The World War I Era

1. The World War I Era Chapter 19

2. The Road To War Section 1

3. Cause of War Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria • Killed by Princip, a Serbian nationalist who believed Bosnia should be part of Serbia • Main causes existed before 1914: • Imperialism (Competition for colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific) • Militarism • Nationalism • Tangled system of alliances.

4. The Conflict • Austria-Hungary declares war on with Serbia on July 23, 1914 • Russia then declares war on Austria – Hungary • France declares war on Austria – Hungary • Germany declares war on Russia • Great Britain declares war on Germany after invasion of Belgium

5. The Sides Central Powers Allied Powers Russia France Serbia Great Britain • Germany • Austria Hungary

6. Stalemate • Relatively equal in size and strength both armies fought to a stalemate • Both sides faced each other for months in muddy, rat infested trenches • No side advanced more than a few miles.

7. Trench Warfare

9. New Alliances in 1915 Central Powers Allies Italy Joins allies • Ottoman Empire (Turkey) joins central powers

10. Modern Warfare Old Warfare New Warfare Machine guns Rapid fire artillery Grenades Poison gases Guns began firing 150 rounds per minute Britain lost 20,000 in one day in 1916 • Strong offense led by troops on horseback would usually win

11. American Response Propaganda Neutrality Trade strongly influenced neutrality German and British naval blockades of the North Sea placed American commercial investments at risk They had to remain neutral • British newspapers circulate false stories of German brutality that spreads to America quickly