World War I

The Great War: World War I

1914-1917

Causes of The Great War

Cause #1

Nationalism• being a strong

supporter of the rights and interests of one's country

• German Unification – 1871

• Example: Alsace-Lorraine

Cause #2

Imperialism• when a country takes over new lands or countries and makes

them subject to their rule• By 1900 the British Empire extended over five continents and

France had control of large areas of Africa• increased British and French rivalry with Germany

Cause #3

Alliances• Many alliances signed by countries between 1879

– 1914• This meant that some countries had no option but

to declare war if one of their allies declared war first

1879The Dual Alliance

Germany and Austria-Hungary made an alliance

to protect themselves from Russia

1881Austro-Serbian AllianceAustria-Hungary made an alliance with Serbia to stop Russia gaining control of

Serbia

1882The Triple Alliance

Germany and Austria- Hungary made an

alliance with Italy to stop Italy from taking sides

with Russia

1914Triple Entente (no separate peace)

Britain, Russia and France agreed not to sign

for peace separately.

1894Franco-Russian Alliance

Russia formed an alliance with France to protect herself against Germany and Austria-

Hungary

1907Triple Entente

This was made between Russia, France and

Britain to counter the increasing threat from

Germany.

1907Anglo-Russian EntenteThis was an agreement

between Britain and Russia

1904Entente Cordiale

This was an agreement, but not a formal alliance,

between France and Britain.

Cause #4Militarism• army and military forces are given a high profile

by the government• Led to arms race • New technology (weapons, battleships, etc)

Cause #5

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand• Heir to Austro-Hungarian throne• June 14, 1914 – Archduke and wife Sophie

assassinated by Serbian Nationalist, Gavrilo Princip

Serbian Nationalist Gavrilo Princip

Classwork

• Read “People in World History: Archduke Francis Ferdinand”

• Write out the answers to questions 1-3 on the back

• You have 7 minutes to complete this task - individually

• This will be a class grade for today…

Who vs. Whom?

• Look at the map on p. 527• Partner up and label the following on the map

handout entitled “Europe 1914” with the country name and:– A for Allied Powers (15) – C for Central Powers (4)– N for Neutral Nations (8)

First team that finishes (all correct) wins a prize…

Allied Powers

• Algeria• Australia• Belgium• Egypt• France• Greece• Italy• Japan• Libya

• Montenegro• Morocco• Portugal• Romania• Russia• Serbia• Tunisia• United Kingdom

Central Powers

• Austria-Hungary• Bulgaria• Germany• Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

Neutral Powers

• Albania• Denmark• Luxembourg• Netherlands• Norway• Spain• Sweden• Switzerland

Check for Understanding

• List the 5 causes of “The Great War”

Partner up -1 minute

Check for Understanding

• List the 5 causes of “The Great War”1. Nationalism2. Imperialism3. Alliances4. Militarism5. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Excitement of War• Youth on both sides

were eager to go to war

• Nationalism had created a sense of invincibility

• All over Europe, but especially in Germany, the superiority of their culture was promoted

Total War

• Warring nations engaged in total war: the channeling of a nation’s entire

human and natural resources to the war effort

Total War

• Both sides set up systems to recruit, arm, transport and supply huge fighting forces

• All nations except Britain imposed universal military conscription, or “the draft”

• Governments: o raised taxeso borrowed moneyo rationed food and other products

CountriesTotal

Mobilized

Allied Powers

Russia 12,000,000

France 8,410,000

British Empire 8,904,467

Italy 5,615,000

United States 4,355,000

Japan 800,000

Romania 750,000

Serbia 707,343

Belgium 267,000

Greece 230,000

Portugal 100,000

Montenegro 50,000

Total 42,188,810

Central Powers

Germany 11,000,000

Austria-Hungary 7,800,000

Turkey 2,850,000

Bulgaria 1,200,000

Total 22,850,000

Grand Total 65,038,810

Mobilization: preparing militarytroops & equipment for war

Global Conflict

• The Great Powers turned to their own colonies for troops, laborers, and supplies

Homework

• Use the rest of class to work on your homework

1. Gavrilo Princip Worksheet2. Color code your map (3 colors with a key at the

top)

Children's CrusadeYoung men, soldiers, Nineteen Fourteen

Marching through countries they'd never seenVirgins with rifles, a game of charades

All for a Children's Crusade

Pawns in the game are not victims of chanceStrewn on the fields of Belgium and FrancePoppies for young men, death's bitter trade

All of those young lives betrayed

The children of England would never be slavesThey're trapped on the wire and dying in waves

The flower of England face down in the mudAnd stained in the blood of a whole generation

Corpulent generals safe behind linesHistory's lessons drowned in red wine

Poppies for young men, death's bitter tradeAll of those young lives betrayed

All for a Children's Crusade

The children of England would never be slavesThey're trapped on the wire and dying in waves

The flower of England face down in the mudAnd stained in the blood of a whole generation

Technology & Trench Warfare in WW

The Schlieffen Plan• 2-front war

o Eastern Fronto Western Front

• Germans banked on:o Slow Russian

mobilizationo Take Paris/Metz

• 6-7 weeks• Rape of Belgium• Did it work?

Schlieffen Plan

• Failedo Russia mobilized faster than expectedo Germans sent troops to East, weakening those in

the Westo French proved tougher than anticipated

oBattle of the MarneoGB & France beat Germany

Stalemate

• After the Schlieffen Plan failed, trenches were dug on 2 fronts

• The war that was to last 7 weeks lasted 4 years

Impact of Industrialization• First War for:

– Machine guns– Tanks– Airplanes– Battleships– Poison Gas

Chemical Warfare

Most common gasses used:• Chlorine• Mustard

WWI Technology

• Industrialization had a tremendous impact on WWI

• Problem for both sides: New weapons, old tactics

Trench Warfare• Frontline Trenches

were usually about seven feet deep and six feet wide

• The top two or three feet would consist of a thick line of sand bags to absorb any bullets or shell fragments

• Diagram: pages 534-535

Problems with Trench Warfare

• What happens when you stand in water for months at a time?– Disease– Trench foot

• Trench rats• “Cooties” (lice)• Suicide & “SIWs”

Trench Foot

One soldier described finding a group of dead bodies while on patrol: "I saw some rats running from under the dead men's greatcoats, enormous rats, fat with human flesh. My heart pounded as we edged towards one of the bodies.

His helmet had rolled off. The man displayed a grimacing face, stripped of flesh; the skull bare, the eyes devoured and from the yawning mouth leapt a rat."

Suicide:• Self Inflicted• Enemy Inflicted

SIW’s (Self-Inflicted Wounds):"A bullet fired deliberately at the foot was the only way out. Perhaps those who call this man a coward will consider the desperation to which he was driven, to place his rifle against the foot, and drive through the bones and flesh the smashing metal. Let me hope that the court-martial's sentence was light. Not that it matters, for, in truth, the real sentence had been inflicted long ago."

Why Trench Warfare Didn’t Work

• Consider the strategy…• Contributed to stalemate• Contributed to millions of deaths…

“In the chapel of St. Cyr (before it was destroyed during World War II) the memorial tablet to the dead of the Great War bore only a single entry for “the class of 1914.”

-Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

WW I Military CasualtiesDoes not include civilian casualties

Countries

Total Killed

Wounded

Prisoners TotalCasualtie

s %

Mobilized & Died & Missing Casualtiesof

Mobilized

Allied Powers

Russia12,000,00

0 1,700,000 4,950,000 2,500,000 9,150,000 76.3

France 8,410,000 1,357,800 4,266,000 537,000 6,160,800 76.3

British Empire 8,904,467 908,371 2,090,212 191,652 3,190,235 35.8

Italy 5,615,000 650,000 947,000 600,000 2,197,000 39.1

United States 4,355,000 126,000 234,300 4,500 364,800 8.2

Japan 800,000 300 907 3 1,210 0.2

Romania 750,000 335,706 120,000 80,000 535,706 71.4

Serbia 707,343 45,000 133,148 152,958 331,106 46.8

Belgium 267,000 13,716 44,686 34,659 93,061 34.9

Greece 230,000 5,000 21,000 1,000 17,000 11.7

Portugal 100,000 7,222 13,751 12,318 33,291 33.3

Montenegro 50,000 3,000 10,000 7,000 20,000 40

Total42,188,8

10 5,152,11512,831,00

4 4,121,090 22,104,209 52.3

Central Powers

Germany11,000,00

0 1,773,700 4,216,058 1,152,800 7,142,558 64.9

Austria-Hungary 7,800,000 1,200,000 3,620,000 2,200,000 7,020,000 90

Turkey 2,850,000 325,000 400,000 250,000 975,000 34.2

Bulgaria 1,200,000 87,500 152,390 27,029 266,919 22.2

Total22,850,0

00 3,386,200 8,388,448 3,629,829 15,404,477 67.4

Grand Total65,038,8

10 8,538,31521,219,45

2 7,750,919 37,508,686 57.6

Wartime Propaganda

• Both sides waged a propaganda war • Propaganda is the spreading of ideas to

promote a cause or to damage an opposing cause

• Posters

US Enters the War

• State of Europe:– Lacking supplies– Millions of casualties– Morale = low

• Doughboys to the Rescue– April, 1916 US

declares war – June, 1916 US to

Europe

WWI Ends• Nov. 9, 1918 –

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates

• At 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the war ends as Germany and Allies sign an Armistice

Treaty of Versailles

• Ends the war• “Big Four”

o GB – David Lloyd Georgeo US – Woodrow Wilsono France – Georges

Clemanceauo Italy – Vittorio Orlando

(Left to right) The “Big Four”: David Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the United States, the principal architects of the Treaty of Versailles.

Terms of Treaty of Versailles

• Germany o Loses territorieso Demilitarizationo Takes all of blameo Must pay reparations