europe at war. central powers vs. allies by the end of the war, the two sides were: central powers...
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EUROPE AT WAR
CENTRAL POWERS VS. ALLIES By the end of the war, the two
sides were:
Central PowersAustria-Hungary
Germany
Bulgaria
Ottoman Empire
AlliesRussiaFranceGreat BritainJapanItalyU.S.
THE WESTERN FRONT 1914 - Stalemate along the border
of France This was the Western Front
*THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN* Germany’s plan to win the war
It was: Germany planned a long war. Attack & defeat France FIRST Then rush East to fight Russia
In order for this to work, what had to happen? What actually happened?
THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE
Germany was on track to defeat France Made it almost all the way to Paris
The First Battle of the Marne September 5th
French armies regrouped in the Valley of the Marne
600 taxicabs rushed French soldiers from Paris to the front lines
Finally Germany had to retreat
EFFECTS OF THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE Any guesses? Destroyed the Schlieffen Plan
Russia had already invaded Germany Germany was going to have to fight a war on
two fronts after all
TRENCH WARFARE
Stalemate on the Western Front Troops dig trenches to protect
themselves from fire Trench Warfare
They then fight from those trenches Why does this make war last longer?
EXPERIENCES OF TRENCH WARFARE Some soldiers lived in
the trenches for weeks or months
Lived with rats, dead bodies, disease, starvation
Led to huge loss of human life for little land gain
TRENCH FACTS British Army treated 20,000 soldiers for trench foot To boost morale, there was a trench rotation. A week at
the front, a week in support, and a week on reserve. 1/3 of all casualties on the Western Front may have been
killed or wounded in a trench Daytime was mostly safe. Raids attacks, and
eavesdropping near enemy lines occurred at night or early morning.
Soldiers in the trenches often drank impure water causing dysentery
New weapons created a “no-man’s land” between enemy lines.
Soldiers would fight days , and many would die, for little or no gain in land
MACHINE GUNS, POISON GAS, TANKS & SUBMARINES
Poison Gas – Some caused blindness, others caused death by choking
Machine Guns – Defining feature of WWI, main cause of the huge death toll, made it difficult for troops to advance
Tanks – Could cross any type of terrain
Submarines – Changed naval warfare forever
WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT
Meanwhile, troops were also battling between the German and Russian border
RUSSIA STRUGGLES
By 1916, Russia’s army was on life support Short on food, guns, ammunition, supplies The one thing Russia did have: a huge
population Though the Russian army was not strategically sound
or well-equipped, they tied up German forces in the East
Suffered massive death tolls
TIMELINE
1914 – WWI begins June 28, 1914 – Franz
Ferdinand shot
1915 Stalemate on the Western
front Gallipoli Campaign
1916 Feb – Dec – Battle of Verdun July – Battle of the Somme Russia struggles
1917 U.S. enters WWI Russia withdraws from
the war
1918 – WWI ends 1919 – Treaty of
Versailles signed