How many countries were involved in WWI?

135 (some colonies)

There was a specific type of warfare first used during WWI. What was it called?

Trench Warfare

What triggered WWI?

Assassination of Francis Ferdinand

How many British soldiers were lost on the first day of Battle at the Somme?

58,000

What is another name for WWI?

The Great War, The War To End All Wars, The War of the Nations

A new disorder developed from the being in close range to exploding bullets. What was

this disorder called?

Shell Shock

How many troops were mobilized during WWI?

65 Million Troops

Who were the two alliances fighting against one another in WWI?

The Allies and the Central Powers

WWI was the first time countries used which type of weapon?

Chemical Weapons (mustard gas)

Who won the war?

The Allies

Important Pre-WWI Factors

Alliances and Nationalism

By the late 19th Century, Europe’s powers divided into 2 loose alliances.

Triple Alliance=Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy Triple Entente=France, Great Britain, Russia

A series of events tested these alliances, and by 1914, Europe’s powers were angry with one another and eager for revenge

Nationalism In places where ethnic groups didn’t have their own nation, (Irish under

British rule, Slavs in the Balkins, Poles under Russian rule) Nationalism intensified and grew violent.

Any effort by dominant forces to quell rebellions only made the desire for independence stronger.

Internal Dissent

Socialist Labor Movements had grown more powerful and were using strikes, even violent ones, to achieve their goals.

Leaders wanted very badly to prevent revolution in their countries.

Their desire to prevent Revolution may have made them more eager to jump into war in 1914

Militarism

Countries began amassing massive armies in the early 1900s.

This escalated the already growing tensions between European countries. Why?

Countries used conscription (a draft) to build up the military numbers and between 1890 and 1914, European armies doubled in size.

With 1.3 million men, the Russian army was the largest. The French and German armies had 900,000 each.

Militarism– aggressive preparation for war– was growing.

This also made military leaders more powerful….they drew up complex plans for mobilizing troops and going to war that they insisted could NOT be changed.

This took power away from political leaders and forced them to make decisions for military reasons instead of political ones.

The Serbian Problem

By 1914, Serbia (supported by Russia) was determined to create a large, independent Slavic state in the Balkans.

Austria-Hungary was equally determined to prevent this

Why would they care?

This conflict led many Europeans to predict war between the two countries….

Little did they know…..

All H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks Breaks Loose…

Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, visited Bosnian town of Sarajevo.

Group of Serbian Terrorists, known as the Black Hand, waited in the streets. They wanted Bosnia to be free of Aus-Hun rule.

They planned to kill the Archduke…but the bomb thrown at his car missed and hit the car behind his.

Later in the day, a 19 year old Bosnian Serb was successful in shooting Ferdinand and his wife

This set off a chain of events that ultimately became World War One…

Chain Reactions…

Austria-Hungary reaches out to Germany for support against Serbia and Germany issues a “blank check”—”we’ll support you no matter what”

A-H issued an ultimatum to Serbia which Serbia refused….on July 28, A-H declared war on Serbia.

Russia supported Serbia’s cause, thus mobilizing troops against both A-H and Germany; they knew this would be interpreted by Germany as an act of war. Declared war on A-H.

Germany declared war on Russia on Aug. 1

Germany formed the Schlieffen plan– a 2 front war against Russia and France. Declared war on France on Aug 3

Germany needed to pass through neutral Belgium to get to France…issued an ultimatum to Belgium.

Great Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgian Neutrality (and to secure its own world power). Belgium then declared war on Germany as well.

By August 4th, all the great powers of Europe were at war…

Volunteers Please!

Write down the following countries in a circle on your paper... Austria-Hungary

Great Britain

France

Russia Serbia Belgium Germany

European Expectations of the War

Most nations at war were supported by their citizens

Government Propaganda had effectively stirred up national hatreds before the war

Each country genuinely thought their cause was just

Expectations

People were also enthusiastic about the war because they believed it would be over in only a few weeks

All other wars in Europe since 1815 had only lasted a matter of weeks

When soldiers boarded trains to go to war, people celebrated their departure by throwing flowers, believing they would be home by Christmas

The First Battle of the Marne

First Battle of the Marne was the first battle of the war (September 6-10)

German planned to make a wide circle through Belgium and sweep around Paris to surround the French Army

They were halted a short distance from Paris when French military leaders loaded 2000 Parisian taxis with troops and sent them to the front lines.

Battle ended in a stalemate, as neither side could dislodge the other from the trenches they had dug for protection….

Trench Warfare

Trenches were deep ditches, surrounded by barbed wire, dug by soldiers, used for protection

Soldiers lived, slept, and fought from within the trenches Often spent months in the trenches, amongst dead bodies

and vermin Mustard gas was a key weapon in trench warfare Soldiers developed what was called a “live and let live”

system….both sides realized they would not drive the other out and so they adhered to specific codes of conduct such as not bombing the latrines, and not attacking during breakfast.

The development of trenches kept the Western Front in virtually the same positions for four years.

Trench Warfare Facts

The mud in the trenches was often so deep that soldiers who fell into deep spots would

be suffocated and never seen again.

Corpses lay all over the battlefield encouraging rats and lice…some rats were

said to be the size of small cats.

The vermin spread diseases such as Trench Fever and Weil’s Disease

Trench Warfare Facts

The wet, muddy ground caused Trench Foot, leading to many amputations

Trench Warfare Facts

The General’s Quarters were generally many miles behind the safety of the trenches, causing

resentment among the soldiers

Shell Shock was common among soldiers, caused by the constant sound of artillery. It resulted in

disorientation, shaking, and loss of logical thought.

For lower soldiers, Shell Shock was treated with Electric Shock Therapy, or those found wandering

were charged with cowardice and shot.

Trench Warfare Facts

Enemies would fly kites with words on them over the trenches to encourage soldiers to

stick their heads out.

Body lice was a constant problem for soldiers

Soldiers subsisted on canned stew and beans for the majority of their time in the trenches

The War Continues…

The Eastern Front

In contrast to the Western Front (Trenches) the war on the Eastern Front was marked by mobility

Cost in lives was just as great Russia army moved in E. Germany but was defeated at the Battle of

Tannenberg and Battle of Masurian Lakes. As a result of these defeats, Russia was no longer a threat to Germany. Austria-Hungary was less fortunate….lost to Russia at Galicia and thrown

out of Serbia as well.• Also betrayed by former ally Italy, joined the Allies in 1915.

Germany-Austrian army formed Were able to defeat Russia and push them back to their own territory. Russian casualties were so high, they were practically knocked out of the

war. Bulgaria then joined the Central Powers and knocked Serbia out of the war. These successes allowed Germans to move back to the offensive on the

Western Front.

A War of Attrition

Definition: a war based on wearing the other side down by constant attacks and heavy losses

In 10 months at Verdun, 700,000 men lost their lives over a few miles of land

War in the Air In 1915, airplanes appeared on the battle front for the first

time in history Fights for control of the air increased. Pilots went from firing

at each other with handheld pistols to firing with machine guns mounted on the nose of the plane.

Germans used giant airships called Zeppelins to bomb English towns, but enemies soon realized the Zeppelins, filled with hydrogen gas, quickly exploded when hit…

Widening of the War

Because of the stalemate on the Western Front, both sides sought new allies

The Central Powers gained the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria The Allies gained Italy, India, Australia, and New

Zealand.

The Allies began seizing German colonies in the rest of the world

Were able to do this due to Germany’s lack of naval strength.

Enter the U.S.