World War 1 (aka “The Great War” or “The War in Europe”)

World War 1

(aka “The Great War” or “The War in Europe”)

Background & Setup

• As the Industrial Revolution continued around the globe, laborers and unions continued to be unhappy, underpaid and overworked

• The Almighty Dollar drove many nations to colonize other countries and build their empires

The Empire Builders

TRIPLE ENTENTE• Great Britain/United Kingdom• France• Russia

TRIPLE ALLIANCE• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Italy

The (Gun)Powder-Keg

Competing Empires+

Increasingly Unhappy Laborers/Colonists_______________________________________

EXPLOSION WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!

Every explosion needs a fuse…

• A Serbian Activist (private citizen who gets directly involved in government/politics) who was on the side of the laborers & colonists

• An Austrian Archduke and heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary

One of them assassinated the other. Which do you think was which?

Alliances get you into trouble…

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the first aggressive act during imperial times

• Austria-Hungary retaliated with an ultimatum and eventually a declaration of war against the nation of Serbia

• Due to both nation’s alliances it soon evolved into a WORLD WAR

Let’s make a deal!

There is one notable exception in the list of

nations that was originally involved in

WW1. What is it?

When fighting a war, many supplies are needed…

-Guns-Ammunition-Helmets-Food-Medical Supplies-Military Transports-Uniforms-Bombs-Etc.

American became the best “salesperson” in the world very quickly. Based on the following map, who do you think they sold to?

What can be learned from history?

IN YOUR NOTEBOOKS…

What lessons might President Obama have learned from the America’s decision to stay out of WW1 and applied to the situation in Libya today?

America enters the Great War

• American troops arrived in Paris, France on July 4, 1917

• An officer of the 2nd battalion marched to Picpus Cemetary to visit the Marquis de Lafayette’s grave and saluted, stating “Lafayette, we are here!”

Combat in WW1

• Trench Warfare– On the Western Front, troops dug network of

channels

– Stretched from the English Channel to the Swiss Border

– Space between opposing trenches was called “No Man’s Land”

Trench Warfare (Cont’d)

• Start with artillery– Cannon fire aimed at the opposing trench

– Soldiers charge with bayonets across No Man’s Land

– Soldiers hurl grenades into enemy trenches as they charge

Trench Warfare (Part 3)

• Artillery was not very effective

• Grenades were often caught & thrown back

• Assaults across No Man’s Land resulted in 100,000+ casualties on both sides in MAJOR BATTLES

Women’s Suffrage

• “Suffrage” = the right to vote

• Started in 1848; grew strong at turn of the 20th Century

• Women were insulted when 14th & 15th Ammendments didn’t include them

Split into two Movements

• 1st Movement wanted to amend FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

• 2nd Movement wanted pursue it at the STATE LEVEL

• By 1900 – Only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, & Colorado granted women full voting rights

Women’s Suffrage during WW1

• Women had been reluctant to get politically active

• High death tolls in WW1 of working-age men, led to women entering the workforce

• Abuses in the workplace led to more support for protective labor laws

Growing the Movement

• Began lobbying lawmakers, organizing marches, & delivering street-corner speeches

• 3/3/1913 – Suffragettes marched in D.C., day before Woodrow Wilson’s election– Blocked sidewalks, chained themselves to

lampposts & went on hunger strikes if arrested

The Tale of Susan B. Anthony

• Worked as a teacher at age 17. – Fired after complaining about unequal pay

compared to male coworkers. – Got a job as a principal.

• Involved in suffrage movement in 1851

Breaking the law!

• Anthony & 12 other women illegally cast votes in Presidential Election of 1872

• Arrested & convicted for their crime.

• Judge feared jury would find in their favor– Dismissed jury & fined the women $100/each

instead

Keep dreaming judge…

• Anthony & company refused to pay the fine

• Judge decided to let her go, as he didn’t want to create sympathy through an appeal

• Anthony died before achieving women’s suffrage, but was honored on the $1 coin in 1979

Women in the Military

• WW1 was first war that allowed women officially in armed forces

• Shortage of men resulted in greater need for clerical workers

• In 1917, Navy authorized enlistment of women to meet its clerical & secretarial needs.

Women in the Military (Cont’d)

• Standard uniforms

• Rank of “Yeoman” (pronounced “yo-men”)

• By end of WW1, 11,000 women had served

• Most were clerical, but also radio operators, electricians, pharmacists, photographers, chemists, & torpedo assemblers

Temporary Changes for Women

• At the end of the war, servicemen returned home & women went back to previous jobs or stopped working…

• The Suffrage movement continued on…