Chapter Six

1. Chapter Six Newfoundland and the First World War

2. Part I The Start of the First World War

3. The World at the Start of the 1900s • The world at the start of the 1900s was very different than it is today • The world was dominated by Europe: it was the center of the world; and Europe was ruled by 5 main countries: • Austria-Hungary • France • Germany • Great Britain • Russia

5. The 5 Powers of Europe • These 5 countries often competed with one another for world power • They did this through many means, but mainly through building larger militaries, getting bigger Empires and forming alliances. • The last time a Great Power went to war with another was in 1871 (France-Germany)

6. Building Military Strength The 5 powers would try to be stronger than the others by having the biggest and best military. This competition was called an Arms Race Each Great Power tried to have bigger and better equipped armies; some Great Powers wanted Naval strength (ships) as well.

8. Empires The Political Strength of a country in those days was measured by the size of their Empire European countries (sometimes non-Great Powers) sent their armies all over the world to conquer land to rule. This was called Colonization Asia and Africa were popular places to colonize.

10. Alliances To prevent war, the Great Powers aligned themselves with other countries and Great Powers to form Alliances An alliance is like a military friendship: countries promise to protect other members of the alliance in case of war There were many alliances before 1914, but the main two were called the Triple Entente/Allies and the Central Powers

12. The Alliances of Europe The Triple-Entente The Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungary Italy (not a main power) • France • Russia • Great-Britain

13. Other Notable Alliances Russia-Serbia German-Ottoman Empire (Modern-day Middle-East) – A secret alliance that no other country knew about Great Britain-Belgium (signed in 1839!!)

14. The Alliances of Europe (Again) The Triple-Entente The Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungary Italy Ottoman-Empire • France • Russia • Great-Britain • Serbia • Belgium

16. Germany • Seen as the leader of the Central Powers • Young country (1871) • Really big army, small navy (wanted bigger) and small empire • Wanted to be a world power, but was too late to the Great Power game

18. Austria-Hungary • Very old country (1506) • Very large army, very small navy and NO OVERSEAS EMPIRE • Wanted to become bigger in Europe (take over other countries)

20. Russia • Very large country. • Biggest Army in Europe, but was poorly trained and poorly equipped • No Overseas Empire – wanted to expand its borders in Europe (become bigger)

22. France • Though to have the best Army in Europe (very big and well trained) • Very big overseas Empire (second in the world) • Wanted land back that was lost to Germany in the 1871 War (the last time 2 Great Powers went to war…)

26. Great Britain • Had the largest empire in human history (1/4 of the earth’s surface) • Had a very small army, but the largest Navy in the world (it is an island..) • Wanted: Rule of the seas and for there to be many Great Powers: not just 1

28. Conflicts Before 1914 Russia-Austria-Hungary: both wanted the same piece of land in south-east Europe Germany-France & Great Britain: Wanted an empire France-Germany: France wanted its lost land back Great Britain-Germany: Both wanted rule of the seas Great Britain-Germany: Germany wanted to be the greatest of the great powers; Great Britain didn’t want a single power ruling the world

29. Austria-Hungary • Very old country (1506) • Very large army, very small navy and NO OVERSEAS EMPIRE • Wanted to become bigger in Europe (take over other countries)

31. Section 2 Newfoundland Goes to War

32. Newfoundland and the War When Great Britain declared war on the Central Powers, Newfoundland was automatically at war too Newfoundland hadn’t had a military force since the 1870s The Government of Newfoundland decided to raise a Regiment for overseas service with the British Army. This unit was to be called The Newfoundland Regiment Regiment: A fighting force of about 800-1000 men

33. Creating a Fighting Force • Men from all over Newfoundland joined the British Army in 1914 • These men ranged from fishermen, to trappers, to wealthy sons of businessmen

34. Creating a Fighting Force • No one thought the war would last long (“It Will Be Over by Christmas”). • Many joined out of love for Newfoundland and because they believed in the British Empire – this was called Patriotism

35. Propaganda Another tool governments used to get people to join the army was called Propaganda Propaganda: information used to promote a political cause or point of view (in this case, join the military)

40. Raising the Newfoundland Regiment Propaganda was effective, and hundreds of men joined the Newfoundland Regiment These men had no formal military experience – officers and sergeants were cadet leaders or prominent locals. The first 500 men to join (named “The First 500”) trained in Pleasantville before leaving for England on 14 October 1914

44. The Newfoundland Regiment A problem with clothing materials gave the Newfoundland Regiment its nickname British soldiers wore cloth wrap around their lower legs to prevent them from stepping on their pants. These wraps were called Puttees and were supposed to be khaki, like the rest of the uniform

46. The Blue Puttees A khaki shortage meant that there was no material to make khaki puttees Instead, the NL Regiment was issued puttees made out of a blue fabric. Their nickname then became “The Blue Puttees” This was the nickname they carried for the rest of the war

48. Section III The Newfoundland Regiment at War

49. The War So Far • Neither side is winning the war by the end of 1914 • Both sides have dug Trenches (ditches to fight in) that stretch from the ocean to the border of Switzerland. There is no way around them – only through • By the end of 1914, already 1 million men have died attacking each other’s trenches

50. The Regiment at War • The Newfoundland Regiment arrived in England in late 1914 • Instead of going straight to the battlefields, they spend the next few months training in “modern warfare tactics” • Learned things like how to attack a trench, how to use machine-guns, grenades, etc.