The Great War 1914-1918

1. The Great War 1914-1918 WORLD War i

2. Leading Up to the War • European Gov’ts used propaganda to stir up national hatreds before war • Ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause • Used to boost morale for war later in the war

3. Who was involved? Allies Great Britain France Russia (exited in 1917) Serbia (exited in 1915) United States (1917) Italy (1915) Japan Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungary Bulgaria (1915) Ottoman Empire (1915)

6. New Weapons of War • Poison Gas • Caused blindness, severe blisters, death by choking • Machine Gun • Used to wipe out waves of attackers, by automatic fire • Tank • Submarine • German U-boats used torpedoes against ships • Airplanes

12. Schlieffen Plan • General Alfred von Schlieffen • Constructed a planned called the Schlieffen Plan • Major goal was to win a quick victory for the Central Powers • Planned to avoid two-front war • Wanted to invade and take France and then rush east to defeat Russia

14. Western Front • Western Front • The region of northern France where the forces of the Allies and the Central powers battled each other • Used trench warfare- fighting from trenches protected by barb wire • Goal was for one of opposing sides to advance to others trench to gain position • Avoid exposure in “No Man’s Land” • Caused WW I to become a war of attrition, a war based on wearing the other side down by constant attacks and heavy losses

16. Major Battles of Western Front • 1st Battle of Marne (most imp. Battle) • Allied victory turned away German invasion of France • Forced Germans to scrap Schlieffen Plan • Battle of Verdun • 10 month battle 700,000 lost their lives • Battle of Somme • Bloodiest battle of WWI • Over a 1 million causalities over 4 months of fighting

17. 1st Battle of Marne

19. Battle of Verdun

20. Battle of Somme

24. Eastern Front • Eastern Front • Region along German-Russian border where Russians and Serbs battled Germans, Austrian, and Turks • Major Battles • Battle of Tannenberg (August 1914) • Battle of Masurian Lakes (Sept 1914) • Both were Russian defeats by Germans • Prevented Russian invasion of Germany • Russia would be on the defensive until they withdrew in 1917

25. Battle of Tannenberg

26. Battle of Masurian Lakes

27. Fighting Spreads to Other Parts of the World • Gallipoli Campaign • Strategy where the allies would take the Dardanelles • Capture Constantinople, defeat the Ottomans, and open supply lines to Russia • February 1915 to December 1916 • Bloody stalemate led to over 250,000 casualities • Battles in Africa • British and French attacked German holdings in Africa • Japan controlled German Pacific island colonies

28. Gallipoli Campaign

30. America Joins Fight • Events leading United States Joining WW I: • Lusitania- British passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915 (was carrying ammunition) • Killed 1,198 people died , 128 U.S. and • Was called unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking of ships without warning German U-boats • Zimmerman Note- In Feb. of 1917, Germany’s foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman sent a note to Mexico • Stated Germany would help Mexico if they invaded the U.S., take back lands U.S. taken from them • Woodrow Wilson declared war Germany on April 2, 1917

31. Lusitania

33. Zimmerman Note

34. War Affects the Home Front • WW I affected not only the soldiers, but also civilians • Total War- is when a country devotes all of their resources for war • gov’ts took control of the economies • Declared what should be produced and how much should be produced • Gov’ts also practiced rationing- limiting amounts of goods people can buy during wartime • Women replaced men in their roles • Ran factories, plowed fields, paved streets, and ran hospitals

38. The Allies Win WW I • After U.S. joined the war, the balance shifted toward the allies • Russia Surrenders • Shortage of supplies and civil unrest led to surrender • By 1917, 5.5 million Russian soldiers had been wounded, killed, or taken prison • Russian army lost will to fight • Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ended war between Germany and Russia (1918)

39. Central Powers Collapse • In March 1918, Germans launched one last massive counter-attack on the western front • By May of 1918, Germans had reached the Marne River 40 miles outside of Paris • Allies launched a counter-attack with the help of the U.S. • July 1918 2nd Battle of Marne • Allies smashed through German lines • 2 million more U.S. troops arrive as the Allies marched toward Germany

40. Central Powers Collapse • Central Powers Crumble • Bulgarians surrendered • Ottoman Turks surrendered • Revolution in Austria-Hungary caused the war to end • In Germany, soldiers mutinied, and public turned on Kaiser • On Nov. 9, 1918 William II stepped down, and Nov. 11, 1918 Germany signed an armistice, agreement to end war, with France

49. Legacies of WW I • Loss of Life • 8.5 million soldiers died, 21 million were wounded • Death of civilians by starvation, disease, and slaughter • Negative Economic Impact • $338 billion, total cost of war • Countries left in great debt • Destroyed farmlands, homes, villages, and towns • Suffering from war influenced Art and Literature • Failed Peace Agreement