US History Note

==Beginnings of WW1==

%%M.A.N.I.A: Causes of WW1%%

^^M: Militarism: Building up armies and giving the military more power.^^

• Ex: Personnel, Equipment, Plans

^^A: Alliances: A complicated system of partnerships designed to build up each others nations security^^

^^N: Nationalism: Pride in your country or ethnic heritage.^^

• The longing of an ethnic minority for independence and self-government
• Creates conflict when the great powers act only in their own nation’s interest and attempt to make colonies

^^I: Imperialism: When stronger nations take over weaker ones in order to create an empire^^

• Competition for colonial lands around the world led to conflict
  • Most lands were already claimed by major powers

^^A: Assassination: Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie went to Sarajevo, the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia^^

• Both Serbia (independent and nationally similar to Bosnia) and Austria-Hungary (wanted empire) felt Bosnia belonged to them.
• Many Serbians despised Franz and his government
  • The Black Hand- Serbian Terrorists

%%Steps%%

1. Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
2. Austria-Hungary gives an ultimatum to the Serbians

1. Take responsibility for the assassination
2. Allow Austria-Hungary annexation of Serbia
   3. Austria-Hungary Declares war on Serbia

1. July 28, 1914
   4. Russia Mobilizes Army

1. Done to protect Serbia
2. Would take six weeks

       1. Russia had the largest army at the time. 6 weeks was more of a warning to Austria-Hungary

3. ^^Mobilization: the readying of troops for war^^
   5. Germany Declares war on Russia

1. Ally of Austria-Hungary
2. First demanded that Russia stop mobilization but they did not.
3. Declared war on August 1, 1914
   6. France Declares war on Germany

1. France Allied with Russia
2. Germany now has a problem because they are at war with both France and Russia (Being attacked by both sides of their country)

       1. ^^The Schlieffen Plan: The Germans attempt to Avoid a two-front war by making a quick sweep through France to knock the French out of the war, then sending all the troops off to the east to fight Russia^^

7. Germany Invades Belgium

1. Belgium is a Neautral country
2. Shortest way to get to France
   8. Britain declares war on Germany

1. Ally of Belgium
2. Declares war on Germany on Aug. 4
3. British colonies were brought into war.

Schlieffen Plan Fails:

Germany advances to within 30 miles of Paris and is finally stopped by the French and British. Both side sides start digging trenches. Trench warfare begins.

• Effects of Schlieffen Plan failure.
  • British joined the war on the side of the allies
  • British/French are an equal match for the Germans, so neither side can gain an advantage
  • Germans had to fight a two-front war which is what they were trying to avoid
  • The battle lines remained unchanged from 1914-1916

==Weapons of WW1==

%%Technological Improvements%%

• Prior to WW1, battles were fought with rifles, bayonets, cannons, and “simple” weapons
• Because of the industrial rev., weapons could now be produced faster and more powerful and had the ability to cause mass ^^casualties: Soldiers killed, wounded, or missing^^
  • One million French soldiers killed in the first 3 months
  • Battle of Verdun and Battle of the Somme- 2 million casualties between Britain, France, and German

^^Trenches: A system of interconnected protections dug into the ground that attempted to provide some form of protection^^

• Interconnected with each other and stretched for hundreds of miles
• Trench Warfare Terminology:
  • “Over the Top”: leaving the trenches to attack the enemy
  • “No Man’s Land”: the area between the trenches