World War I

Bellringer

Whose death was the fuse that began WWI?

The Great War• Mid-August 1914

• Central Allieso Germany, Austria-

Hungaryo Italy joins-name

becomes Triple Alliance

• Allied Powers o Great Britain, France,

Russiao Japan joinso Italy switches to join

Allies

• Millions of soldiers marched to battle-convinced it would be short

Germany and a Two Front War• Germany faces war on two

fronts

• Develops the Schlieffen Plano attacking and defeating

France in the west and then rushing east to fight Russia

o Russia lagged behind the rest of Europe in railroads

• Early September-Germans reach outskirts of Paris-First Battle of the Marne

• Allies regroup and attack

• German retreats

Quick Victory?

• First Battle of the Marne-most important event of the war?

• Defeat of the Schlieffen Plan

• Quick defeat in west seems impossible

• In the east-Russian forces invaded Germany

• German high command sent thousands of troops from France to aid forces in its east

• War on Western Front is stalemate

Trench Warfare

• By 1915, both sides on Western front had dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire

• Soldiers fight from trenches

• Armies traded huge losses of life and small land gains

• Life in trenches

• “The men slept in mud, washed in mud, ate mud, and dreamed mud.”

• Clip:

Life in the Trenches

Trench Foot

• Medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, & cold conditions

• Numbness, turning red or blue, decaying odor, swelling, blisters, open sores, fungus or ulcers

• If untreated-gangrene result in amputation

• If treated-complete recovery, pain still persists

The Western Front• “No man’s land”

• Western front becomes “terrain of death.”

• New weapons of war kill greater number of people more effectively

• 1916- Battle of the Somme -Germans attack French, British help French. By the time it ended each side suffered more than a half a million casualties

The Eastern Front• War was more mobile

• Russia suffered against Germans

• Russia defeated Austrians better

• Until Austria is able to push them out of Austria-Hungary

• 1916, Russian war effort was near collapse

• Russia had yet to be industrialized

• Short of food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, blankets

• German limits Allied supply shipment

Russia Ties up Germans

• Large Russian army

• Suffered a lot of losses

• Army continually rebuilt from population

• Germany could not send tons of fighting forces to the west because they were tied up in the east

New Weapons of War

• Poison Gaso Masks to protect

themselveso Introduced by Germanso Used on both sideso Some caused blindness,

severe blisters, death by choking

• Tankso Armored vehicle that

moved on chain trackso Introduced by British

New Weapons of War

• Machine gunso Fires ammunition

automaticallyo Wipe out waves of

attackers and made it difficult for forces to advance

• Submarineo Introduced by Germanso Weapon against shipso Use of torpedoes, which

are underwater missiles

Today’s Task-Setting the Stage

• The year is 1917, and the war in Europe is raging. The United States has entered the war, and its troops of volunteers and draftees are being sent to Europe. Though soldiers and pilots were men, many women enlisted as nurses and office workers. The war is having a huge impact on life throughout the world. Economies and governments are focused on the war effort, and people and politicians are in heated debates.

The Task

What’s it like to be in a war?

Each student will explore this question through the POV of a participant in WWI: a pilot, a nurse, a soldier, or a civilian.

The Process

• You can either work alone, with a partner, 3 or 4.

• There are 4 different fact sheets that give the perspective of WWI through different “jobs.”

• Each person is to complete the organizer about the different jobs in WWI.

• Due by the end of class.