Download - WWI – The Great War
WWI – The Great War
The deep breath before WWI
Early 1900s – situation in Europe was very tense
Rivalry between industrial nations caused extreme feelings of nationalism
Suspicious of one another, the nations formed defensive alliances waiting for someone to throw the first punch
The PlayersTriple Alliance - 1882 Germany Italy Austria-Hungary
Triple Entente - 1907 France Great Britain Russia
Causes of WWI Spark = ethnic nationalism in Austria-
Hungary These groups wanted their own nations Result? A series of uprisings Serbia was a new nation in the Balkan
area supported by Russia (made things even more tense) – known as the “powder keg of Europe”
European leaders trying to keep the lid on the cauldron representing trouble in Serbia
The immediate cause of the war:
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia
Shot by Gavrilo Princip, a young Serbian nationalist and member of The Black Hand – they wanted Bosnia (a part of Austria-Hungary) to become a part of Serbia)
1,2,3,4, I declare war…DON’T WRITE THIS!!During July and August of 1914, peace in Europe quickly
fell apart – Austria blamed the Serbs for trying to break up its empire. It declared war against Serbia. Serbia’s ally, Russia, then prepared its army for war. Fearing that Russia would attack it as well as Austria, Germany declared war on Russia. Russia was France’s ally. When France offered to help Russia, Germany declared war on France. To attack France, Germany invaded neighboring Belgium. Belgium’s ally, Britain, then declared war against Germany. Soon all of Europe was at war…
To sum that up:
War spread like wildfire
Triple Alliance = Central Powers
Triple Entente = Allies
When did the US enter the picture?
1915 – sinking of the Lusitania – British ship that carried cargo and US passengers (sunk by German torpedo)
The US began to view Germany as a bully and began to side with the Allies
When did the US enter the picture?
Zimmerman letter – intercepted telegram from German foreign minister to German US ambassador – said that Germany would help Mexico win back Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico
4 years of warfare
Why? Trench warfare –
each side dig trenches deep enough for soldiers to stand in
This eventually turned into a stalemate, neither side could move more than a few miles
A New Kind of War Airplanes – used for observation and then
bombing enemy targets Machine guns – rapid fire, great in
trenches Poison gas – sickened and killed soldiers –
masks were the only protection Submarines – German U-boats attacked
at sea Tanks
VideosTrench Warfare and weapons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUCaq
ptNqKM&safe=active
War Horse clip – make a list of the weapons/ war tactics that you see in the clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-3x2khwZ0&safe=active
Here come the Yankees! April 1917 – US declared war on Germany More than 1 million US troops came to
Europe to counter the final German advance
After a year, it was clear that Germany could not win
Allies agreed to an armistice – cease fire
At the end of things…. Casualties: 8.5 million Wounded: 17 million Regions where war had been fought lay
in ruin War debt: millions Question? Who would pay for the
rebuilding and debt?
Making the Peace
Paris Peace Conference 1919
The Big Three – GB, France, US (decision makers)
Germany was not allowed to take part in the negotiations
Treaty of Versailles The big three disagreed about what the
treaty should contain: GB/France – wanted Germany to be
disarmed and pay the entire cost of the war
US – Woodrow Wilson wanted to set up a League of Nations (LON)– international peacekeeping organization
Wilson’s 14 Points The LON was included in his 14 points
along with goals like:1. End to secret treaties2. Freedom of the seas3. Right for people to govern themselves
14 Points cont. In the end, he had to give many of the
points up, but he stuck to his idea of a LON and the Allies finally accepted it
BUT the US Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles (they thought the US would be giving up its ability to act in its own interests)
Soooo without the US, Wilson’s idea lost a lot of it’s power
Final Treaty of Versailles Germany/Austria Hungary – admit they
started the war Germany – paid $30 million in damages German army/navy reduced in size Area btw. Germany and France was not
allowed to have forts, trenches, weapons Germany had to return land to France German colonies in Africa and Asia were
taken
Which one’s Germany??
A tough pill to swallow
Quick video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J31vkB4IdS0&safe=active
The short end of the stick…