The Great WarWorld War I: The War to End All Wars (or so

we thought)

What does Europe look like?

Complete the map activity for Europe before WWI. – Make sure you

have a key – Neat and

organized

On the road to warDuring the late 1800s, Europe

experiences four major movements that combine to create an

environment ready for war:

ImperialismNationalismMilitarism

Formation of Alliances

Imperialism Imperialism oversees leads to competition and tension within Europe

Great Britain is the world’s biggest imperial power

France, Germany, Italy, and Russia start to build their own empires to compete

Growing Nationalism

Nationalism led to a deep sense of pride among the individual German states

They combined to create a German Empire in 1871

Austro-Hungarian Empire (aka Austria-Hungary) included many nationalities and ethnic groups

empire was very divided because of differences

Ex: Slavs wanted to break away from Austria-Hungary to form their own Slavic Empire in the Balkans

Growing Nationalism

Each nation’s growing nationalism along with growing competition cause it to begin to fear other nations

This fear leads countries to build up their militaries in case of attack

Military values (e.g. patriotism, loyalty, obedience to authority) are stressed throughout Europe

Militarism

Formation of Alliances

Nations formed alliances to protect themselves and each other in case of attack

Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

Triple Entente: Britain, France, and Russia

Alliances maintained a balance of power to keep any one nation from having too much power

No country would start a war if it lacked a military advantage

Partner Question

Which long-term cause was the most influential in leading to WWI? Explain your answer.

Slavs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire wanted to be part of Serbia (same ethnic backgrounds)

Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908

Slavic nationalists are angry over this b/c they want the whole region to be allied with Serbia

The Spark

The Spark June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife visit Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia Herzegovina (Ferdinand is the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary)

Both are assassinated by a Serbian nationalist

“The powder keg of Europe” is lit

War is declared all over Europe due to European alliances

Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire

Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia, Italy

Eventually, 30 countries would fight in WWI

The Two Sides

The US and WWI

At first, the US maintains a position of neutrality (does not choose a side)

Neutrality does not stop US businesses from trading with European nations

US industries do more business with Allied Powers than with Central Powers

May 1915: German U-boats sank the British ship, Lusitania

killed 1,200 people; 128 were Americans

Germans said the ship was smuggling war materials

America was furious

Sinking of the Lusitania

Zimmermann Note

Germany sends a secret telegram to Mexico

Proposes an alliance of Germany and Mexico against the US

If Mexico agreed, Germany would help it take back the lost territories of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona

President Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany

“The world must be made safe for democracy.”

War is declared on April 6, 1917

US joins the Allied Powers

War is declared

Primary Resource Analysis“But the right is more precious (important) than

peace, and we shall fight for the things which have always carried nearest our hearts, for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free.”

- President Wilson’s address to Congress, April 2, 1917

Partner Work

In your own words, explain why President Wilson believed America must go to war in 1917.

On the home front

While US soldiers are sent to fight in Europe, America is mobilizing at

home for war

Propaganda President Wilson creates the Committee on Public Information (CPI) to get Americans to support the war effort

Holds rallies & parades; prints posters & pamphlets

Hollywood makes movies in support of the war

Much of the propaganda focused on supporting the war effort by buying liberty bonds

money from bonds goes to buy food and war supplies for the Allies

Person buying the bond makes a loan to the gov’t who promises to pay back that loan at a later date

Propaganda

Propaganda Gov’t gets involved in food production and price setting

Calls on all Americans to sacrifice certain foods for the troops- Meatless Mondays

and Wheat-less Wednesdays

Espionage Act of 1917: punished people for helping the enemy or refusing military service

Sedition Act of 1918: illegal for Americans to speak out against the US government

Many German-Americans were harassed and targeted

Limits to Freedoms

Selective Service Act

When the war began, the military only numbered 750,000 men- not enough

Congress passed the Selective Service Act: required all men b/w ages of 21 and 30 to register for the draft

If called up for military service, a man would have to fight or else face criminal charges

Many felt that it violated their civil liberties as Americans

Partner Question

Describe 3 limits to Americans’ freedoms during World War I.

Great Migration

With thousands of men leaving for war, American industries faced a shortage of workers

African Americans moved north by the thousands to fill job openings and escape the Jim Crow South

Changes to the Workplace

Women enter workforce to replace workers who left for war

With many industries facing labor shortages, workers have more power and begin demanding higher wages and better working conditions

With the US at war, labor strikes are seen as hurting the war effort

President Wilson creates the National War Labor Board

Designed to settle disputes b/w owners and workers and to prevent strikes

Board was sympathetic to workers and supported their rights

Led to minimum wage and maximum hour standards throughout the US

Changes to the Workplace

Partner QuestionHow did the war benefit the

following groups?

African AmericansWomenWorkers

Photograph Analysis: Life on the Home front

3. List THREE words you think of when you look at this picture.

2. Use those three words in a TWO-sentence summary about the impact of WWI on American life.

1. Write ONE way in which you would have supported the war effort if you had lived during this time. Explain your answer.

New Kind of War

WWI saw the introduction of new types of warfare and technology never before used in war

Greatly increased loss of life

Opposing armies fight each other from deep ditches for protection

Area between trenches is known as no-man’s land

This type of fighting often led to a stalemate- thousands would die but no one gained any real territory

Trench Warfare

New weaponry

Machine gunsU-boats

(submarines)TanksAirplanesPoison Gas

With the US entering the war, the Allied Powers receive much needed support

Central Power countries face violent riots and devastating food shortages

German soldiers desert Individual Central

Power countries begin to surrender

End of the War

Armistice Germany agrees to a cease-fire

Kaiser (leader of Germany) leaves power and Germany abandons occupied territory

11th hr of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice (truce) is signed and the Great War is over

President Wilson proposed his 14 Points plan to rebuild Europe and prevent future wars

1. Free and safe seas2. Smaller

armies/navies3. Self-determination4. League of Nations

(organization of countries who meet to settle conflicts & maintain peace)

Wilson’s 14 Points

Paris Peace Conference

While Wilson wanted to promote peace, European nations wanted revenge

Organized Paris Peace Conference to settle the war (no Central Power countries were invited)

Result of conference: The Treaty of Versailles

Germany had to pay $33 billion in reparations

Central Powers give up colonies

New European nations created

Some cases of self-determination (countries can decide how they want to be ruled)

League of Nations

Major Parts of Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles

European nations approved the League of Nations, but the US Congress did not

Congress did not want to get involved in any European alliances

As a result, the US never ratified the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations was doomed to fail

Primary Source:Political Cartoons

Complete the Interpreting Political Cartoons activity on page 731 in you book by answering the following questions.

1.What is the League Covenant trying to do in the cartoon?

2.Does the cartoon express a view for or against joining the League of Nations? How do you know?

Allies lost more than 5 million soldiers

More than 112,000 Americans died (over half from the flu)

Central Powers lost about 3.4 million

More than 20 million wounded

Millions of civilians were killed and lost their homes

Human Cost of Great War

Economic Cost

Total cost of war was over $330 billion

Industries and agriculture were wiped out across Europe

European nations in billions of dollars of debt to American banks

Legacy of WWILook at the map of Europe in 1914 and 1919. With

a partner, explain how WWI changed Europe.

Europe 1914 Europe 1919