Why Europe?

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Why Europe?

• Industrial Revolution is at its peak
  modernization led to sense that Europeans were
  at the peak of world civilizations.
• Europe had 25 of the worlds population.
• Imperial tensions led European nations to
  complete for colonies
• Militarism glorify war and spend major to
  protect your interests.
• Nationalism - many countries had only recently
  become independent.
• System of Alliances to protect themselves!

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WWI Alliances

• Central Powers/Triple Alliance Germany,
  Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
• Allied Powers/Triple Entente Great Britain,
  France, Russia, Serbia, Belgium, Japan

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The spark

• The Balkan Peninsula was full of smaller
  countries supposed to be protected by Russia.
• Other powerful countries competed for this land
  and the people were resentful of this.
• During this time Austria-Hungary controlled
  Bosnia.
• Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife visited
  Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia on June 28, 1914
  and are assassinated.

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Who set fire to the powder keg?

• 19 year old Gavrilo Princip shot the Archduke and
  his wife.
• A member of a Serbian nationalist group called
  the Black Hand composed mainly of teenagers
• Several members of this group missed on an
  earlier attempt to kill the archduke.
• Princip dies in prison but the storefront that
  was site of the murders was used as a museum to
  Serbian nationalism until it was closed in 1992.

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How it all unfolded

• Austria-Hungary offers an ultimatum to Serbia
  bring the Black Hand to justice or else!
• Serbia doesnt cooperate AH declares war.
• Russia mobilizes troops
• Germany declares war on Russia
• France declares war on Germany
• Britain declares war on Germany
• US Neutral (for the time)

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The Guns of August

• Many countries were unprepared for war
• The old traditions of war still lingered
• Many underestimated the length of the war (our
  boys will be home by Christmas)
• Many lacked war materials and ammunition

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Schlieffen Plan

• German General Schlieffen in 1905
• Two parts
• Defeat France in the Western front in 6 weeks
• Then move to the Eastern front to fight Russia
• DID NOT WORK!

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Some Costly Battles

• Verdun French and German forces battled for
  nearly one year 500,000 deaths.
• Battle of the Somme Allies initiated conflict
• 60,000 British dead or wounded in ONE day.
• ONE million died in five months.
• Neither side gained an advantage.

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Trench Warfare

• Dug along the western front for /-500 miles
• no mans land was the area in between trenches,
  land mines and barbed wire.
• Life in the trench was cold, muddy, rat infested,
  and boring at times
• Over the top was the order to leave the trench
  and go into no mans land, led to heavy casualties

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Trench Foot

• Life in the trench wasnt life at all
• Trench foot was your biggest enemy
• Muddy boots, wet socks on your skin for days,
  weeks, months caused the skin to rot away.

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Poison Gas

• Over 75 types invented during the Industrial
  Revolution
• Led to blindness, choking, vomiting, torn lungs,
  and often death

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WWI POISON GAS ATTACK
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Casualties From Gas - The Numbers
Country Total Casualties Death
Austria-Hungary 100,000 3,000
British Empire 188,706 8,109
France 190,000 8,000
Germany 200,000 9,000
Italy 60,000 4,627
Russia 419,340 56,000
USA 72,807 1,462
Others 10,000 1,000
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The machine gun

• Was first used in combat on a regular basis
• Machine guns fired 8 rounds per second
• Enemies could literally be mowed down in seconds.

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• This British Vickers machine gun is being fired
  by a team of two who are wearing early gas masks
  in case of a gas attack was very popular. This
  machine gun could shoot 450 rounds a minute. As
  well as the Vickers machine gun, the British used
  the Hotchkiss and the Lewis gun.
• At the start of the war, senior British army
  officers were less than sure about the
  effectiveness of the machine gun. Therefore most
  battalions were only issued with two.
• This was a lot less than the Germans who were
  much more sure as to the effectiveness of the
  machine gun. The Germans placed their machine
  guns slightly in front of their lines to ensure
  than the machine gun crews were given a full view
  of the battlefield. At the Battle of the Somme,
  their efficiency lead to the deaths of thousands
  of British troops within minutes of the battle
  starting. 

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• Peace, Land and Bread
• Vladimir Lenin led a revolution in Russia.
• In 1918 signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,
  ending Russian participation in WWI.
• Germany could focus on the Western Front.

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The Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
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• British ocean liner
• Sank in 18 minutes
• Killed 1,198 people
• 128 Americans died
• Germany claimed the Lusitania was carrying
  weapons.

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Zimmerman NoteDear Mexico,

• To the German Minister to Mexico
• Berlin, January 19, 1917
• On the first of February we intend to begin
  submarine warfare unrestricted.  In spite of
  this, it is our intention to endeavour to keep
  neutral the United States of America.
• If this attempt is not successful, we propose an
  alliance on the following basis with Mexico That
  we shall make war together and together make
  peace.  We shall give general financial support,
  and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer
  the lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and
  Arizona.  The details are left to you for
  settlement...
• You are instructed to inform the President of
  Mexico of the above in the greatest confidence as
  soon as it is certain that there will be an
  outbreak of war with the United States and
  suggest that the President of Mexico, on his own
  initiative, should communicate with Japan
  suggesting adherence at once to this plan at the
  same time, offer to mediate between Germany and
  Japan.
• Please call to the attention of the President of
  Mexico that the employment of ruthless submarine
  warfare now promises to compel England to make
  peace in a few months.
• Zimmermann(Secretary of State)
• Source Source Records of the Great War, Vol. V,
  ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923

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The United States Enters the War
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Victory!

• After the arrival of the Americans, German
  generals reported that the war could NOT be won.
• The Germans sought an armistice, an agreement to
  end fighting.
• At 1100AM on 11/11 1918, WWI ended!

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President Wilsons 14 Points
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• TOTAL NUMBER OF CASUALTIES ATTRIBUTED TO WWI
• 9.7 MILLION MILITARY DEATHS
• 10.0 MILLION CIVILIAN DEATHS

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THE BIG THREE

• Woodrow Wilson United States
• - Fourteen Points
• - Could be hard to work with
• - Wanted a peaceful world
• Georges Clemenceau France
• - The Tiger
• - Very Anti-German
• - Mr. Wilson bores me with his 14 pointsGod
  has only 10.
• David Lloyd George Britain
• - Demanded harsh treatment of Germany.

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The Treaty of VersaillesA Peace of Vengeance

• Limited the German army to a size of 100,000 men,
  
• Demilitarized a large section of Germany nearest
  France,
• Forbade the German ownership of military
  aircraft, poison gas, or any naval units.
• Huge war reparations were to be paid, the extent
  of which were undetermined at the time (so
  Germany was signing a blank check). Expectations
  concerning these reparations were huge since the
  Entente wanted Germany to pay their war expenses
  and damages done to France and Belgium.
• The Treaty also required Germany to put many of
  her war heroes up for trial.

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Major Charles Whittlesey

• A pacifist before the war.
• Trained as a lawyer, not a West Point graduate
• Followed orders to lead his troops into the
  Argonne Forest knowing that the results would be
  terrible.
• Received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his
  efforts.
• Committed suicide on 11/29/21

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The Lost Battalion