The Great War

A Soldier’s Life in World War I

Who is this young man?

What do we know about him?

Does he look ready to die?

TheSoldiers

Outb

reak • Assassination of

Archduke Ferdinand (July 28/1914)

• Austrian Demands and Serbia’s Reply

• Alliances Swing into Action

• German invasion of Belgium (Battle of Liege, August 5-16, 1914)

The Von Schlieffen Plan

• Entirely offensive in nature

• Both France and Germany had invasion plans since the end of the Franco-Prussian War

• Invasion of France through Belgium

Stalemate!

• German plan fails• Battle of the Marne• “Race to the Sea”• Trench Warfare• Stalemate (1914-

1917)• Defined the War

It's a long way to Tipperary, It's a long way to go; It's a long way to Tipperary, To the sweetest girl I know! Goodbye, Piccadilly, Farewell, Leicester Square, It's a long, long way to Tipperary, But my heart's right there!Mob

iliza

tion • “Home by Christmas”

• No major war in 50 years• Nationalism/Patriotism

Dest

ruct

ion

The “Killjoy” had a 20 mile range

Before

After

Before

After

Tre

nch

es

Conditions in the Trenches• Deafening noises,

sudden flashes, extreme cold, little sleep

• Water and mud everywhere

• Trench foot• Rats, lice• Horrid sanitation

Pois

on

Gas

Use and Effects of Gas

• Chlorine gas - 1st used, affected respiratory system

• Phosgene gas - 18 times more potent then Chlorine gas. Can take 2 days for lungs to fill with fluid.

• Mustard gas - burns eyes, skin. Swelling, vomiting follow. Able to penetrate clothing. Battlefields couldn’t be reoccupied.

Poison gas exploding in “no man’s land”

Inju

ry•65,038,000 mobilized

•21,333,000 injured

Poison gas strikes the skin

Death

Over 9,000,000 dead

nothing escaped the war. . .

British

Austrian

French

Canadian

American

Russian

German

German

Russian

Italian

French

German

30,000 Canadians Killed or Wounded

“In death there is not much distinction, friend or foe are treated alike”

Soundtrack

“Courage” by the Tragically Hip (Fully Completely MCA Records, 1992)

“Brother in Arms” by Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms, A&R,1985)

©Shaun Perry (WHSS Canadian and World History Department, 2002)