Name:__________________________
Date: _______________________
Block:_____________
World War I: The War to End All Wars
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to cultivate an understanding of how technology had changed during
WWI
2. Students will be able to relate to the lives of soldiers who were living in the trenches
3. Students will be able to determine the exact causes that brought America into the war
Lesson:
“(World War I) was the most colossal, murderous, mismanaged butchery that has ever taken place on
earth. Any writer who said otherwise lied, So the writers either wrote propaganda, shut up, or
fought.”
-Ernest Hemingway
I) The Beginning

Germany is on the offensive
o U-Boats dominate the sea

Must attack Russia, b/c of their declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, but had to fight
France as well
o So they did not get flanked

Schlieffen Plan
o Meant to hold Russia at bay as the German forces pushed through Belgium and into
France to link up with the Austro-Hungarian army to then turn back and defeat
Russia.
o Belgium falls according to plan
o Germany advances through Belgium and into France
II) The Lines Stabilize

German forces march through eastern France
o Allies try to defend, but are forced to retreat

The Marne River
o The point of the Allied Powers’ retreat
o The “stabilization” point on the war front

Neither side gave ground or took it
o With the lines “set” trench warfare broke out
Name:__________________________
Date: _______________________
Block:_____________
III) Life in the Trenches

Trench Warfare
o Combat between two fixed military “lines” that usually lasts a long time due to the
defensive nature of the tactic.

Siege warfare without castles
IV) Living “In the Cut”

Dirty, unsanitary, and muddy
o Networks of manmade trenches, tunnels, and underground quarters, command
posts, and storerooms.

“No Man’s Land”
o The area between opposing trenches.
o Filled with landmines, barbed wire, machine gun nests, etc.
o No man could cross it…
VI) World War I Weapons Innovations
A) Landmines

Anti-infantry and vehicle weapons

Typically buried in “No-Man’s-Land”

Used to protect lines of soldiers and cover their retreat
B) Machine Gun

Automatic weapon capable of firing thousands of rounds per minute

Used to mow down lines of charging soldiers and cavalry

Eliminated horses from military strategy and doctrine
Name:__________________________
Date: _______________________
Block:_____________
B.1) Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Messines Mines

Largest landmine in history

Authorized by British commanders, 21 were made and buried under where the German
lines had been established

50,000 pounds of dynamite per mine (6 tons of explosives)

19/21 were detonated during the battle of Messines, killing 10,000 German soldiers

The remaining two were “mislaid” with one blowing up in 1955
o The only casualty was a cow
C) The Zeppelin

First used as weather balloons

Airborne observation posts

Not very safe when you’re being shot at
D) Chemical Weapons

Used primarily by the Germans

Mustard/chlorine gas were the most common

Would burn skin and eyes

Asphyxiated victims

If you did not die, you would have some serious problems
E) Airplanes

Airplanes not widely used for warfare pre WWI
o Not safe, not practical, etc.

Biplanes made aircraft more stable and versatile

Used to great effect by both sides
o Scouts
o Pistols/grenades
o Machine guns/bombs

Red Baron: German ace fighter pilot. Killed many allied airmen. Was shot down by an
unknown Australian soldier.
Name:__________________________
Date: _______________________
Block:_____________
F) Early Tanks

Originally tractors with armored plating
o Add a machine gun and you get a weapon

Were used to cross No-Man’s-Land
o Originally designed to drive over trenches
o Cleared barbed wire, impervious to most mines, and served as mobile cover

Revolutionized how wars would be fought in future conflicts
G) U-Boats

Developed by the Germans

“Unterseeboot”

Used to harass and destroy Allied ships/shipping lanes

Were lethally effective

Gave the Germans dominance over the oceans
VII) The Neutrality Question

Americans questioned whether or not to go to war
o Some wanted to go fight, others wanted to remain neutral and mind our own
business

Neutrality: Remaining uninvolved in the conflicts of other nations.

Isolationism: The belief that a nation should remain isolated from the affairs of other
nations.

The question: Do we remain neutral?
o Supported Great Britain (food, ammo, etc.)
o Britain and the Allies were showing signs of weakness
Name:__________________________
Date: _______________________
Block:_____________
VIII) America Drawn Into War

Britain had blockaded Germany

Germany sent out their U-Boats to counter
o Ordered to sink ANY allied ship
o Targeted battleships, supply boats dinghies, etc.

Lusitania
o British cruise ship sunk by a U-Boat, all hands lost at sea
o 128 of the dead were American tourists
o America wanted war, but President Woodrow Wilson wanted peace.

The Zimmerman Telegram:
o A letter, sent via telegram, to Mexico from the German foreign minister to the
German ambassador to Mexico. It was intercepted by the British who turned it over
to the US. It proposed a German/Mexican alliance
o Mexico was to immediately attack the United States if they entered the war.
o Would award Mexico lost territories in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona upon a
Triple Alliance victory.