Journal Prompt

1. If the US was involved in another world war like we were back then, would you volunteer to fight?

2. What would it take for you to get involved?

The First World War

Boys and Girls! War Savings Stamps Poster by James Montgomery Flagg 1917-18

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The First World War:

•War involving nearly all the nations of the world

•1914-1918

What?

When?

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The First World War:

Why? Long term -

1. Alliance system

2. Imperialist Competition

3. Stockpiling of Weapons

Short term - Assassination of Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his Wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg one hour before their deaths, June 28, 1914

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The First World War:

Who?

GermanyAustria-HungaryOttoman EmpireBulgaria

RussiaFranceGreat BritainItalyJapanUnited States (1917)

Central Powers: Allies:

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The First World War:

Where?

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Why did it take so long for America to get involved in the war?

•America was isolationist

•“Why should I get involved in someone else’s problems”

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Thinking Slide:

•Is isolationism really an option for a country as powerful as the United States?

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Which side should the US pick?

•11 million German-Americans •Irish-Americans hated Great Britain

•Close cultural ties •Shared transatlantic cables (so censored stories)•Big business loaned much $ to allies

Central Powers: Allies:

Nations 1914 1915 1916 Britain $594,271,863 $911,794,954 $1,526,685,102 France $159,818,924 $364,397,170 $628,851,988 Germany $344,794,276 $28,863,354 $288,899

US Exports to both sides:

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What did it take to get the US involved?

1. Blockades

•Britain blockaded (stopped) all German ships going to America

•Germany announced a submarine war around Britain

Y-53 German Submarine 1916

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What did it take to get the US involved?

1. Blockades

•In May, 1915 Germany told Americans to stay off of British ships

•They could/would sink them

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What did it take to get the US involved?

1. Blockades

•Lusitania torpedoed, sinking with 1200 passengers and crew (including 128 Americans)•Was eventually found to be carrying 4200 cases of ammunitionGerman Propaganda Justifying Lusitania

sinking

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What did it take to get the US involved?

1. Blockades

•The US sharply criticized Germany for their action

•Germany agreed not to sink passenger ships without warning in the futureNote in Bottle After Lusitania Disaster

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What did it take to get the US involved?

2. Unlimited Submarine Warfare

•1917 Germany announced “unlimited submarine warfare” in the war zone

Why? Otherwise their blockade would not be successful

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What did it take to get the US involved?

3. Zimmerman Note

•US intercepted a note from Germany to Mexico, •It promised Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona back in return for an alliance

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What did it take to get the US involved?

•Zimmerman Note + the sinking of 4 unarmed American ships led to a declaration of war

Who Was Involved?

Australia August 1914

Austria-Hungary July 1914

Belgium August 1914

Bolivia April 1917

Brazil April 1917

Bulgaria October 1915

Canada August 1914

China March 1917

Costa Rica September 1917

Cuba April 1917

Ecuador December 1917

France August 1914

Who Was Involved?

Germany August 1914

Greece June 1917

Guatemala April 1918

Haiti July 1918

Honduras July 1918

Italy May 1915

Japan August 1914

Liberia August 1914

Montenegro August 1914

New Zealand August 1914

Nicaragua May 1918

Panama April 1917

Who Was Involved?

Peru October 1917

Portugal March 1916

Romania August 1916

Russia November 1914

San Marino June 1915

Serbia August 1914

Siam July 1917

Turkey August 1916

United Kingdom August 1914

United States April 1917

Uruguay October 1917

Weapons of WWI

Bayonets

Attached at end of rifle

Useful in close combat

Soldiers trained to target Vulnerable Points

ThroatLeft or Right Breast (chest)Groin

Mostly to pick stuff out of shoes, open cans, cook stuff in fire, etc.

Flamethrowers

First used by Germany

Hose sprays oil & ignites by combination of air & carbon dioxide

Single man throwers could spray about 60 ft

Larger models sprayed 140 ft and last up to 40 seconds

Very deadly but very expensive

Grenades•First used by Germans

•70,000 grenades & 106,000 rifle grenades

•Organized into bombing parties

•9 men per party

•Used to bring out enemies from trenches

•2 Detonators•Impact detonation

•Timed fuse detonation

Machine Guns

•Mounted on a tripod

•Gun crew of 4 men

•Fired 400-600 small-caliber rounds per min (doubled by end of war)

•Overheated quickly•Cooling mechanism• Water or Air• Installed air vents

Pistols

Used by

Cavalrymen

Military police

Airmen

Tank operators

Reasons for use

Only weapon you could use sometimes

3 Basic Types

Revolvers

Clip-loaded automatics

‘blow-back’

Germany

Lugar 9mm P08 and Parabellum M17

Britain

Webley Mk IV Revolver (11.6mm caliber)

US

Colt 0.45- inch Automatic

Poison Gas

•3 main types•Chlorine: Deadly but caused a lot of coughing and choking•Phosgene: Less coughing = quicker death•Mustard Gas: Internal & External blisters while being odorless

•Casualties from Gas•Over 90,000 deaths•Over 1.2 million total casualties

Tanks

•First used to plow trees & for defense

•After success at Cambrai as an offensive weapon it was used a lot more

•Soon had tank vs. tank battles

•By end of the war over 7500 tanks had been produced

Uses of Airplanes

Observation or Reconnaissance

Bombing

Air combat

British Planes

•BE2c (before war)•Top speed of 72 mph

•90 hp engine

•Stay above ground for about 3 hours

•SE5a (by end of war)•Top speed 138 mph

•200 hp engine

British Bombers

•Handley-Page O/400•Carry bomb load of 2000 lbs

•Top speed of 97 mph

•Flight of about 8 hours

•Powered by two 360 hp engines

German Aircraft

Albatross D

Airship (Zeppelin)

Top Aces by Country

Germany Manfred von Richthofen

(Red Baron)

80 kills

France Rene Fonck 75 kills

UK Edward Mannock 61 kills

USA Eddie Rickenbacker 26 kills

Pics of Aces

Trench War

Purpose

•Strategy to stay alive

•Slow down the war

•Keep Germans from advancing through France

Daily Routine

When they weren’t fighting…• Pumping out water from trenches

• Burying Dead bodies

• Sleeping

• Restocking ammunition

• Fighting off the smell of dead bodies, left over poison gas, non-showered men, overflowing toilets

Rats

•Millions of rats infested trenches

•Black and Brown Rats•Brown was most feared

•Rats ate dead bodies•Specifically eyes and livers

•Also ate infected skin while men were sleeping

•Single rat couple could produce 900 babies a year

•Spread infections and Contaminate food

Other Problems

•Lice•Lived in filthy clothing

•Spread very quickly

•Caused Unceasing Itchiness

Other Problems

Trench Fever•Caused by lice

•Disease that caused severe body pains and high fevers

•Lasted more than 12 weeks

Frogs

•Hundreds of frogs were found around water puddles in trenches

•Hid in shell holes as well as the soldiers’ clothes at night

Trench Foot

•Fungal Infection of the foot

•Caused by the cold, wet, and unsanitary conditions

•Turned Gangrenous which would require amputation

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Thinking Slide:

•Should we tell the story of WWI with Germany as the “bad guy”? Explain.

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How was the war looking for the allies?

•Russia left the war after its communist revolution in 1917

•Made it a one front war for Germany - all its troops could concentrate on France

Not Good...

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Convincing the American PeoplePropaganda Posters

•How do you think this poster helped to convince the American people that the war was a good idea?

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Convincing the American People

1. War to End All Wars

Idealism: 2 Goals For War:

2. Making the World Safe for Democracy

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Convincing the American People

Idealism: Fourteen Points

President Wilson’s Plan for after the war

•Fourteen promises, including freedom of the seas & a League of Nations to work for peace

President Woodrow Wilson

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What did the US do to help?

•US provided the food, money, and fresh toops needed to win the war

American Troops March Through London

Supplies:

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How did the War Affect the US?

Women

•Women filled factory jobs

•May have led 19th Ammendment after the war (Gave women the right to vote)

•Black soldiers still served in Segregated Units

African Americans

•“Great Migration” - thousands of African Americans moved North to work in factories

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How did the War Affect the US?

Enforcing Loyalty

•Hatred of all things German

•Ex. “Liberty Cabbage”

•Espionage Act 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918 punished those against the war (many labor leaders)

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