World War I

Four Long-Term Causes of WWI

• Militarism: the policy of building up armed forces in an attempt to intimidate other countries

• Alliances: agreements between nations to help each other in the event of war

Four Long-Term Causes of WWI

• Imperialism: the desire of a country to spread its influence around the globe

• Nationalism: a devotion to the interests and culture of one’s nation

Archduke Franz Ferdinand• Assassinated

by Serbian nationalist

• Caused a chain reaction among alliances

• These events start the war

Europe Chooses Sides

Triple EntenteFrance

Great Britain

Russia

Central Powers (Triple Alliance)

Germany

Austria-Hungary

Italy (Never fought with them)

Schlieffen Plan

• Germany’s war plan

• Germany would attack France through Belgium

• After defeating France, Germany would loop around and attack Russia

• Plan did not work

A New Kind of War

New technology made fighting more difficult

• Machine Gun

• Hand Grenades

• Mustard Gas

A New Kind of War

• “No man’s land”: was the unoccupied region between enemy lines

• Trench warfare: system of trenches in which troops attack to open up the battlefield

• New technology combined with old ways of fighting caused stalemate

Reasons for U.S. Involvement

• Submarine Warfare (sinking the Lusitania)

• Economic ties to Britain

• Zimmerman Telegram

The Lusitania

• British passenger liner that was sunk by a German u-boat in 1915

• Killed 120 Americans

• Spurred anti-German sentiment in U.S.

Economic Ties to Britain

• U.S. loaned large amounts of money to Britain

• If Britain lost, U.S. would lose it’s money

The Zimmerman Note

• Message sent in 1917 from German foreign minister Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico

• Offered to give lands from U.S. lost in Mexican war if Mexico would align themselves with Germany

Convoy System

• The protection of merchant ship from u-boat attacks

• Ships travel in large groups escorted by warships

Selective Service Act

• A law enacted in 1917 that required men to register for military service

• Still in action today

General John J. Pershing

• Leader of the American Expeditionary Force

• Soldiers were known as “Doughboys”

The War Ends

• Allied forces push Germany out of France

• On November 11, 1918, Germany asks for an armistice, or an agreement to end armed conflict