World War I: The War To End
All Wars…
or something.
Early 1900’s: Alliances formed through-out Europe
Two “isms” rear their heads:
Nationalism:
Militarism:
Result: Europe is a powder keg!
The SparkWho:
Why:
Where:
Who else: Gavrilo Princip
What happened:
The leaders were unable to back away from their national "honor" and the entangling alliances they had agreed to. •Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia, who they believed had supported the assassins.
•Russia, the traditional friend and ally of their fellow-Slavs, the Serbians, came to their support.
•Russia's ally France also mobilized for war.
•Germany, the ally of Austria Hungary, then came to the aid of their ally and invaded neutral Belgium to get to France.
•When the French violated Belgian neutrality, Great Britain entered the fray.
•Other nations followed. What should have been a small local war became the first world war.
“Choosing Teams”:The Central Powers
• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Bulgaria• Ottoman Empire
(Turkey)
• Great Britain• France• Russia• Italy• 20 other nations
“Choosing Teams”:The Allies
U.S. NEUTRALITY
ADVANTAGES: CENTRAL POWERS
• Germany, Austria-Hungary-single connected territory
• Efficient railroads• Rapid movement of
troops and supplies• Submarines
ADVANTAGES: ALLIES• Control of the seas• Blockaded Central
Powers• Access to vital
supplies• Number of troops
THE GERMAN
STRATEGYSchlieffen Plan:
Delay the Russians in the East, hit the
French HARD in the West, then focus on
the Russians(Avoid fighting on
two fronts)
SCHLIEFFEN PLAN• Violate
Belgium’s neutrality
• First defeat France
• Full scale attack on Russia
THE WESTERN FRONT(“All Quiet on the Western Front”)
• Stalemate-neither side able to gain land
• Trench Warfare: 600 miles of ditches from the Alps to the North Sea
• Distance between opposing ditches- “No Man’s Land”
TRENCH WARFARE
TRENCH WARFARE
TRENCH WARFARE
Meanwhile, back in the Batcave...U.S. positions:
Official:
Unofficial:
Examples:
2Why Did The U.S. Enter The War?
Two Major Reasons:
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
International Rules:
German Point of View:
Goal: Starve the British and force them to release the British Navy blockade
Sinking of Lusitania
The Zimmerman TelegramWhat it said:
What it did:
Two Surprises For The Central Powers:
1. United States enters the War on the Allies’ side (Bad!)
2. The Bolshevik Revolution ends the Rominov (Anastasia) Dynasty, brings Marxism/ Leninism to Russia, and Russia exits the war. (Good!)
WORLD WAR I
WEAPONS OF WAR
WEAPONS:CHLORINE GAS
Had to wear gas masksCaused blindness, severe blisters, or death by chokingFirst introduced by Germans; used by both sides
WEAPONS: TANKSIntroduced by the BritishEarly tanks slow and clumsyMoved on a chain track
WEAPONS: AIRPLANES•First time used in combat role•At first, used to take photographs•Soon, both sides used them to drop bombs.•Later guns were attached to fight in the air.
WEAPONS: U-BOATSubmarine introduced by GermansPrimary weapon-torpedo, self-propelled missile
WEAPONS: MACHINE GUN•Much
improved by World War I
•Fired 400 rounds in a minute•Helped create a stalemate
WEAPONS: HOWITZERFirst seen in fall of 1914Austrian artillery
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