Propaganda in WWI
Vocabulary-
propaganda
ideas that are usually not true that people tell other people to make them
feel happy or sad about a topic.
WWI Station Activities
Station #2- Gases in WW1
Directions- Read the article below. Then answer the questions.
1917, Mustard Gas
The most widely reported and, perhaps, the most effective gas of the First World War was mustard gas, which was first used by the German army in July 1917 prior to the at the Battle of Ypres.
Mustard gas was sometimes called Yellow Cross by the British soldiers. Mustard gas was not intended as a killing agent (though in high enough doses it was fatal) but instead was used to harass
and disable the enemy and pollute the battlefield. Delivered in artillery shells, mustard gas was heavier than air, settled to the ground as an oily sherry-looking liquid and evaporated slowly without
sunlight.
The use of poisonous gases was very popular by 1918. The most commonly used gases were chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas. Mustard gas was particularly dangerous as it would infect the
land and could still poison someone weeks after release, if they came in contact with the land. The German army ended the war as the heaviest user of gas. It is suggested that German use
reached 68,000 tones; the French utilised 36,000 tones and the British 25,000.
Mustard Gas was a gas used in World War 1 to hurt the enemy. The German's used the most Mustard
Gas during World War 1.
Cans that held the Mustard Gas
Mustard Gas made soliders very sick.
The effect of gas on the soldiers
The skin of victims of mustard gas blistered, the eyes became very sore and they began to vomit. Mustard gas caused internal and external bleeding and attacked the throat tubes, stripping off the
lining of the throat. This was extremely painful and most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. It usually took a person four or five weeks to die of mustard gas exposure.
Mustard Gas hurts people. It makes their skin blister, their eyes hurt, and they throw up.
Mustard Gas made people bleed inside their bodies. Mustard Gas made people very sick. After
they got very sick, they would die.
Mustard Gas made skin blister.
Mustard Gas killed people.
One nurse, Vera Brittain, wrote: "I wish those people who talk about going on with this war whatever it costs could see the soldiers suffering from mustard gas poisoning. Great mustard-coloured
blisters, blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying that their throats are closing and they know they will choke."
A nurse who takes care of people with Mustard Gas said people who are suffering from Mustard Gas poisoning cannot breathe
or talk. They get very sick.
Mustard gas did not need to be inhaled to be effective — any contact with skin was sufficient. Higher concentrations could burn flesh to the bone. It was particularly effective against the soft skin of
the eyes, nose, armpits and groin, since it dissolved in the natural moisture of those areas. Typical exposure would result in swelling of the eyelids, forcing them closed and rendering the victim
temporarily blind. Where it contacted the skin, moist red patches would immediately appear which after 24 hours would have formed into blisters. Other symptoms included severe headache,
elevated pulse and temperature (fever), and pneumonia (from blistering in the lungs).
Mustard Gas is dangerous when it is breathed in or touches the skin. A lot of Mustard Gas will burn your skin off the bone. Mustard Gas
can also cause headache, and a temperature.
Solider's wore gas masks so they
would not breath in the Mustard gas.
Chlorine Gas
First used in WWI.
Greenish yellow in color.
Smells like pepper and
pineapple. Stings the back of
the throat while causing a
mucus in the lungs which
could choke the soldier to
death.
The least deadly of the three
gases.
Phosgene Gas
Replaced chlorine gas
Did not smell very much
More deadly than chlorine
gas
The enemy could keep
fighting after being infected
but would be sick the next
day.
About 85% of the 100,000
deaths caused by chemical
weapons during WWI were
caused by phosgene gas.
Mustard Gas
Not the most deadly gas of
WWI, but the most effective.
It could hurt the enemy and
pollute the battlefield
Could remain effective on the
ground for days, weeks or
even months
Victims’skin would blister,
their eyes became sore and
they would vomit. Internal and
external bleeding would occur
and the inside of the throat
would strip away while eyes
would stick together and
throats would close up
making it impossible to
breath.
Directions- Use the article to answer the questions below. Say the answer in your talker, then type in the box.
1.) What are 3 side effects of Mustard Gas?
2.) Will Mustard Gas hurt your body?
yes
3.) What type of gas is the most deadly (kills more people)?
mustard
Station #3- WWI Weapons Overview
Directions- Use your talker to answer the questions. Then type the answer in the lines.
The Rifle
Every soldier had a Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle and 40 cm bayonet. They fired 20 bullets a minute but were very accurate. Snipers could use them to fire at soldiers who put their heads above the
parapet. They could be used for defense or attack.
The rifle shot ______________ bullets a ______________.
20
minite
Tanks
First used in 1916. This British invention scared the Germans so much that they panicked and fled. They were armor plated and provided protection. They could break through barbed wire and
crush machine gun nests to clear the way for foot soldiers as they did at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. However, they were very slow with the fastest tank, the Whippet travelling at a top speed of 8
miles an hour and broke down easily.
Tanks provided _______________. They moved
________________.
protection
slow
Directions- Use your talker to answer the questions. Then type the answer in the lines.
Flamethrower
A canister of oil strapped to a soldier’s back which forced fire through a hose at the enemy. It could fire up to 15 M and was lethal in small spaces. They caused panic in an attack if spotted
however; they stopped working if the canister of oil was shot
small
The flamethrower was best used in __________ spaces.
Zeppelin
The Zeppelin, also known as blimp, was an airship that was used during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans. They carried machine guns and bombs, which they dropped on
various targets including troops, ships and cities.
The Zeppelin carried __________________ and ___________.
machime guns
bombs
Station #4- Trenches
Answer the questions on your talker then type your answers in the box.
1.) What are trenches?
deep ditch
2.) How were trenches used to fight in World War 1?
slow down other armies
3.) What do you see in the pictures of trenches?
Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points
http://www.glencoe.com/ose/
Access Code- B7D2FDDFBD
1.) Read Page 729-730 about Wilson's Fourteen Points.
Use google images to find a picture to represent the following points:
Points:
Freedom of seas
Countries to reduce
weapons
An independent Poland should
be created which should have
access to the sea.
Belgium should be independent
like before the war.
Picture: