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Class Notes on World War I given 2/18/13 and 2/19/13
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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
