Unit 6: World War I
“The War to End All Wars”
Causes of World War I
• Nationalism: belief that ones’ nation or people
are better than others
• Led to rivalries between France, Germany,
Austria-Hungry, and Russia
• Several nationalities within Austria-Hungry
wanted to form their own nation-states
Causes of WWI
• Imperialism: policy of extending economic and
political control over other people/territories
• Competition for territory lead to conflict
between nations
• Race to dominate Africa, Asia, and Caribbean
widens the conflict
Causes of WWI
• Militarism: policy of building up armed forces is
aggressive preparedness for war or their use as a
tool in diplomacy
• The military dominated life in Europe
• People extoled the virtues of military discipline
and heroism
• Generals promoted the idea that it was better to
attack than to wait to be attacked
• Troops were often stationed at the border to act
as a deterrent to others
Causes of WWI
• “Entangling Alliances”
• Nations in Europe have formed mutual
defense alliances
• If one nation is attacked, all others in the
alliance will come to their defense
• Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and AustriaHungry are the Central Powers
• Great Britain, France, and Russia are the Allied
Powers; also known as the Triple Entente
Archduke Francis Ferdinand
• There were a great many ethnic rivalries
within the Balkans
• Russia wanted to cross the Baltics to get to the
Mediterranean Sea
• Germany wanted to cross the Balkans to link
their rail system to the Ottoman-Turks Empire
• Austria-Hungry had taken control of Bosnia
and accused Serbia of interfering with their
rule
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
• The Archduke is heir to the Austrian throne
• In June of 1914, he visits Sarajevo, the capital
of Bosnia
• A Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip,
assassinated the Archduke and his wife, Sofia
• Princip was a member of a nationalist group
called the Black Hand
• Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia on July
28th
Who declared WAR on Whom?
• Germany declared war on Serbia and Russia
due to their alliance on August 1st
• Germany declared war on Russia’s ally, France
on August 3rd
• After Germany invaded Belgium, Great Britain
declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungry
• “The Great War” begins!
Allied Powers
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Serbia
Russia
Great Britain
France
Central Powers
• Germany
• Austria-Hungry
• Ottoman Empire (also know as the Ottoman
Turks)
Predicting the War
• Military leaders on both sides predicted that
the war would be over quickly
• To avoid a 2 front war, German war plans
called for them to march thru neutral Belgium
to take Paris before Russia could enter the war
• Germany was halted before they could get to
Paris
Trench Warfare
• To defend their territory, soldiers dug deep
fortified trenches
• These ran 100’s of miles along eastern France
• They became known as Germany’s “Western
Front”
• Trench Warfare was a new type of fighting
Trench Warfare
• The two sides’ trenches were separated from
one another by fields filled with:
– Barbed Wire
– Land Mines
– Booby Traps
Trench Warfare
• The fields between the trenches was known as
“no man’s land”
• Anyone who climbed out of the trenches
faced instant death from machine gun fire
• Many soldiers spent years in the trenches
subjected to shelling from artillery fire for
hours each day
• Both sides remained stuck in their trenches
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB9G2FFW
FvQ
New Type of War
• “First Modern War” new weapons, new
techniques, wider conflict than in the past
Machine Guns
• Able to fire more rounds per minute with
accuracy and speed
Poison Gas
• Germany first used poison gas as a weapon at
Apres in April 1915.
• Allied troops used it in retaliation
• In 1925, 25 nations signed the Geneva
Protocol to end the use of toxic gas and other
biological weapons in warfare
• Gas placed in canisters that were fired like
artillery shells
Mustard Gas
• Not actually made w/ mustard, but when
mixed is the same color (called sulfur mustard
gas, too)
• A blister agent that causes chemical burns at
the cellular level
• Only fatal about 5% of the time, but
incapacitated soldiers during an attack
Mustard Gas Symptoms
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Skin irritation: blisters, rash, chemical burns
Eye irritation: redness, swelling, burning
Shortness of breath, inability to breathe
Dizziness
Severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
Symptoms appear 2-24 hours after exposure
Tanks
• First introduced in WWI
• Too primitive to be effective in combat
Airplanes
• Not used in combat at first
• Used in spying on enemy lines and carrying
messages
• Towards the end of the war, “dog fights”
between pilots and the use of planes to strafe
and bomb the enemy will begin
Submarines
• Germans called them “U Boats (underwater
boats)
• Used to sink larger ships
• Germans used them extensively to end
blockades, disrupt trade, and sink military vessels
• Could not travel long distances or go to great
depths in the oceans
• No sonar or radar available yet
• Too small to be used as rescue vessels
Blockades
• British placed a blockade around Germany and
Austria-Hungry to starve them into submission
• Russia became cut off from the West and
lacked ammunition and supplies
• Each side tried to mobilize all its resources
turning the conflict into “total war”
American Intervention
• From the beginning of the war in 1914 until
1917, the U.S. remained neutral
• Wilson campaigned on a policy of neutrality
• Most Americans are tired of war and want to
focus on the economy and jobs
American Neutrality Despite European
War
• Most Americans traced their ancestry to
Britain and share a common language
• The U.S. , France, and Great Britain all have
democratic Republics
• 1/3rd of all Americans also have German
heritage
Trade with Allies
• US is the main supplier for many European
countries
• We provided dynamite, cannon powder,
submarines, copper wire, armored cars, and
FOOD to GB and France
• 50% of all US manufactured goods went to GB
and France
• The US did not try to break any of the
blockades (neutrality)
U.S. Shocked at Invasion of Belgium
• Belgium was a neutral country, so Americans saw this
as an illegal, aggressive act by Germany
• Germany invaded in 1914 as part of the Schlieffen Plan
• Germany needed to drive thru Belgium quickly to
attack France
• After the Germans defeated France (didn’t happen)
they would turn around and defeat Russia
• The Allies were unable to stop the advance into
Belgium, so they retreated to the Marne River in
France and dug in
Schlieffen Plan
American reaction to invasion of
Belgium
Zimmerman Telegram
• A secret, coded message was sent from the
German Foreign Minister to the German
Ambassador to Mexico
• In the note, Germany promised that if the US and
Germany went to war, they would win and give
Mexico the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and
Arizona if Mexico helped Germany
• The telegram was intercepted, de-coded, and reprinted in US newspapers
“U” Boat Strengths
• British blockade prevented food and weapons
from getting to Germany
• The US supplies arms, food, material to the Allies
for the war
• German army is too weak to break thru the
blockade
• Germany retaliates by sinking merchant ships
heading to GB
• U Boats are too small to rescue people from the
ships that are sunk
Sinking of the Lusitania
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The Lusitania is a British passenger ship
In 1915, it left NY to Liverpool, GB
Much of the cargo was munitions
German sub fired on the Lusitania, sunk it,
and killed 1,198 passengers and crew
• 128 passengers were US citizens
• US public want to retaliate against Germany
Propaganda
Sussex Pledge
• The Sussex was a French ferry ship that took
people across the English Chanel between GB and
France
• German sub attacked the ship and killed 50
passengers
• Pres. Wilson threatened to cut off diplomatic
relations with Germany
• Germany pledges to not sink any more passenger
ship without a warning or providing help to the
passengers
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
• Germany is suffering from near-starvation due
to the blockade
• Germany announces it will sink all ships near
the blockade
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare means that
the Germans will give no regard to neutral
countries, passenger vessels, or humanitarian
ships
US Response
• The US believes that Germany is violating the
principle of “freedom of the seas”
• This is the right of neutral nations to ship nonmilitary goods without restriction
• When German ships attack US merchant
vessels, Wilson asks Congress to declare war
on Germany
April 2, 1917
• Congress votes to declare war on Germany
and the other Central Powers
• Wilson says this will be a war to make “the
world safe for democracy”
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
• Purpose: AEF are the American troops sent to Europe
to fight in WWI
• Selective Service was created to conscript or draft men
into military service; 24 million men were registered
for the draft
• The army went from 200,000 men to 2 million
• 13,000 women enlisted into non-combat jobs
• Women were also allowed in the Army Nurses Corp
• African-Americans were allowed to fight, but only in
segregated units under French commanders
General John J. Pershing
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West Point Grad
Commanded troops against Pancho Villa
Appointed to command the AEF
Insisted that US troops be fully trained before
being sent to Europe
• Demanded that US forces serve in their own
separate units and not be used to fill in gaps in
French and British lines
Battle of the Argonne Forest
• Location: Northeast France near Belgium
border
• Significance: Germany has been dug in here
for 4 years; France has been unable to push
them out
The Argonne
• Conditions:
– Steep terrain
– Heavily forested
– Miles of German trenches and barbed wire
– Tank traps
– Machine gun nests everywhere
The Argonne
• General Pershing lead 600,000 men armed
with 40,000 artillery pieces into the forest
• In 1 month, the US shattered German
defenses; German lines are breached
• This is the final and most important battle of
the US in WWI
• 117,000 Americans are killed/wounded
Soldiers’ Recognitions
• One of the oldest medal given to combat soldiers
is the Purple Heart- given to those wounded in
combat
• During the Civil War, the Congressional Medal of
Honor was created
• This award is granted only to “those who most
distinguish themselves by their gallantry in
action”.
• More than 3,400 have been given this award
from 1861-2013
Alvin York
• One of the most decorated US soldiers of all time
• He was a very religious Quaker who opposed war
• He almost avoided serving by registering as a
conscientious objector
• He was drafted at age 29
• He was from a very poor Tennessee mountain
family
• He had little formal education; learned only to
read the bible
Alvin York
• In the Battle of the Argonne, armed with only a boltaction rifle, he killed 25 Germans and captured 132
prisoners
• Pershing said he was “the outstanding soldier of the
war”
• He was promoted to Sergeant
• He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
• The French awarded him the Cross de Guerre
• The British awarded him the DSA (their highest honor)
• He returned home as a celebrity, but chose to go back
to his farm and marry his sweetheart
The Homefront
• Selective Service: agency responsible for draft
• 2,000,000 Americans were sent to Europe to
fight
• War cost about $30 billion
• Was paid for by higher income taxes and the
sale of war bonds
Propaganda
• The use of language to persuade people to
your point of view
Espionage Act of 1917
• Made it a crime to criticize the war effort
Schenck v. U.S. 1919
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Schenck was a socialist who opposed the draft
He handed out leaflets telling men to resist
He was arrested under the Espionage Act
He was convicted and appealed to the
Supreme Court
• His conviction was upheld
• His speech created “a clear and present
danger”
Wilson’s Fourteen Points
• Speech delivered by Pres. Wilson Jan 1918
• Listed the broad goals of the war
• Every European nationality should have their own
country (like Poland)
• Austria-Hungry and Ottoman Empire divided up
• A-L region returned to France
• Freedom of the Seas
• Arms reduction
• Removal of trade barriers
• End of secret diplomacy
• Creation of the League of Nations
Ending the War
• War ends with Armistice on 11/11/1918 at
11:00 AM
• Germans surrendered
• Wilson’s Fourteen Points was the basis for
peace talks
War Casualties
U.S. Deaths/Wounded
320,000+ killed in action
225,000+ wounded
3,304 missing/prisoners
Treaty of Versailles
• Peace Treaty ending WWI
• Germany:
– Lost territory to Poland and France
– Gave up all overseas territories
– Lost its navy
– Army reduced to size of police force
– Had to accept total blame for war (War Guilt
Clause)
– Had to pay huge reparations(damages) to Allies
Treaty of Versailles
• Austria-Hungry:
– Divided into 9 new nations
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Czechoslovakia
Yugoslavia
Austria
Hungry
Estonia
Latvia
Prussia
Finland
Lithuania
Treaty of Versailles
• Ottoman/Turks
– Lost empire in middle East
– Nations became independent
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Syria
Lebanon
Trans-Jordan
Palestine
Iraq
Treaty of Versailles
• League of Nations
– Created as an organization pledged to defend one
another against aggressors
– Weakened when US and Russia didn’t join
Henry Cabot Lodge/League of Nations
• U.S. Senator that argued against ratification of
the Treaty of Versailles (didn’t like League of
Nations)
• Thought the League of Nations would restrict the
U.S. And prevent our freedom to act around the
world
• Wilson went on a national speaking tour to get
Americans on his side
• Wilson suffers a serious stroke while on tour
• The U.S. ratified the Treaty, but deleted the
portion dealing with the League of Nations
Isolationism
• By 1919, most Americans are disillusioned
with world affairs
• World War I had ended with terrible loss of
life and cost a great deal of $
• Attention turns inward to our own issues
• America returns to Isolationism (separation
from world affairs)