world war i

Inevitability of war

• June 28, 1914 – Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand causes a crisis

• The alliances in Europe caused a “World War” that spread quickly

1914 – 1915: False Beliefs

• Many Europeans were excited about war!– Both sides thought

they were the “good guys”

1914 – 1915: False Beliefs

• Most thought the war would be over in a few weeks

– Ignored the length and brutality of the American Civil War

(a model for World War I)

1914 – 1915: False Beliefs

• Belief that Modern industrial war could not be conducted for more than a few months

• Most said they’d be “Home by Christmas”

1914 – 1915: False Beliefs

• Many European nations thought the war would be “fun”– A glorious adventure– War would rid the nations of

selfishness– War could make people

“heroes”

The Schlieffen Plan

The Schlieffen Plan

• Invade western front 1st

• After defeating France concentrate on the Eastern front

• Avoid fighting a 2 front war

The Schlieffen Plan

• Germany made an encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris

• But the British quickly sent troops to France

The Schlieffen Plan

• Battle of Marne– Sept 6-10, 1914– France stopped the Germans but

were exhausted– Both sides dug trenches

for shelter

-Caused a Stalemate

Stalemate - A position counting as a draw, or a “Dead-End”

The Trenches

• 6,250 miles of Trenches were dug

• 6 to 8 feet deep

• This immobilized both sides for 4 years

The Trenches

Life in the Trenches

• Elaborate systems of defense– barbed wire– Concrete machine gun

nests– Mortar batteries– Troops lived in holes

underground

Life in the Trenches

• Boredom– Soldiers read to pass the

time

• Death numbed the soldier’s minds

• Shell shock– Could cause panic or even

paralysis

“We all had on us the stench of dead bodies.”

Life in the Trenches

• Mustard gas– Carried by the wind– Burned out soldier’s lungs– Deadly in the trenches

where it would sit at the bottom

Life in the Trenches

Life in the Trenches

– Millions of young men sacrificed attempting to break the lines

Battle of Verdun

• 10 months• 700,000 men killed

Battle of Verdun

• 10 months• 700,000 men killed

The changes of war

• New weapons were made because of new technology (industrial revolution)– Poison gas (mustard gas)– Hand grenades– Flame throwers– Tanks– Airplanes– Tanks– Subs

The changes of war

• Airplanes– Dog fights in the air– Bombing inaccurate– Paris and London

bombed– Pilots fired pistols and

threw hand grenades

The Eastern Front

• Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on August 30, 1914– Russia has major losses

• The Austrians were chased out of Serbia

• Germany came to Austrian aid and pushed Russians back 300 miles into own territory

• 1915: 2.5 million Russians killed, captured, or wounded

The Eastern Front

• Germany and Austria Hungary joined by Bulgaria in Sept. 1915– Attacked and

eliminated Serbia from war

The Home Front

• Women took war factory jobs

• Received lower wages than males

• Food shortages made things at home hard also

The Home Front

• Censorship – The Public was not

told about high death toll

– Made the dead “legendary”

QUESTION

Why do you think the governments involved in World War I did not tell the public people about the number of soldiers killed?

The Home Front

• Censorship – Newspapers

described troops as “itching to go over the top”

– Made “trench warfare” seem like a nice adventure

The Home Front

• Taking Leave (getting a break from the war and visiting home)

• Troops would stay together

Why?• so they could

sympathize with each other

The Home Front

• Impossible to hide death– Women in mourning, lost husbands and sons– Badly wounded soldiers began to return home– Opposition to the war began

The war ends

• 1917 – Russia surrenders

• U.S. joins the war on the Allied side

• Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice – End of Fighting

Death Toll of War

Allied Powers

Central Powers

42 million served 23 million served

22 million casualties

15 million casualties

Social Impact

• Men lost limbs and were mutilated

• Birthrate fell markedly

• Invalids unable to work

• Ethnic hostility

• Influenza epidemic