General Information…

• Started on July 28, 1914• Ended on November 11, 1918

• Almost 8,000,000 dead. *** Russia the most = 1.7 million• Almost 22,000,000 wounded…..

• Map of Europe greatly changed .

Reasons for start of war…

• Militarism – building up military• Alliance system - <KEY REASON>

–European powers formed rival alliances to protect themselves

–PROBLEM? One event could drag all countries involved into a conflict.

• Imperialism • nationalism – pride in country

The Black Hand..• The main objective of

the Black Hand was the creation, by means of violence, of a Greater Serbia.

• Its stated aim was: "To realize the national ideal, the unification of all Serbs. This organization prefers terrorist action to cultural activities; it will therefore remain secret."

The spark that lit the fuse….

• The one event that started the Great War happened in the Balkans.

• The Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austria) was assassinated while visiting Serbia.

• The Black Hand was responsible….

Kaiser Wilhelm II

“You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees!!”

New Weapons of the War

• poison Gas– chlorine and phosgene—both toxic substances that caused

suffocation– mustard gas—a blistering agent that caused severe burns

and blisters on the skin and stripped severely damaged the lungs. It sometimes took five weeks to die from mustard gas exposure.

• machine gun• tank• submarine• airplanes

Australian troops in the trenches equipped with gas masks, Battle of Ypres, 1917

• Mustard gas burns from World War I

The British Vickers machine gun required a six man team to operate. One to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and the rest to help carry the weapon and supplies.

British Mark I tank on September 26, 1916

Submarines:

German U-Boat U-14

Flying Aces

• Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He was killed in combat with Canadian pilots near the Somme River.

Trench Warfare ProblemsAll Quiet on the Western Front, excerpt

• “We must look out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. Detering says it is a sure sign of a coming bombardment.

• “The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat—the kind we call corpse rats. They have shocking, evil naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long, nude tails.

Study this crossStudy this cross--section for 2 mins.section for 2 mins.

How were portrayals of life in the trenches back home and the reality of fighting

different?

Exposure to the elements

Mud & water

Trench foot

Debilitating Injuries

Woodrow Wilson: “Remain neutral in thought as well as deed”

To protect international trading rights “He kept us out of war.” 1916 presidential

campaign slogan

Zimmermann Telegram (1917)

Russian Revolution (1917)

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

“The World Must be made safe for Democracy” (Progressive crusade)

His job was to sell America the war.

Creel tried to “whip” up support for Wilson’s ideas

Help US raise money to fight

Paris and Palace of Versailles

Big Four:• Woodrow Wilson (USA)• David Lloyd George

(GBR)• Georges Clemenceau

(FR)• Orlando Vittorio (IT)

Russia excluded Defeated powers

humiliated Wilson’s 14 points the

major proposal

To “make the world safe for democracy”

#1-5 - international law recommendations

#6-13 - European boundary restructure

#14 - League of Nations