World War One: The Great War

1. WORLD WAR ONE “THE GREAT WAR” Click to watch this brief introductory video -Start and fast forward to 1 min.

2. What was World War One (WWI) all about? While the United States was establishing itself as a world power in the early 1900s, problems were rising in Europe. Powerful countries in Europe began developing fierce rivalries. This led to competition for land and military power. Many European countries controlled other countries around the world and they competed with one other for land in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This competition for land and power would soon lead to serious disagreements and war.

3. What were the MAIN causes of World War I? Militarism – the building of a strong military by a country to use as a way to solve problems Assassination – On June 28, 1914 the Archduke of Austria-Hungary , Franz Ferdinand, was killed by a Serbian. (Austria-Hungary controlled Serbia and would later declare war on them.) Imperialism – gaining control of many lands to build an empire Nationalism – a love for one’s country and the desire to have that country free from the control of others

4. Who fought in World War One? Fearing an attack from a rival, many European countries began to form alliances. This was an agreement between countries to defend each other. The two major alliances were the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.

5. ALLIED POWERS: Great BritainFranceRussiaSerbiaBelgiumItaly(and others) CENTRAL POWERS: GermanyAustria-HungaryBulgariaTurkey

6. How did the fighting in Europe begin? After Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia agreed to help Serbia in order to protect trade routes it used. Germany was an ally of Austria-Hungary and demanded that Russia demobilize (dismiss their army and not fight). When Russia refused to listen, Germany declared war on them. Germany was afraid that by declaring war on Russia, they might also be attacked by France. (France was Russia’s ally and was to Germany’s east.) Germany decided to also declare war on France. To get to France, German troops had to march through Belgium. When the Belgian king refused to let the troops cross his country, Germany declared war on Belgium. This led Great Britain, an ally of Belgium, to declare war on Germany. Soon every major country in Europe was involved in the war.

7. What was the fighting of WWI like? World War One introduced a new fierce type of fighting to the world. Armies from both sides dug a series of trenches facing each other. These trenches could extend hundreds of miles and served as a home to the soldiers that fought there.

8. The land between the trenches was known as “No-man’s Land”. This area was usually filled with barbed wire and land mines. A new weapon, poison gas, was sent into enemy trenches. Occasionally, soldiers from one side would climb out of their trench and race across no-man’s land to attack the enemy. This was known as going “over-the-top”.

9. What did the U.S. think about the war? When WWI started, there was a policy of isolationism in the U.S. This meant that the U.S. would stay out of World War One. This was easy to do since the fighting was so far away. Isolationism was well-liked by many European immigrants living in the U.S. This belief would soon change for some Americans. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (left) used the slogan “He kept us out of war!” when running for re-election. This notice reminded tourists of the possible dangers in Europe.

10. Why did the United States get involved? On May 7, 1915, the British steamship the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Even though more than 100 U.S. citizens were killed, President Woodrow Wilson still refused to declare war. It wasn’t until 1917 before the U.S. would enter the war. In January of 1917, the U.S. learned about a letter Germany had sent to Mexico asking Mexico to enter the war as part of the Central Powers. Germany promised to help Mexico get back lands it had lost to the U.S. In February of the same year, German submarines were ordered to attack any ships they believed were carrying weapons to the Allied Powers. Three American-owned trade ships were sunk. The deaths of American sailors angered many Americans. The U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.

11. How did the war impact Americans? While American soldiers were busy fighting in Europe, Americans were doing whatever they could to help win the war. Patriotic songs like “Over There” were sung and money was given to the Red Cross. Since many men were off at war, fewer workers were available to work in factories and on farms. Some women and African Americans went to work in factories to help produce weapons, tanks, and ammunition. Despite less food being produced in the United States, even more food was needed to send to troops overseas. Many people started planting “war gardens” or “victory gardens”. Many towns even dug up local parks and planted food crops in the town square. Extra food was sent to soldiers and Allied civilians overseas.

12. World War One also brought the use of propaganda to the United States. Propaganda is any information that is used to help a cause. During WWI, millions of posters and leaflets were printed praising American soldiers and supporting the war. Some of this propaganda was also designed to persuade young men to join the army. To make the army larger, Congress also passed the Selective Service Act. This established a military draft, meaning that all men between the ages of 21 and 30 had to sign up with special committees and could then be called on to fight for their country.

13. President Wilson also set up the Fuel Administration to encourage Americans to use less coal and oil. One way to save fuel was by introducing daylight savings time. To help pay the cost of the war, the government increased taxes. Money was also borrowed from Americans through the sale of war bonds. The government promised to pay back the cost of each war bond bought, plus interest. One out of every five Americans bought war bonds.

14. What new technology was used in World War One? Just like in the U.S. Civil War fifty years earlier, changing technology played a major role in World War One. In 1915, Germany began using poison gases that could burn lungs, blind eyes, or even kill. By the end of the war, more than 80,000 had died because of poison gases. In order to protect themselves from the dangerous fumes, gas masks were developed. Click the picture above to watch a training video on using gas masks.

15. Even though it had only been 15 years since it was invented, the airplane was also used in the war. Pilots would drop bombs by hand as they flew over enemy territory. Airplanes were also used to scout out the enemies’ position. Photographs could be taken and used to create maps of the enemy’s front lines. A pilot who shot down 10 or more enemies was considered an “ace”. One of the most well known aces was the German Baron von Richthofen. The “Red Baron” shot down 80 Allied aircraft.

16. British-invented tanks were first used in battle in 1916. Tanks were successful in helping to flatten barbed wire, cross enemy trenches, and act as shields for advancing soldiers.

17. More than 500,000 pigeons were used in the war. They were dropped by parachute into occupied areas. When information agents had news to send home, a message was attached to their legs. The pigeon would then fly home to their lofts. Messenger dogs carried messages and orders in containers strapped to their backs. Dogs were also used to help lay down telegraph wire.

18. Zeppelins caused extreme panic when they appeared in the sky, but they played little part in the war. For some time in the war, they flew higher than planes and were useful in dropping bombs. The use of higher flying aircraft and fire-making bullets later in the war put an end to these airships. Flamethrowers were first used by the German army. They could shoot jets of flame as far as 130 feet!

19. What led to the end of the war? In September 1918, more than one million American troops fought in a battle in the Meuse-Argonne. More U.S. troops fought in this battle than any other battle in U.S. history. The U.S. had helped the Allied Powers win this battle, which led to the final defeat of the Central Powers. The Central Powers surrendered on November 11, 1918. The war became known as “The War to End All Wars” because no one could imagine it happening again. This graph shows the number of military deaths in WWI. It does not include the 3.5 million Central Power and 3 million Allied Power citizens that died. More citizens were wounded.

20. What officially ended the war? U.S. President Wilson and Allied leaders met in Versailles, France in January 1919 to create a peace treaty to end the war. President Wilson wanted there to be long lasting peace and did not want to punish the Central Powers. Instead, he wanted to create a group called the League of Nations. This organization would include members from all the countries of the world and would try to solve future problems peacefully. Even though the League of Nations was President Wilson’s idea, the U.S. Congress did not want to join the League of Nations. They wanted to return to a policy of isolationism, where they stayed out of other countries’ problems.

21. The Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war when it was signed in 1919. It punished the Central Powers by demanding that Germany pay large fines and not rebuild its army. It also created the League of Nations that President Wilson had wanted. The U.S. Congress did not approve of the treaty. Not only did they dislike the League of Nations, but they also disagreed with the harsh treatment of Germany. The United States never signed the Treaty of Versailles.

22. How did Americans react to the war’s end? Click to watch a brief video on American reaction when the troops came home.

23. WWI Technology Four Square • Create a four square in your social studies notebook. • In each square draw a different type of technology used during WWI. • Make sure you tell how it was used. • Use color. • Examples: Poison Gas, Gas Mask, Tanks, Flamethrower, Pigeon, Dogs, Airplanes, Bombs, Zeppelins, etc.