Chapter 8:
The First World War
Section 1: A World Crisis
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Main Idea: Rivalries among European
nations led to the outbreak of war in 1914
Learning Objectives for Section 1
What the causes of World War I were
 How the War broke out
 Why the war quickly reached a stalemate
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Daily Bell ringer/Preview Section 1
In 1912 Serbian teenager Gavrilo Princip joined
the blackhand terrorist organization. He wanted
to free his homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina
from Austria-Hungary. On June 28, 1914,
Austrian Archduke Frank Ferdinand was visiting
the Bosnian city of Serajevo. Princip and 6
other terrorists were in position around the city
waiting to assassinate him. As Princip stepped
out of a sandwich shop he saw the car carrying
Ferdinand. Princip reached for his pistol and
fired, killing the archduke and his wife. Within a
few weeks, most of Europe would be at war.
Review Questions
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Why did Gavrilo Princip join a terrorist
organization?
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What happened within a few weeks of the
assassination of archduke Franz
Ferdinand
Causes of World War 1
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Nationalism
 Ottoman
Empire was falling apart and being
absorbed by other Empires such as the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
 Many groups such as the slavs resisted this,
and wanted their independence
 Russia argued with the Austro-Hungarian
rulers about the future of Serbia
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Imperialism
 Great
race to colonize other lands
 Great Britain and France had expanded to
Africa, Asia, and the Middle East
 Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany wanted colonies
for Germany too, and realized he needed a
stronger military to accomplish this
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Militarism- the policy of military
preparedness and building up of weapons
 Germany
begins to build up a navy
 Germany enlarged its army and supplied it
with the latest weapons including machine
guns
 Germany began to develop a military plan
called the “Schlieffen Plan” in which attacks
France and Russia at the same time
 Great Britain, France, and Russia began to
become alarmed and start building up their
militaries in preparation
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Alliances
 Some
nations formed alliances or partnerships to
protection and to maintain peace
 Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy for the Triple
Alliance
 Russia and France form a secret alliance and
soon Great Britain joins them forming the Triple
Entente
 European Leaders believed this created a balance
of power
Reading Focus Question #1

What were the causes of World War 1?
 Nationalism
 Imperialism
 The
Rise of Militarism
 Military Alliances
War Breaks Out
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Franz Ferdinand is assassinated by Princip
He is immediately arrested and during the
investigation, The Austro-Hungarian officials
learn that the Serbian government supplied the
terrorists with bombs and weapons
Austria-Hungary is furious and blames Serbia for
the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Russia mobilizes to help Serbia,
Germany views Russia’s move as an act of
aggression and declares war on France
Reading Focus Question #2

How did war break out?
 The
assassination of Franz Ferdinand
 System of alliances was set in motion
Germany makes the first move, crossing
into neutral Belgium to surprise France
 Belgium and Britain were allies which drew
Great Britain into the war.
 All European powers were split
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 Germany, Austria-Hungary,
and Ottoman
Empire “Central Powers”
 Great Britain, France, and Russia form the
“Allies”
Germany attacks Belgium and easily
defeats their army: villages are burnt down,
civilians, women, & children are executed
 French army mobilized in their bright red
uniforms and brass helmets to face a
German army dressed in grey uniforms
 French soldiers marched row by row onto
the battlefield with bayonnets expecting
hand to hand combat only to face machine
gun fire
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War began in the summer and Germany
predicted a quick victory
Expected to be home by fall
Were killing 15,000 French soldiers each day
On Sept. 7, France launched a counterattack
known as the First Battle of the Marne
In a 5 day battle, 250,000 lives were lost, and
France managed to push Germany back 40
miles.
Battle of the Marne provided time for Russia
to mobilize
Germany had to move troops from its attack
on France to face Russia
The War Reaches a Stalemate
First Battle of Marne ended in a stalemate
 French and German armies dug trenches
to defend their positions and protect
themselves from fire
 Trenches reached more than 400 miles
 Neither side was able to advance and they
faces a stalemate
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Scientists on both sides began developing
new weapons
 German scientists began to develop
poisonous gas
 Also developed gas masks as protection
 This also produced a stalemate
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British developed the first armored tank
In the 1st battle these were used in, 18 out of 48
got stuck in the mud
Airplanes became useful to map enemy
positions and attack the trenches from above
Airplane pilots became involved in spectacular
air battles called “dogfights”
Reading Focus Question #3

Why did the war quickly reach a
stalemate?
 Both
French and German troops had dug
trenches as protection from enemy fire and
defend their positions; neither side could
advance
Review Questions for Section 1
What single event triggered World War I?
 What other country joined Germany and
Austria-Hungary to form the Central
Powers?
 Why do you think World War I was known
as the “Great War”?
 Why did European leaders think that the
war would be short?
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Which nation was better prepared for the war,
France or Germany?
Despite the loss of lives how did the Battle of
Marne help the Allies
Who won the First Battle of Marne?
What new weapons were developed during
World War I?
Was trench warfare an effective strategy during
World War I?
Section 2: The United States in
World War I

Main Idea: The U.S. helped turn the tide
for an allied victory
Learning Objectives for Section 2
Understand Why the United States tried to
stay neutral in the war
 Learn which events showed that America
was headed into war
 Identify what contributions Americans
made in Europe
 Learn how he war ended
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Bellringer /Section 2 Preview
Would you travel into a war zone? On May 1st 1915,
some 1900 passengers and crew boarded the British
luxury ship, Lusitania in New York. They were headed
for Great Britain, which was in a war zone. The
nervous passengers had been told that the ship was
too fast for any German submarine. On the afternoon
of May 7th, as the ship approached the British Isles, a
crew member spotted ominous air bubbles and
streaks in the water below. The ship had been
attacked by German torpedos. 18 minutes later, the
Lusitania sank. More than 1200 people including 94
children died. Among the dead were 128 Americans
Review Questions

What assurance were passengers given
about taking the Lusitania into a war
zone?
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What was the first sign of trouble?
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What did it indicate?
The United States stays neutral
Before the sinking of the Lusitania,
Americans were unconcerned about the
war
 President Woodrow Wilson embraced a
policy of Isolationism- a policy of not
being involved in the affairs of other
nations
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Despite his policy of neutrality, United
States was leaning toward the allies.
 Concerned about Germany’s war tactics
 Had commercial/trade ties to Great Britain
 Great Britain was buying $75 million of war
goods each week
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Germany’s naval strategy
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Great Britain created a blockade against
Germany
Germany planned a strategy against the British
navy using U Boats- small submarines
1915 Germany declared all water against Great
Britain a war zone and that it would destroy any
ship, even neutral U.S. ships in that area
This policy angered American citizens
President Woodrow Wilson believed this violated
the Laws of Neutrality
President Woodrow Wilson advised they would
hold Germany responsible if any American lives
were lost.
Heading for War
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Sinking of Lusitania angered American citizens
President Wilson demanded an end to
unrestricted submarine warfare
Germany agreed to only attack supply ships
Less than one year later, Germany attacked a
French passenger ship, the Sussex
U.S. threatened to enter the war
Germany made the Sussex Pledge, which was a
pledge not to attack without warning and without
saving human lives
Reading Focus Question #1

Why did the United States try to stay
neutral in the war?
 The
United States had a long standing
tradition of isolationism
Wilson’s Re-election
In his campaign, Wilson pledged not to
send his sons to die in Europe
 His opponent, Charles Hughes took a
stronger pro-war stance
 Wilson won by only 3% margin
 Once elected, Wilson began to work
toward a peace settlement
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In February 1917 Germany resumed
unrestricted submarine warfare
 Two days later, President Wilson ended
diplomatic relations with Germany and
asked Congress to install guns on
merchant ships
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The Zimmerman Note
Meanwhile, Germany tried to build an
alliance with Mexico offering them the land of
New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona
 Mexico expressed no interest in fighting
 Great Britain intercepted the Zimmerman
note and sent it to the Americans who
published it
 Americans began to demand war against
Germany
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The United States Declares War
In Russia, a revolution occurred
overthrowing Tsar Nicholas II and setting
up a democracy
 New government made the U.S. more
sympathetic to the Russian government
 In March 1917, German U boats sank 3
merchant ships violating neutrality
 Wilson approached Congress asking for a
declaration of war
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Reading Focus Question #2
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Which events showed that Americans
were hearing into war?
 Relations
with Germany deteriorated, sinking
of U.S. merchant ships
Americans in Europe
May 1917 Congress passed the Selective
Service Act- required all men between the
ages of 18-30 to register to be drafted into
the armed forces
 Most men volunteered to be drafted
 Some asked to classified as concientious
objectors, but were denied
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In 1917 new recruits reported for training
 No barracks, no supplies
 Soldiers faced long days of intense
training
 Black soldiers were segregated from white
soldiers
 Some feared training black soldiers
because they feared they would be
dangerous after the war
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Latinos were allowed to enlist but were
given menial tasks
 Military set up programs to improve their
English before sending them to war
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Arriving in Europe
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American Soldiers going to Europe were called
the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
Arrived in France in 1917
Used a “Convoy-System” in which Troop
Transport ships were surrounded by destroyers
for protection
Convoy system was effective in reducing the
loss of ships and lives
By the time the Americans arrived,
Germans occupied all of Belgium and part
of Northern France
 Germany was beginning to defeat Russia,
who was facing civil war and starvation
 Russia was taken over by the Bolsheviks,
a communist group who withdrew Russia
from the war and signed a peace
agreement with Germany
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By March 1918, Germany had pushed the
Allies back 70 miles from Paris
 American soldiers had to dig 3,000 yards
of trenches and set up 12,000 yards of
barbed wire which they did in the middle
night
 In the trenches, soldiers stood in deep
mud as rats ran across their feet, shells
exploded nearby, mustard gas floated into
the trenches
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U.S. Contributions in Europe
U.S. troops help stop Germans at
Chateau-Thierry
 In Northern France, U.S. Marines
recaptured Belleau Wood and 2 nearby
villages
 Finally halted Germany’s advance
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Reading Focus Question #3
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What contributions did Americans make in
Europe?
 Major
factor in Allied victory, helped stop the
German advance,saved Paris
American Military Women
French speaking American women were
recruited as switchboard operators “Hello
Girls”
 20,000 nurses served
 Women also served as typists and
bookkeepers
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The War Ends
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On July 15, 1918 Germans launched their last
offensive at the Second Battle of the Marne
U.S. blew up ever bridge the German’s had built
Allies launched a counterattack, Americans
fought a a separate army.
AEF defeated Germany and pushed them back
to the France-Germany border
Allies continued to push north toward Belgium
The Armistice
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By late 1918, the war was crippling the German
economy, many civilians lacked food and
supplies
Food riots and strikes erupted across Germany
Revolution broke out in Austria-Hungary
Soldiers in the Central Powers began to desert
Austria-Hungry signed a peace treaty with the
Allies
Germany also signs a peace treaty with the
Allies
Allies demanded Germany leave all the
areas it occupied, surrender its aircraft,
artillery, tanks, and U Boats
 Germany also had to give some of its land
to Allies
 8.5 million people died in World War I
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Reading Focus Question #4
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How did the war end?
 Riots
and strikes erupted in Germany;
revolution swept across Austria-Hungary;
Central powers began to surrender; on Nov.
11, 1918 an armistice went into effect
Review Questions
What was the purpose of the Selective
Service Act?
 What is a conscientious objector?
 Who made up the American Expeditionary
Force?
 How did U.S. troops help defeat the
Germans at the second Battle of the
Marne?
 What demands did the Allies make of
Germany in return for an armistice?
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