World War I

1914-1918
 Who’s To Blame?
 Germany was blamed…BUT
 Many countries actually share the
responsibility.
 Austria, Serbia, Germany, France,
Russia…
The Four Underlying Causes of WWI
M ~ Militarism
A ~ Alliance Systems
I ~ Imperialism
N ~ Nationalism
 Militarism
 Glorification & building up of armed
forces.
 Powerful military = greatness, respect
and fear of other countries
 Large standing armies with the ability
to mobilize quickly were valued
 Alliances
 An association of countries; an
agreement of defense or common
policies.
 Were formed for the purpose of
keeping peace in Europe.
 Ironic, because they actually pushed
all of Europe into war.
 Alliances
 Triple Alliance  Triple Entente
 Germany  France

 Austria-  Russia

Hungary  Great Britain

 Italy
 Imperialism
 When powerful countries try to
dominate other countries.
 European nations were competing
for colonies in Africa.
 Imperialism
 Countries often disputed over land, which
intensified rivalries
 As territories to colonize became more
scarce, rivalries heated up and countries
began to increase their military to protect
their interests
 Nationalism
 Deep devotion to/extreme pride in one’s
nation
 Led to intense competition between nations
 By 1900, there were 6 Great Powers in
Europe:
 Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
 Nationalism
 Competition for markets/materials
 GB and Germany competed for
industrial dominance in Europe
 France and Germany hated each
other. 1870-Franco-Prussian War-
France wanted Alsace-Lorraine back.
 Nationalism
 Balkans = “Powder keg” of Europe
(SE peninsula). Very unstable.
 Austria-Hungary and Serbia both
wanted to annex Bosnia (on the
border). 1908- A-H annexed it.
 Nationalism
 Pan-Slavism- belief that all Slavic
people shared a common nationality
and should be united. Russia was
considered the “mother country” of
all Slavic people, and stood ready to
support any smaller Slavic nations.
 The Spark That Started WWI
 June 28, 1914- Franz Ferdinand and
wife Sophie assassinated in Sarajevo,
Bosnia.
 Killed by Gavrilo Princip- 19yrs old
 Member of the Black Hand, a
Serbian terrorist group
 http://www.biography.com/people/franz-ferd
inand-9300680#awesm=~oBINscOwsPwlG
L
Gavrilo Princip
 Germany’s Role – Blank Check
 Stunned Franz Joseph and his ally Kaiser
Wilhelm II because Ferdinand was royalty.
 Wilhelm II gave Joseph a “blank check,” ~
promise of unconditional support, no
matter what the cost.
 A-H wanted to crush Serbia, and saw this
as the perfect excuse.
IF WWI were a barfight….
 The Ultimatum
 July 23, 1914- Austria-Hungary gave
Serbia a very harsh ultimatum, and
only 48 hrs to reply. Serbia met
11/12 demands, but A-H was
unwilling to negotiate.
 July 28, 1914 ~ A-H declared war on
Serbia
 A World War
1.) A-H declares war on Serbia. (7/28)
2.) Russia begins to mobilize in Serbia’s
defense.
3.) Germany declares war on Russia. (8/1)
4.) Germany declares war on France, invades
Belgium. (8/3)
5.) Great Britain declares war on Germany.
(8/4)
 Two Sides Emerge
 Allied Powers  Central Powers
“Allies”
1. Great Britain
2. France
1. Germany
3. Russia 2. Austria-Hungary
4. Serbia 3. Bulgaria
5. Belgium
4. Ottoman Empire
6. Japan
(Turkey)
7. Italy
 Main Idea
 What began as a local dispute between Austria-
Hungary and Serbia became a global conflict that
had no clear, limited objective.
 By 1918, 8.5 million soldiers had died

 Over 21 million were wounded

 Total Cost ~ $338 billion

 Destroyed homes, farms, and cities.

 In Europe, entire generations of young men

were wiped out by this war.
 Germany’s Two Front War
 Schlieffen Plan ~ military strategy to avoid a 2-
front war.
1.) Cut through Belgium and encircle French
2.) Beat France in 6 weeks
3.) Race back to fight Russia
Why fight France first? Russia was less
industrialized and would take longer to mobilize.
 The Schlieffen Plan
 Key to success: SPEED!
 Why it didn’t work:
 France & GB were stronger than
the Germans anticipated.
 Russia mobilized quicker than
they expected.
 First Battle of the Marne
 After breaking through Belgium (2 weeks),
the Germans got w/in 15 mi. of Paris.
 British and French attacked at the valley of
the Marne River.
 600 taxicabs from Paris were used to rush
soldiers from the city to the front.
 This battle destroyed the Schlieffen Plan.
 The Western Front
 The war settled into a stalemate.
 Both sides dug deep trenches; eventually
500 mi. of parallel trenches (North Sea to
Switzerland).
 “The men slept in mud, washed in mud,
ate mud, and dreamed mud.”
 Trench Warfare
 Soldiers shared their food with rats and
their beds with lice.
 Fresh food was nonexistent, and sleep
was nearly impossible.
 “No-man’s land” : space b/w the
opposing trenches. A man-made desert.
German trenches on the right,
British on the left. Difference?
 The Weapons of WWI
 Machine guns - worsened the
stalemate;
 Poison Gas – developed by the
Germans. Caused blindness,
choking, burns, and even death.
Very unpredictable.
 Weaponry
 The Tank – introduced by the British
 Could move across no-man’s land
 Airplanes – 1st time in history they were
used in combat.
 Zeppelins – gas-filled balloons
introduced by the Germans.
 Weaponry
 Submarines-introduced by the
Germans; called U-boats from the
German word “Unterseeboot”
 Weaponry
 Most people believed this new
technology would deliver a fast-
moving war, but it did the
opposite…it actually worsened the
stalemate and resulted in higher
death tolls all-around.
 The U.S. Joins WWI
 The U.S. joined the war in 1917 on the side
of the Allies.
1.) Germany’s unrestricted U-boat warfare
-May 1915 – a German U-boat torpedoed
the Lusitania, killing 128 Americans
-Sussex pledge: a promise to stop!
-Resumed on Feb 1, 1917, sank 4 ships
 Reasons for U.S. entry in WWI
2.) Cultural Ties
-Allied nations were democratic like
the ‘
U.S.
-Common language, history
3.) Democracy in Russia?
-Czar Nicholas II forced to step down in 1917
- A democratic govt. had seized control and the
U.S believed it should support this new govt.
-Once the Bolsheviks have power, they take
Russia out of war. Now where can Germany
concentrate all of their forces?
 Reasons for U.S. entry in WWI
4.) Zimmermann Telegram
-British intelligence intercepted a note
from the German foreign minister, Arthur
Zimmermann, to his ambassador in Mexico.
-Suggested that Mexico attack the U.S.; in
exchange Germany would help them regain
TX, NM, and AZ. Authentic?
 The Allies Move Toward Victory
 U.S. declares war on Germany – April 1917
 Germany launched a huge offensive on the
Western Front after Russia dropped out
and before U.S. troops arrived.
 U.S. sent between 1-2 million troops
 Allies launched a counterattack with U.S.
help; Germans can’t win.
 The Allies Win
 Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down and went
into exile.
 Germany arranged an armistice with the
Allies.
 WWI came to an end at 11 a.m. on
November 11, 1918.
And what NOW?
 Treaty of Versailles
WWI Propaganda Activity
 You have 3 minutes to look at each poster.
You will record the objectives and tools of
each propaganda piece.
 Things to know:
 Hun=German
Translation:
deposit your
gold for
France.
Gold fights
for victory.
 The United War Work Campaign brought
together seven organizations--the YMCA, the
YWCA, the American Library Association,
the War Camp Community Service, the
Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Welfare
Board, and the Salvation Army--into one large
funding drive charged with raising over $170
million for the war in 1918. The Woman's Work
Division of the campaign formed a "telephone
brigade" to inform people about the effort.
Two of my
personal
favorites:
Objectives of Propaganda
 Recruitment of soldiers
 Financing the war effort
 Eliminating dissent/unifying country
 Conservation of Resources
 Participation in home-front organizations
Tools for Propaganda
 Demonization
 Emotional Appeals
 Name Calling
 Patriotic Appeals
 Half-Truths/Lies
 Catchy Slogans
 Evocative Visual Symbols
 Humor/Caricatures