World War I
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Transcript of World War I
World War I
War Begins•Alliances
▫the Triple Entente with United Kingdom, France & Russia
▫Originally called the Triple Alliance Austria-Hungary, Germany,) Italy, (and then the Ottoman Empire (Turkey))
Causes of World War I
Nationalism
ImperialismAlliances
Militarism
June 1914 Gavrilo Princip (Serbian
nationalist) kills Sophie & Archduke Franz
Ferdinand (heir to Austrian throne)
July 28, 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war
against Serbia
Alliance system kicks in
August 1: Germany declares war on
Russia (to support Austria-Hungary)
August 3: Germany
declares war on Russia’s ally -
France
Germany invades Belgium
which goes against treaty to
not invade Belgium
Britain declares war on Germany and Austria-
Hungary
The Great War has begun
“THE EVENT”
German Attack•Schlieffen Plan• Created in 1905 by Germany’s Army Chief of Staff• Germany would go through Belgium sweeping
around Paris on the west• The other 10% of the army would invade Russia
▫Germany feared a simultaneous attack from G.B., France, & Russia as a result of the Triple Entente
▫Called for quick defeat of France Britain and Russia would be unwilling to carry on
the fight
Schlieffen Plan Cont.•It would take 6 weeks for Russia to
mobilize for an attack on Germany▫Vital that France surrender before Russia was
mobilized•90% of German forces would be needed to
defeat France▫Wanted to avoid French forts on the
German/French border▫Called for an attack through Belgium,
Luxembourg, & Holland▫Remaining forces would be sent east to defend
against a Russian attack
Germany Attacks•August 2, 1914: Germany invades
Belgium▫Schlieffen Plan put into action▫Belgium resists longer than Germany had
anticipated▫Germany surprised by the speed of the
Russian attack on East Prussia and by the quick reaction of the British military
War Begins•Battle of the Marne (6, September 1914)
▫Allies launch fierce counter-attack against the German Army at the Marne River
▫In meeting the attack the German Army is split▫Germans forced to retreat▫Schlieffen Plan fails, but the German retreat is
successful▫German Army immediately builds trenches
stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier
▫All hopes for a short war are lost
Warfare Tactics•Trench Warfare
▫Germans had the best ground▫Many allied trenches were in terrain less
than 3 ft. above sea level▫Most frontline trenches were 6-7 ft. deep▫Parapet: front of trench, lined with sand
bags▫Fire steps allowed soldier to see over the
top▫Trenches were built with zig zag patterns.
Parados [par-uh-dos] Fortification. A bank of earth built behind a trench or military emplacement to protect soldiers from a surprise attack from the rear.
Gallipoli•The allies, led by the British, tried to open
a Balkan front southwest of Constantinople in April 1915.
•This led to disaster for the allies and they were forced to
withdraw.
New Technology•Machine Guns•Tanks•Airplanes•Blimps•U-Boats•Improved artillery•Poison gas•Flame thrower
U.S. Involvement• Sinking of the Lusitania, 1915
• The Zimmerman Telegram
• U.S. loans to Allies growing▫In October 1914, President Wilson allowed a $500
million dollar U.S. loan to the Triple Entente. As a neutral nation, the U.S. eventually loaned the Triple Entente $2.3 billion. U.S. loans to the Triple Alliance were only $27 million.
• The Russian Revolution
•World War I was considered total war ▫Involved a complete mobilization of
resources▫People involved, all citizens affected
•Masses of men•Supplies•Increase of government powers
▫Woodrow Wilson▫Espionage and Sedition Acts (1918)
Protestors imprisoned
Outcomes•The two front war combined with the
British naval blockade drained German morale and productivity on the home front.
•Unrestricted U-Boat warfare was adopted by the Germans to starve the British out of the war.
•This led to the sinking of the Lusitania, which spurred the U.S. to enter the war on the side of the Allies
Outcomes•As the U.S. entered the war, the German & Austrian governments had ended hostilities with Russia on the Eastern front.
•Both sides looked for a quick and decisive end to the war in a battle to be fought somewhere on the Western front.
Outcomes, cont.•Initial German successes on the Western front in 1918 were nullified by successful Allied counterattacks as the Americans bolstered the Allied forces.
•German losses coupled with anti-war sentiment led to a German request for armistice. (cease fire)▫11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, 1918.
Impacts of War•Warfare in the industrial age was much
different than previous wars•Many common tactics were outdated•Devastation was unimaginable
▫Physical destruction (no man’s land)▫Massive casualties▫8,500,000 dead▫21,200,000 wounded▫58% of enlistees became casualties