The Great War- World War I

Long Term Causes

M- Militarism

A- Alliances

I- Imperialism

N- Nationalism

Long Term Causes

Militarism- Glorifying Military Power Keeping a large standing army prepared for war Arms race for military technology

Long Term Causes

Alliances- Designed to keep peace in Europe,

instead pushed continent towards war

Many Alliances made in secret By 1907 two major alliances: Triple

Alliance and Triple Entente

Two Major Alliances

Triple AllianceGermany

Austria-HungaryItaly

Triple EntenteEnglandFranceRussia

Leaders

Triple AllianceKaiser Wilhelm II

(Germany)

Franz Joseph I (Austria-Hungary)

Vittorio Orlando(Italy)

Triple EntenteDavid Lloyd George

(England)

Raymond Poincare

(France)

Tsar Nicholas II (Russia)

Long Term Causes

Imperialism- European competition for colonies Quest for colonies often almost led to war Imperialism led to rivalry and mistrust amongst

European nations

By the end of 1914, not only Europe was at war, but also all of Europe’s colonies in Asia, Africa and South America.

The First WORLD War

Major Colonies

Triple Entente France- Vietnam, Parts of Africa England- Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Canada, S.

America

Triple Alliance Germany- Africa, Parts of Asia

Long Term Causes

Nationalism- Deep Devotion to One’s Nation Competition and Rivalry developed

between European nations for territory and markets(Example France and Germany- Alsace-Lorraine)

Short-Term Cause

June 28th 1914 Assassination of Franz Ferdinand by a

Yugoslavian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip. July 23rd Austria Hungary Presents Serbia with

an ultimatum- Orders Serbia to take responsibility for the assassination along with several other very unreasonable demands.

Sparks the “Powder-Keg” of Europe

July 28th Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

July 29th Russia Mobilizes its troops August 1, 1914 Germany mobilizes troops. August 2nd Germany declares war on

Russia Germany invades Poland and Luxemburg, invasion of France starts

Summer of 1914

Triple Entente/Triple Alliance Actions

August 3: Germany declares war on France August 4: Germany declares war on

Belgium and invades it, August 4:England declares war on Germany August 5: Austria declares war on Russia

and Great Britain

Summer of 1914

Triple Entente/Triple Alliance Actions

Who Declared War on Who?

Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia Russia Declares War on Austria Hungary Germany Declares War on Russia Germany Declares War on France Britain Declares War on Germany and Austria

Hungary

The Two Sides

Central PowersGermany

Austria-HungaryOttoman Empire

Allied PowersBritain France Russia

Italy Serbia Belgium

New TechnologyGuns

The Machine Gun

It was used by both sides, hundreds of rounds a minute could be shot by one person.

WW1 often called the “war of attrition” A gradual wearing down of strength through sustained pressure.

The German plan against France was to rush into the country as fast as possible through Belgium: The Schlieffen Plan.

The Machine Gun stopped this plan.

Machine Guns at Work

Technology:Chemical Weapons

WWI was the first major war to use chemical weapons

Mustard Gas and Chlorine Gas were the two most popular weapons: They caused suffocation, blindness, and death

Trench Warfare

Both sides dug long trenches that faced each other. The trenches ran for miles.

From time to time, one side would attempt to cross the “No-Man’s Land” the area in between the trenches.

Trench warfare made WWI extend from a few months of fighting to four years of fighting

US Road to War

Initial Stance: Full Neutrality Since the start of the war we simply provided

allies with supplies. British Blockade:

Did not allow products to leave or enter Germany

German U-Boat Response Counter to blockade, destroy all boats headed for

British shores

May 7th 1915

Sinking of the Lusitania

US Road to War

1916 Presidential ElectionAnd the Winner is…

Woodrow Wilson Re-elected

because of his strict anti-war rhetoric

“He kept us out of the war”

US Road to WarThe Last Straw

Zimmerman Note• Telegram from a German

government official to Mexico

• Told Mexico if they joined with the German cause, Germany would help Mexico regain land they lost to the U.S during the Mexican-American War.

U.S Road to War

Other Factors: Germany’s Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. The fall of the Tsarist regime in Russia.

Wilson wanted to make sure the world was safe for democracy by making his presence known in Eastern Europe.

U.S alliance with Britain. U.S loaned $2 Billion to Britain during the war.

US Declares War

Senate Declares War April 4th 1917 House of Representatives Declares War

April 6th 1917 Wilson’s reasoning for War

make the world “Safe for Democracy” General John J. Pershing becomes

American commander in Europe

War on the Homefront World War I as a Total War

All Resources devoted to homefront

Gov’t took over factories to make Military goods

All had to work (Women took place of men in factories)

Rationing- limit consumption of resources/goods necessary for the war effort

Propaganda- one-sided information to keep support for the war

Propaganda Crucial to U.S.

participation was the sweeping domestic propaganda campaign.

Committee on Public

Information.

Community leaders giving brief carefully scripted pro-war speeches at thousands of public gatherings

War on the Homefront

The nation placed a great importance on the role of children. Teaching them patriotism and national service and asking them to

encourage war support and educate the public about the importance of the war.

The Boy Scouts of America helped distribute war pamphlets, helped sell war bonds, and helped to drive nationalism and support for the war.

War on the Homefront

The Food Administration launched a massive campaign to teach Americans to economize on their food budgets.

“Victory Gardens” were grown in backyards.(Crops for U.S soldiers)

Ending the War 1917-1918

US Enters the War in April of 1917 March 1918 Russia and Germany sign the Treaty of

Brest-Litovsk Peace between new gov’t in Russia and the Central Powers

Germans now focus entirely on Western Front March of 1918 Germany begins a massive attack on

France

Ending the War (1918)The Tide Turns

German troops fatigued U.S had 140,000 “fresh” troops Central Powers Crumble

Revolutions in the Baltic Region Ottoman Empire surrenders German soldiers mutiny, public turns against

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Ending the War (1918)

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates on November 9th 1918 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918

Germany agrees to a cease-fire 8.5 million soldiers dead 21 million soldiers wounded Cost of 338 billion dollars

Ending the WarThe Paris Peace Conference

Meeting of the “Big Four” at the Paris Peace Conference

Wilson Proposes his “14 points” “Big Four” create Treaty of Versailles

War Guilt Clause Break up of German, Austrian, Russian and

Ottoman Empire Reparations Legacy of bitterness and betrayal

Effects of World War ICons

World War led to global feelings of pessimism

Global Economic Decline Intense feelings of

animosity amongst nations.

Set the stage for every consecutive war that has occurred since.

Pros New forms of Art,

Literature, Philosophy and Science (ex. Surrealism,

“Lost” Generation, Psychoanalysis, Existentialism)

Dali, Freud, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, etc

John Green on WW1 in the U.S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y59wErqg4Xg&edufilter=xmaLK0_xD4MG9VKLuml_Rg