lusitania

The Zimmerman TelegramWhat it said:

What it did:

Two Surprises For The Central Powers:

1. United States enters the War on the Allies’ side (Bad!)

2. The Bolshevik Revolution ends the Rominov (Anastasia) Dynasty, brings Marxism/ Leninism to Russia, and Russia exits the war. (Good!)

WORLD WAR I

WEAPONS OF WAR

WEAPONS:CHLORINE GAS

Had to wear gas masksCaused blindness, severe blisters, or death by chokingFirst introduced by Germans; used by both sides

WEAPONS: TANKSIntroduced by the BritishEarly tanks slow and clumsyMoved on a chain track

WEAPONS: AIRPLANES•First time used in combat role•At first, used to take photographs•Soon, both sides used them to drop bombs.•Later guns were attached to fight in the air.

WEAPONS: U-BOATSubmarine introduced by GermansPrimary weapon-torpedo, self-propelled missile

WEAPONS: MACHINE GUN•Much

improved by World War I

•Fired 400 rounds in a minute•Helped create a stalemate

WEAPONS: HOWITZERFirst seen in fall of 1914Austrian artillery