World War 1 – 1914-1918

“The War to End all Wars”“The Great War”

Causes of WWICauses of WWI• Nationalism a strong sense of

believing in ones own country to where your own country is better than any other

• Alliance systems countries form a huge alliance with each other in order to intimidate other countries from attack them

– The Triple Alliance-Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy

– The Triple Entente- France, Great Britain, and Russia

• Balkan crisis – in 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia – nationalists there angry about it

• Militarism= glorification of the military Many countries were preparing for war even before they had anyone to fight

The Spark that Set the War on FireThe Spark that Set the War on FireThat lit the powder keg”That lit the powder keg”

• June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, was Assassinated during a visit to a rival country

– He was shot by a Serbian terrorist, member of the Black Hand– Hungary had imperial control over Serbia (Serbia was key in

controlling the Balkans– Serbian (Balkan) nationalists didn’t like it; so to show it they

assassinated the archduke

• Alliance system goes into effect– Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary– Germany declares war on Russia– France declares war on Germany– Great Britain declares war on Germany because GB had allied

with France; and Germany had attacked neutral Belgium

• Germany makes the first move because they are still angry over the decisions in the Congress of Vienna

- in the agreement European monarchs took territory away from Germany

The War FrontThe War Front•Germany hoped for a quick victory by use of its well thought out plan called the Schlieffen Plan

•France responded and stopped the German troops by building trenches all the way to the English Channel

•This line becomes known as the Western Front

•This form of warfare (Trench Warfare) becomes the chief way of fighting during WWI and leads to stalemate

–Troops advanced from trench to trench, across No Man’s Land, then retreat back to their former trenches

–Troops spent years living in the trenches full of human death, feces, and rats

–There was nothing to eat except for what supply lines brought troops - soldiers even ate rats, b/c vegetation had been bombed

No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land

Technology of the WarTechnology of the War• Maxim Machine GunMaxim Machine Gun

Technology of the WarTechnology of the War• Gas- Mustard, Chlorine• Estimated totals of causalities of Gas attacks:

– German-Fatal-9,000….Non Fatal-200,000– British-Fatal-8109….Non Fatal-188,706

Technology of the WarTechnology of the War• Tanks- British Mark I T

– Slow, but created a fear factor

Technology of the WarTechnology of the War• Submarine – U-Boat ,

unterseeboot – invented by Germany and used to stop US, British supply convoys and troops ships

Technology of the WarTechnology of the War• Airplane- Used at first for reconnaissance,

surveillance. – During the last year of the war, planes used for

dog fighting to control the skies– Red Baron – German – Manferd Von Riechtoven

• Shot down 80 allied planes before he was shot down

Reason U.S. joins the warReason U.S. joins the war• A German U-

Boat sank the Lusitania, U.S. ship, killing 126 passengers

• Public opinion sways in favor of kicking German butt

The Treaty of Versailles - 1918The Treaty of Versailles - 1918• The final peace settlement

of Paris ended with five separate peace treaties with the 5 defeated nations of the war:– Germany– Austria– Hungary – Bulgaria– Turkey

• Versailles near Paris, France in June 1918.

The Treaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles• The Germans considered it a harsh treaty

- article 231 “War Guilt” clause said Germany was responsible for starting the war.

• The other articles in the treaty required Germany to pay reparations for the war to the Allied Nations for ALL the damage the nations had suffered during the war - How can a war torn country, now 30 billion in debt,

pay it back?• This Treaty will be one of the chief reasons

Germany will be thrown into World War 2

Flashcards!!!! – Flashcards!!!! – This is your study guide for Monday’s test!This is your study guide for Monday’s test!

1. Triple Alliance2. Triple Entente3. Nationalism4. Militarism5. Alliance System6. Balkan Crisis7. The Spark8. Black Hand9. Schlieffen Plan

10.Western Front11.Trench Warfare12.No Man’s Land13.Stalemate14.New Technology15.Lusitania16.Reconnaissance17.Red Baron18.Treaty of

Versailles19.Reparations