Causes of World War I
• Nationalism- a devotion to the interests
and culture of one’s nation.
• Many small countries looked for protection
from larger countries.
1. Nationalism
2. Imperialism
• Imperialism- The economic and political
control of another nation.
• For centuries European nations had been
building empires.
3. Militarism
• Militarism- the development of armed
forces and their use as a tool of diplomacy.
• 1890- Germany had the best army
• 1890- Britain had the best Navy
4. Alliance System
• 1907 there were two major defense
alliances in Europe.
• Triple Entente- France, Britain, and Russia
• Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary,
and Italy.
• Central Powers- Germany, Austria-
Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (an
empire primarily in the middle east)
Balkan Peninsula= “Powder Keg”
• Balkan Peninsula- area of interest by many
European leaders.
• Russia= wanted access to the Mediterranean
• Germany= wanted rail link to Ottoman Empire
• Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of subverting
its rule over Bosnia
Assassination• June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
heir to the Austrian throne, visited the
Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.
• Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian-National, shot
him and his wife Sophie.
• On July 28 Austria-Hungary declared war
against Serbia.
Archduke
Franz
Ferdinand
Gavrilo Princip
The Explosion
• August 1st- Germany declared war on
Russia
• August 3rd- Germany declared war on
France
• After Germany invaded Belgium Britain
declared war on Germany and Austria
Hungary.
• August 3, 1914, Germany invaded
Belgium.
• Schlieffen Plan- This plan called for a
holding action against Russia and a attack
at Paris by going through Belgium.
• The alliance failed to save Belgium and was
forced to the Marne river in France.
• The German advance was stopped on
September 1914.
• After failing to outflank each other’s armies both
sides dug in.
• In Spring 1915 there were two parallel systems
that ran deep from the Belgian coast to the
Swiss Alps.
• There were three types of trenches.
1. Front line
2. Support.
3. Reserve.
• Between the two opposing lines was “No
Man’s Land”
Poison Gas Canisters
If you are easily
grossed out
look away!
NO JOKE!
Trench Foot
Ok,
Safe now!
• Battle of the Somme- fought in trenches
from November 1, 1916 to mid November.
• 1.2 million dead
• 7 miles was exchanged
America enters the War
• 1917
• America had mobilized for war because:
1. To ensure repayment of debts by Allies
2. Prevent Germans from threatening U.S.
shipping
British Blockade
• British used their navy to blockade the
German coast.
• Food and weapons could not enter
Germany
Results:
1. American ships could not sell food.
2. Germany could not get food or fertilizer.
• 750,000 starved in Germany in 1917
German Response to Blockade
• The German navy began to sink any British or American ship off Britain’s coast.
• Lusitania, a British Ocean liner was sunk by U-boats.
• 1,198 people died, 128 were American
• President Wilson threatened to break all relations with Germany.
• Germany sank the Arabic and the Sussex.
• Woodrow Wilson win 1916 election against Evan Hughes
Anchor of the Sussex
1st German U-Boat (1910)
U-boat Pens
• President Wilson continued to talk to the
warring countries.
• Germany stated in January 1917 they
would sink all ships in their waters.
• Zimmermann Note- a telegram from
Germany to Mexico that was intercepted
by the British. The note was about
Germany wanting an alliance with Mexico.
• Russia changed from a monarchy to a
representative government.
• Democracies v. Monarchies
• America officially enters the war.
American Power Tips Balance
• Only 200,000 in military service when war
was declared and few officers had combat
experience.
• Selective Service Act created May 1917.
• 1918 24 million men had registered.
• 2 million were randomly selected for war.
• ¾ saw combat
• 400,000 African Americans served
America Mass Produces
1- Government exempted shipyard workers
2- U.S. Chamber of Commerce emphasized the importance of shipyard work.
3- Shipyards begin fabricating
4- Government took over commercial and private ships for transatlantic war use.
• The U.S. convinced the British to use the Convoy
System.
• U.S. Navy laid a 230 mile barrier of mines across the
North Sea.
New Weapons
• Tanks and airplanes signaled the
beginning of mechanized warfare.
• Mechanized warfare= war that is powered
by gasoline and diesel.
• Tanks ran on caterpillar treads and were
made from steel.
• The British used tanks in large quantities
to drive over barbed wire defenses.
Mark V
Mark A Whippet
FT- 17
Char Schneider
Schwerer Kampfwagen A7V
Schwerer Kampfwagen A7V
Leichter Kampfwagen II
• Zeppelins were used
as bombers during
World War I, without
notable success.
Observation Balloon
• aircraft were first used for reconnaissance
purposes and later as fighters and
bombers
New Hazards
• Fighting men were surrounded by
lice, filth, rats, polluted water,
decaying bodies and inhaled
poison gas.
• “Shell Shock”- complete
emotional collapse
• 1917 Russia pulls out of the war.
• November 13, 1918 Austria-Hungary
surrenders to the Allies.
• Same day- German sailors mutiny
against government authority.
• November 9th, Germany establishes a
Republic.
• 22 million died in World War I
• 20 million were wounded
• 10 million became refuges
Wilson Fights for Peace
• Before the war was over Wilson presented his 14 points.
1- No secret treaties
2- Freedom of the Seas
3- Tariffs and other economic barriers need to be lowered
4- Arms should be reduced
• Next nine points dealt with boundary changes
14th point
• This point called for a League of Nations.
• This League of Nations would provide a
forum for nations to discuss and settle
their grievances.
Allies Reject Wilson’s Plan
LEADERS
• France=Georges Clemenceau- Lived
through two German invasions
• Britain= David Lloyd George- won re-
election with slogan “Make Germany Pay”.
• Italy= Vittorio Orlando- wanted Austrian
held territory
• Central Powers were not invited to peace
conference.
• Only “Big Four” attended= Wilson,
Celemceau, Loyd George, and Orlando.
Treaty of Versailles
• Established nine new nations
• It carved up Ottoman Empire
• Germany barred from having an army.
• Germany must pay reparations = $33
billion to allies
Problems created by Treaty
1- Humiliated Germany- war-guilt clause
2- Russia lost more territory than Germany
3- treaty ignored claims of colonized people
for self-determination
Domestic Consequences of WW I
• Accelerated America’s emergence as the
world’s greatest industrial power
• More African Americans moved to
Northern Cities
• Intensified Anti-immigrant and anti-radical
sentiments among mainstream Americans.
• 1 million women entered the work force.
Standards
• 11.4 Students trace the rise of the
United States to its role as a world
power in the twentieth century.
- Analyze the political, economic,
and social ramifications of World
War I
Interactive Activities
• Terrain Mapping
• Primary Source Documents
• Audio Clips
• Video Clips
• Strategic Combat Exercises
• Mapping Exercises
Modifications
• Allow additional time as a class to cover this standard.
• Vocabulary introduction prior to beginning of unit.
• Left brain, right brain, instruction is given on a daily basis.
• Notes may be printed out.
• Review prior to taking quizzes and tests.
• Spiraled curriculum method
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