WORLD WAR I

The “Great War” from 1914-1918

M.A.I.N Causes

M – Militarism: Aggressive strengthening of forcesA – Alliances: Agreement to help out another nationI – Imperialism: Acquiring colonies and an empireN – Nationalism: Strong feeling of pride in one’s nation• All European nations experiencing these 4

situations in 1914

The Spark• Austria-Hungary wanted to

get Bosnia, which Serbia wanted also

• On June 28, 1914, Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sofie, are killed by Gavrilo Principe, a Serbian terrorist

• Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia – World War I begins!

Central Powers

• 1 – Triple Alliance– Germany– Austria-Hungary– Italy

• 2 – Bulgaria

• 3 – Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

Allies

• 1- Triple Entente– France

– Russia

– Great Britain

• 2 – Serbia

• 3 – Romania

• 4 – Greece

• 5 – Belgium

• 6 – The United States (1917)

Schleiffen Plan

• Germany would go through Belgium to crush France

• Germans halted at the Marne River by the French Army

• Stalemate (deadlock) at the Western Front

Modern Warfare

• Trench Warfare– “No Man’s Land”– Dead bodies– Rats and Lice– Soldiers slept in mud and rain• Lived off dried beef, hard biscuits, and canned

emergency rations

Modern Warfare

• Poison Gas– Mustard– Chlorine

Modern Warfare

• Tanks

• U-boats

• Airplanes

1917 – The United States Enters the War

• Reasons the U.S. got into the war:

1 - Propaganda: The spread of ideas that help one cause and hurt another

• “Preserve Democracy!”

1917 – The United States Enters the War

• 2 – Lusitania: A British passenger ship that was torpedoed by a German u-boat – 128 Americans killed

1917 – The United States Enters the War

• 3 – Zimmermann Telegram: Germany promised Mexico that if Mexico sided with Germany, they would get back Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas

Americans in the Service

• Selective Service Act: “The Draft” – required men between the ages of 18-45 to register for military service

Americans in the Service

• Doughboys: nickname for the American Expeditionary Force (AEF)– Led by General John

“Blackjack” Pershing– 360,000 African

Americans joined in separate units

– Women served as nurses, secretaries, and translators

Financing the War• 1 – Raised income taxes

• 2 – Liberty war bonds

• 3 – Lend money to Allies to buy food/supplies

• 4 – Food Administration headed by Herbert Hoover

Reactions to the War

• Pacifists: People who are against war under any circumstances

• Congress was afraid opposition would hurt the war effort

• National War Labor Board(1918): helped workers and management avoid strikes and reach agreements

Reactions to the War

• Espionage Act: Set strict penalties for anyone who interfered with recruiting soldiers or made statements that hinder the war effort

• Sedition Act: It was illegal to utter disloyal statements about the Constitution, the government, the flag, or the Armed Forces

• The Supreme Court in 1919 allowed the government to suspend free speech during war time

The End of the War• Bolshevik Revolution

– Headed by Vladimir Lenin– 1917 – Czar Nicholas II

abdicates (leaves) the throne

– 1917 – Nicholas and family are killed

– Russia is out of the war– Communism: equal

distribution of wealth and the end of all forms of private property

• Last German Offensive– Germany launches a last

offensive– Germany stopped at

Bellau Wood

Wilson’s 14 Points

• Armistice (truce) is signed on November 11, 1918 – 8 million soldiers killed

• Wilson’s Peace Treaty = 14 Points1. Freedom of the seas – lower the number of

weapons and no secret alliances2. Self – Determination: right of a country to decide

how they want to be governed3. League of Nations (now called the United

Nations)

Treaty of Versailles

• BIG FOUR:– Woodrow Wilson – U.S.

– David Lloyd George – Great Britain

– Georges Clemenceau – France

– Vittorio Orlando - Italy

Treaty of Versailles

• Mission: PUNISH GERMANY

• Germany had to pay $33 billion in war reparations and dismantle its entire army

• U.S. rejected treaty and did not join League of Nations

• Germany’s punishment from World War I led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933