The First World War

1. The First World War

2. Causes for War • Militarism (arms race) • Alliances • Imperialism • Nationalism

3. Causes for War • Alliance: Agreement between 2 or more countries to give help if needed. • Impact: • 1879-1914: Alliances among many nations • Pulls non-aggressor nations into war

5. Causes for War • Imperialism: When a country takes over new lands or countries and makes them subject to their rule. • Impact: • Growth of European Empires (nation building) • Rise of Industrialization • Competition among nations

6. Causes for War • Militarism: Army and military forces are given high priority by their nations government • Impact: • Competition for Arms • Willingness to use new weapons • More aggressive approach to foreign policy

7. Causes for War • Nationalism: Supporting the rights and interests of one’s country • Impact: • Congress of Vienna - 1814 • Redrew Europe after Napoleon • Ignored nationalism; pressed for peace • Appeared successful; peace in Europe for 40 years • Alsace-Lorraine • Franco-Prussian War gives territory to newly unified Germany • Unstable peace for 40+ years • Displaced Nationalists • Did not support their new rulers • Often abused by ruling governments

8. Causes for War • Crises: • Moroccan Crisis • Germany united with Austria-Hungary • France keeps majority of rule over Morocco • Germany tries to stir rebellion; fails • Bosnian Crisis • Bosnia and Herzegovina annexed by Austria-Hungary • Serbia forced to yield to annexation • Treaty benefits Austria Hungary and Germany; hurts Serbia and Russia • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (not the band) • Gavrilo Princip • Member of “The Black Hand”

10. World War I Weapons of War

11. Rifles • Bolt-Action Rifle • Effective killing range 1,400 meters (4,500 ft) • Examples: German Mauser; British Lee-Enfield; U.S. Springfield

12. Machine Guns • Personified the War • Primarily Defensive weapon (grouped together); develops into an offensive weapon (1 gun = 80 rifles) • Crew of 4-6 • Fired in short bursts • Problems: Cooling Mechanisms • Water or air cooling

13. Chemical Warfare • Germans 1st to use Chlorine Gas • Effects: Burning in throat; chest pains; painful, suffocating death • Problems: Wind

14. Chemical Warfare • Mustard Gas • Most deadly weapon • Fired into trenches in shells • Colorless; effects take 12 hours • Effects: Blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal/external bleeding; Death up to 5 weeks • No reliable antidotes

16. Air Warfare • Zeppelins a.k.a. Blimps • Introduced early by Germans • Used in bombing raids; carried machine guns and bombs • Early raids created fear/panic • Artillery guns had little effect • Abandoned – Easy targets • Airships with incendiary bullets

18. Air Warfare • Planes • Early use for recon and observation • Pilots would use pistols, rifles, darts and hooks on string to rip cloth • Evolved into aircraft fighters • Mounted machine guns • Air fights called “dogfights”

20. Tanks (Landships) • Could cut through barbed wire entanglements • 1st Tank – Little Willie • 3 mph • Developed for the Western Front • Battle of the Somme

21. Naval Developments • HMS Dreadnought • German U-Boats • Naval Escorts and Blockades • German U-Boats draw U.S. into war

22. Trench Warfare • Created a stalemate on the western front • Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland • 6,250 miles • 6 to 8 feet deep • Immobilized both sides for 4 years

23. Trench Warfare • Trench Cycle • Typical life for a battalion (1 year cycle) • Front line (70 days) • Move to support (30 days) • Reserve lines (120 days) • Short period of rest (70 days) • Often determined by necessity of the situation • Morning ‘stand to’ • Awake 1 hr before dawn to protect against am raids • Bayonets fixed; adopted by both sides • Aka morning hate

24. Trench Warfare • Movement • Restricted to night due to snipers and look outs • Most read, wrote, and got brief periods of sleep • Assigned tasks frequently to keep movement and life in the trench • Dusk ‘stand to’ • Patrolling no mans land • Sent to repair barbed wire, check listening posts, etc • If opposing patrols met, either finish work or engage in hand to hand fighting • Gun shots might draw attention from machine gun nests

25. British trenches Artois France, 7:15 pm; 22 July, 1917 German trenches

27. The War

28. The Schieffen Plan • Stall Russia • Invade Western front/defeat France • Push all forces east • Avoid 2 front war

29. The Schieffen Plan • Encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris • British mobilized quickly; supported French • Sept 6-10, 1914 • Battle of Marne • Stopped the Germans but French troops were exhausted • Both sides dug trenches for shelter • Ended in stalemate

30. Tannenberg • Where: Tannenberg, East Prussia, Germany • When: 23-30 August, 1914 • Combatants: Germany vs. Russia • Casualties: Germans 12,000; Russians, 30,000 (95,000 prisoners)

31. Tannenberg • Germans outnumbered on both fronts • Need speedy victories to neutralize threats • Russia mobilized quickly; entered German territory

32. Tannenberg • Positions • G: Advanced toward Konigsberg; fell to River Vistula (defensive) • R:2 Pronged invasion; 1st Frontal assault; 2nd Flank German rear • G: Defeated flank by falling back • Positions – Aug. 26th • G: Used trains to stop Russian thrust NE • R: Russian 1st army stop moving to help 2nd • G: Counterattack on right Russian pincer; forced its retreat

34. Tannenberg • Positions • R: Only center line holding; orders thrust into Tannenberg; fails due to supply problems and Russian railroad gages • Aug. 28 • R: Begins retreat • G: Cuts off Russian center; pounds with artillery • Can’t make it to Russian border; many get lost (Samsonov)

35. The Eastern Front • Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on August 30, 1914 • Defeated • Austrians kicked out of Serbia • Italy attacks Austria - 1915 • Germany/Austria push Russians back 300 miles

36. The Eastern Front • Much more mobile more than the West • Loss of life still very high • 1915: 2.5 million Russians killed, captured, or wounded • Germany and Austria Hungary joined by Bulgaria in Sept. 1915 • Attacked and eliminated Serbia from war

37. The Eastern Front • 1917 – Russia surrenders (a separate peace) • U.S. joins the war on the Allied side • Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice

38. The Home Front • Women took war factory jobs • Received lower wages than males • Food shortages made running a household difficult

39. The Home Front • Censorship • Not told about high death toll • Romanticized the battlefields “soldiers have died a beautiful death, in noble battle, we shall rediscover poetry…epic and chivalrous” “Newspapers described troops as itching to go over the top.” “Government reported to the press that life in the trenches promoted good health and clear air”

40. The Home Front • Impossible to hide death • Women in mourning • Badly wounded soldiers returned home • Opposition began to emerge

41. Death Toll of War

42. Social Impact • Men lost limbs and were mutilated • Birthrate fell markedly • Invalids unable to work • Ethnic hostility • Influenza epidemic

43. Psychological impact • “Never such innocence again” • Bitterness towards aristocratic officers whose lives were never in danger