Standard: 5. Recognize the moral as well as political implications of war7. Identify on a map places related to the historic events studied and explain their significance18.Identify the major causes, events, and effects of World War I, including the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles24.Explain the different methods countries use to resolve conflicts

- Diplomacy- Treaties- Military involvement

World War I

Causes

•Militarism

•Alliances

•Imperialism

•Nationalism

Causes of WWI• http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i-

officially-ends/videos#causes-of-world-war-i

Militarism• Aggressive strengthening of armed forces

• Nations compete to build the largest, strongest armies and navies

Alliances

• Partnerships, for protection.– Originally

formed to maintain peace

– But would lead directly to war.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

• 1879 - Germany formed a military alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy called the Triple Alliance.

France & Russia

• 1893 - Fearful of Germany’s growing power, France and Russia formed a secret alliance with each other.

Great Britain, France, Russia

• 1907 - Great Britain joined France and Russia to form the Triple Entente.

Imperialism

• Nations were on a quest for colonial empires.

• Fought over Africa, China, and the Middle East

Nationalism

• Pride and loyalty to ones nation

• Caused tension in Europe

The Spark That Lit The Fuse….

• The one event that started the Great War happened in the Balkans.

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austria) was visiting Serbia.

• http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/assassination-of-archduke-franz-ferdinand-2

• Austro-Hungarian officials learned the Serbian government supplied the assassins with weapons.– They blamed Serbia for

the killing

Gavrilo Princip

Kaiser Wilhelm II

• Russia had vowed to protect Serbia– Russia’s army began to

mobilize.• Germany, as Austria-

Hungary’s ally, declared war on Russia– And two days later,

declared war on France“You will be home before

the leaves have fallen from the trees!!”

WWI Alliances

• Central Powers– Germany– Austria-Hungary– Later

• Bulgaria• Ottoman

Empire

• Allied Powers– France – Russia– Britain– Later

• Italy

• Both sides expected a quick war• Germany planned to defeat France before

Russia could join in– But met resistance from Belgian soldiers

• Gave Britain and France had time to mobilize

First Battle of the Marne

Schlieffen Plan• To get to France, Germany would cross

through neutral Belgium

• Germany came within 25 miles of Paris• The French army blocked the advance at the

Marne River

• The battle lasted several days• It became clear the war would be longer and

deadlier than expected

A New Kind of War

• Trench Warfare• New Technology• Poisonous gas• Tanks• Airplanes• U-boats

WWI Firsts• http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/

videos#wwi-firsts

Trench Warfare

• Soon a 400-mile-long network of trenches stretched cross the western front

• After the Battle of the Marne the Germans dug trenches nearby to defend their position

• The French dug their own trenches

• Trenches were cold, wet, and muddy– Breeding grounds for germs

• Soldiers fought in them for months at a time– Soldiers on both sides died from disease

Trench Foot

No Man’s Land• An empty patch of ground, about 25-foot

to 1 mile distance , between enemy trenches– Stripped of trees and blasted full of

holes– Those who

dared to venture out would likely be killed

New Technology• New machine guns could fire 400 – 600 bullets a

minute• Artillery guns fired shells over the trenches

– They sent speeding scraps of metal onto the soldiers

Poisonous Gas• Some shells spread poisonous

gases– Which would destroy the

lungs– And cause slow painful death

• Soldiers living in trenches were surrounded by machine-gun fire, flying grenades, and exploding artillery shells.

– Opposing forces had machine guns pointed at enemy trenches at all times

– And fired whenever a helmet or rifle appeared over the top.

Tanks• British forces developed armored tanks

to move into no-man’s-land.• Success was limited

– many got stuck in the mud.

• The Germans found ways to destroy the tanks with artillery fire.

Airplanes

• Air battles were called dogfights.

• Both sides used planes – to map and attack trenches

• Planes first dropped bricks and heavy objects– They soon mounted guns and

bombs

Land and Sea Battles

• By 1916, after only a year of fighting, the war had become a stalemate– Neither side could win a decisive victory

• Then both sides launched massive attacks– Germans attacked Verdun, France– Allies attacked along the Somme River– Attack, counterattack, but no change

• Except - nearly 1 million men died

The Western Front• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/

wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml

Battle at Sea• The British navy blockaded the ports of the

Central Powers– They laid explosive mines– That stopped ships from supplying the

Germans

German U-boats• German submarines• Launched torpedoes against Allied supply ships

– Also attacked ships of neutral countries

Americans Prepare for War

Divided Opinion

• Woodrow Wilson announced the United States would remain neutral

• Most Americans agreed

Neutral Ships• Even with a policy of

neutrality, American ships carried supplies and war materials to the Allies

• U-boats attacked to stop the supplies

• Sometimes without warning

The Lusitania• http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/

videos#u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915

The Lusitania• On May 7th, 1915 – the Lusitania (a British

passenger liner) was sunk

• 128 Americans on board were killed.

• The incident fueled anti-German feeling in the United States

• In 1916 a U-boat attacked the Sussex (a French passenger ship)– 80 Americans were killed

The Sussex Pledge• Wilson demanded Germans stop attacking

nonmilitary ships• Germany agreed not to attack merchant ships

without warning

Wilson is Reelected

• Wilson tried to find a way in which America would lead peace negotiations to end the war.

Zimmerman Note

• Newspapers published a telegram from the German Foreign Secretary to Mexico

• In it he proposed an alliance between Germany and Mexico against the United States

Moving Toward War

• Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare

• On March 17, German submarines sank three American merchant vessels

Wilson Declares WarApril 6, 1917

• U.S. government war effort limits freedoms– Espionage Act of 1917 & Sedition act of

1918• Restricted free speech• Allowed the government to arrest

opponents of war• Antiwar mail was prohibited and

seized• About 900 opponents of war were

jailedThe Sedition Act was later repealed

The Espionage Act is still in effect today

Selective Service Act of 1917

• Passed on May 18• To prepare the U.S.

military• Required men from age

21 to 30 to register to be drafted– Almost 3 million men

were drafted in World War I

Those Who Served• The Selective Service drafted 2.8 million men• By summer 1918, 10,000 soldiers were sent to

Europe every day – 400,000 were African Americans

• In segregated units commanded by white officers

Preparations• Troops had to be trained, supplied, transported,

and fed

Paying for war• The government raised

taxes and issued Liberty Bonds to help support the Allies

War Industries Board• Was created to oversee production and

distribution of steel, copper, cement, and rubber

The Food Administration

• Guaranteed farmers high prices for crops• Encouraged citizens to conserve food at

home

– Meatless Mondays

– Wheatless Wednesdays

– Many built victory gardens

Women and WWI

Women At Home

• Labor shortages forced factories to hire more than a million women to:– To assemble weapons

and airplane parts• Women also:

– Drove trolley cars and delivered mail

– Served as police officers

Women Overseas• Women were not given jobs in combat, but …• They drove ambulances at the front line• They volunteered as nurses, telephone

operators, signalers, typists, and interpreters

Ethnic Tension• African Americans

migrated north– To find better

paying jobs– But they faced

prejudices

• Mexicans entered the U.S. to work on farms and factories– After the war the

U.S. tried to force them to return

National War Labor Board

– Settled more than 1,000 disputes

– Helped establish a minimum wage

– Limited work hours

– Required fair pay for women

• Was set up to help workers and management avoid strikes

Americans in World War I

U.S. Troops Arrived in 1917• The American

Expeditionary Force was sent to Europe

• By the time they arrived the Allies were dangerously near defeat– Germany was

advancing in France– The German navy was

destroying Allied ships

– The Russians on the Eastern front were struggling

Russia Leaves the War• Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew

the Russian government

– The overthrow of the Czar sparked a civil war

– 8 million Russians had been killed or wounded fighting Germany

– Soldiers were deserting the eastern front

– Food riots raged in the cities

• Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, a peace treaty with the Central Powers

• Russia was now out of the War

Lenin’s Decision

Winning the War

• With Russia out Germany moved soldiers from the eastern front to the western front– In an attempt to

break the stalemate

The Final Battles• March 21, 1918, German forces drove 40 miles into Allied lines, then stalled

• Then attacked south toward the Marne, pushing the French back to Paris

• Terrible losses stopped the German offensive and protected Paris from invasion

• Allied troops drove toward victory

Driving the Germans Back• Over 1 million U.S. troops

were now in France• They attacked Germany at

Saint-Mihiel• And along the Meuse River

and in the Argonne Forest

Heroes of WWI

Sergeant Alvin York • One of the most decorated

American soldier • He led an attack on a

German machine gun nest– He and his battalion

took 32 machine guns, killed 28 German soldiers and captured 132 others

• He received Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism

The Harlem Hellfighters• African American soldiers of the 369th infantry• They spent more time in combat than any other

American unit• They were the first unit to reach the German

border

Received the French Croix de Guerre medal (Cross of War) for bravery

Winning the War at Sea• A new strategy was developed

– The convoy system• Destroyers, capable of sinking U-boats

escorted and protected groups of Allied merchant ships

End to War

• Germany– Food was scarce and civilians were

dying of starvation– Germany was running out of soldiers

• ¼ had been captured by the Allies• Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire

– Quit the war in the fall of 1918• Austria-Hungary reached peace

agreement with the Allies

Armistice(a truce to end active warfare)

• Germany finally agreed to a cease-fire• Allies demanded Germany leave

conquered territory– And destroy its aircraft, tanks and big

guns, and surrender its U-boats• Germany accepted

World War I Ends

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918

Establishing Peace“Time to bury the dead”

War Dead

• About 5 million Allied soldiers, and at least 3 million soldiers from the Central Powers, died

• More than 20 million were wounded• The war devastated an entire generation of

young men in European nations– In France – 90% of their young men served

• More than 7 of 10 were killed or wounded

Financial Losses• Factories and farms were

left in ruins• Farmers were unable to

raise crops– This led to food

shortages• Britain was in debt to U.S

banks• Germany was in debt

– People faced starvation

• Allied Powers – spent $145 billion

• Central Powers – spent $63 billion

Influenza Epidemic• 1918 – a worldwide epidemic (pandemic) of

influenza broke out– Extremely contagious and deadly

• Belgian an army training camp• And spread through the air, quickly and

unknowingly

• Worldwide the influenza killed about 30 million– More than the war itself– In the U. S. it killed 800,000

Peace Agreement

Wilson’s Peace Plan

Wilson’s objectives from the Paris Peace Conference:

- 14 Points- His main aim was to

create a League of Nations

- Make no secret treaties- Allow all nations free

access to the sea- Allow free trade- Disarmament by all

nations- Give all nations self-

Determination(the right of national groups to their own

territory and forms of government)

- Create a League of Nations

14 points – The Basics

The Big Four

• U. S., Britain, France, and Italy

• Britain, France, and Italy disagreed with Wilson’s vision

• They wanted to:– punish Germany for it role in the war– prevent Germany from ever becoming

a world power again

Peace Agreement

Issues

• Responsibility• Reparations• Colonial

control• Boundary

disputes

Treaty of Versailles• http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/

videos#treaty-of-versailles-end-world-war-i

Treaty of VersaillesSigned by the “Big Four”

• Germany would take responsibility for the war

• Germany would pay over $300 billion in reparations (payments for war damages)

• Germany made its final WWI reparation payment on Oct 3, 2010

• Germany would limit the size of its military

• Germany would be stripped of overseas colonies

New Nations• Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania,

Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia became independent nations

• Poland was restored as a nation• Central Power colonies were assigned to other

European powers

League of Nations Established

Two objectives:1. Would prevent war

by allowing nations to talk over their problems

2. If talk failed members would join together to fight aggressors

U.S. Battle Over the Treaty• Henry Cabot Lodge led the Senate in

opposition to the Treaty

– Republicans insisted on changes to the treaty before ratifying it• Wilson refused

Defeat for Wilson• November

1919 – the Senate

rejected the Versailles Treaty

(the first time the U.S. ever rejected a peace treaty)

• The U.S. did not join the League of Nations

• Without the U.S. the League failed to live up to its goals

Woodrow Wilson

• After WWI Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919 for helping found the League of Nations

• The U.S. would not sign a peace treaty with Germany until 1921

• Up next …

The Roaring 20’s

Evaluation:– World War I Test