FIRST MODERN CONFLICT
World War I was describe as the first modern war, largely because it was the first war in
which advanced machines guns, chemical warfare, tanks, attack warfare and submarine
were widely used.
It was also the first total war, where nations mobilized all their available resources for
the war effort. Many people, mainly young men, lost their lives, a lot of villages, cities
were destroyed and turned into dust.
However, WWI was also a catalyst for great change….
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
1) What were two main forces engaged in the conflict?
2) Name same of the main causes of the world conflict.
The Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was an
operational plan used by the
Germans to take over France
and Belgium and carried out in
August 1914.
It was devised by and named
after German Field Marshal
Count Alfred von Schlieffen.
He developed a plan back in
1905 to ensure Germany could
fight and win a major war in
continental Europe. Plan
outlined the stages of an
offensive against France.
Desperate to avoid fighting on
two fronts, against the French
and Russia.
By implementing this plan
Germany violated Belgium’s
neutrality and pressed on
France.
Battle of Marne, 6 -12 Sep 1914
The Battle of Marne (river in France) was fought between Germany and allies of Britain
and France.
As the Germany advanced their armies became sprung out and large gap grew between
them. The Allies took advantage of this gap and charged between the armies splitting
the German forces. Then they attacked from all sides confusing the Germans.
On the 12th Sep, the Allies successfully pushed the Germans back across the river, so
they were forced to retreat.
The Germans "dug in" to avoid losing any more ground.
The Allies were unable to break through this line of defense, and also began to dig
protective trenches.
What began as a temporary strategy evolved into one of the main features of the war at
the Western Front
What was the Western Front?
The Western Front referred to the
line of fighting stretching from the
North to the Swiss Frontier with
France.
This dig in line of fortified trenches
was referred to as the Western
Front.
The Alliance was on one side and
the Entente on the other.
It moved little during the war,
which either side unable to make
much progress.
Trench Warfare was a type of fighting during WWI
in which both sides dug trenches that were protected
by mines and barbed wire.
Tr e n c h e s
How extensive were the trenches?
If laid end-to-end,
WWI trenches
would stretch some
25,000 miles.
Trench
conditions
 Life In the trenches was
difficult because they
were dirty, muddy and
flooded in bad weather.
 These conditions caused
some soldiers to develop
medical problems such
as trench foot.
 Many men killed in the
trenches were buried
almost where they fell.
These corpses, as well as
the food scraps that
littered the trenches,
attracted rats.
What was life like in the trenches?
• Soldiers were regularly rotated through a basic sequence:
 fighting in the front line
 a period of time in the support line
 a brief rest period
 begin this cycle again
• Men repaired shell-damaged walls, removed standing water,
created new latrines, moved supplies, etc.
• During rest periods men were free to nap, read, or write letters
home, etc.