The Great War Begins Taking Sides Central Powers Allies€¦ · Germany's Plan to a Two- Front War...
Transcript of The Great War Begins Taking Sides Central Powers Allies€¦ · Germany's Plan to a Two- Front War...
Start of Conflict - Schlieffen Plan
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April 08, 2014
The Great War Begins Taking SidesCentral Powers Allies
"The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."
Sir Edward Grey
1914
British Foreign Minister
Issue Germany Faces...?
Issue Germany Faces...?
TWO FRONT WAR!!!
Plan of attack?
Start of Conflict - Schlieffen Plan
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April 08, 2014
Issue Germany Faces...?
TWO FRONT WAR!!!
Plan of attack?
SCHLIEFFEN PLAN!
Germany's Plan to a Two- Front War
- Schlieffen Plan
- attack to west in France quickly
- circle Paris & win
- invade France through:
Belgium, Holland, &
Luxembourg
Germany's Plan to a Two- Front War
- Schlieffen Plan
- Keep the right wing strong!
- should take 6 - 7 weeks
- after quick victory
turn and attack Russia
Germany's Plan to a Two- Front War
- early on - successful movement
- however, movement soon slows
- soon obvious:
failed plan
- then send forces east
Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?- Helmuth Von Moltke (German Chief of General Staff)
downsized plan - just through Belgium
-Belgium put up some resistance
- slows Germans
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Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?
- French reacted more quickly than expected
- 1st Battle of the Marne - British/French stop
Germans
- Eastern Front! Russia moves into East Prussia
Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?
- French reacted more quickly than expected
- Eastern Front! Russia moves into East Prussia
On the Western Front
stalemate and TRENCH WARFARE!
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Trench Warfare
- August - December, 1914: a moving war
- after 1915: forces dug into trenches
- Western Front: a "terrain of death"
Trench Warfare
- Industrial Nature of war = HIGH casualties
- machine guns
- highly explosive artillery
- shrapnel