World War IPart #2

WHII #25

Battle of the Marne (1914)• Occurred right at the start

of the war• Germany’s offensive

movement reached the outskirts of Paris before it was halted by French and British forces

• Allies stop the German assault, forcing Germany to retreat to the north east – begin digging trenches

• The results are an Allied victory with over 200,000 casualties on each side

The Trenches on the Western Front• After the failure of the Schlieffan

Plan, trench warfare takes hold on the Western front

• Trenches stretch north from the English Channel and south to the Switzerland border

A Different Kind of War• WWI saw the widespread use of Trench

Warfare (long ditches used by both sides that provided definitive lines of territory and sheltered troops during battle).

• “No man’s land” was the area between the trenches

• that was a killing• zone; entering it• meant almost• certain death.

Stalemate• September, 1914 – trench warfare is

developed after the Battle of the Marne

• This new brand of warfare has tactics that result in neither side able to gain ground

• The war quickly becomes a stalemate – neither side could move the other from their battle position

• Battle lines in France stayed the same for nearly 4 years

The First Industrial War• WWI is the world’s first fully modern

“industrial war”• A mass production of weapons and

other military necessities are being created in factories

New Weapons• New Weapons - Technological advancement and

factories turned into military suppliers aided the development of new, more efficient weaponry. War was forever changed with the invention of:

Machine GunsU-Boats (Submarines)

Tanks Airplanes

Grenades Zeppelins (Blimps)

Mines Poison Gas

• Soldiers had to use the new technology in order to overcome the “no man’s land”

Death Tolls• Due to the new technologies,

the number of deaths on each side was immense and the fighting was extremely bloody

• Costly battles:–Battle of Verdun – (500,000 dead)–Battle of the Somme (1916) – (60,000

dead in one day, 1,000,000 dead overall)• Despite the high casualties, neither side

was able to gain an advantage

A Change in the Wind• 1917 Russian Revolution ends with

Russia pulling out of the war leaving Germany with only one front to focus on (western vs. France & Britain).

• The Central Powers seem poised to take control of the war until…

• The United States ends its neutrality and joins the war effort on the side of the Allies

Why the U.S. Joins the War• Germany begins “unrestricted

submarine warfare,” (attacks on ALL ships in Allied waters, even civilian vessels).

• U.S. loses several merchant ships, and in 1915 a German u-boat torpedoed the British ship Lusitania. 1,200 passengers lost, including 128 American citizens.

Why the U.S. Joins the War• Zimmerman Letter

– a intercepted note from Germany asking Mexico to join the war to fight against America.

• 1917- President W. Wilson: “the world must be made safe for democracy.” U.S. declares war on Germany.

Effects of U.S. Joining the War• The United States joining slowly turns

the tide of the war in favor of the allies.

• November 1918 – German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II surrenders and his country has no option other than to sign a humiliating treaty.

• Treaty of Versailles (1919) ends “The Great War.”

Treaty of Versailles1.Germany accepts all blame for the war.2. Germany must make war

reparations (payments for damages) to the allies.

3. German military is reduced and restricted.

4. Germany loses all of its overseas colonies.

5. Germany loses 15% of its homeland to neighboring countries.

A New Europe is Formed… At Least For Now

• Along with Germany being punished, the old empires of Europe are also dismantled.

• Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire are split up forever and a new European map is created.

Peace in Europe• President W. Wilson proposes his

“Fourteen Points” plan in order to secure future peace in Europe.

• His plan is largely unaccepted throughout Europe, but his League of Nations is accepted – the League is an organization of world powers united in order to prevent future wars

• Is accepted by all countries except…The United States

Allied Dead / Wounded

Russia – 1,700,00 / 4,950,000France – 1,358,000 / 4,266,000Britain – 908,000 / 2,090,000Italy – 462,000 / 954,000U.S. – 51,000 / 206,000

Central Dead / Wounded

Germany - 1,809,000 / 4,247,000A-H – 923,000 / 3,620,000Ottoman E. – 325,000 / 400,000