Europe Plunges into War HSCE 7.2.1 Ch. 29 sec. 2 *1914---Europe divided into 2 sides: -Triple Entente---Gr. Britain, France, Russia -Triple Alliance---Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy *Tangled alliance system explodes when Austria-Hungary declares war after Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated ***Mid-Aug.,1914---WWI begins…. *After Aust.-Hung. declares war, Russia moves to A-H border -Germ. declares war on Russia & two days later, France…….later, Gr. Britain declares war on Germany http://www.the-map-as-history.com/demos/tome06/index.php Animated map of WWI

*Central Powers----Germany, Austria-Hungary --later Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria would join *Allies---Great Britain, France, Russia --Japan joined later *most felt the war would be quick & painless…..WRONG!!! --Fall of 1914---war is a bloody stalemate---neither side winning *Western Front---deadlocked region in Northern France where stalemate & most of the fighting took place

*Germans fighting on 2 fronts: Western & Eastern *Schlieffen Plan---attack & defeat France (Western) quickly, then turn East & knock out Russia --had to act quickly---Russian railroads bad & can’t re-supply as fast as Germany --Germany easily gets to France……Allies re-group & stop the Germans from taking Paris. = Schlieffen Plan is ruined --Germs. took too long in France --Russia already invading Germany *Germany has to fight a 2 Front War!!! --Western Front turns into bloody stalemate *Trench Warfare---soldiers fought from MILES of dug trenches to be protected from enemy fire --each side gained not much ground on the other --1000s of wasted lives in “no man’s land”--- space between the opposing trenches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXtsiqrhqsU All Quiet

Trench warfare was BRUTAL *Trench warfare was BRUTAL!!!! Horrible conditions & new weapons just killed more efficiently----not end the war sooner. *New weapons first used in WWI: --poison gas = Germans first used it, but both sides soon did --Machine gun = way improved by WWI --Tank = 1st introduced by Brits in 1916 at Battle of the Somme --Submarine = 1914—Germans perfected it & it was their greatest weapon *Eastern Front---- German-Russian border -1916---Russia’s war effort was nearly wiped out -Russia had not been industrialized & could not keep up war manufacturing -Short on food, guns, ammo, clothing -U-Boats kept supply ships out of Russia in the open seas *Russia’s # 1 weapon = NUMBERS-----country’s HUUUUGE population kept rebuilding the army’s ranks to keep fighting---kept the Germans busy in the East so they couldn’t throw it all to the West.