World War I

Militarism

The belief that a powerful army and navy lead to having a powerful nation.

• New military technology

• Arms race between countries

• Glorification of war

Alliances

• Agreements to aide each other if attacked

• Most nations sign secret alliances

• Allies & Central Powers

Imperialism

Supporting country

• Competition for colonies

• Many smaller wars of territory

Nationalism

Willing to die for country

• French-German border conflicts

• Ethnic nationalism in the Balkans

Immediate Cause of WWI

• Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary Throne

• Austria declares war on Serbia

• Allies all jump in to defend each other

Battles on the Western Front

• Fought mainly in France

The Marne

• Sept 1914

• Costly Allied victory

• Caused PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

• Soldiers’ 1st experience of war

• Battled on Western Front

Verdun

• Long, deadly battle in 1916

• No clear winner, but it’s assumed that the French won

• Battled on Western Front

The Somme

• 1,000,000+ casualties

• July-Nov 1916

• Battled on Western Front

Battles on the Eastern Front

• Fought mainly by Russia

• Russia didn’t want to fight

• Controlled by Emperor Czar

• Russia suffered a lot of

Battle of Tannenberg

• Major defeat for Russia

• Fought on Eastern Front

Revolution of 1917

• Forces Russia to leave the war

  • Started overthrowing the government

Trenchfoot

Foot starts rotting, skin flakes off until bone shows - eventually will have to get amputated

Life in a Trench

• Easy to get trenchfoot

• Always under fire

• If raining, it would always be flooded

• Lots of health & sanitation problems

• Nothing to do, but very scared

• Everyone expected death

• Hard to contact families

Russia’s Revolution

• Vladimir Lenin leads the communist Bolsheviks

• Overthrow the Czar

• Sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in 1918

America joins the War

• Most of America is an isolationist

• President Woodrow Wilson campaigns on keeping America out of war

Sinking of the Lusitania

• Germany declares “Unrestricted Submarine Warfare”

• Lustania sunk by German U-boat in 1915

• Out of 1000, kills 130 Americans

The Zimmerman Telegraph

• Secret message from Germany to Mexico

• Proposes an alliance against US

  • Mexico would declare war on America and get lost territory (California) after victory

• Causes outrage in America

America Enters the War

• 2.8 million “Doughboys” drafted

• Fresh American troops turn the tide for the Allies

• Help lead the final Allied offensives in Summer of 1918

The 14 Points

• Proposed by Woodrow Wilson for long lasting peace

• Conflicts with Europeans desire to punish Germany

The Treaty of Versailles

• Officially ends war

• Germany forced to:

  • Accept full responsibility for the war

  • Give up all of it’s territories

  • Pay reparation payments to the Allies

  • Have a limited military

The Mandate System

• Great Britain and France divide and take over the Middle East

  • Great Britain - 

    • Iraq

    • Jordan

    • Palestine

  • France -

    • Syria

    • Lebanon

World War 11914-1918

The first global conflict

Propaganda

Information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause

Lusitania

American boat that was sunk by the German U-boats; made America consider entering WWI

Zimmerman Note

German diplomat's secret message to Mexico urging an attack on the United States

Selective Service Act

The draft - required American men to serve in the military

War Industries Board

Purpose during WWI to increase the production of war supplies

Doughboys

A nickname for the inexperienced but fresh American soldiers during WWI

Triple Alliance

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

Triple Entente

Britain, France, Russia

Trench Warfare

Soldiers fire on one another from opposing lines of dugout trenches

Schlieffen Plan

A strategy drawn up by Germany to avoid fighting a war on two fronts

Balkans

Powder keg of Europe

Treaty of Versailles

Treaty particularly known for its harsh reparations towards the Germans after World War I.

14 Points

Woodrow Wilson's plan to keep the peace after WW1

League of Nations

First permanent international security organization whose mission was to keep peace