the great war

The Great War

Where is America’s place in a changing world?

Beginnings of a great war.

In the late 1800’s the German Empire fought France for land.

Germany and Austria-Hungary formed a military alliance

Both France and Russia were worried Germany would look to invade their land

So France and Russia also formed a military alliance.


Soon other European countries wanted to join alliances.

This led to militarism

Militarism: Is the build up of weapons and armed forces to intimidate others.

What do you think the effect of militarism was?

Does militarism help promote peace? Why or why not?


Great Britain took a policy of supporting weaker countries against stronger ones.

Great Britain was worried that one country would control all of Europe.

Soon Germany and Great Britain where involved in a arms race.


Soon other countries wanted to gain the support of Great Britain

France and Russia wanted to join in an alliance with Great Britain

With these three countries working together, for the first time you had two powerful groups against each other.

Nationalism

Every country in Europe had its own special culture

Each country was worried about losing their national identity

As a result each country began to develop strong nationalism.

Nationalism is the intense pride in one’s homeland.

Nationalism This feeling of

nationalism was shared by all groups of people.

Including groups of people that had their own separate culture while living in larger countries.

An example is the Serbs who were the first group of ethnically similar people to get there own nation

Nationalism

Serbia wanted to unite all southern Slavs

However Austria-Hungary did not want to lose land and people from their nation.

Russia however supported the smaller country of Serbia

Why would Russia support Serbia?

The war begins

Tensions across Europe are extremely high by 1908

Soon Austria-Hungary decides to take control of the Slavic Bosina

This caused Serbia to feel threatened and angry.

The war begins

In 1914 the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was Franz Ferdinand

He visited the newly claimed territory of Bosnia

He and his wife are gunned down by a member of a Serbian nationalist group called the “Black Hand.

It was the “Black Hand’s” goal of starting a war.

Gavrilo Princip

The war begins

The Black Hand got their war.

Austria-Hungary decided that it was time to crush Serbia and their nationalist revolution.

Austria-Hungary asked Germany for support in the war and they agreed

The Alliances are triggered

When Austria-Hungary issued a declaration of war on Serbia, Serbia looked to the Russians for help.

Russia agreed and in turn looked to France for help.

France was worried about fighting Germany alone someday so they agreed to from an alliance with Russia.

The Great War

Germany planned to knock the French out early, but to do so they needed to cross through Belgium

When they did Great Britain declared war on Germany

Now France, Russia, Serbia and Great Britain were fighting Germany and Austria-Hungary

What makes this a world war?

GermanyAustria-HungaryOttoman EmpireBulgaria

Allied Powers

VS.

Central Powers

FranceBritish EmpireRussia Serbia Belgium

Open to page 325.

Read the Yes and NO section.

Answer questions 1-4

Who is missing? America was a new

and up incoming nation

They were far away from the fighting

Many Americans felt that they had no business interfering with European affairs

The United States of America

Once the war started:

Woodrow Wilson declared that America was neutral

However many Americans found it hard to stay neutral

8 million German Americans supported the Central powers, while many other Americans supported Great Britain

“We must be impartial in thought as well as in action.” –President Wilson

America and the Great War

America remained neutral for the first two years of WWI

Even though they were neutral many believed that we should prepare for war anyway

However Wilson and many Americans felt that going to war would set America back

Why would America want to stay nuetral?

America traded with both Central and Allied powers

America was a young and growing country. Many felt war would hurt its growth

America was divided, Americans had family in both all countries involved.

America and the Great War

Both the Central and Allied powers wanted American support

While President Wilson did not want war, his cabinet members did.

The cabinet members felt that it was the only way to preserve international balance of power

The British come calling

Great Britain was desperate for American support and worked hard to win that support

The British used propaganda to convince Americans

Germany also used propaganda but it was manly anti-Russian which Americans did not care about

Propaganda Propaganda is

information designed to influence someone’s opinion

The British controlled news that went to America from Europe

Their Propaganda was very successful

The Neutral Debate

America was young and developing

The U.S. is protected from Europe by the Atlantic Ocean

America traded with most countries in Europe

Many Americans felt a bond towards their homelands

Some people felt that going to would help make the U.S. a super power

Military leaders wanted to go to war before they were dragged into war.

Neutral For War

Choose a side in the neutrality debate. Write a response stating whether you would support staying neutral or going to war.

Business Supports Britain

While the American government stayed neutral its businessmen did not

Big banks gave the Allied powers loans

By 1917 the banks had loaned out $2 billion to the Allied forces

and just $27 million to the Central powers

“Our firm had never for one moment been neutral: we did not know how to be. From the very start we did everything that we could to contribute to the cause of the Allies” – Thomas W. Lamont

Great Britain Reacts

Great Britain declares a blockade on all German ports

The British Navy would stop all ships heading to Europe and check for Contraband

This led to protests by the American government

German Response to the blockade

Germany decided to attack any ships that were in English waters

England and France depended on supplies from all across the world

By attacking these shipments Germany was cutting of critical supplies to the Allied Forces

U-Boats

Germany used newly invented submarines called U-Boats to enforce the blockade

In 1915 the Germans announced that they would use any means to stop boats headed to France or Great Britain

These U-boats shot at all boats that crossed into English waters

The Lusitania

In 1915 the British passenger ship the Lusitania entered into English waters

A German U Boat shot at and sunk the ship

It killed 1,200 people including 128 Americans

http://www.history.com/videos/world-war-i-germans-attack-us-navy-boats#u-boats-sink-the-lusitania-in-1915

• Americans were outraged by the attack

• Most Americans now called for the U.S. to declare war against Germany

• Woodrow Wilson however still did not want to go to war. He issued complaints to Germany asking them to stop attacking “Non-combatants”

The Sussex Wilson’s policy was tested

in 1916

A German U boat fired a torpedo at a French passenger ship called the Sussex injuring several Americans

Even though most Americans now favored war Wilson still did not

He told Germany that they should stop there U-Boat warfare or risk war with the U.S.

The Sussex Pledge

Germany was very worried that the United States would enter the war on the side of the Allied forces

So they signed a treaty called the “Sussex Pledge”

This peaceful act helped Wilson get re-elected

The U.S. finally goes to war

In 1917 a German official named Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to Mexico

In the telegram it asked Mexico to become its ally in the war

In return it would help Mexico get back lost territory of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

The Zimmermann Telegram

This telegram was intercepted by the British and given to the U.S.

Americans now greatly favored war

At the same time Germany sunk several American ships

Wilson had no choice but to go to war

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJWP-SqEaq4

First Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JOSpLMcmFc&feature=related Second video

Play to 4:15



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JOSpLMcmFc&feature=related


Allies were desperate

By 1917, the Allied forces were desperate for American help

America entered the war just in time to save the allies

The resource that the Allies needed the most was more soldiers

No one in America knew just how badly the Allies needed troops

Most Americans believed that we would not have to send troops over to fight

Most thought we would just send money and military supplies

The Great War

Soon America had no choice but to send troops into the war

Wilson thought that an all- volunteer Army would be good enough

However just not enough men volunteered

Not enough men

The United States before WWI did not have a standing army

When it came time to fight the army depended on volunteers

Many people believed that conscription or a draft was the only way to fill the need for men.

The Draft: Selective Service

In 1917 Woodrow Wilson approved the new selective service.

This made it mandatory that all men between the ages of 21-30 sign up for the draft

Their names would then be placed in a lottery and if their name was picked they would have to go and fight.





The War effort

It took a lot to fund and supply the war effort

Americans were asked contribute in anyway they could

This included, joining the military, not eating as much food, and buying war bonds

Victory Gardens

The U.S. encouraged its people to grow their own gardens

“Food will win the war- Don’t waste it”

Wheatless Mondays, Meatless Tuesdays, and Porkless Thursdays

Paying for the war

Going to war was not free

Congress had no choice but raise taxes on people and businesses

By the end of the war the U.S. spent 32 Billion dollars on the war

War Bonds

In order to help pay for the war effort the government issued Liberty and Victory bonds

These bonds could be bought buy Americans

The money would be used to fund the war

The bonds could be returned for full price

The War effort

American industry went into overtime in order to help out

Henry Ford was desperate for workers, so he advertised in the south

Many African-Americans in the south that could not find work moved north

In the north they were able to find well paying jobs

Civil Liberties One negative effect of

the war was that Americans lost some rights

Congress passed the Espionage act which made it illegal to support the Central powers

They also passed the Sedition Act which made it illegal to talk poorly of the war

WWI WWI was the first

war in which African-Americans were allowed to fight

While they had to serve in segregated units it was a step forward for equal rights

42,000 African Americans fought overseas in WWI

Women and WWI WWI was also the first

war in which women could serve in the military

While the Army still did not allow women, the Navy allowed women to serve in clerical roles

Women however could not fight in the war

A Bloody Conflict

By 1917 the war had devastated Europe

Old-fashioned war tactics mixed with new technologies resulted in mass death

No one knew what to expect from the war, new tactics were invented to help the soldiers survive.

A Bloody Conflict The newest and most

deadly addition to the war was artillery guns.

These guns could be placed far behind the front lines and used to kill enemy soldiers

Artillery guns killed more people than by any other weapon during WWI

Trench Warfare In order to protect

themselves from artillery shells, soldiers dug trenches

These trenches were at least 6 feet deep and allowed the men to take cover from enemy bullets

These formed a network of trenches that spread all across Europe.

Trench Warfare

To stop trenches from being taken over by the enemy, armies used newly invented machine guns

Barbed wire was also used prevent or slow down the enemy

The combination of barbed wire and machine guns was deadly

No-man’s land The area between

enemy trenches was known as “No-mans land”

There was nothing in this area except barbed wire and other obstacles.

It was known as “no man’s land” because it did not belong to any country and was up for grabs

Trench Warfare To beat the enemy, the

artillery guns would shoot at the trenches

Then the soldiers got out of their trenches and rushed forward into “No-man’s land”

They would fix bayonets or long knives to the tips of their rifles

Trench Warfare The result of this

kind of warfare was devastating .

In most battles hundreds of thousands of men died without either side gaining much ground.

Disease spread through the trenches, as did rats.

New Weapons In 1915 the Germans

first used poison gas as a way to clear enemy trenches.

Soon after the allies began using their own chemical warfare.

To counter these attacks, both sides developed gas masks.

Tank Warfare Newly invented tanks

were the key to breaking through enemy trenches

These new tanks were slow and mechanically unreliable but they were the key to success

They could cut through barbed wire and cross right over trenches, while the men inside were safe from bullets

Tank Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHIp-hyXKWc&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Zeppelins

WWI marked the first wart in which aircraft were used.

It was also the first and last time that zeppelins were used for battle

Early on in the war Germany used zeppelins to drop bombs on British Navy ships

Air warfare At first airplanes were

used mainly as scouts

However the allies soon equipped them with machine guns so they could attack enemy zeppelins

They also carried small bombs that could be dropped off the side of the plane

Dogfights

Both the allies and central powers began using airplanes for combat.

These fights between airplanes became known as dog fights

The average life expectancy of a combat pilot in WWI was just two weeks

Americans Enter Battle Most Americans

remembered that France had helped America win the revolutionary war

This made many Americans feel that they owed France a debt

They felt they could repay that debt by going to fight in WWI

General Pershing

*General John J. Pershing was the commander of the US Army in WWI

France and Britain wanted to take the US soldiers and mix them into the French and British units

General Pershing however refused, he wanted America soldiers to stay together

General Pershing France and Britain

pleaded with the US to send soldier into mix units

However Pershing was insistent that US soldiers fight together and under US command

President Wilson fully supported Pershing.

The thought was under US command the soldier would be better protected

The Russians back out In March of 1917 riots

broke out in Russia over the governments inability to run the country

The Russian people no longer wanted to follow the Czar or King of Russia and started a revolution

Germany funded this revolution in hopes that it would knock Russia out of the war

The Bolshevik Revolution

The Bolsheviks were a political party within Russia

They believed that their leader Vladimir Lenin could better run the country

Lenin overthrew the Russian government and formed his own Communist state.

He also signed a peace treaty with Germany

One Allied power down

Since Russia was out of the war, Germany could now focus all its energy on the western front

The German armies left the Russian battle fields and reinforced the trenches against Britain

This was Germany’s best and last chance to beat back the Allies

The Western FrontThe

*Western Front for Germany was France and Great Britain

Now that Germany could focus on one side of the war they were stronger

Germans attack

On march 21, 1918, the Germans launched a massive attack along the western front

The battle began with massive gas attacks and artillery bombing

Germany pushed far into allied lines and by June where only 40 miles from Paris

Americans do there part In July of 1918 the

German army tries to gain control of Paris.

However the United States plays a big role in stopping the attack

After this attack America went on the offensive and heavily attack German lines.

Germans retreat General Pershing

assembled over 600,000 American troops, 40,000 tons of supplies and 4,000 artillery guns

This force was the biggest attack in American history

It caused most Germans on the Western Front to give up and retreat.

The War Ends

While the Germans were losing the Western Front, the other Central power forces were falling apart

Both Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire surrender to the Allied powers by November 1918

Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia gained independence

The German Empire Falls Once the Germans

realized that they were going to lose the war, they looked to over throw the Empire

As revolution spread across the country the German Emperor decided to step down on November 9th 1918

This turned Germany into a Republic

Germany Surrenders

On November 11th, just two days after the fall of the German Empire, the Republic of Germans surrenders

They agreed to sign an*Armistice: Which is a truce or an agreement to stop all fighting

Do #1,2,5, and 6

A Flawed Peace

An official peace treaty was needed to settle WWI

27 different countries went to Paris to the Palace of Versailles

The Allied powers controlled the talks and would have final say in a treaty

The Treaty of Verailles Negotiations for a treaty

lasted 5 months

The most important members were the “Big Four”. (U.S., Britain, France, and Italy)

Russia was not invited, because the allies did not agree with the new Communists

Wilson’s Fourteen points

President Wilson went to Paris with Fourteen points

He believed that these points would stop another world war from occurring

Each point had the goal of fixing the damage of the war.

1. End all secret treaties and diplomacy among nations

2. Guarantee freedom of navigation on the seas for all nations

3. Create free trade among nations

4. Reduce armed forces as much as possible in all countries

14. Create a League of Nations

the great war

Documents